You waited ten years to earn. A bank calls that risk.
You finished training with six figures of debt and a job that starts in 60 days.
Normal underwriting reads that as a problem.
Send your contract. No credit check to start.
- Up to 100% financing
- No monthly mortgage insurance
- Student debt counted fairly
- Qualify on a signed contract
- Available before your first pay stub
Lenders keep these doctor loans on their own books, which is why the rules can be different.
Licensed mortgage broker · NMLS 179997
Office in Vienna, Virginia
We speak 8 languages
Three numbers on your file are working against you.
A physician loan is designed around the unique financial situation of doctors. Student loans can raise your debt-to-income ratio, even when payments are deferred.
A small down payment may be enough, without the mortgage insurance typical of conventional loans.
A signed employment contract can help you qualify before your first paycheck.
Physician loans can offer more flexible underwriting by considering your future income and student loans.
They can provide competitive pricing even with a smaller down payment, similar to how many loans for medical professionals and mortgage loans for healthcare professionals are structured across the industry.
Which one of these is you?
Almost every physician loan borrower who calls is in one of these six spots.
You are finishing residency with a contract
A signed employment contract starting within 60 to 90 days can qualify an incoming attending before they earn a cent. Bring it early, because these files fail on timing.
Your loans wreck your ratio on paper
Deferred or income-driven student loans can be excluded, or counted at what you actually pay. That one difference solves most debt-to-income ratio problems.
You have not saved twenty percent
Most programs go to 5% down payment and many to zero, all with no PMI. A normal buyer at 5% down pays insurance every month. An attending would not.
You are still in residency and want to stop renting
A physician loan runs from residency through about ten years after training. Buying during residency works where the numbers do. A short stay can make renting better, and we will say so.
You are buying above the county limit
In McLean or Bethesda, an attending purchase often lands in jumbo loan territory. Several programs reach that range with 10% down, which a standard jumbo loan will not do, a comparison worth reviewing on our jumbo loans page
You are ten years past training
By then,n a normal loan or a jumbo loan usually prices better, because you have the income history and the assets. We will say so when a physician loan stops being the right answer, and by that stage a standard conventional loan is often the smarter path.
No mortgage insurance. A slightly higher rate.
That is the deal in one line. Here is what sits inside it.
The financing
Enjoy up to 100% financing with zero to five percent down payment in most common cases, and up to ten percent on larger balances, all completely with no PMI.
The insurance you skip
Having no PMI is the financial benefit buyers often underestimate most. On a seven hundred thousand dollar purchase, that saves several hundred dollars every single month which simply never appears.
The debt treatment
Student loans are counted precisely at your real payment amount, or else left out entirely from calculations, which helps keep your overall debt-to-income ratio very workable and manageable.
The start date
A validly signed employment contract showing a start date inside sixty to ninety days is fully enough for most lenders, while some specialized programs will even go further out.
Who qualifies
MD, DO, DDS, and DMD typically qualify, while some lenders also include other biomedical professionals and medical professional mortgage applicants such as nurse practitioners, veterinarians, and physician assistants. A 700+ credit score is generally preferred.
In exchange, the rate usually sits a little above a normal loan. Whether that matters depends on the mortgage insurance you avoid, which often outweighs it in the early years. A physician mortgage loan calculator or general physician home loan interest rate comparison can help you weigh that trade against a standard conventional rate before you decide.
A bank has one answer. We have several.
Every physician program is kept by its lender, so every lender writes its own rules on student loans, start dates, and which degrees count.
We check how each counts your debt
Excluded, counted at the real payment, or counted by formula. The gap between best and worst debt-to-income ratio treatment is often a hundred thousand in buying power.
We close before your start date
Most lenders fund on a signed employment contract inside 60 to 90 days. Which lenders, and how far out, is not published anywhere.
We price it against the alternatives
Sometimes a physician loan wins on the missing insurance. Sometimes a jumbo loan wins instead. You see both, and we compare against doctor mortgage rates on both sides before you decide.
We check your degree qualifies first
Eligible credentials vary widely, and this is the most common reason a good file goes to the wrong lender. A strong credit score widens the list and helps you land with one of the best physician mortgage loans available on our panel.
SAI Mortgage, Inc.
Is committed to helping you find the right mortgage product for your needs, whether you’re exploring a home mortgage loan, considering a home mortgage loan in Virginia, or comparing other financing options. We understand that every borrower is different, and we offer a variety of products to meet your individual requirements, ensuring you receive guidance that fits your unique financial goals. See our full range of programs on our homepage.
Three steps. That is it.
Most people are pre-approved within two days.
Tell us how you get paid
Have a short conversation with our friendly team in your preferred language if you wish. Please rest assured that there is no credit check required at this initial stage of your application process.
We shop it for you
We check many lenders and send you what you qualify for, in writing, comparing home loans for doctors against every other program you may qualify for, including options on our refinance page if you already own.
You get the keys
We professionally manage everything else from start to finish and ensure your successful closing happens precisely on the date you need it, making your home buying journey completely smooth, straightforward, and entirely stress-free.
Licensed in Virginia, DC and Maryland.
From our office in Vienna, we serve buyers across the Commonwealth, and your file follows you if you move across state lines.
Northern Virginia
I-95 Corridor
Hampton Roads
Central & Western Virginia
What people ask us first.
The questions that come up on almost every call.
Can I buy before I start work?
Usually yes. A signed employment contract with a start date inside 60 to 90 days is enough at most lenders, and some go further out.
Do my student loans count against me?
Not the way they would on a conventional loan. Deferred or income-driven payments can often be excluded entirely, or counted at the actual payment amount, whichever helps your debt to income ratio more.
How much down payment do I need?
Many physician loan programs go to zero down, and most cap around 5 to 10% even on larger balances, all without PMI, a meaningful difference from the 20% often assumed necessary for home loans for medical doctor buyers with high student debt.
Am I eligible if I am not a doctor?
Often yes. MD, DO, DDS, and DMD are the core degrees, though several lenders extend the same terms to other loans for medical professionals, including certain nurse practitioners, pharmacists, and veterinarians, so it is worth asking regardless of your specific credential.
Is the rate higher?
Typically a little, yes, compared with a standard conventional loan. The tradeoff is no monthly mortgage insurance at any down payment level, which often outweighs the small rate difference in the first several years of the loan, especially for buyers who plan to refinance once their income and credit history mature.
Send the contract. We will do the rest.
A signed contract and a rough figure for your student debt is enough for a real answer, whether you are in residency or already working.
Most of our physician loan files run through the hospital corridors in Fairfax, Bethesda, Reston, and Leesburg.
If you are an incoming attending with a start date and no pay stubs, that is the file we run most often.