Business Insider's personal finance team compared SoFi® to the best mortgage lenders and found it to be a standard lender.
SoFi® is a good mortgage lender for borrowers looking for an easy online experience. It accepts relatively low credit scores on its VA loans, and its average fees are on the low end. But its loan offerings are fairly limited.
620
3%
Conventional, FHA, VA, HELOC, JUMBO
- Easy to use
- Great rate personalization tool
- Allows low scores on VA loans
- Member benefits available to previous customers
- Doesn’t offer USDA loans
- Minimum credit score for FHA loans is 600
SoFi Home Loans is a convenient online mortgage lender for conventional mortgage borrowers looking for an easy online experience. It also recently started offering FHA and VA loans, and will accept credit scores as low as 600 on both of these mortgages.
SoFi Mortgage Overview
Nationwide Lending
SoFi offers mortgages through a completely online lending experience. SoFi lends in all U.S. states and Washington, D.C., though it doesn't offer refinances in New York.
In April 2023, SoFi acquired Wyndham Capital Mortgage, another online mortgage lender.
Loan Options
You can get the following types of mortgages from SoFi:
SoFi Mortgage Interest Rates and Fees
Based on our review of the latest Home Mortgage Disclosure Act data, SoFi's mortgage rates are around average compared to other lenders.
SoFi shows a small sampling of interest rates on its main "home loans" page. To see personalized rates, click on "explore options" under SoFi's sample rates. This helpful tool lets you see what rate you might get based on your purchase price, down payment, credit score, and the location of the property.
In 2023, the average borrower getting a conforming mortgage from SoFi paid $2,705 in origination charges, according to the latest HMDA data. This is on the low end compared to other mortgage lenders.
If you've previously gotten a personal loan or student loan from SoFi, have a $10,000 minimum balance in your SoFi Invest account, or are a SoFi Money account holder, you may be able to get $500 off your origination fee on your first SoFi mortgage. This fee is typically $1,495.
Sofi Mortgage Pros and Cons
Pros
- Easy online experience
- See personalized rates without having to create an account
- Accepts scores down to 600 on its VA loans
- Current SoFi customers may be able to get $500 off their origination fee
Offers a Customer Discount
You might like working with SoFi if you already have an account with this lender, since you could get a $500 discount on your origination fee. This discount is available to SoFi personal and student loan borrowers as well as SoFi Money and SoFi Invest account holders who have a sufficient balance.
Cons
- Limited loan offerings
- Minimum credit score for FHA loan is 600
Low Credit Requirements for VA Loans, but Slightly High for FHA Loans
Many VA mortgage lenders require borrowers to have a credit score of 620 or higher. SoFi will accept borrowers with scores down to 600.
This is also the minimum credit score you need to get an FHA loan with this lender. Many FHA lenders allow scores down to 580 with a 3.5% down payment, or 500 with 10% down.
Is SoFi Mortgage Trustworthy?
Overall, we think SoFi is a trustworthy mortgage lender. It has an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau and no recent major scandals.
What Borrowers Are Saying About SoFi Mortgage
Business Insider looked at positive and negative customer reviews, online forums, BBB complaints, and other sources to understand what borrowers think about SoFi's mortgage process.
Smooth Process With Great Customer Service
Previous borrowers said the mortgage process with SoFi was simple and quick, and that the loan officers they worked with were helpful and communicative.
How SoFi Compares
SoFi Mortgage vs. Better
Better Mortgage is another popular online mortgage lender that offers low rates and a super convenient online process. However, it's fees are just average, so you might prefer SoFi if you're looking to keep your out-of-pocket costs low. Better and SoFi's mortgage offerings are very similar, though Better also has home equity loans.
Sofi Mortgage vs. Rocket Mortgage
Rocket Mortgage is another large online-only lender, and it's one of the best mortgage refinance lenders. Rocket's loan options are similar to SoFi's, though Rocket has home equity loans rather than HELOCs.
Rocket also has a few programs, including its ONE+ mortgage, which offer assistance to low-to-middle income borrowers in eligible areas. If you're looking for down payment assistance, you might like Rocket Mortgage. It also ranks high in customer satisfaction according to J.D. Power's 2024 Mortgage Origination Satisfaction Study.
SoFi Mortgage FAQs
SoFi is a mortgage lender that offers mortgages in all 50 states. It also offers online banking services and other financial products.
Yes, SoFi is a legit mortgage lender. If you're looking for a lender with a simple online process, SoFi might be a good fit for you.
You'll need a minimum credit score of 620 to get a conventional mortgage from SoFi, or a score of at least 600 for an FHA or VA loan.
SoFi charges a $1,495 origination fee, though you may be able to get a $500 discount on this fee if you are a current SoFi customer.
SoFi's mortgage rates are around average compared to other mortgage lenders.
Based on the customer reviews we looked at, SoFI offers great customer service on its mortgages. Previous borrowers said their loan officers were helpful, friendly, and communicative.
SoFi offers a $500 discount on its origination fee for current SoFi customers.
Why You Should Trust Us: How We Reviewed SoFi Mortgage
For our review of SoFi Mortgage, we used our methodology for reviewing mortgage lenders.
We look at four factors — loan types, affordability, customer satisfaction, and trustworthiness — and give each a rating between 1 and 5, then we average these individual ratings for the overall lender rating. Lenders get higher ratings if they offer a large number of loan types with affordable features, have positive customer reviews, and don't have any recent public controversies.
Our Overall Lender Rating
Loan Types: 3.5 out of 5
SoFi's loan offerings are relatively basic, but they should still meet most borrowers' needs. The lender also offers a HELOC that lets you borrow up to 90% of your home's equity, with lines of credit going up to $500,000.
Affordability: 4 out of 5
We think SoFi is overall an affordable lender thanks to its low average fees and the fact that it offers multiple low down payment mortgage options. The minimum credit score for its FHA and VA loans is 600, which is relatively low for VA loans but a bit higher than the typical 580 on FHA loans.
Customer Satisfaction: 4.63 out of 5
On its Trustpilot page, SoFi has a 4.4 out of 5-star rating, based on over 9,000 online customer reviews. On its Zillow lender page, it has a 4.86 out of 5-star rating, based on over 1,600 customer reviews.
Trustworthiness: 5 out of 5
SoFi currently has an A+ rating with the BBB. BBB ratings indicate a company's level of honesty in its advertising, transparency about its business practices, and effectiveness in responding to customer complaints.