Question 1

What does an 80% LTV conventional loan actually look like at Fort Myers value-band prices?

Accepted Answer

Smaller than a lot of investors expect. At our up-to-80% max LTV, North Fort Myers' $265,885 mid-tier home value (June 2026) supports a purchase loan around $212,700; Lehigh Acres' $281,935 supports about $225,500; Fort Myers city's $309,562 supports about $247,600. Compare that to Cape Coral at $337,346, or the coastal band, Estero $491,572 and Bonita Springs $507,317, where the same 80% cap puts the loan near $393,000 and $406,000. Run your own numbers on the loan calculators before you assume a submarket's price point sets your leverage.

Question 2

Is my purchase price too low for conventional financing in Lehigh Acres or North Fort Myers?

Accepted Answer

Maybe, and it is worth asking before you write the offer. Lehigh Acres and North Fort Myers are the metro's cheapest entry points, mid-tier values of $281,935 and $265,885 as of June 2026, which means the resulting loan amount after a down payment can fall below the minimum some conventional programs will fund. That floor varies by lender and file, so talk to us about the specific purchase price before you assume conventional pencils on a value-band deal. If it does not, a DSCR loan, which qualifies on the property's rent rather than a minimum loan size, may still work in the same submarket.

Question 3

When does conventional beat DSCR for a Fort Myers-area rental?

Accepted Answer

When your tax returns qualify and the metro's flat rent doesn't. The Cape Coral-Fort Myers single-family rent index ran $2,178 a month in June 2026, down 0.7% year over year, so a DSCR file here is underwriting flat-to-down in-place rent rather than growth. If your documented income supports the file, conventional is often the lower-cost structure precisely because it does not lean on that rent number at all. It tends to make the most sense in the value band, Fort Myers, Lehigh Acres, and North Fort Myers, where loan amounts are smaller and full documentation is a lighter lift relative to the size of the deal.

Question 4

How does Lee County's property tax structure affect a conventional purchase here?

Accepted Answer

Underwrite to the buyer's assessment, not the seller's tax bill. Florida resets the taxable value to market on a sale, so a Lee County property's actual 2025 millage, from 10.9125 in unincorporated Lehigh Acres up to 16.5034 in the City of Fort Myers, applies against your purchase-price assessment going forward, not the lower number the current owner has been paying under the state's 10% non-homestead cap. Full-documentation underwriting on a conventional loan will size your file to that reset number, so run the actual district rate for your target city before you lock a debt-service estimate.

Question 5

Does insurance change how much conventional loan a Bonita Springs or Estero property will support?

Accepted Answer

It's a real line item, but not the horror-story number some investors expect. The average Lee County homeowners premium including wind ran $3,576 as of March 2026, well under Collier County's $5,534 next door. On a full-documentation conventional file that premium is one input into your debt-to-income math rather than a cash-flow test, which is a different exposure than a DSCR loan carries. Flood coverage is a separate policy on top of that number and is typically required on coastal and canal-front collateral in a Special Flood Hazard Area, common across Bonita Springs and Estero, so get a bound quote on the specific property before you finalize the file.

Question 6

What is a conventional investment property loan?

Accepted Answer

It is standard, competitively priced financing for a non-owner-occupied investment property, the long-term loan you take when your file fits the conventional box. It usually carries a lower rate than a bridge or DSCR loan, in exchange for full documentation.

Question 7

How is it different from a DSCR loan?

Accepted Answer

A conventional loan qualifies on your documented personal income and credit, while a DSCR loan qualifies on the property's rent. Conventional pricing is often lower if you can document your income and you are within the limit on financed properties; DSCR is easier to scale and skips the income docs. We compare both and put you in the one that fits.

Question 8

How much do I need to put down?

Accepted Answer

Plan on roughly 20% to 25% down on an investment-property purchase, with the best pricing at lower leverage and higher credit. Cash-out refinances are typically capped a bit lower than purchases.

Question 9

What credit score do I need?

Accepted Answer

Conventional investment financing generally wants a credit score around 580 or higher, and your rate improves meaningfully as your score and reserves go up. We will tell you up front where your file lands.

Question 10

What can I use it for?

Accepted Answer

Purchases, rate-and-term refinances, and cash-out refinances on non-owner-occupied 1-4 unit investment property. If you will live in the property, that is owner-occupied financing, which we refer to a trusted partner rather than originate here.

Question 11

What documents are required?

Accepted Answer

Because it is fully documented, expect to provide income verification, tax returns, bank statements, and the standard conventional paperwork. If that documentation is a hurdle, our DSCR and bank-statement programs are the no-tax-return alternatives.

Conventional Investment in Fort Myers

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