Glossary of Mortgage Terms

A VA guaranteed loan is a home loan that the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs backs. It lets veterans, active-duty service members, and surviving spouses buy a home with no down payment and no private mortgage insurance.

A VA jumbo loan is a VA-backed mortgage that is higher than the conforming loan limit for the county where the property is located. This lets eligible veterans and service members buy more expensive homes.

A VA loan is a government-backed mortgage that veterans, active-duty service members, and surviving spouses can get. It lets them buy a home with no down payment and no need for private mortgage insurance.

Veterans and eligible service members can use a VA Streamline Refinance, also known as an Interest Rate Reduction Refinance Loan (IRRRL), to get a new VA loan with a lower interest rate or more stable terms to replace an existing VA-backed mortgage.

A variable interest rate means that the rate on your loan can go up or down over time based on changes in a market benchmark. This means that your monthly payment may change as the economy as a whole changes.

A variance is a legal exception given by a local government that allows a property owner to break zoning rules without changing the zoning classification itself.

A warranty deed is a legal document that transfers ownership of property from the seller to the buyer. It also guarantees that the seller has clear title to the property, free of liens, encumbrances, or competing claims.

A wraparound mortgage is a type of seller financing in which the buyer's new loan "wraps around" the seller's existing mortgage. The buyer makes payments directly to the seller.

A zombie foreclosure occurs when a homeowner vacates a property after receiving a default notice, but the lender never completes the foreclosure, leaving the original owner still responsible for the home.