Countryside Refi Compare method
How we research
Compared
Every page on Countryside Refi Compare starts from a question a reader is likely to ask and ends with the primary source that answers it. The USDA guaranteed loan handbook and Rural Development program pages are the main references here, and they are rechecked first.
Last reviewed against the primary sources listed below.
Where questions come from
Search suggestions show how people phrase their questions. We collect those for free, group them and answer the ones inside this site's scope.
Sources we rely on
Pages cite these primary sources, among others. Each guide lists the exact sources it used at the bottom of the page.
- USDA Rural Development: Single Family Housing Guaranteed Loan Program
- USDA HB-1-3555 Guaranteed Loan Technical Handbook
- USDA Rural Development: State offices
- CFPB: Conventional loans
- CFPB: FHA loans
- CFPB: What is private mortgage insurance?
- CFPB: Home equity loans, cash-out refinances and other options similar to a HELOC
- CFPB: What is a debt-to-income ratio?
How a page is checked
- Each rule is checked against the current version of its source document.
- Plain-language wording is compared back to the source so meaning is not lost.
- A page shows a new review date only after it has been rechecked.
Pages written this way
- USDA refinance options side by side
- USDA non-streamlined refinance: when the full version fits
- USDA streamlined refinance vs Streamlined-Assist
- Can you do a cash-out refinance on a USDA loan?
- Refinancing out of a USDA loan to conventional or FHA
- USDA guarantee fee on a refinance: upfront and annual
- How to find a lender for a USDA refinance
- What documents do you need for a USDA refinance?
About the Countryside Refi Compare option sorter
The Countryside Refi Compare option sorter uses only what you type, works entirely in the browser and keeps nothing.
USDA and consumer sources
- USDA Rural Development: Single Family Housing Guaranteed Loan Program
- USDA HB-1-3555 Guaranteed Loan Technical Handbook
- USDA Rural Development: State offices
- CFPB: Conventional loans
- CFPB: FHA loans
- CFPB: What is private mortgage insurance?
- CFPB: Home equity loans, cash-out refinances and other options similar to a HELOC
- CFPB: What is a debt-to-income ratio?