Conventional Loans

What is a Conventional Loan?

A conventional loan is a type of mortgage loan that is not insured or guaranteed by any government entity such as FHA, VA, and USDA. Conventional loans are also known as conforming loans because they “conform” to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac standards. Conventional loans are much more common than government-backed financing and are used for about 3/4 of all new home sales, making them the most popular home loan option.

Conventional loans can be used to finance or refinance a primary residence, second home, vacation property or investment property. This is in contrast to government-backed loan programs which can only be used to finance a primary residence. Single-family homes, duplexes, 2-4 unit properties, condominiums, and townhouses are all eligible for a conventional loan.

If your shopping for a conventional loan, we’d love to help; we offer conventional home loans in Virginia including Blacksburg, Marion, Abingdon, Roanoke, Wytheville, Bristol, and the surrounding areas.

Down payment requirements
for a Conventional Loan

The minimum down payment on a conventional loan is 3% of the sales price. Although, the interest rate is lower by putting down 5% or more compared to the 3% down payment option. Conventional loans require private mortgage insurance, PMI, unless you put down at least 20%. PMI is insurance on the loan, the insurance will compensate the lender a portion of the loss in the case of a default by the borrower. Home possible and Home Ready are two loan options that have lower PMI rates, even when you only put down 3%, however, there are additional income restrictions on the Home possible and Home Ready loan programs.

One way to avoid PMI without paying 20% down is to get a lender-paid PMI loan, LPMI is a conventional loan that doesn’t require PMI, however the interest rate is a little higher than the PMI loan, LPMI can result in an overall lower payment which is a cost saving in the first several years but in the long run can cost the borrower more. This is a great option if the borrower is going to live in the house for only a few years. We can discuss the break-even point on a PMI vs lender-paid PMI loan to help determine the best possible loan for your scenario.

Conventional Loan Benefits

3-5% minimum down payment options

No private mortgage insurance (PMI) with 20% or more down.

Seller assistance with up to 3% of closing costs

Fixed Rates from 10 to 30 years

Higher loan limits than FHA

Lower PMI rates compared to FHA

Available for primary residence, second homes, and investment properties

Conventional Loan Limits in Virginia

Conforming loan amounts can go up to $484,350 and a maximum of $726,525 in high-cost areas. If you need a home loan above the conforming loan amounts, talk to us about our jumbo loans or our conventional high balance loans.

Conventional Loan Example

Example of a Conventional Home Loan Payment. Based on a $200,000 Loan with 5% down, 30 Year Fixed Rate of 4.5%

Principle and Interest $1013

Home Owners Insurance $50

Real Estate Taxes $175

Mortgage Insurance $67

Total Monthly Payment $1305

Are You Eligible for a Conventional Loan?

Criteria we review to qualify you for a conventional loan:

620 or higher middle credit score. Your credit score also affects your interest rate.

Debt-to-income ratio.

2 years of employment history.

Down payment availability ranging from 3-20%.

With offices in Blacksburg, Marion, and Abingdon we provide home loans to all of Southwest Virginia including Christiansburg, Roanoke, Wytheville, Bristol, and the surrounding areas.

Apply Now for a Conventional Loan

Apply Now

Have questions about a
conventional loan?

Contact Us

Highly recommend. Excellent rates and reasonable fees, quick responses to questions, helped overcome a couple small complications, overall a very smooth process.
I cannot say enough positive things about Josh Rowland and his wife Jessica. My family and I went through one of the most stressful and chaotic events all in the middle of trying to purchase a home 700 miles away. They not only were professional at every step, but compassionate at every step as well. They fought for us with their diligence and resolve. I am forever grateful for their work, help, and friendship. 100% RECCOMEND. God bless their future endeavors!
Absolutely wonderful experience. Ryan Hall (and team) have gone above and beyond at every point. He's responded quickly, explained clearly, and even managed to get us pre-approved when a competing lender couldn't. Ryan is easy to talk to and a joy to work with. Definitely will recommend this office any chance I get.
You don't even feel the mortgage process up&down if you work with Ryan and his team, the best experience. Thanks so much Ryan for your support and help cause that made the home buying so smooth. Highly highly recommend them. 5 out 5 for sure.
We worked with Brian Hall to get our mortgage and it was beyond my expectations! We originally had gotten a preapproval amount and interest rate quote from another lender; our realtor Brian Mchone had recommended First Residential Mortgage to us, but I didn't think we would get a lower interest offer. Ryan reached out to me with an interest offer a whole percent lower than we were quoted from the other company! That difference was enough that when we found our dream home, we were able to get our offer in and keep our monthly payment within our budget! A LOT of paperwork was required to be submitted, but it was well worth it! Ryan was available every step of the way if I had questions or clarifications. He and my realtor communicated flawlessly and the whole experience felt well handled. We were able to submit all of this online and it was very easy to use the online submissions. My husband is a veteran and we used the VA Home Loan, Ryan was well versed in working with the VA Home Loan service. All and all, I can not say enough good things about First Residential Mortgage and Ryan Hall made the stressful experience of buying a home a much easier one!
Ryan did a great job getting us the best rate he could. He made sure we understood everything every step of the way and was very quick to answer any questions we had, be that via email or calling.
Excellent customer service from start to finish. Ryan did a great job of explaining the whole process and keeping us up to date at every step of the way. Would not hesitate to recommend him to family and friends.
My husband and I worked with Ryan on securing a mortgage as we bought our first home. Ryan was helpful and would answer our questions promptly and used videos and screen sharing to make sure everything was clear. We had shopped around at a few different mortgage and First Residential Mortgage offered the best rate to us. I would definitely recommend using First Residential Mortgage.
Ryan and the folks at First Residential Mortgage made the process of refinancing our home seamless and quick. Took less than 30 days from the time someone recommended me to Ryan’s team to closing. The application process was easy, Ryan looked out for us all along the way and got us a great interest rate, and we were able to pay off a $30k car while maintaining almost the exact same monthly mortgage payment we had been making previously. Can’t say enough good things about them!
Great to work with, wonderful staff and a very rate.
Ryan Hall and his team are absolutely fantastic to work with. We were first time home buyers. Thanks guys!
Great experience. Easy to work with. Answered all my questions.
Ryan was great to work with. We ran in to several issues along the way with the sellers and our income but he did everything in his power to make the process as smooth as possible and to make sure we were able to get the loan we wanted.
Ryan was very professional, yet very responsive to our questions as we moved forward through the process of signing documents. Ryan makes these video where he explains what is happening and what to expect that made it easy the home loan understand. Ryan's insight on how to approach the sellers with our offer and make it more attractive were invaluable. I highly recommend Ryan for all Veterans and others seeking a loan professional's help. You won't be disappointed. Thanks again Ryan.
Ryan Hall is great to work with. He is very knowledgeable and was always available for any questions that we had throughout our refinance. I highly recommend his services.
I had a great experience with Ryan and team at First Residential. The communication through the entire process was excellent. I will definitely be working with Ryan again in the future.
The folks at First Residential are exactly what you're looking for. They are professional, patient, fast, and thorough on every front. It felt like I had good friends walking me through the process, who always had time to answer any questions I had, fight for good rates for me, and to be excited for my family. I HIGHLY recommend you use them. I know I will be for every mortgage need I ever have again.
I purchased a duplex investment property with the help of First Residential Mortgage. The process was quick and easy and if I had any questions the team in Blacksburg was quick to help. When I was searching for the best interest rate Ryan was by far the lowest even in a very competitive/busy market. I will be using First Residential Mortgage again on future investment properties as well as personal residence. I highly recommend giving them a call!
We used this business to assist us in finding a mortgage. Ryan made sure to keep us informed in all aspects of this process. He was very professional and knowledgeable.
Ryan is a great wonderful person that seamlessly works with you to achieve your mortgage goals. He and his team are professional, through, and really make the experience very easy. They do a great job at First Residental Mortgage
Great experience. We are now first time home owners! They answered all of our questions and explained the whole process very thoroughly. Really cannot recommend Ryan and his team enough, it was really an enjoyable process working with them
Great people, they helped me every step of the process and kept me up to date on any changes. Would definitely recommend!
It was awesome working with Ryan and his team, super knowledgeable, walked me through the whole process, weighed the pros and cons of different options, easy all-digital process, answered questions insightfully, and gave me the best rate I could find. Thanks Ryan!
Highly recommend. Excellent rates and reasonable fees, quick responses to questions, helped overcome a couple small complications, overall a very smooth process.
I cannot say enough positive things about Josh Rowland and his wife Jessica. My family and I went through one of the most stressful and chaotic events all in the middle of trying to purchase a home 700 miles away. They not only were professional at every step, but compassionate at every step as well. They fought for us with their diligence and resolve. I am forever grateful for their work, help, and friendship. 100% RECCOMEND. God bless their future endeavors!
Absolutely wonderful experience. Ryan Hall (and team) have gone above and beyond at every point. He's responded quickly, explained clearly, and even managed to get us pre-approved when a competing lender couldn't. Ryan is easy to talk to and a joy to work with. Definitely will recommend this office any chance I get.
You don't even feel the mortgage process up&down if you work with Ryan and his team, the best experience. Thanks so much Ryan for your support and help cause that made the home buying so smooth. Highly highly recommend them. 5 out 5 for sure.
We worked with Brian Hall to get our mortgage and it was beyond my expectations! We originally had gotten a preapproval amount and interest rate quote from another lender; our realtor Brian Mchone had recommended First Residential Mortgage to us, but I didn't think we would get a lower interest offer. Ryan reached out to me with an interest offer a whole percent lower than we were quoted from the other company! That difference was enough that when we found our dream home, we were able to get our offer in and keep our monthly payment within our budget! A LOT of paperwork was required to be submitted, but it was well worth it! Ryan was available every step of the way if I had questions or clarifications. He and my realtor communicated flawlessly and the whole experience felt well handled. We were able to submit all of this online and it was very easy to use the online submissions. My husband is a veteran and we used the VA Home Loan, Ryan was well versed in working with the VA Home Loan service. All and all, I can not say enough good things about First Residential Mortgage and Ryan Hall made the stressful experience of buying a home a much easier one!
Ryan did a great job getting us the best rate he could. He made sure we understood everything every step of the way and was very quick to answer any questions we had, be that via email or calling.
Excellent customer service from start to finish. Ryan did a great job of explaining the whole process and keeping us up to date at every step of the way. Would not hesitate to recommend him to family and friends.
My husband and I worked with Ryan on securing a mortgage as we bought our first home. Ryan was helpful and would answer our questions promptly and used videos and screen sharing to make sure everything was clear. We had shopped around at a few different mortgage and First Residential Mortgage offered the best rate to us. I would definitely recommend using First Residential Mortgage.
Ryan and the folks at First Residential Mortgage made the process of refinancing our home seamless and quick. Took less than 30 days from the time someone recommended me to Ryan’s team to closing. The application process was easy, Ryan looked out for us all along the way and got us a great interest rate, and we were able to pay off a $30k car while maintaining almost the exact same monthly mortgage payment we had been making previously. Can’t say enough good things about them!
Great to work with, wonderful staff and a very rate.
Ryan Hall and his team are absolutely fantastic to work with. We were first time home buyers. Thanks guys!
Great experience. Easy to work with. Answered all my questions.
Ryan was great to work with. We ran in to several issues along the way with the sellers and our income but he did everything in his power to make the process as smooth as possible and to make sure we were able to get the loan we wanted.
Ryan was very professional, yet very responsive to our questions as we moved forward through the process of signing documents. Ryan makes these video where he explains what is happening and what to expect that made it easy the home loan understand. Ryan's insight on how to approach the sellers with our offer and make it more attractive were invaluable. I highly recommend Ryan for all Veterans and others seeking a loan professional's help. You won't be disappointed. Thanks again Ryan.
Ryan Hall is great to work with. He is very knowledgeable and was always available for any questions that we had throughout our refinance. I highly recommend his services.
I had a great experience with Ryan and team at First Residential. The communication through the entire process was excellent. I will definitely be working with Ryan again in the future.
The folks at First Residential are exactly what you're looking for. They are professional, patient, fast, and thorough on every front. It felt like I had good friends walking me through the process, who always had time to answer any questions I had, fight for good rates for me, and to be excited for my family. I HIGHLY recommend you use them. I know I will be for every mortgage need I ever have again.
I purchased a duplex investment property with the help of First Residential Mortgage. The process was quick and easy and if I had any questions the team in Blacksburg was quick to help. When I was searching for the best interest rate Ryan was by far the lowest even in a very competitive/busy market. I will be using First Residential Mortgage again on future investment properties as well as personal residence. I highly recommend giving them a call!
We used this business to assist us in finding a mortgage. Ryan made sure to keep us informed in all aspects of this process. He was very professional and knowledgeable.
Ryan is a great wonderful person that seamlessly works with you to achieve your mortgage goals. He and his team are professional, through, and really make the experience very easy. They do a great job at First Residental Mortgage
Great experience. We are now first time home owners! They answered all of our questions and explained the whole process very thoroughly. Really cannot recommend Ryan and his team enough, it was really an enjoyable process working with them
Great people, they helped me every step of the process and kept me up to date on any changes. Would definitely recommend!
It was awesome working with Ryan and his team, super knowledgeable, walked me through the whole process, weighed the pros and cons of different options, easy all-digital process, answered questions insightfully, and gave me the best rate I could find. Thanks Ryan!