80-10-10 piggyback loans FAQs
An 80-10-10 piggyback loan translates to: a first mortgage for 80% of the sale price; a second lien for 10%; and a 10% down payment. The second mortgage “piggybacks” on top of the first. Do piggyback loans still exist? Yes, 80-10-10 piggyback loans are still available.
Its purpose is to allow borrowers with low down payment savings to borrow additional money in order to qualify for a main mortgage without paying for private mortgage insurance. Typically, borrowers with a down payment less than 20 percent of the home's price will need to pay for mortgage insurance.
The share of piggybacked Federal Housing Administration (FHA) home purchase loans rose by more than seven percentage points from June 2022 to June 2024, going from 10.8% to 18%. In the same period, the piggyback share increased from 2.2% to 3.6% for conventional purchase loans backed by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.
Piggyback loans, also known as 80/10/10 loans, are different. Simply defined, a piggyback loan is the term used by mortgage lenders when a borrower takes out a first and second mortgage at the same time.
To be eligible for an 80/10/10 piggyback loan, you must meet the requirements for both the first and second mortgage. The first mortgage, usually a conventional loan, requires a minimum credit score of 620, while the HELOC part of the piggyback loan may require an even higher credit score, typically around 680 or more.
In most cases, you'll need a credit score of at least 620 to qualify for a conventional loan. When you apply, your lender will check your credit history to determine if you have qualifying credit. If you don't, you might not get approved for the loan.
Exceptions to the Rule: When You Can Have Multiple FHA Loans
The FHA recognizes that life circumstances can necessitate having more than one FHA loan. To be eligible for a second FHA loan, you must have at least 25% equity in your home or have paid down the FHA loan balance to 75% in certain circumstances.
→ 80/20 piggyback loan: With this structure, the first mortgage finances 80% of the home price, and the second mortgage covers 20%, meaning you finance the entire purchase without making a down payment. 80/20 mortgages were popular in the early to mid-2000s, but are less common today.
If you don't have enough in your piggy bank for a 20 percent down payment, you might be a candidate for a piggyback loan. Also called an 80/10/10 or combination mortgage, it involves getting two loans at once to buy one home. The strategy can save you money.
An assumable mortgage allows a buyer to assume the rate, repayment period, current principal balance and other terms of the seller's existing mortgage rather than get a brand-new loan.
How it works: Pay as little as 10% of your purchase price as a down payment. Take out 80% of your purchase price in a first mortgage. Take out 10% of your purchase price in a second mortgage.
Finally, people who can switch from a variable interest rate to a fixed-rate might want to refinance their second mortgage. This is very common with piggyback loans.
You can take out another personal loan if you already have one, as long as you can meet a lender's requirements for approval. Specifically, you may need a fair or good credit score, steady income and a debt-to-income ratio below 36%.
You can take out a second mortgage loan after you've built equity in your home. Second mortgages typically have higher interest rates than primary mortgages.
A hybrid loan is a type of personal loan. You get approved for a set amount of money, but rather than receiving the total amount all at once, you can take only how much you need when you need it, for a set amount of time, typically six months, with interest-only payments due monthly.
The 50% rule in real estate says that investors should expect a property's operating expenses to be roughly 50% of its gross income. This is useful for estimating potential cash flow from a rental property, but it's not always foolproof.
A good way to remember the documentation you'll need is to remember the 2-2-2 rule: 2 years of W-2s. 2 years of tax returns (federal and state) Your two most recent pay stubs.
The 35/45 rule
With the 35/45 model, your total monthly debt, including your mortgage payment, shouldn't exceed 35% of your pre-tax income or 45% of your after-tax income. To estimate your affordable range, multiply your gross income before taxes by 0.35 and your net income after taxes by 0.45.
If you're currently in the market looking to buy a triplex or fourplex with FHA financing, you need to see if the property's rents pass the Self-Sufficiency Test. To be “self-sufficient” means that 75% of the property's rents need to cover the monthly payments.
FHA Loan Down Payments
The minimum down payment you're required to make on an FHA loan is directly linked to your credit score. Your credit score is a number ranging from 300 – 850 that's used to indicate your creditworthiness. An FHA loan requires a minimum 3.5% down payment for credit scores of 580 and higher.
The answer is yes, you can! FHA loans are insured by the Federal Housing Administration, and they are available to purchase both existing homes and new construction.
You can buy a $300,000 house with only $9,000 down when using a conventional mortgage, which is the lowest down payment permitted, unless you qualify for a zero-down-payment VA or USDA loan. Different lenders have different rules, but typically they require a 620 credit score for conventional loan approval.
There are no specific income limits for most traditional mortgage loans, such as conventional loans or FHA loans. Lenders typically focus on your income to qualify for a mortgage by looking at factors like your debt-to-income (DTI) ratio, credit score, and overall financial stability.