Luxury Home Financing Jumbo Seattle

The luxury home market in Washington, especially Seattle has always been competitive as it is varied. Home prices in Seattle are down slightly year over year and the median home price is currently around $815,000. On average, homes are on the market for 35 days.

From the modern condominiums to the historic buildings downtown, Seattle is second to none when it comes to such structures. Yet financing a luxury home whether a single-family residence or a condo can sometimes be a challenge especially if the buyer has a limited down payment.

Until recently the jumbo down payment requirements were 20% with most lenders and banks offering these programs. For loan amounts exceeding $2m, down payment requirements can be even greater, sometimes 20% or more. All of that has recently changed with the new 10% and 5% options available today.

Let’s look at the latest Jumbo loan guidelines, buyers who have questions can reach us by calling Ph: 800-962-0677 or just submit the Quick Contact Form

First, let’s identify what is considered a Jumbo loan in Washington state. For most of the WA, the conforming loan limit is $766,550. The exceptions are King County, Pierce County, and Snohomish County, these are considered “high cost” counties and the limit is $977,500 for a regular 1-unit home. Please reference the complete Washington State 2024 Conforming loan limit list. You can also find the complete chart below.

Any mortgage beyond the conforming limits would be classified as Jumbo. So based on the average property values, a regular conventional loan will suit many buyers. But for buyers looking to finance properties in higher-cost neighborhoods like Broadmoor, Denny-Blaine, Windermere or Laurelhurst a Jumbo loan is often required due to the multi-million dollar home prices.

Seattle 95% and 90% Jumbo Financing:

• 5% down –  loan amount limit is $1,500,0000
• 10% down – loan amount limit is $2,500,000
• 15%-20% down – higher loan limits exceeding $3.5m
• All programs apply to primary homes.
• All 95% and 90% LTV applicants are required to have a min 680 credit score with no serious financial hardships in the previous 5 years.
• All Jumbo programs require full income and asset documentation.
• The program applies to single-family, townhomes, and select condos.
• Single loan options and piggyback loans are available.
• Both fix rate and ARM options are available. All terms have temporary interest rate buy down options.
• No private mortgage insurance.

Luxury home financing will most often come in the form of a fixed rate or adjustable-rate (ARM) type loan. ARMs will have an initial rate fixed for a predetermined period. For example, a 5/1 ARM has a rate that is fixed for five years before changing into an adjustable-rate mortgage which can adjust once per year.

The adjustment is based on a pre-selected index plus a margin. The adjustment periods are limited each year from one to two percent from the previous rate to avoid wild swings in annual payments. The advantage of the adjustable-rate mortgage is the lower interest rate, which is often better for buyers who will own their home for a limited time.

There are also fixed-rate programs where the rate does not change during the life of the loan. The advantage of the 15-year or 30-year fixed rate loan is the stability of the rate/payment that never changes.

Credit scores for luxury financing can be expected to be higher compared to conforming loans and most high-end financing asks for at least a 700 credit score for 90% and 95% LTV Jumbo loans. The lender will order credit scores from all three credit repositories of Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion and use the middle score. If there is more than one borrower, the lender will use the lower middle score for qualifying purposes.

Questions? Please call us at the number above. Serving home buyers nationwide including Washington: Seattle, Spokane, Tacoma, Vancouver, Bellevue, Kent, Everett, Renton, Yakima, Federal Way, Spokane Valley, Kirkland, Bellingham, Kennewick