Buying
Purchase loans, from a first rowhome to a fourth investment property.
Refinancing
Lower payment, shorter term, or cash out. Pennsylvania charges no transfer tax on a refinance, which keeps it cheaper here than people expect.
Loan programs
Government-backed and conventional programs, with the Philadelphia-specific details in each one.
FHA loans3.5% down with the 2026 Philadelphia-area limits, the mortgage insurance math, and the rowhome appraisal reality.VA loansZero down with the funding fee table, the no-limit rule, and what VA appraisers flag in the region's pre-war housing.Conventional loans3% down with the income rule, PMI removal, the 2026 conforming limits, and a side-by-side against FHA on a $300,000 rowhome.Jumbo loansWhere the $832,750 line falls, what jumbo lenders ask for, and what the transfer tax does at Main Line prices.USDA loansWhich towns qualify for zero down, the income cap, the guarantee fee, and an honest note that most of the metro doesn't.
Harder situations
Self-employed, condos with paperwork problems, investors who qualify on rent. Somebody lends on all of it.
Investment property loansDSCR and conventional investor loans, the 2–4 unit limits, and the Philly taxes and assessments that shape the numbers.Self-employed mortgagesFull-doc and bank-statement paths for 1099 and business-owner buyers, the documents to gather, and the Philly grants that still apply.Condo loansHow lenders review the building, the 2026 warrantability rules, FHA's short Philly list, and the HOA documents you'll need.Duplex and triplex loansOwner-occupied 2–4 unit loans: FHA at 3.5%, conventional at 5%, rent counting, the self-sufficiency test, and the Philly grants that cover a duplex.