Loan Quiz

How This Tool Works

Each answer you select is matched against what every program's own page already says it's built for — the same income types, property types, and situations described in each program's "who this is for" section. Programs your answers rule out are set aside first — FHA for an investment property, for example, or VA without military service. The tool then tallies which of the rest match the most of your answers and shows the strongest fits first, and unless you're refinancing, conventional or FHA — the two most common loans — is included whenever your answers allow it. Nothing you enter is stored or sent anywhere; the matching happens entirely in your browser.

Common Situations, at a Glance

Twenty-one programs exist because borrower situations genuinely vary — a program built for a self-employed borrower's real cash flow isn't the right fit for a real estate investor who'd rather qualify off a property's rent than personal income, and neither fits a first-time buyer with a straightforward W-2 and a thin savings account. If you'd rather skip the tool above and just read, here's how most borrowers sort into Entrust's programs:

First-Time Buyers with Straightforward Income

For a W-2 buyer without a complicated income situation, the question is usually down payment and credit rather than which program fits conceptually. FHA works well with a smaller down payment and a shorter or imperfect credit history. Conventional financing avoids FHA's upfront and lifetime mortgage insurance for buyers with stronger credit and at least 3% down. Either one is often paired with down payment assistance for buyers with steady income but limited savings.

Self-Employed or 1099 Income

Tax returns often understate real cash flow after write-offs, which can make a strong income look weak on paper. Bank statement loans qualify off actual bank deposits instead. Borrowers who don't fit conventional or FHA underwriting for other reasons — a recent bankruptcy, a thin credit file, or unconventional income of any kind — have a broader path through non-QM loans.

Real Estate Investors

DSCR loans qualify a property purchase off its own rental income, with no personal income or employment verification required — the standard tool for scaling a rental portfolio past what conventional financing's financed-property limits allow. Hard money and fix-and-flip loans fit investors who need to close fast on a time-sensitive deal or fund a renovation in draws. Larger investors buying stabilized commercial property have commercial DSCR and commercial loans.

No Social Security Number or Limited U.S. Credit History

An ITIN loan uses ITIN tax filings in place of a Social Security number — a real, established path, not a workaround. Non-U.S. citizens without a U.S. credit file who are buying investment property have foreign national loans, which qualify off documented foreign income and assets instead.

Military and Veterans

VA loans offer $0 down with no monthly mortgage insurance for eligible active-duty service members, veterans, and surviving spouses — usually the strongest option available to anyone who qualifies for it.

Rebuilding Credit After a Setback

FHA loans allow credit scores as low as 500 with a larger down payment, and non-QM programs can work with borrowers recovering from a bankruptcy, foreclosure, or short sale on a case-by-case basis.

Medical Professionals Early in Their Career

Doctor loans are built around how residents, fellows, and newly practicing physicians and dentists actually look on paper — high student debt and a short employment history alongside strong future income.

Higher Loan Amounts

Buying above your county's conforming loan limit moves the loan into jumbo loan territory, with underwriting built around a larger loan amount and typically stronger credit and reserve requirements than a standard conventional file.

Land and New Construction

Buying a lot ahead of a future build, or holding land as a standalone investment, runs through land loans rather than a standard purchase mortgage. Builders and buyers ready to build immediately — on a lot they own or one they're purchasing — use new construction loans, with funds released in draws tied to construction milestones instead of a single disbursement at closing.

Refinancing or Tapping Home Equity

Homeowners lowering their rate or moving from an adjustable to a fixed rate use a standard refinance. Pulling equity out as cash at closing, rolled into one new loan, is a cash-out refinance instead. And a homeowner who wants access to equity over time, without refinancing an existing rate they'd rather keep, uses a HELOC — a revolving line of credit against the home instead of a lump-sum loan.