A bank will look at the borrower’s income relative to the proposed debt service payments . The rule of thumb during the middle of the twentieth century was that a mortgage should not be more than two and a half times income . A more current rule of thumb was that mortgage payments should not be more than 28 percent of income , and total debt service payments should not be more than 34 percent of income . In recent years , the latter ratio has been relaxed to as much as 40 percent , a financial stretch . A borrower can even apply for a loan with no income verification . Typically , however , the bank requires a large-than –usual down payment 25 to 35 percent or more , and a clean credit record . Somewhat different requirements apply for a government loan . For instance , the Veteran’s Administration will make loans to war veterans at low interest rates . Other government agencies target other constituencies such as low-income housing . If you have a good record of running multi-family houses , you may qualify for government loans for the development and management of low-income units . In such cases , your ability to get the loan is contingent on your meeting the particular politically requirements . Also , government loans are more likely to have onerous terms such as prepayment penalties . A third source of financing , if you find the right seller and are persuasive enough , is owner financing . A mortgage is nothing more than an IOU in which a buyer agrees to pay a lender the value of the house over a period of time . It is really a way of borrowing money using the house as collateral. The borrower issues a mortgage , and is known as a mortgage , while the lender is known as the mortgage . In this particular instance , the seller is also the lender of the last resort . Occasionally , there will be home advertisements in the newspaper that say OWC , or owner will carry . |