Are Physician Loans a Good Idea?

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Recent graduates of professional school are in a unique position.  They usually have high amounts of debt and low savings. Not a good recipe to buy a home.  Almost everybody with high debt and low savings will get denied for a traditional mortgage.

But one thing almost all professional school grads have is high potential income. So a number of banks offer Physician Loans (also called Doctor Loans) geared towards new professionals.  Most of these loans are geared towards MD’s.  But other health professionals, such as optometrists, can take advantage of them also.

Nuts and Bolts

I wrote about Doctor Loans in a previous post, but since I’m now a few years into having one, I wanted to revisit the subject.  Here are the key aspects of a Doctor Loan:

Pros

  • Requires little to no down payment
  • Doesn’t require Private Mortgage Insurance (PMI)
  • Doesn’t factor in student loan debt, which is usually high for professionals
  • Will accept a job offer or contract as proof of earnings

Cons

  • Available only to new grads, usually a maximum of 5-10 years out of residency or school
  • Can have higher fees and interest rates than conventional loans
  • Certain types of homes may be restricted
  • Some banks might require the customer open a checking or savings account with the bank

It’s also important to know why banks would offer a Doctor Loan.  Lenders are looking for customers who will make their payments on time and have a good relationship with the bank for years to come.  Professionals usually have high income potential, so banks want them as customers for life.  They will offer premium checking accounts and preferred rates for customers with mortgages.

My Take on Physician Loans

Now that we have the pros and cons out of the way, let me give you my opinion of the Doctor Loan.  I decided to use the Doctor Loan because we wanted a house after renting for a couple of years but didn’t have the 20% down payment needed for a conventional loan.  By not having at least 20% for a down payment I would have to pay Private Mortgage Insurance (PMI).  This is just an extra monthly payment to the bank that would not even be tax deductible in our case.

After finally finding a bank that offered Doctor Loans for optometrists, I went thorough the usual ton of paperwork required for a mortgage.  I’ve heard some horror stories from others who went through the mortgage application process, but luckily it went pretty smoothly for us.

I ended up selecting a no down payment Adjustable Rate Mortgage (ARM).  While this sounds scary on paper, I believe it was the best decision for us.  Doctor Loan interest rates are usually a little higher than conventional loans. Going with an ARM allowed me to get a rate in line with the average 30-year fixed at that time.

The interest rate on my ARM doesn’t increase until after 10 years, which is a few years longer than we plan to live in the house before selling.  Even if we end up living there a little longer than 10 years, we can still handle the maximum possible payments so it shouldn’t be an issue.

Our plan is to build up enough equity in the house to eventually get a conventional loan on our next home.  The Doctor Loan allowed us to take advantage of low current rates and have an affordable payment.  I don’t regret going with the Doctor Loan, but if we had waited a few more years to build up enough of a down payment for a conventional loan, we might have scored a lower interest rate.

No Free Lunch

Not paying PMI and not having to fork over a large down payment sounds like a good deal, but the advantages of that can be erased if you decide to sell too early or you have to settle for a high interest rate.

So are Physician Loans for everyone?  Absolutely not.  Homes are expensive (taxes, maintenance, homeowners association fees etc).  If you rush into a purchase too fast and aren’t ready for the upfront costs, then a Doctor Loan is probably not a good option.  You would be better off learning the basics of home ownership while building up enough of a down payment for a conventional loan.

Mortgage lenders essentially work like see saws.  They can offer low down payment and no PMI, but will have to increase the interest rate.  If you want a lower interest rate, you should be able to offer a good down payment and maybe even pre-pay some of the interest.

There really is no one right answer.  Deciding if a Doctor Loan is right for you depends on your income potential and how long you decide to live in the house, among other things.  Run the numbers and ask those who have been through the mortgage process to see if it would be a good option for you.

If you need some more information, here is a great overview about student loans from Ricardo at Doctor Loan USA.

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Comments

  1. I’ve never seen a doctor loan for a home mortgage, but I never really looked. When we bought our first house, we had PMI, and were clueless about most things financially speaking. I think this type loan would be a good idea if you don’t make yourself house poor and will live there long enough to make it worthwhile. Without the down payment, you can put more toward loans!

    • Syed says

      Right it can be a good loan but it’s not for everybody. If you are able to swing a 20% down payment, you will more than likely get a better deal.

  2. This makes a lot of sense, actually. Doctors *generally* are higher-income earners but they do typically have that huge amount of student debt. If anyone is good for paying it off, though, it’s going to be a physician. It really does make a lot of sense so it’s cool that you had the opportunity to take advantage of it. I’m sure I would have as well.

    • Syed says

      Yup it’s a pretty cool opportunity. But like any financial decision it can get you in trouble if the numbers don’t look good.

  3. If anyone has any questions please give me a call.
    Citizens Bank: CT, DC, DE, IL, IN, KY, MA, MD, ME, MI, MN, NC, NH, NJ, NY, OH, PA, RI, SC, TN, VA, VT, and WV
    Contact Bart Hammack (NMLS# 4576487) at 513 787- 8555 or bart.hammack@citizensbank.com

    DOCTOR PROGRAM FEATURES:
    • Up to 95% financing with lender paid mortgage insurance for loan amounts up to $850,000
    • Up to 89% financing with no mortgage insurance
    • $1 million maximum loan amount***** We also have a 80/10/10 to allows us to almost make all loan amount attainable*****
    • Student loan debt deferred for at least 12 Months excluded from debt-to-income ratio
    • Construction-to-permanent financing eligibility – maximum 89% financing
    • Primary residence only
    • PUDs and Condos
    720 Minimum Credit Score – Doctor Loan only
    LTV /= 90% maximum DTI is 40%

  4. Kevin says

    My wife (a physician) and I are in the market for a new home and I think one thing that is missed in this post is that the mortgage interest IS tax deductible, which is a plus depending on your tax situation. So, if your monthly cash flow allows you to have a larger monthly payment with a doctor loan, you can benefit during tax season each year.

    • Syed says

      Yes the mortgage interest deduction is a great benefit. It saves us a bunch of taxes every year. But I don’t think it should ever be a reason to get a bigger mortgage than you were budgeting for. If you’re in the 25% tax bracket for example, each dollar of mortgage interest will save you 25 cents off your taxes. But if you scale up your mortgage simply because an interest deduction is available, that means you’re okay paying a dollar in order to get 25 cents back. Not a good deal!

  5. I am a Physician Loan Specialist with Bank of America. Over the past 6 years I have helped countless MDs, Dentists, and Optometrists purchase or refinance their homes with this program.

    Any clients looking for further information on our Doctor Loan program, please feel free to contact me directly. My email address is markhowe@bankofamerica.com

    Our Doctor Loan Program at Bank of America has numerous advantages:

    -5% down on mortgages up to $1 million
    -10% down on mortgages up to $1.5 million
    -Start your new job up to 60 days after closing (for salaried applicants)
    -Student loans in deferral don’t count against your qualification
    -Interest rates that are extremely competitive

    Mark Howe
    Senior Loan Officer
    Bank of America
    NMLS # 870634
    Phone: 360-643-1471
    Email: markhowe@bankofamerica.com

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