Definition of "Conventional mortgage"

Yolanda La Luz real estate agent

Written by

Yolanda La Luzelite badge icon

Realty Executives Cornerstone

A mortgage requiring a substantial down payment. It is usually only available to those having good credit, and has fixed monthly payments for the life of the loan. It usually has a 30 year period of fixed interest rates discharged on an amortized basis with equal monthly payments. The term conventional refers to a mortgage that is not FHA-insured or VA-guaranteed. Since there is no third person or entity to insure or guarantee the mortgage, the lender assumes full risk of default by the borrower. A lenders decision to make a conventional mortgage is usually dependent upon: (1) the value of the property being used to secure the debt and (2) the credit and income position of the borrower. As more and more conventional mortgages have been made, the loan to value ratio (relationship between the amount borrowed and the appraised value of the property) has continued to increase, even though most lenders still limit the amount they will lend to no more than 80% of value unless private mortgage insurance is carried. This down payment required is higher than with either VA or FHA loans. As the market price of residential real estate has continued to increase, a larger cash down payment has been required of the borrower, and thus many people have been eliminated from financing with a conventional mortgage. With both guaranteed and insured mortgages, people have been able to purchase real estate with a smaller cash down payment.

image of a real estate dictionary page

Have a question or comment?

We're here to help.

*** Your email address will remain confidential.
 

 

Popular Real Estate Terms

Written agreement, guarantee, pledge, or promise annexed to the land between two or more parties to do or not to do something and is transferred to successive title holders. For example, in ...

In the real estate industry, several professional designations can be awarded to real estate professionals. These professional designations provide real estate professionals with the ...

Generally, a turnaround means a performance improvement. The term applies to various economic fields and real estate too.  What does turnaround mean? After a prolonged recession, a ...

(1) Right to engage in and earn from a particular activity in return for services or for a particular use. (2) Reduced price used as an incentive. (3) Permission or right, granted by a ...

An estate constrained from some heirs and dedicated to others on the basis of a certain condition. ...

Interest rate on a mortgage that moves up or down based on some variable such as an index of lender's cost of funds, inflation rate, or prime rate. ...

Reformation in real estate means a legal action to straighten out an erroneous deed, a misleading document, an error, a paragraph, or a contract entirely which resulted from an ...

The American Planning Association, also known as APA, is a nonprofit professional organization representing the US’s urban planning field. The APA provides extensive educational ...

Market Analysis in the Real Estate Market is basically research done concerning specific properties in relation to the overall current climate of the real estate industry. A good ...

Popular Real Estate Questions