SoFi Mortgage Review 2023

Written by

Edited by

Dec. 16, 2022

The Bankrate promise

At Bankrate we strive to help you make smarter financial decisions. While we adhere to strict , this post may contain references to products from our partners. Here's an explanation for .

At a glance

4.9

Bankrate Score

Loans offered

Conventional, jumbo, fixed-rate, adjustable-rate; rate-and-term and cash-out refinancing; home equity loan; investment property

Nationwide Availability

Available in all states except Hawaii (no refinances in New York)

Min. credit score required

620 for conventional loans

Pros and cons

Pros

$2,000 closing guarantee
Fast online prequalifications
Option for $350 to $9,500 rebate (depending on home price) if you work with a SoFi partner real estate agent

Cons

Doesn’t offer FHA, VA or USDA loans
No branch locations (everything happens online or in the app)

SoFi overview

Originally founded as Social Finance in 2011 to help borrowers manage student loan debt, SoFi started offering mortgages in 2014. Today, the company has funded more than $50 billion in loans, which include everything from wedding loans to auto loan refinancing. The company offers a wide range of services including investing, credit cards and checking accounts for more than 4 million members. Those interested in and eligible for a mortgage can prequalify online in less than two minutes. The lender typically issues conditional approvals in one to two business days, with closings on purchases currently averaging 30 days.

SoFi is good for

Borrowers who prefer an all-online experience and want to use SoFi’s additional financial services

Breakdown of SoFi overall score

Affordability: As an online lender, SoFi’s mortgage rates are very competitive. Notably, you’ll pay a flat lender fee instead of a percentage-based fee. Depending on the price of your home, this might mean you save some money.
Availability: SoFi lends to borrowers in the majority of states in the U.S. It has limited mortgage options, however, and requires a higher down payment (unless you’re a first-time homebuyer).
Borrower experience: SoFi is a membership-driven company that does business primarily online, so you can expect convenience when working with this lender. You’ll need to become a member to take full advantage of some of its perks, however.

Methodology

To determine a mortgage lender’s Bankrate Score, Bankrate’s editorial team rates lenders on a scale of one to five stars based on a variety of factors relating to the lender’s products and services. Bankrate’s partners compensate us, but our opinions are our own, and partner relationships do not influence our reviews. Here is our full methodology.

Affordability: 5/5

SoFi updates its 10-year, 15-year, 20-year and 30-year APRs daily on its website. All publicly advertised rates assume you’re making a 20 percent down payment, however. To get loan offers tailored to your situation, you’ll need to provide some contact information and other details via an online form.

SoFi charges a $1,495 administration fee, according to a company spokesperson, but SoFi members get $500 off this cost. (Membership is free.)

Note: You can lock in your rate with SoFi for 90 days at the time you’re preapproved. However, if you don’t enter into a purchase agreement by day 60 of the 90-day window, you’ll be subject to a $250 fee. This’ll be refunded at closing. On the plus side, if you do sign a purchase agreement by day 30 of the 90-day period, you’ll get a 0.125 percent further discount on your rate.

Availability: 5/5

While SoFi is licensed to lend mortgages in most states, it only offers conforming and non-conforming (jumbo) conventional loans; it doesn’t offer government-backed products like FHA loans. To qualify, you’ll need a credit score of at least 620 and a debt-to-income (DTI) ratio of no more than 50 percent. If you’re an eligible first-time homebuyer, you can get a conventional loan for as little as 3 percent down. If it’s not your first home, however, you’ll need to put down 5 percent, at minimum.

Borrower experience: 4.7/5

SoFi has been providing mortgages since 2014, originating more than $6 billion in loan volume on that front to date. While the company isn’t accredited by the Better Business Bureau, it does have an A+ rating from the organization, along with “Great” reviews from Trustpilot.

SoFi is a digitally-focused company, and its mobile app is in the top 100 finance apps in the Apple App Store. You can complete the entire application for a mortgage online; there’s also a Home Loan Help Center with calculators, insights into local housing markets and other information to help with the home-buying process. If you need help with your loan at any point, you can call 833-408-7634 Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. CT, or Saturday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. CT.

Refinancing with SoFi

You can refinance your current mortgage with SoFi. With a traditional refinance, you only need to have 5 percent equity in the home. For a cash-out refinance, you’ll need at least 20 percent equity.

The company also offers student loan cash-out refinances, which allow you to pay off your student debt and refinance your mortgage at the same time. You’ll need to do the math to determine if that move would actually save you money in the long run. Existing SoFi members can save $500 on refinancing costs.

Alternatives to SoFi

Rocket Mortgage review – Strong customer satisfaction ranking and a tech-forward borrowing experience
Guaranteed Rate mortgage review – Similar credit score requirement, but a slightly lower base fee for all customers, plus FHA and VA loan options
LowRates.com mortgage review – Same credit score requirements for conventional loans; offers government-backed loans, too

SoFi consumer reviews

1.0

1 reviews

5 stars

4 stars

3 stars

2 stars

1 stars

Customer service rating

Knowledge

2.0

Level of service

4.0

Professionalism

1.0

Responsiveness

1.0

0% of reviews would recommend this lender

0 of 0 rates honored

Review this lender

Write a review of your experience with SoFi.