FHA Loan
A mortgage insured by the Federal Housing Administration, allowing lower down payments and credit scores.
A mortgage insured by the Federal Housing Administration, allowing lower down payments and credit scores.
FHA loans let buyers put down as little as 3.5% with flexible credit, in exchange for mortgage-insurance premiums. For 2026 the limits run from a floor of $541,287 to a ceiling of $1,249,125 by county. They are popular with first-time buyers.
FHA loans allow credit scores as low as 580 with 3.5% down (or 500 with 10% down), require the home to be your primary residence, and charge mortgage insurance. Debt-to-income and property standards also apply.
If you put down less than 10%, FHA mortgage insurance lasts the life of the loan — the common way to shed it is to refinance into a conventional loan once you have around 20% equity. With 10% down, it drops after 11 years.
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