Debt Service Loan for a Beginner House Hacker.

Debt Service Loan for a Beginner House Hacker.

New to Real Estate · San Jose, CA · Member since 2022 · 67 posts · 23 votes

Hi BP community!

I plan to enter RE investing through house hacking but I am a complete beginner and wanted to ask a question regarding loans. I am in the process of saving up cash for a down payment and I know one of the options for house hacking would be a FHA loan for a 3.5%-5% down payment. I have also heard on some of the bigger pockets podcasts about debt service coverage ratio loan (DSCR) which is a loan that is given based on the potential income a house can generate. My questions are the following:

1) Is it common for these loans to be given to new RE investors that are investing in their first property or does there need to be a prior track record/experience in investing? What would be the minimum down payment needed?

2)What would be the general process for getting this loan? Do I find the property first, run the numbers to make income from the house would cover the mortgage and then apply for the loan or is it something that I can get pre-approved for?

3) I have been looking online and there seems to be a lot of companies that provide DSCR loans, but do any experienced real estate investors on this forum have any they recommend?

Again, I am completely new to this field and I am still studying about RE investing, so I apologize if any of these questions seem silly, and I would really appreciate any help I can get in answering these questions! Thank you all very much!

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  • Lender · Winlock, WA · Member since 2020 · 124 posts · 82 votes
    4y

    If you are wanting to Househack a 2-4 unit I would recommend sticking with FHA as it has a low down payment of 3.5% for 1-4 units. If you are just wanting a 1 unit that you rent bedrooms out of, then Freddie Mac Home Possible is a good option at 3% down plus it is a conventional so you can get the Mortgage insurance removed in a couple years without refinancing.

    A DSCR is a investment loan so owner occupied is not allowed. Also the rates for these loans since they are Non-QM are higher than your typical Owner occupied loan. These are a great option if you aren't showing enough income for a conventional loan but the units put off enough rents to cover 100%-115% of the mortgage. New investors can be given these loans same as seasoned investors as long as the numbers add up. This loans will also come with more reserve requirements than a conventional loan. If you are wanting this type of loan I would recommend speaking with a Loan Officer so they can guide you through the process and help with analyzing properties.

    Best of Luck!

  • New to Real Estate · San Jose, CA · Member since 2022 · 67 posts · 23 votes
    4y

    @Torrell Palmason

    Thanks so much for your reply, that was very helpful! For now, I am thinking of a 1 unit which I can rent bedrooms out of so I will check out the options available on Freddie Mac Homes. Also, considering that owner occupied is not allowed along with the higher rates and higher reserve requirements, a DSCR loan would not be the right one for me at the moment.

    Thanks again for all your help!

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