Every Wisconsin loan program Mike runs
One branch manager, the full Wisconsin menu. WHEDA down payment help, the Mortgage Credit Certificate, FHA, conventional, VA, USDA, jumbo, self-employed, and investor financing. Find the situation that matches yours, then send your scenario. Mike maps the numbers to your county and your credit profile.
The Wisconsin menu at a glance
Mike does not sell one loan. He fits the first mortgage to your file, then layers assistance where it earns its keep. Here is the shortlist so you can find your situation fast.
| Program | Who it fits | Down payment | Key Wisconsin detail |
|---|---|---|---|
| WHEDA Easy Close | Buyers who need up-front cash | Assistance covers part | Up to 6% of price; repayable 10-yr second with a monthly payment, not a grant |
| WHEDA Capital Access | Want deferred, no-payment help | $7,500 covered | 0% deferred, repaid at sale/refi/payoff; capped at 78 loans for 2026 |
| WHEDA Advantage | The first mortgage the DPA pairs with | 3% conv / 3.5% FHA | 620 conventional / 640 FHA credit floor |
| MCC (Tax Advantage) | Want an annual federal tax credit | Pairs with any first loan | 25% statewide (40% vets and target areas), up to $2,000/yr |
| FHA | Lower credit, slim savings | 3.5% | 2026 floor $541,287; Pierce and St. Croix $552,000 |
| Conventional 97 | Mid-600s and up | 3% | Private mortgage insurance cancels at 20% equity |
| VA | Eligible veterans | $0 | No monthly mortgage insurance |
| USDA | Rural and small-town Wisconsin | $0 | Income base near $119,850, address-specific |
| Jumbo | Above $832,750 | Varies | Wisconsin is all-baseline, one statewide limit |
| Bank-statement / 1099 | Self-employed | Varies | Qualify on deposits, not net tax income |
| DSCR | Investors | Varies | Qualify on the property's rent |
WHEDA down payment assistance: Easy Close and Capital Access
Wisconsin runs its down payment help through WHEDA, the state housing authority, and it offers two products that people constantly confuse. Read the difference before you pick. Easy Close lends up to 6% of the purchase price on a conventional or FHA loan, with a $1,000 floor. It is a 10-year second mortgage that amortizes with a monthly payment at the same rate as your first mortgage, so it is repaid, not forgiven. Aggregator sites that call it a "6% grant" are wrong.
Capital Access is the deferred one. It gives $7,500 at 0% interest with no monthly payment, and you repay it only when the first mortgage is paid off through a sale, refinance, or final payoff. Your only out-of-pocket cost is a recording fee. Here is the catch that trips buyers up: WHEDA capped Capital Access at 78 loans for 2026, first-come starting January 15, so the allotment can exhaust mid-year. The down payment assistance page compares the two side by side.
WHEDA Advantage first mortgages
The assistance rides on top of a WHEDA Advantage first mortgage. There are two flavors. WHEDA Advantage Conventional is a 30-year fixed loan with a 620 minimum credit score. WHEDA Advantage FHA is a 30-year fixed loan with a 640 minimum score and the standard 3.5% borrower investment. Notice the credit floor is split, 620 conventional and 640 FHA, not a single band. WHEDA also sets income and purchase-price limits that change by county and household size, and they updated in June 2026, so confirm your county's current limit at wheda.com rather than trusting one statewide number.
Mortgage Credit Certificate (WHEDA Tax Advantage)
WHEDA also issues a Mortgage Credit Certificate, branded as the Tax Advantage. An MCC converts part of the mortgage interest you already pay into a dollar-for-dollar federal tax credit, up to $2,000 a year, for as long as you live in the home and carry the loan. The credit rate is 25% statewide and rises to 40% for military veterans and homes in HUD target areas, though you should confirm the current rate with WHEDA before you plan around it. An MCC can stack with a WHEDA first mortgage, and it is one of the more underused tools for a buyer who plans to stay put.
FHA loans in Wisconsin
FHA is the common landing spot when credit sits lower or savings are thin. It allows 3.5% down and treats past credit bumps more forgivingly than conventional financing does. The 2026 FHA floor in Wisconsin is $541,287 on a single-family home, which covers the market across Milwaukee, Madison, Green Bay, and Appleton. Two counties are different: Pierce and St. Croix, both part of the Minneapolis-St. Paul metro, carry a higher FHA limit of $552,000. Easy Close or Capital Access can ride on top of an FHA first mortgage, so the assistance and the low down payment stack.
Conventional 97 in Wisconsin
Once your score clears the mid-600s, conventional financing often beats FHA because the private mortgage insurance cancels at 20% equity instead of running the life of the loan. Conventional 97 allows 3% down. For a repeat buyer in Waukesha or a move-up buyer in the Fox Valley, a WHEDA Advantage Conventional loan can pair reduced mortgage insurance with WHEDA assistance where you still meet the income limits. Mike compares the FHA and conventional math on your actual file rather than defaulting to one.
VA loans for Wisconsin veterans
Eligible veterans, active-duty service members, and surviving spouses can buy with zero down and no monthly mortgage insurance. Wisconsin holds a large veteran community, from Fort McCoy near Sparta to the Milwaukee and Madison VA populations. Veterans also have WHEDA's VALOR benefit, a reduced first-mortgage rate on a WHEDA Advantage loan that can layer with WHEDA down payment assistance. Mike handles Certificate of Eligibility questions and entitlement restoration when you use the benefit a second time.
USDA loans in rural Wisconsin
Step outside the Milwaukee, Madison, and Green Bay metro cores and a large share of the state qualifies for a zero-down USDA loan, including much of the Driftless Area, the northwoods, and the farm country around Eau Claire. USDA caps household income near $119,850 for one to four people as a standard base for 2026, a secondary figure that USDA itself should confirm. Milwaukee County is essentially ineligible. Eligibility is address-specific, so check your exact address at USDA's eligibility tool before you count on it.
Jumbo loans and Wisconsin's all-baseline limit
A loan above the conforming limit is a jumbo. Wisconsin is an all-baseline state for 2026, which means every county shares the single $832,750 one-unit limit with no high-cost exception. That is worth stating plainly, because buyers often assume a Milwaukee or Madison lakefront county carries a higher ceiling; it does not. Cross $832,750 and you are in jumbo territory, where underwriting wants stronger reserves and cleaner documentation. Mike runs full-doc, alt-doc, and self-employed jumbo paths.
Self-employed and bank-statement loans
Tax returns understate what many business owners really earn, because legal write-offs shrink the net figure underwriters read. Bank-statement loans fix that by qualifying you on 12 or 24 months of deposits with an expense-factor adjustment. There are also 1099 loans for contractors and independent agents, and asset-qualifier loans that build income from liquid accounts. These are Non-QM programs, so they sit outside standard agency rules and price on their own terms. A dairy operator, a Kohler-area tradesperson, a Milwaukee consultant: each shows income differently, and Mike matches the method to the file.
Investor and DSCR loans
DSCR loans qualify on the rental income a property produces, not your personal tax return. That keeps investors moving without stacking personal debt-to-income limits. Mike runs standard rental and short-term-rental DSCR options, cash-out refinances for pulling equity into the next deal, and portfolio structures for buyers scaling past a few doors. Rental demand runs steady around the Milwaukee and Madison campuses, the Kenosha and Racine job corridors, and the Dells tourism market.
Bridge financing to buy before you sell
Move-up buyers in tight Wisconsin markets often need to buy the next house before the current one sells. A bridge structure lets you write a clean, non-contingent offer, which reads far stronger to a seller than one hinging on your sale closing first. Mike underwrites the bridge against your existing equity plus the new purchase, then coordinates the two closings so you are not carrying two mortgages any longer than you must.
Wisconsin loan program FAQ
What down payment assistance does WHEDA offer in Wisconsin?
WHEDA runs two separate options, and they work very differently. Easy Close lends up to 6% of the purchase price, but it is a repayable 10-year second mortgage with a monthly payment, not a grant or a forgivable loan. Capital Access is the deferred one: $7,500 at 0% interest with no monthly payment, repaid only when you sell, refinance, or pay off the first mortgage. Capital Access is capped at 78 loans for 2026, so it can run out during the year.
What is the 2026 conforming loan limit in Wisconsin?
Wisconsin is an all-baseline state for 2026, so the conforming limit is $832,750 on a one-unit home in every county, with no high-cost exception. A loan above that figure is a jumbo, which carries stricter reserve and documentation rules. The one county-level exception anywhere in Wisconsin is the FHA limit: Pierce and St. Croix Counties sit at $552,000 because they belong to the Minneapolis-St. Paul metro, versus the $541,287 FHA floor everywhere else. Confirm current figures at FHFA.
Can self-employed buyers qualify in Wisconsin without tax returns?
Yes. Bank-statement loans qualify you on 12 or 24 months of business or personal deposits with an expense-factor adjustment, not the net figure left after write-offs. There are also 1099 loans for contractors and asset-qualifier loans that build income from liquid accounts. These are Non-QM programs, so they sit outside standard agency rules and price on their own terms. Mike matches the method to how your income actually lands in the bank.
Do I have to be a first-time buyer to use a WHEDA loan?
No. WHEDA Advantage first mortgages, both Conventional and FHA, do not require you to be a first-time buyer, so repeat buyers can qualify statewide. What WHEDA asks is that first-time buyers finish a homebuyer education course before closing. Income and purchase-price limits still apply by county, and target-area counties carry higher limits plus a reduced-rate option. Ask Mike whether your county and income fit.
Which Wisconsin areas qualify for a zero-down USDA loan?
Most of rural Wisconsin qualifies for a zero-down USDA loan, but the Milwaukee, Madison, and Green Bay metro cores are excluded, and Milwaukee County is essentially ineligible. USDA asks for no down payment and caps household income near $119,850 for one to four people as a standard base for 2026, a secondary figure you should confirm. Eligibility is address-specific, so check the exact address at USDA's eligibility tool before you write an offer.