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Mortgage Loan Types

Conventional Mortgages (Including Jumbo)

Mortgage loans that are not backed by a government agency are known as conventional loans.  There are 2 types of conventional loans:
- Conforming conventional loans
- Non-conforming conventional loans (jumbo loans)

Conventional loans are available as fixed rate mortgages, which have the same interest rate over the entire term of the mortgage, or adjustable rate mortgages ("ARMs"), which have interest rates that change over time.

Conforming Conventional Loans

If the loan is a conforming conventional loan, it will follow lending guidelines provided by either Fannie Mae (Federal National Mortgage Association) or Freddie Mac (Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation).  These government-sponsored enterprises buy loans from lenders that follow their guidelines, and they re-sell these loans to other investors.

There are annual loan limits for conventional loans - in 2024, the baseline limit is $766,550 for single-family homes, but this limit can be higher in high-cost counties.  In Colorado, for example, Douglas County, Arapahoe County, Jefferson County, and Denver County all have conforming limits of $816,500 for single-family homes.

Factors that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac look at before approving you for a loan are:
- Credit rating
- Employment history
- Debt-to-income ("DTI") ratio
- Loan-to-value ("LTV") of the house

You can find more details at:  

Freddie Mac Fannie Mae
Non-conforming Conventional Loans (Jumbo Loans)


Non-conforming conventional loans, also known as jumbo loans, are loans that are higher than the conforming loan limits.  Due to the higher risk with jumbo loans, there are stricter guidelines to qualify for a loan and the interest rates are sometimes a little higher.  Sometimes two appraisals are required with jumbo loans to verify the home’s value.  Typically mortgage insurance is not required.

Government Mortgages (FHA and VA)

FHA Loans

An FHA Loan is backed by the government and insured by the Federal Housing Administration.  FHA loans generally have more lenient qualification requirements because of this insurance, which means it can be a good option for those who need lower down payments (only 3.5%), have higher DTI ratios, or have lower credit scores.

FHA loans also have lower interest rates and potentially cheaper monthly mortgage insurance than conventional loans.

The maximum loan amount for an FHA loan varies depending on the county where you live.  In Colorado, for example, Douglas County, Arapahoe County, Jefferson County, and Denver County all have conforming limits of $816,500 for single-family homes, while El Paso County has a limit of $517,500 for single-family homes.  FHA loans are only available for your primary residence.

An FHA streamline program makes it easy for you to refinance from an existing FHA loan into a new FHA loan with a lower interest rate. Less documentation is needed for this program, which also has lower costs.

You can find more details at: 


  VA Loans

A VA (Veterans Affairs) loan is backed by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.  To qualify for this loan, you must be a qualifying veteran, the unmarried widow of a veteran, a Public Health Service Officer, or an active-duty serviceman.

VA loans have easier qualification requirements and lower interest rates than conventional loans, plus you can pay $0 down without monthly mortgage insurance.

The maximum loan amount for a VA loan varies depending on the county where you live.  In Colorado, for example, Douglas County, Arapahoe County, Jefferson County, and Denver County all have conforming limits of $816,500 for single-family homes, while El Paso County has a limit of $766,550 for single-family homes.

The VA has a streamline refinance program that make it easy to refinance from an existing VA loan into a new VA loan with a lower interest rate. Less documentation is needed for this program, which also has lower costs.  This option is for veterans who are refinancing their original VA mortgage and who have utilized their original eligibility.

You can find more details at:

    

VA Housing Assistance HUD
Non-Qualified Mortgages (Non-QM)

Non-qualified mortgages don't meet the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau requirements for qualified mortgages (which include conventional and government loans). Non-QM mortgages offer flexible guidelines to help borrowers and provide alternatives to qualified mortgages.

For example, this flexibility allows lenders to use an alternative income calculation that can show higher income, or to accept borrowers who recently had a major credit event like bankruptcy or foreclosure.

Compared to qualified mortgages, Non-QM loans typically have higher down payment requirements and higher interest rates and fees to compensate for added risk.

Examples of Non-QM loans include:

Bank Statement Loan
     -For business owners
     -Calculate income from bank statements instead of tax returns

Debt Service Coverage Ratio ("DSCR") Loan
     -For investors
     -Qualify based on rental income of subject property
     -DSCR = monthly rent / mortgage payment including escrow and HOA

Non-warrantable Condo Loan
     -For buying a condo that is not approved with a conventional or FHA loan

Fix and Flip Loan
     -For purchasing a house to renovate and resell quickly

What our customers say

We didn't think we would be able to get qualified for buying a home. Marty explained the whole process to us and helped us know what to do to be able to qualify. He stayed within our budget and worked with are realtor so that we were all on the same page. Whenever we put in an offer in this crazy market he was even willing to put in a good recommendation for us. He went above and beyond to help us find our perfect first home! Thank you so much Marty!

Tammy I
Thank you Tammy!


Marty helped us through every step of our loan process. He was always available and answered every one of our many questions. He really made the whole process understandable and painless, and we saved tons of money! 

Tim S
Thank you Tim!

Martin with Home Lending is simply best. I can't imagine using another lender after using him. The home buying process can be very stressful with some lenders just looking to get you prequalified as quickly as possible and out the door, we didn't feel that way at all while working with Martin. We felt that he listened to our concerns, and was able to articulate very clearly how the process would go and kept very open lines of communication through out the entire process. I highly recommend.

Ryan V
Thank you Ryan!