Loan options
Compare your loan options
Start with what you are trying to do; each card below opens the loan that usually fits.
- No application required
- No credit pull to talk
Start with your situation
What are you trying to do?
Buy with a smaller down payment
Start with HomeReady and Home Possible, then compare FHA.
See HomeReadyUse a VA benefit
Start with VA, and request your certificate of eligibility early.
See VA loansQualify while self-employed
Start with a bank statement loan if write-offs keep your returns low.
See bank statement loansBuy a rental
Start with DSCR, which looks at what the property rents for.
See DSCR loansBorrow above $832,750
Start with jumbo, the loan above the 2026 conforming limit.
See jumbo loansUse your home's equity
Start with a home equity loan, then compare a cash-out refinance.
See home equity loansLower the payment or shorten the term
Start with the break-even review: what the change costs against what it changes each month.
See the break-even reviewTrade an adjustable rate for a fixed one
Start with the 30-year fixed, then check how long the switch takes to pay for itself.
See 30-year fixedBuying a home
Standard and government-backed loans
Conventional Loan
If your credit and income are steady, start here. Mortgage insurance applies with a smaller down payment, and borrower-paid mortgage insurance can come off as you build equity.
About Conventional LoanFHA Loan
Fits a thinner credit history or a recent setback. The tradeoff is FHA mortgage insurance, which can last the life of the loan.
About FHA LoanVA Loan
For eligible veterans, service members and some surviving spouses. No monthly mortgage insurance; a funding fee applies unless you are exempt.
About VA LoanUSDA Loan
For homes in eligible rural and suburban areas, where household income stays under the USDA limit for the county.
About USDA LoanHomeReady® and Home Possible®
Conventional loans with reduced mortgage insurance for households at or under 80% of the area median income.
About HomeReady® and Home Possible®Rate and term
How the rate and term are structured
30-Year Fixed Mortgage
The lower required payment of the fixed terms, with room to pay extra in any month you choose.
About 30-Year Fixed Mortgage15-Year Fixed Mortgage
A higher payment in exchange for owning the home sooner and paying less interest overall.
About 15-Year Fixed MortgageAdjustable-Rate Mortgage (ARM)
A fixed opening period, then a rate that adjusts within caps. Worth it only if the payment still works after it adjusts.
About Adjustable-Rate Mortgage (ARM)Temporary Buydown Loan
A seller or builder pays to lower your payment for the first one to three years. You still qualify at the full payment.
About Temporary Buydown LoanBeyond standard guidelines
Larger loans and non-traditional income
Jumbo Loan
For loan amounts above $832,750, the 2026 conforming limit in every Michigan county, with stricter reserve and documentation rules.
About Jumbo LoanNon-QM Loan
For files outside the Qualified Mortgage rules, such as a recent credit event. Usually costs more than conventional.
About Non-QM LoanBank Statement Loan
For self-employed borrowers whose tax returns, after write-offs, understate what the business earns. Deposits document the income.
About Bank Statement LoanDSCR Loan
For investment property, qualified on the rent the property brings in rather than your personal income.
About DSCR Loan1099 Income Loan
Paid on a 1099? How agency loans read your tax returns, and how 1099-only non-QM loans work.
About 1099 Income LoanAsset-Based Income Loan
Some loans turn eligible account balances into monthly qualifying income.
About Asset-Based Income LoanSpecific homes and buyers
When the home or the buyer needs its own route
Non-Warrantable Condo Loan
Told your condo doesn't qualify? What makes a project non-warrantable, and how Align looks for a lender that fits.
About Non-Warrantable Condo LoanManufactured Home Loan
A manufactured home can carry a regular mortgage when the home and the land are both real property.
About Manufactured Home LoanPhysician Loan
A mortgage program some lenders offer to doctors and certain other medical professionals. Each lender writes its own rules.
About Physician LoanHome equity
Using the equity you already have
Home Equity Loan
A fixed second loan against your home, paid out once, that leaves your first mortgage and its rate in place.
About Home Equity LoanCash-Out Refinance
Replaces your mortgage with a larger one and pays you the difference. Closing costs apply to the whole new balance.
About Cash-Out RefinanceHELOC
A revolving line of credit secured by your home. It sits behind your first mortgage instead of replacing it.
About HELOCWhat our clients say
As a first-time homebuyer in Ferndale, I was unsure of some things. Samantha was awesome. She was extremely helpful and made sure I understood every part of the process.
Did my refi with Samantha. What a smooth process. … [A]ll steps explained in a way I completely understood. Such a pleasure to work with!
Sam is an expert helping choose the right financing options for her clients!
Individual experiences. Results vary.
Not sure which loan you need?
That is where most people start. Tell Samantha the goal, and she will narrow fifteen options to the two or three worth comparing.
- 1
Tell us what you are trying to do
Not what product you want. What you are actually trying to accomplish.
- 2
We look at your situation
Samantha works out what matters most for you specifically.
- 3
You leave with a plan
Your options, the tradeoffs, and your next step. No obligation to go further.
Start with your question
Buying a homeCalculators
Align Lending LLC, NMLS #2041154, is a mortgage broker. Samantha Shelton, NMLS 1647301. Equal Housing Opportunity. Licensed in Michigan, Ohio, North Carolina, Florida, Louisiana and Texas. Program guidelines on this page are general and change over time; they are not a credit decision, a preapproval, a commitment to lend, or an offer of credit. Approval depends on your full application, the property and the lender's current guidelines.
