Current conventional guidelines, updated from one source.
One guideline source feeds every number here, and the page updates when the source does. These are purchase and refinance parameters; the leverage table underneath covers occupancy by occupancy, and the status lines cover insurance, gifts, and the first-time-buyer programs.
First-time buyer; 5% standard; 97% loan-to-value at the top
The agencies set the floor at 3% down for a first-time buyer and 5% for a repeat buyer, on a principal residence; the whole down payment may be a gift from a relative on a one-unit home, and twenty percent down removes mortgage insurance from the payment entirely.
Priced on the score; no agency minimum with an automated approval
A 620 decision score opens the program on the wholesale side; the agencies set no minimum for an automated approval and 620 to 640 for manual underwriting by loan type. The strongest effect of the score is on cost, through loan-level adjustments and the mortgage insurance premium.
Required above 80% LTV; removed at 80% by request, 78% automatically
Private mortgage insurance applies above 80% loan-to-value. Fannie Mae’s 2022 figures put the annual cost in a range of 0.58%–1.86%, depending on the score and the leverage. It ends by request at 80% of the original value, automatically at 78%, and no later than the midpoint of the term.
With an automated approval; 36% to 45% on a manual file
Lenders compare total debt against gross income, with limits up to 50% on an automated approval and 36% to 45% on a manual file. The housing payment counted includes the mortgage insurance while it applies, which is why cancellation changes the ratio as well as the payment.
| Purpose | Occupancy and program | Maximum LTV |
|---|---|---|
| Purchase | One-unit principal residence, first-time buyer (fixed rate) | 97% |
| Purchase | One-unit principal residence, standard | 95% |
| Purchase | HomeReady / Home Possible (income limits apply) | 97% |
| Purchase | Two- to four-unit principal residence | 95% |
| Purchase | Second home | 90% |
| Purchase | Investment property, one unit | 85% |
| Purchase | Investment property, two to four units | 75% |
| Refinance | Limited cash-out (rate-and-term), one-unit principal residence | 95% |
| Refinance | Cash-out, one-unit principal residence | 80% |
| Refinance | Cash-out, two to four units, second home or investment | 75% |
| Combined LTV | Maximum contribution |
|---|---|
| above 90 percent | 3% of the sales price |
| 75.01 to 90 percent | 6% of the sales price |
| 75 percent or less | 9% of the sales price |
| investment property (any) | 2% of the sales price |
| Event | Waiting period |
|---|---|
| Chapter 7 or 11 bankruptcy | four years from discharge or dismissal (two years with documented extenuating circumstances) |
| Chapter 13 bankruptcy | two years from discharge; four years from dismissal (two with extenuating circumstances) |
| Multiple bankruptcy filings | five years when more than one filing within the past seven years |
| Foreclosure | seven years (three with extenuating circumstances, then limited to a principal residence or second home at 90 percent LTV, purchase or limited cash-out) |
| Deed-in-lieu, short sale or mortgage charge-off | four years (two with extenuating circumstances) |
Mortgage insurance: Fannie Mae reports that private mortgage insurance typically ranged from 0.58%–1.86% of the loan amount a year; the premium on a specific loan is priced by the insurer on the score, the leverage, and the coverage, and is never quoted here. Gifts from relatives may fund the entire down payment on a one-unit principal residence. HomeReady and Home Possible lend to 97% with income at or below 80% of the area median; HomeOne lends to the same leverage with a first-time buyer and no income limit.
Current conventional snapshot · updated October 3, 2026 · principal residences occupied within sixty days, second homes, and one- to four-unit investment properties · conforming limits apply by county and are confirmed by a Lendmire loan officer · above the limit, see the jumbo program · no prepayment penalty · Lendmire is a broker, never the lender.
For informational purposes only. This is not a commitment to lend or extend credit, an offer, or a quote. Program parameters shown are Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac guidelines and wholesale lender overlays, are subject to change without notice, and every figure depends on the borrower, the property, the occupancy, the automated underwriting finding, and full underwriting. Mortgage insurance figures are published typical ranges and editable estimates, not premium quotes. Conforming loan limits apply by county. Lendmire is a mortgage broker, not a lender. Licensed in sixteen states for consumer mortgages. NMLS #2371349.
What a conventional loan is — and how the file is qualified.
Four rules shape an Antioch conventional file: leverage by occupancy and buyer, credit scoring that prices rather than gates, mortgage insurance that cancels, and ratios set by the underwriting path. Each is explained below with the reason behind it.
For the program overview, see Lendmire’s conventional loan program, or the statewide guide at Conventional Loans in California; for the mortgage insurance cancellation rules, see the CFPB.
Leverage by occupancy and buyer
The agencies lend most on a home the borrower lives in and less as the occupancy changes: a one-unit principal residence reaches the top leverage, with the first-time buyer’s minimum the lowest down payment in the program; two- to four-unit homes, second homes, and investment properties step down from there, as the table in the snapshot shows for an Antioch buyer.
Credit scores and automated underwriting
What the score does on an Antioch conventional file is set the cost. A lower score raises the loan-level adjustments and the insurance premium; a higher score lowers both. Manual underwriting, used when the automated system cannot approve the file, carries its own minimum score and tighter ratios.
Mortgage insurance that cancels
Twenty percent down means no mortgage insurance at all, and anything less means insurance for a while. The calculator on this page shows the Antioch payment with the estimated premium and the payment after it ends, along with the month on the amortization schedule when the request and automatic thresholds arrive.
Ratios, reserves, and the DU finding
Reserves are measured in months of the total housing payment and set by the finding, the occupancy, and the number of financed properties; an Antioch second-home or investment file carries more than a principal residence. Income needs a two-year history and a reasonable expectation of continuing.
Every input below is yours: the Antioch price, the down payment, the buyer type, the term, the rate, the insurance estimate, and the escrows. The thresholds and the ratio ceiling come from the program; the payment, the insurance, and the cancellation month follow from the arithmetic.
Where Antioch buyers borrow — and how a conforming loan fits.
Start with the market, then the file. The Antioch figures below set the backdrop for a conventional purchase: who owns, what homes are worth on the latest estimate, and what households earn, which together decide what a first-time buyer’s down payment and payment look like locally.
Citywide figures provide general market context, not an appraisal or an income calculation. Income sets the ratio, value sets the loan and the premium, and the down payment sets the leverage. The Census describes the first two for the market; the file supplies all three for the borrower.
Data sources: U.S. Census Bureau — ACS 5-Year (2024) housing and population estimates, including tenure, home values, gross rents, and household income.
Distinct Antioch neighborhoods, distinct conventional files.
No single conventional file describes Antioch. The submarkets below differ in housing stock, price, occupancy mix, and the appraisal questions they raise, and each one shapes how a conforming loan is put together.
Condominiums and townhomes
Townhomes in Antioch finance like houses when they are fee simple and like condominiums when they are organized as one; the lender settles which before the appraisal, and the leverage follows the occupancy either way. About 36% of Antioch’s households rent — roughly 13,592 renter households on the latest Census estimate.
Two-to-four-unit homes
The owner-occupied multi-unit Antioch file is a conventional specialty with its own leverage, its own rent-counting rules, and its own reserve requirement. The buyer in one unit qualifies on the combined picture. The median owner-occupied home value in Antioch runs near $629,700 on the latest Census estimate.
Investor and second-home purchases
A second home in Antioch, occupied part of the year and never run as a rental business, is a conventional file at the second-home leverage with deeper reserves and part of the down payment from the buyer’s own funds. Roughly 23,789 Antioch households own their homes on the latest Census estimate — 64% of all households, the pool a conventional purchase joins.
Higher-value homes
The higher-value Antioch file is a limit question, not an eligibility question. The conforming limit caps the loan amount, and the buyer either adds down payment to fit under it or chooses the jumbo route for the whole purchase. Median household income in Antioch sits near $97,465 on the latest Census estimate.
Newer infill and recent construction
New rows and recent infill in Antioch tend to appraise cleanly, so the loan amount is the question: a contract near the conforming limit is checked against the county figure before the offer, and a loan above it needs a larger down payment or the jumbo program. Antioch is home to about 116K people.
Established close-in neighborhoods
Renovated and unrenovated homes sit side by side in Antioch’s established neighborhoods, and the appraisal values each on comparable sales. The leverage, the insurance, and the ratio do not change with the age of the house. On a one-unit principal residence at Antioch’s median value, the first-time buyer’s minimum down payment comes to about $18,900 and the standard minimum to about $31,500 — before closing costs, and before the mortgage insurance that comes with either; a second home, a multi-unit home, or a rental starts higher, as the leverage table shows.
Neighborhood sets the price, the property type, and often the occupancy; the agencies set the rest. The leverage table, the insurance thresholds, the ratio ceiling, and the waiting periods apply identically on every Antioch file.
Four ways Antioch buyers put a conforming loan to work.
The conventional loan is one of the broadest mortgage programs there is: it buys a first home with a small down payment, a move-up home with cancellable insurance, a second home, and a rental, and it refinances all of them. The cards below are the uses that bring Antioch borrowers to it most.
Buy with twenty percent down and no insurance
The move-up Antioch buyer selling one home and bringing twenty percent to the next usually lands here: no mortgage insurance, the strongest cost tier the score earns, and a loan the automated system reviews with the equity brought forward counted in the file.
Buy an investment property
Investment property on a conforming loan is a common entry point for Antioch landlords: one to four units, a down payment set by the leverage table, rental income counted under the agencies’ rules, and a cap on how many financed properties one borrower may hold.
Refinance or take cash out
An Antioch owner can refinance a conventional loan two ways: a limited cash-out refinance to the rate-and-term leverage in the snapshot, or a cash-out refinance to the lower cash-out leverage after the seasoning period, on a principal residence, second home, or rental at each occupancy’s own limit.
Buy a second home
A second home in Antioch is a conventional file with its own leverage and reserve rules: more down than a principal residence, the payment on the existing home counted in the ratio, and a property the owner occupies part of the year rather than rents full time.
Estimate the payment on an Antioch price before requesting a quote.
Before you ask for a quote, size the payment yourself: the Antioch price, the down payment, the term, the benchmark rate, the insurance estimate, and the escrows go in, and the thresholds and the ratio ceiling come from the same guideline source as the block above. The result is an estimate, the rate is a published market average, and the insurance figure is an editable estimate inside Fannie Mae’s published range.
Antioch conventional payment estimate
Use the Antioch defaults as a starting point and change the price, the down payment, the buyer type, the term, the insurance estimate, and the escrows to fit.
Editable benchmark: 7.28% as of October 1, 2026 · Freddie Mac 30-year average via FRED®. A conventional market reference, not a conventional loan quote.
Estimate seeded at the low end of Fannie Mae’s published range (0.58%–1.86% a year); the insurer prices the actual premium on the score and the leverage. Applies only above 80% loan-to-value.
Illustrative starting assumptions: a $630,000 price near Antioch’s median owner-occupied home value, the first-time buyer’s minimum down payment, a thirty-year term at the current Freddie Mac benchmark, mortgage insurance at the low end of Fannie Mae’s published range, property taxes and insurance estimated for California (U.S. Census Bureau). Every field is editable.
Illustrative estimate only — not a Loan Estimate, approval, quote, or commitment to lend. The rate field carries the weekly Freddie Mac thirty-year conventional benchmark, a market reference and not a conventional loan quote; your rate is set by the lender at lock. The mortgage insurance figure is an editable estimate seeded from Fannie Mae’s published typical range, not a premium quote; the insurer prices the actual premium, and the cancellation month assumes scheduled payments with no extra principal and no change in value. Taxes, insurance and dues are editable estimates; closing costs are not included. Conforming loan limits apply by county. Licensed in sixteen states for consumer mortgages.
Same buyer, three very different closings.
Choosing among conventional, FHA, and VA in Antioch is really choosing an insurance structure and a credit standard at the same time. Each is laid out below with the buyer it fits.
Conventional, FHA, or VA.
The program’s strengths are the cancellable insurance, the breadth of occupancies, and a cost structure that rewards a strong score; its weakness is the same structure applied to a weak one. An Antioch buyer with a strong score usually pays less each month here than on FHA.
FHA’s leverage is high and its credit standard is forgiving, but its insurance is priced by schedule rather than by score and does not cancel on a full-leverage thirty-year loan. An Antioch buyer comparing the two sees the premium line stay on FHA and disappear on conventional. See Lendmire’s FHA loan program.
VA beats conventional on the principal residence for nearly every eligible borrower; conventional beats VA on everything VA does not touch: second homes, rentals, and buyers without the certificate. The two often sit side by side in one Antioch household. See Lendmire’s VA loan program.
Choose by profile: a strong score and any down payment point to conventional; a modest score and a small down payment point to FHA; eligibility with full entitlement points to VA. An Antioch loan officer runs all three on the same numbers before recommending one. Above the conforming limit, see the jumbo loan program.
What to prepare for an Antioch scenario review.
The paperwork is the standard mortgage set, with the automated finding deciding how much of it the file actually needs; here is what an Antioch scenario review typically draws on.
This is a general preparation guide, not a universal checklist. The selected lender may request additional information based on the transaction, the property, the automated underwriting finding, and the income picture. Nothing here is legal or tax advice.
Local details that can change the loan.
A handful of details decide whether an Antioch conventional file closes as planned, closes at a different cost, or stalls. These are the ones that come up most.
Use these checks to keep the Antioch file clean and fundable.
An Antioch file that is ready to review has already answered three questions: what leverage and therefore what insurance, what score and therefore what price, and whether the home is inside the agencies’ rules.
- Plan the insurance: the premium is priced on the score and the leverage inside the published range.
- Confirm the score: the lender’s report sets the decision score; multiple borrowers use the average of the median scores.
- Mind the appraisal: a short value is paid in cash, renegotiated, or released under the contingency.
Mortgage insurance: how much, and until when
Cancellation on request needs a good payment history, no subordinate liens, and no decline in value; automatic termination needs only that the loan be current. An Antioch owner whose home has gained value may also ask the servicer to recognize the current value under its own rules, which is a servicer decision rather than a program right.
The score sets the cost
The score does two jobs on an Antioch file: it feeds the automated assessment alongside the rest of the credit file, and it sets the cost of the loan and the insurance. A buyer close to a cost tier sometimes gains more from a short wait and a paid-down balance than from any other change.
The appraisal and value acceptance
Two outcomes matter on an Antioch appraisal: the value, which caps the loan, and the condition, which the lender must find acceptable. A waiver or value acceptance, where the automated system offers one, removes both questions and the appraisal fee at once, and the file closes on the system’s valuation.
Ratios, reserves, and the finding
The automated finding decides how much of the ratio ceiling an Antioch file actually gets: a strong score and reserves earn the room, a thin profile earns less. The reserves are measured in months of the total housing payment and must be documented, not promised.
Occupancy and its leverage
Each occupancy has its own leverage limit and loan-level adjustments: a principal residence occupied within sixty days of closing reaches the top of the table, a second home is lower, an investment property lower still. An Antioch buyer who states one occupancy and uses another has misrepresented the loan.
From an Antioch pre-approval to keys in hand.
Underneath, the Antioch process is any mortgage process; what makes it conventional is the automated finding, the project review where it applies, the leverage by occupancy, and the insurance threshold. Each step below says what happens and what the buyer does.
Pre-approval
The first conversation settles the shape: whether the buyer counts as a first-time buyer, what leverage the occupancy allows, how much insurance the down payment carries, and whether conventional is the right program next to FHA and VA for the Antioch purchase.
Contract and appraisal
With the contract signed, the lender orders the appraisal, or accepts the value the automated system offers where a waiver applies. Seller contributions are checked against the cap for the leverage, and a condominium’s project documents are collected for review before the file moves on.
Underwriting
The underwriter verifies what the automated finding assumed: income, assets and reserves, credit and any seasoning, occupancy, and the property. A manual file follows the lower ratio pair instead. Conditions are issued, documented, and cleared before final approval.
Closing
At closing the loan funds at the chosen leverage, mortgage insurance starts with the first payment if the loan is above the threshold, and escrows for taxes and insurance are set up. An Antioch buyer signs the note and security instrument, occupies the home within the occupancy window, and the agency buys the loan.
A brokerage that prices the whole market.
Lendmire is a mortgage brokerage licensed for consumer lending in sixteen states, and on a conventional loan that buys three things: the file priced across several wholesale programs rather than one, the insurance structure and its exit explained before an offer is written, and the terms in writing from a licensed loan officer.
Several programs, one set of numbers
A lender with one rate sheet sells that sheet; a brokerage with several can say which fits. For an Antioch buyer with a strong score that is usually a conventional loan on the program whose cost is lowest for that file; for a modest score it may be FHA, and the arithmetic decides.
The insurance explained before the offer
The insurance is the program’s cost and the cancellation rules are its advantage, and Lendmire explains both first rather than last: how much the premium is, which structure fits, and when it ends for an Antioch buyer at the price in hand.
Licensed, consumer-purpose, in writing
Lendmire is licensed in sixteen states for consumer mortgages, each owner-occupied loan is a consumer-purpose transaction with a full set of disclosures, and every figure an Antioch buyer relies on, from leverage to premium to final terms, comes in writing from a licensed loan officer.
Trusted by buyers & families alike.
Antioch conventional loan FAQs
Plain answers to the questions Antioch buyers ask most about conventional loans, in the order they usually ask them.
What is a conventional loan, and who is it for?
A conventional loan is the mortgage an Antioch buyer with good credit should compare first: a low down payment for the first-time buyer, insurance that cancels, no upfront premium, and the breadth to finance a second home or a rental under the same rules.
How much do I need to put down on a conventional loan in Antioch?
A small share of the price for a first-time buyer, a little more for a repeat buyer, and twenty percent to skip the insurance. A loan officer turns the percentages into dollars on the price you choose.
What credit score do I need for a conventional loan?
A conventional loan prices credit rather than simply gating it. The practical floor is the wholesale overlay in the snapshot; the agencies’ own minimum applies only to manual underwriting. Above the floor, the premium and the loan-level adjustments fall as the score rises.
How does private mortgage insurance work, and when does it end?
Mortgage insurance applies when the loan runs above the leverage threshold in the snapshot and is paid monthly as part of the payment. The premium is priced by the insurer on the score and the leverage, inside the published range the snapshot shows. Under the Homeowners Protection Act the borrower may request cancellation at the request threshold on the original value, the servicer must terminate it automatically at the termination threshold, and it ends no later than the midpoint of the term.
What is the conforming loan limit in Antioch?
The limit is the first thing confirmed on an Antioch file near the top of the market. These pages state the program’s structure rather than a number that changes every year; the current figure comes from a loan officer.
Can the seller pay my closing costs on a conventional loan?
Sellers and other interested parties may pay closing costs, prepaids, and other concessions up to the cap for the leverage. An Antioch contract structured inside the cap leaves the buyer bringing the down payment and little else.
What happens after my Antioch offer is accepted?
The file moves into appraisal and underwriting, and the calendar is set by the appraisal and the conditions the underwriter adds. No page can promise a date, and this one does not.
How does a conventional refinance work?
It depends on the goal: you can change the rate or term with a limited cash-out refinance, or borrow against equity with a cash-out refinance. Each has its own leverage, and an Antioch loan officer compares either with a home equity line before recommending one.
Can the down payment be a gift?
The whole down payment can be a family gift on a one-unit principal residence, with the letter and the transfer documented. An Antioch first-time buyer with family help and a solid score is a routine conventional file.
Can I take cash out with a conventional refinance?
A conventional cash-out refinance replaces the first mortgage with a larger loan at the cash-out leverage and hands over the difference. An Antioch owner with a low-balance first mortgage usually compares a second lien first.
Buy in Antioch with a low down payment and insurance that ends.
Begin with a scenario review: the price, the down payment, the score, the income, and the occupancy. A licensed Lendmire loan officer prices the file across the wholesale programs, runs it beside FHA and VA, and puts the terms in writing.
This guide covers Antioch — for the statewide guidelines, markets, and scenarios, see Conventional Loans in California, part of Lendmire’s conventional loan program.
Nearby markets in California: Brentwood · Pittsburg · Concord · Walnut Creek · San Ramon · Dublin · Livermore · Pleasanton
Related programs: FHA Loans · Jumbo Loans · Refinance Loans