Introduction: In the ever-changing landscape of mortgage options, the decision to refinance is a strategic move that can lead to significant financial benefits. If you currently hold a USDA loan and are considering a switch to a Conventional mortgage, you’re in the right place. Refinancing your USDA loan to a Conventional mortgage can provide increased flexibility and cost savings, but it’s essential to navigate the process with care. In this comprehensive guide, we will walk you through the steps, advantages, and considerations of refinancing from a USDA loan to a Conventional mortgage. Join us as we explore this financial transformation that could enhance your homeownership journey and financial well-being.
What is a Refinance USDA?
With a USDA refinance, you can switch out your existing direct or guaranteed USDA loan for a new USDA loan. This is something you might wish to do to benefit from low-interest rates. If you’re planning a move to lush pastures or already live in the countryside, a USDA mortgage may be worth considering. Discover the pros and cons of this loan product and see if you qualify for its unique benefits. USDA mortgages are offered directly by USDA or through approved lenders. Due to strict regulations, it is only available if you live in a rural area, meet certain income criteria, and plan to use the house as your primary residence. USDA loans typically require no down payment and a credit score of 640 or higher gives you access to a streamlined application process.
How do USDA loans work?
There are several USDA mortgage programs that help low-income families finance the purchase of a home, refinance an existing loan, or repair it.
Section 502 Direct Loan Program. Also known as direct single-family home equity loans, they provide home loans directly from the USDA. Interest rates are fixed at approval or closing and can offer interest rates as low as 1%.
Section 504 Home Repair Program. Also called a home repair loan or grant. Directly from the USDA, you can borrow up to $20,000 and apply for grants of up to $7,500 to repair your home.
Guaranteed Single Family Home Loan Program. This program allows you to use an approved lender as an alternative to taking a mortgage or repair loan from the USDA. USDA ensures up to 90% of loans, reducing risk to lenders who may authorize loans.
Do I qualify for a USDA loan?
Eligibility requirements are similar for each loan type with a few exceptions related to income limits.
- U.S. citizens, noncitizens, or qualified aliens
- Permanent home loan
- Not prohibited or suspended from using federal programs
- can’t rent anywhere else
- Also, you must be 62 years of age or older to receive the scholarship.
income requirement
Income limits are based on the average income of the property’s location and can vary significantly by location. Use our online tool to verify your income and USDA loan eligibility.
Income eligibility is also affected by household size. The more people, the higher the limit, but not necessarily a lot.
Credit score requirements
Lenders still rely heavily on your credit score when applying for a guaranteed loan, and most lenders want a credit score of at least 640. A higher credit score means you’re considered a less risky borrower and may get better interest rates.
You can still qualify if your score is less than 640 and you can provide documentation showing the eligibility criteria that led to your current score. However, if your credit score is 580 or less, your application may be rejected regardless of the circumstances.
USDA evaluates your credit against certain direct and guaranteed credit metrics. It may be considered unacceptable if:
- Foreclosure within 3 years
- File for bankruptcy within 3 years
- Has defaulted on a mortgage payment in the last 12 months or at least he is 30 days late on one payment
- You are 30 days or more late on your rent payments in the last 12 months.
Debt-to-income ratio requirements
The debt to income ratio (DTI) is the amount of debt to verifiable income. Your existing monthly debt and monthly mortgage payments divided by your monthly gross income must be below a certain amount depending on the type of loan.
| Loan Type | Max debt-to-income ratio |
| Single-family direct | 41% |
| Single-family repair loans and grants | 41% |
| Single-family guaranteed | 55% |
Home location
Location is the most important factor to consider when determining whether a home qualifies for a USDA loan. Must be in a rural area defined as having a population of less than 35,000. To find eligible housing, you can use the USDA Housing Eligibility Tool.
Properties eligible for direct financing must generally be 2,000 square feet or less. It cannot have an underground pool, it cannot be designed to house a business, and its market value cannot exceed the local credit line.
Costs and fees
Mortgages typically come with a range of costs and fees, and USDA loans are no exception. Expect to pay a little more for the USDA warranty, upfront and annually, among other fees.
- Registration fee
- Deposit (often optional)
- Loan guarantee fee
- Annual fee
- tax service charge
- assessment fee
- home inspection fee
- attorney’s fee
- origination fee
- Title search and premium
- homeowners insurance
How to get approved
Make sure your current loan or the home you choose to buy satisfies the qualifying requirements first. Gather any supporting documentation, such as proof of income and assets, your most recent federal tax returns, a history of your rental payments going back two years, and proof of citizenship.
While third-party lenders’ underwriting standards differ, direct loans from the USDA completely outline requirements in the online handbooks. The length of the approval process varies as well, but because you don’t need to find a property or wait for an assessment, refinance loans typically go more quickly.
How to apply
The application process is pretty similar whether you’re looking for a direct loan or a guaranteed loan.
Check your eligibility online to see if the property you are considering is eligible.
For direct loans, contact your local Rural Development (RD) office or find a USDA-approved lender for a guaranteed loan.
Provide proper documentation and permits to RD staff or lenders to verify prequalification status.
Create offers for selected USDA-approved properties. Prepare necessary documents such as tax returns, payslips, proof of assets, and identification cards.
Submit your application. Underwriting and processing then take place.
If approved, close the loan.
USDA refinance types
The USDA offers three refinancing options:
- USDA streamlined assist refinance
- USDA streamlined refinance
- USDA non-streamlined refinance
USDA streamlined assist refinance
According to Rural Development, the most common kind of USDA refinance is a streamlined help refinance. This choice could lower your mortgage payments if you have a USDA direct or guaranteed home loan and little to no equity in your house. A new house appraisal won’t be required of you either, unless you obtained payment assistance for your direct loan.
USDA’s Streamline Assisted Refinancing is a simplified refinancing process. If you want lower interest rates and payments on your mortgage, this is usually your best option.
A major advantage of USDA Streamlined-Assist Refi is that it does not require credit approval.
That means lenders don’t have to check your credit score, credit report, or debt-to-income ratio. (Some people do so anyway, so ask the lender’s guidelines before applying.)
With streamlined assisted refinancing, you can get a lower interest rate even if you’re not in the best financial shape. You can even refinance your own home with little or no equity. Since no home appraisal is required, you may be able to refinance even if the value of your home falls and your new loan amount exceeds it.
To qualify for this Streamline refinancing program, your new loan must reduce your monthly mortgage payment by at least $50.
USDA Streamlined-Assist Refinance requirements:
No new credit checks or debt to income requirements
I need to reduce my monthly payments by at least $50 by refinancing my mortgage
Borrowers can apply principal, interest, closing costs, and USDA-guaranteed prepayments to new loan balances.
The current USDA loan must be paid on time for 12 consecutive months prior to the refinancing request
Borrowers can only be removed from a loan if they are dead, but new co-borrowers can be added
Review required only if the direct borrower receives a subsidy
The apartment must be used as the renter’s primary residence
Borrowers must earn less than the USDA income limit
USDA streamlined refinance
USDA Optimized Refinance is more difficult to qualify than Optimized Support Refinance. Must pass credit checks and meet debt-to-income requirements. However, just like streamlined refinancing assistance, you don’t have to pay a new quote unless you’re a direct borrower with payment assistance.
Like Streamlined Assist Refinance, Streamlined Refinance Loans do not require re-evaluation (unless they are subsidized USDA Direct Loan Borrowers).
However, this simplified option requires credit approval. Lenders must verify your credit report, credit history, and income before approving a refinance.
USDA streamlined refinance requirements:
Borrowers must meet USDA credit requirements
Borrowers can pre-deposit principal, interest, closing costs, escrow fees, and guarantee fees into a new loan balance
His current USDA loan must be paid on time for 180 consecutive days before the refinancing request
Borrowers must have owned their current mortgage for at least 12 months prior to refinancing the application.
Borrowers can be added to or removed from the loan as long as the original borrower remains
Review required only if the direct borrower receives a subsidy
The apartment must be used as the renter’s primary residence
Borrower household income must be within USDA income limits
USDA non-streamlined refinance
Of the USDA’s three refinancing options, the non-optimized refinancing is the most difficult to qualify and has the highest closing costs. You must pass a credit check, meet the debt-to-income requirements, and make new appraisal payments.
USDA homeowners also have access to conventional or non-optimized refinancing loans.
Non-optimized USDA refinancing will require a re-evaluation, a full income test, and a credit check.
However, this is an option if you want to avoid the $50/month reduction requirement.
USDA non-streamlined refinance requirements:
Borrowers must meet USDA credit and debt-to-income (DTI) requirements, subject to full adoption.
Borrowers can pre-finance principal, interest, closing costs, and guarantee fees into new loan balances (up to a new estimate).
Your current mortgage must be paid on time for 180 consecutive days prior to your refinancing request
Borrowers must have owned their current mortgage for at least 12 months prior to refinancing the application.
The original borrower must continue the loan and has the option to add a new borrower
The home being refinanced must be the borrower’s primary residence
The borrower’s household income must not exceed the USDA income limit
Refinance from a USDA loan to a conventional loan
If you meet the financial requirements to refinance to a traditional loan, this may be a better option than USDA refinancing. If your credit score is 620 or higher and your home equity is 3% or higher, it’s worth applying to see what interest rates and terms apply.
You save money because you don’t have to pay upfront fees or annual fees on traditional loans like USDA loan guarantee fees. Private mortgage insurance payments may be required if you don’t have at least 20% assets, but you can ask your lender to cancel once you hit the 20% threshold.
Three other reasons to consider traditional refinancing are:
Your household income is too high for USDA refinancing
I want to refinance cash out
The desire for a term of office within 30 years
Checking and comparing interest rates from various lenders is one way to make sure you’re getting the right refinancing rate. Reliable. In just a few minutes, you can compare pre-qualified refinancing rates from all our partners and lenders. It’s free and you don’t even have to leave the platform.
If you receive a USDA no down payment loan, you may have to wait until you have at least 3% home equity before a traditional refinance is approved.
Can you refinance a USDA loan?
USDA-backed USDA loans can be refinanced like any other mortgage.
As long as your credit rating is decent and your loan payments are current, you should be able to refinance to a lower interest rate and monthly payments.
Eligible homeowners can also use the USDA Streamline program to skip the credit and income approval steps.
The biggest challenge with refinancing USDA loans is that not all mortgage lenders offer them. So find several lenders that do this, compare interest rates and shop around to get the best deal on your new loan.
Benefits of refinancing a USDA loan
If you think you can get a better interest rate on another USDA loan, consider the Support Optimized Refinancing Program. No real estate appraisals or credit checks are required. However, it cannot be used to refinance withdrawals.
Refinancing a USDA loan with a traditional loan may result in lower monthly payments, a fixed interest rate, or capital that can be used to improve the property or other expenses. Refinancing with a shorter loan term can also help you pay off your mortgage faster.
USDA-to-conventional refinance
For some homeowners, it makes more sense to refinance a USDA-backed loan with another type of loan, usually a traditional loan.
There are three main reasons to refinance a USDA mortgage to a traditional loan.
Removal of USDA Mortgage Insurance
To shorten the loan period
withdraw capital
Most lenders require at least 3% home equity to refinance from a USDA loan to a traditional loan.
If your goal is to eliminate mortgage insurance, you need at least 20% equity (meaning no more than 80% of the loan value).
The lender will also request a new home appraisal to compare the value of your home to your current loan balance and determine available home equity.
You must also meet the debt-to-income requirement for traditional loans and the minimum credit requirement, which is usually 620.
Benefits of refinancing to a conventional loan from another type of mortgage
There are many reasons to refinance your mortgage. For example, you can lower your interest rates and monthly mortgage payments, shorten your mortgage term, change your loan type, or access cash through home equity.
When refinancing a traditional loan from a government-sponsored loan, you may also find significant savings by eliminating the mandatory fees and mortgage insurance typically associated with government-sponsored loans.
Here, we take a closer look at the benefits of refinancing from other popular loan programs to traditional loans.
Why you may want to refinance a USDA loan:
How to avoid security fees: If you choose to refinance another USDA loan, you will be required to pay an “advance security fee” equal to 1% of the loan amount. In addition, there is a yearly “guarantee fee” for USDA loans. The annual fee is 0.35% of the loan balance, spread across your monthly mortgage payments.
How to Access Home Equity: The USDA does not currently offer payment refinancing options. A traditional loan payoff refinancing allows you to borrow more money than you can with a mortgage. You can then use the extra money to pay for renovations, education, or other goals. To shorten the loan term: USDA only offers 30-year fixed-rate loans for home purchases and refinancing. If you want to pay off your loan sooner and reduce your overall borrowing costs, you can benefit from refinancing to a traditional 20-, 15-, or 10-year loan.
How to save interest: If your mortgage interest rate has dropped since you took out a USDA loan, you may be able to reduce your monthly payments by refinancing.
How to refinance to a conventional loan
Refinancing means replacing your existing mortgage with a new one, and you will have to go through the mortgage approval process again. You must meet the financial requirements of your new loan and provide documentation for the lender to verify your finances. .
Exact guidelines may vary slightly from lender to lender, but here are the general requirements for traditional loans:
Credit Score: A minimum credit score of 620 is typically required by lenders.
Debt-to-income ratio: The debt-to-income ratio measures how much of your monthly income is used to pay off your debts. Lenders typically seek a ratio of 43% or less.
Income History: You may be asked to provide her W-2 or tax returns for the last two years to demonstrate stable income.
How much equity do I need to refinance to a conventional loan?
Not only do you need to demonstrate that you have a strong financial profile, but you must also have sufficient home equity to qualify for a traditional loan refinance.
Equity is the percentage of your home that you own. To find out how much home equity you have, subtract your current mortgage balance from the home’s assessed value. Your lender will probably need to confirm the value with a real estate appraisal. The lender will then measure your home equity using an equation known as the Loan Value Ratio (LTV). An example is shown below.
Estimated property value: $300,000
Loan Balance: $210,000
$210,000/$300,000 = 0.70 or 70% LTV
If your LTV is 80% or less, it may make the most sense to switch to a traditional loan. Even if your LTV is over 80%, you may still be eligible for refinancing. However, you may be required to make private mortgage insurance (PMI) payments in addition to your monthly mortgage payments. Luckily, unlike other types of loans that require mortgage insurance for the life of the loan, you can opt-out of PMI removal after making enough payments to meet the 80% LTV threshold. You can request it. (PMI is automatically removed when LTV reaches 78%.)
Even if your LTV is over 80%, consider refinancing to a traditional loan if it offers a lower interest rate, or reduces your monthly mortgage payment on a traditional loan.
See how much you can save with a conventional loan refinance
Changing to a traditional loan can save you monthly payments and overall mortgage costs. Payment refinancing can also help you access cash for other financial goals or convert your home into an investment property.
If your financial situation has improved since your first mortgage, you may be able to get a regular loan. And with Better Mortgage, you can rest assured that you won’t be paying unnecessary fees. In fact, there are no VA funding fees, advance fees, lender fees, lending fees, or loan officer fees.
