Current conventional guidelines, updated from one source.
Four cards and three tables carry every figure a conventional file turns on, drawn from one source built on the agencies’ published guides: down payment, credit, mortgage insurance, ratios, then the leverage by occupancy, the seller-contribution caps, and the waiting periods after a credit event.
First-time buyer; 5% standard; 97% loan-to-value at the top
First-time buyers (no ownership interest in a home in the past three years) can put 3% down on a one-unit principal residence with a fixed rate, at 97% LTV. Others start at 5% down. HomeReady and Home Possible give lower-income buyers the same 97%.
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
An automated approval allows a total debt-to-income ratio up to 50%; a manually underwritten file is held to 36%, or 45% when credit score and reserves meet the agencies’ matrix. The ratio divides total housing payment plus other monthly obligations by gross income.
| 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.
Not a commitment to lend, not an offer of credit, not a quote. The figures shown are current conforming program parameters and wholesale overlays that change without notice and apply only after full underwriting of the borrower and the property; the mortgage insurance range is Fannie Mae’s published typical range and the premium on any loan is set by the insurer. Conforming loan limits apply by county. Lendmire is a mortgage broker licensed in sixteen states for consumer mortgages, never the lender. NMLS #2371349.
What a conventional loan is — and how the file is qualified.
The difference between a conventional loan and a government loan is who stands behind it. No agency insures a conforming loan; a private insurer covers the top slice above the threshold, and the agencies buy the loan on their rules. That structure explains each of the four pieces below for a Shoreline buyer.
For the program overview, see Lendmire’s conventional loan program, or the statewide guide at Conventional Loans in Washington; for the mortgage insurance cancellation rules, see the CFPB.
Leverage by occupancy and buyer
Who the buyer is matters as much as what the home is. A first-time buyer, meaning no ownership interest in a home for three years, qualifies for the smallest down payment on a principal residence; a repeat buyer starts a little higher; and HomeReady, Home Possible, and HomeOne open the top leverage to buyers who meet their conditions.
Credit scores and automated underwriting
The automated system reads the score and the credit events together, and a derogatory event does not end eligibility; it starts a clock. Bankruptcies, foreclosures, short sales, and deed-in-lieu transfers each carry a waiting period in the agencies’ guides, shortened by documented extenuating circumstances, and the snapshot shows each one for a Shoreline buyer.
Mortgage insurance that cancels
Insurance structures vary: borrower-paid monthly is the default, and lender-paid, single-premium, and split-premium versions exist, each built into the loan differently. The published typical range in the snapshot is Fannie Mae’s, and the actual premium for a Shoreline file comes from the insurer at lock, never from this page.
Ratios, reserves, and the DU finding
Three things decide what payment a Shoreline income carries: the ratio ceiling for the underwriting path, the reserves the finding requires, and the stability of the income over two years. Enter income in the calculator to see the ratio on a local price before asking for a quote.
None of this is a decision. The appraisal can come in under the price, the rate is set at lock, the premium is set by the insurer, and the automated finding sets the reserves. What stays fixed is the structure the calculator reproduces: price, down payment, leverage, insurance, payment.
Where Shoreline buyers borrow — and how a conforming loan fits.
Start with the market, then the file. The Shoreline 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. Read the figures as ranges, not predictions. The lender appraises one home, documents one income, and lets the automated system read one credit file.
Data sources: U.S. Census Bureau — ACS 5-Year (2024) housing and population estimates, including tenure, home values, gross rents, and household income.
Distinct Shoreline neighborhoods, distinct conventional files.
One program, several Shoreline submarkets: the cards below describe the housing stock, the price range, and the conventional question that comes up most often in each.
In-town neighborhoods
An older in-town Shoreline home is a conventional purchase once the appraisal supports the price. Buyers who expect a condition note write the contract with room for it, and the lighter property standard suits them. About 34% of Shoreline’s households rent — roughly 8,239 renter households on the latest Census estimate.
High values and the conforming limit
Shoreline’s values put many purchases near the conforming limit, so the first question is whether the loan fits under it or moves to a jumbo lane; under the limit, the conventional file is sized by the down payment, the score, and the ratio on a local income. Shoreline is home to about 61K people.
Newer subdivisions on the bypass
A newer Shoreline purchase rarely draws a condition note. The file turns on the score, the leverage chosen, and the ratio at the price once the insurance premium is in the payment. On a one-unit principal residence at Shoreline’s median value, the first-time buyer’s minimum down payment comes to about $24,300 and the standard minimum to about $40,600 — 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.
Rural-edge and acreage properties
Homes on larger lots around Shoreline are conventional purchases when the use is residential; agricultural use puts the property outside the program, and the appraisal values the house and the land on comparable sales. The median owner-occupied home value in Shoreline runs near $811,100 on the latest Census estimate.
Manufactured homes
Shoreline manufactured homes finance on conventional loans under the agencies’ rules for the home and the site; a home on leased land or without a permanent foundation does not qualify, and the wholesale programs may add conditions. Median household income in Shoreline sits near $112,751 on the latest Census estimate.
Multi-unit conversions
One side occupied, the other side’s rent counted within the program’s rules: that is the Shoreline duplex on a conventional loan, at the multi-unit leverage rather than the single-family one. Roughly 16,181 Shoreline households own their homes on the latest Census estimate — 66% of all households, the pool a conventional purchase joins.
Across all of Shoreline, five questions settle a conventional loan: what the appraisal supports, whether the property passes the agencies’ review, how the home will be occupied, what the score costs, and what the ratio and reserves allow.
Four ways Shoreline 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 Shoreline borrowers to it most.
Buy a second home
Conventional financing is the consumer program that reaches a second home: a Shoreline buyer brings the down payment the leverage table shows for that occupancy, qualifies on the full payment of both homes, and shows the reserves the finding requires. The home must be for the owner’s use, not a rental business.
Buy with twenty percent down and no insurance
The move-up Shoreline 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
A Shoreline investor buying one to four units on a conventional loan puts down what the leverage table shows for investment property, documents agency-allowed rent toward qualifying, and holds reserves the finding requires per financed property. It is an individual agency loan under investment-property rules, not an investor DSCR loan.
Buy a condominium in a warrantable project
A Shoreline condominium is a conventional purchase when the project passes the agencies’ review: owner-occupancy mix, budget and reserves, litigation, commercial space, and ownership concentration. The dues enter the ratio, and the leverage follows the occupancy as it would on a house.
Estimate the payment on a Shoreline price before requesting a quote.
This is what a Shoreline conventional purchase costs each month at the leverage you choose, with the insurance shown as a separate line and then removed: the calculator finds the month on the schedule when the balance reaches the request threshold and the month it reaches the automatic threshold, and shows the payment on each side. The rate shown is the weekly Freddie Mac average, editable, and not a quote.
Shoreline conventional payment estimate
Use the Shoreline 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 $750,000 price near Shoreline’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 Washington (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 Shoreline 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.
Conventional fits the Shoreline buyer with a solid score: the premium is smaller than FHA’s for strong credit and it ends, the monthly structure carries no upfront premium, and twenty percent down removes insurance altogether. A modest score or a thin file is where FHA competes.
Where conventional prices the score, FHA prices by schedule. FHA fits the buyer whose score would be priced heavily on a conventional loan, or who needs the room FHA’s ratio tiers allow; it rarely wins for a Shoreline buyer with strong credit and a down payment above the minimum. See Lendmire’s FHA loan program.
For an eligible veteran, service member, or surviving spouse, the VA loan drops the down payment and monthly insurance for a one-time funding fee that many disabled veterans do not pay. Where eligible, it usually beats conventional for a Shoreline principal residence; conventional still wins the second home and rental. 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. A Shoreline 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 a Shoreline scenario review.
Gather these before a Shoreline review: the ordinary mortgage documents, plus the pieces that settle the first-time-buyer question and the occupancy.
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.
When a Shoreline conventional file surprises someone, the cause is usually one of these: a premium higher than expected, a score that priced differently than hoped, an appraisal under the price, a project that failed review, or a loan amount over the conforming limit.
Use these checks to keep the Shoreline file clean and fundable.
The list is short because the program is simple at its core: the insurance, the score, and the property decide most Shoreline files before income is even opened.
- 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 ratios: the finding sets the reserves, measured in months of the housing payment.
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. A Shoreline 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 a Shoreline 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.
Ratios, reserves, and the finding
Enter income in the calculator to see where a Shoreline scenario lands against the automated maximum; the finding, the score, and the reserves decide the rest, and the ratio drops on its own once the insurance cancels, because the premium leaves the housing payment.
The conforming limit
The limit caps the loan, not the price. A Shoreline buyer shopping above it has a few routes, a larger down payment, the high-balance range where the county allows it, or a jumbo loan, and the better one depends on the score, the reserves, and the cost on each. These pages do not quote the limit because it changes every year.
The appraisal and value acceptance
Two outcomes matter on a Shoreline 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.
From a Shoreline pre-approval to keys in hand.
Four steps: the pre-approval, the appraisal, the underwriting, and the closing. The Shoreline version of each follows.
Pre-approval
Start with the score, the income, the down payment, and the occupancy. A Lendmire loan officer runs the automated system, confirms the leverage and the insurance for the down payment chosen, checks the loan against the conforming limit, compares the structure with FHA and VA on the same numbers, and provides the terms in writing.
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. A Shoreline 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 a Shoreline 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 a Shoreline 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 a Shoreline buyer relies on, from leverage to premium to final terms, comes in writing from a licensed loan officer.
Trusted by buyers & families alike.
Shoreline conventional loan FAQs
The questions below come up on nearly every Shoreline conventional conversation. The answers are general; the figures in the snapshot above are the program’s current parameters.
What is a conventional loan, and who is it for?
Conventional means conforming: a loan inside the conforming limit, qualified by an automated underwriting system against the agencies’ rules. A Shoreline buyer applies through a lender or broker, the lender follows the guides, and the agency buys the loan.
How much do I need to put down on a conventional loan in Shoreline?
The first-time buyer’s minimum down payment is in the snapshot on this page, for a one-unit principal residence with a fixed rate. A first-time buyer is anyone without an ownership interest in a home during the prior three years. Everyone else pays the standard minimum. Second homes, multi-unit homes, and investment property need more, as the leverage table shows. A relative’s gift may fund the whole down payment on a one-unit principal residence.
What credit score do I need for a conventional loan?
The floor in the snapshot opens the program; the score above it sets the cost. With more than one borrower the automated system uses the average of the median scores, and a Shoreline buyer close to a cost tier may gain from a short wait and a paid-down balance.
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 Shoreline?
The limit changes every year and differs by county and unit count, so ask a loan officer for the current figure. It caps the loan, not the price: a Shoreline buyer above it brings a larger down payment or uses a jumbo loan.
Can I take cash out with a conventional refinance?
Cash-out is a full refinance at the snapshot’s cash-out leverage, available on a principal residence, a second home, or a rental at each one’s limit. Twelve months on the mortgage being paid off, note date to note date, and six months on title is the general seasoning rule, with exceptions for delayed financing and inheritance.
What happens after my Shoreline offer is accepted?
Appraisal first, then underwriting, then conditions, then closing. The appraisal or the value acceptance sets the value; the underwriter verifies what the finding assumed; the closing funds the loan at the leverage chosen and starts a payment with the insurance line if one applies.
What does the appraisal check on a conventional loan?
The value and the general condition. A conventional appraisal is lighter on condition than a government appraisal, and a short value re-sizes the loan on a Shoreline file; the buyer brings the difference, renegotiates, or releases the contract under its contingency.
Can the down payment be a gift?
Yes. On a one-unit principal residence the entire down payment may come from a relative, a domestic partner, or a fiancé, documented with a gift letter stating that no repayment is expected and evidence of the transfer. On a second home or a two- to four-unit home above the threshold, part of the down payment must be the buyer’s own funds.
Can I buy a rental property with a conventional loan?
Yes, one to four units, at the investment leverage in the snapshot table, with the rental income counted toward qualifying under the agencies’ rules and reserves required for each financed property. The agencies also cap the number of financed properties one borrower may hold, and the loan is written under their investment-property rules rather than as an investor DSCR loan.
The Shoreline conforming file, priced across the market and explained plainly.
Put your Shoreline figures into the calculator, then ask for a review. The leverage, the insurance structure, the cost tier, and the conforming limit are confirmed against the agencies’ rules, and a licensed loan officer provides the terms in writing.
This guide covers Shoreline — for the statewide guidelines, markets, and scenarios, see Conventional Loans in Washington, part of Lendmire’s conventional loan program.
Nearby markets in Washington: Bothell · Kirkland · Seattle · Redmond · Bellevue · Everett · Silverdale · Sammamish
Related programs: FHA Loans · Jumbo Loans · Refinance Loans