Federal Housing Administration

FHA loans were designed to promote home ownership by making it easier to qualify for a mortgage. Because the government provides a guarantee to lenders should you fail to repay the loan, the lenders are willing to make loans in cases when they’d otherwise would not.

FHA allows you to buy a home with a minimum down payment of 3.5 percent and you can qualify with credit scores slightly lower than the norm. While they come with appealing features, the drawback is that the upfront mortgage insurance premium and ongoing premiums can be very costly.