The lender with the lowest FHA rate is the one that prices your file lowest on the day you lock, and that changes by borrower and by week. This guide compares six companies on how they structure rate shopping, how they handle FHA loans, how they check credit, and where they are licensed. It does not crown a winner. Duane Buziak (NMLS #1110647, Coast2Coast Mortgage LLC NMLS #376205) offers the NoTouch Credit Pull, a soft-pull pre-approval that reviews your credit without a hard inquiry, so you can compare quotes with no credit hit. One note on names: LowerMortgageRates.com is not Lower.com. This site is Duane Buziak of Coast2Coast Mortgage LLC and is unaffiliated with Lower.com.
Quick Comparison of the Six FHA Options
- Duane Buziak: FHA borrowers in the eight licensed states who want one file compared across many wholesale lenders; no broker fee published, rates quoted per file; pairs multi-lender shopping with a soft-pull pre-approval.
- Rocket Mortgage: borrowers who want a fully online process with one large lender; see website for pricing; digital application at national scale.
- Movement Mortgage: borrowers who want a local, in-person loan officer; see website for pricing; branch-based loan officer model.
- Veterans United Home Loans: veterans and service members who may qualify for a VA loan instead of FHA; see website for pricing; veteran-specific VA expertise.
- NFM Lending: borrowers who prefer a regional lender with local staff; see website for pricing; regional branch network with relationship-based service.
- Lower (Lower.com): borrowers comparing a digital direct lender against a broker quote; see website for pricing; digital direct-lender process under a name easily confused with this site.
What 0.375 Points of Rate Costs on a $350,000 FHA Loan
A gap between 6.5% and 6.875% on a $350,000 30-year loan is about $87 a month in principal and interest. At 6.5% the payment is roughly $2,212; at 6.875% it is roughly $2,299. Over a full 30-year term that difference adds up to about $31,400, and it is why a rate quote is worth comparing even when the gap looks small. These figures exclude mortgage insurance, taxes, and homeowners insurance, and they are an illustration, not a quote.
FHA adds its own costs on top of the rate. Per HUD’s FHA loan guidance, borrowers with a 580 FICO or higher can put down as little as 3.5%, and scores of 500 to 579 generally require 10% down. FHA also charges an upfront mortgage insurance premium, currently 1.75% of the base loan amount, plus an annual premium. On this example the upfront premium is $6,125, usually financed into the loan. Annual premium rates depend on term, loan-to-value, and loan size, so confirm the current schedule in HUD’s latest mortgage insurance premium notice.
Loan limits are a separate check. FHFA’s 2026 conforming limits are $806,500 baseline and $1,249,125 in high-cost areas, but those govern conventional loans. FHA limits are set by county, so verify yours with HUD. For market context, Freddie Mac’s Primary Mortgage Market Survey publishes a national average weekly, and the date of the survey you read matters, because FHA pricing moves with the market.
1. Duane Buziak
Duane Buziak is an independent mortgage broker working through Coast2Coast Mortgage LLC, and the difference from the other five is structural: one FHA file goes to multiple wholesale lenders, and the quotes come back for comparison. The company states access to 500+ wholesale lenders. A single-company lender can only show you its own rate sheet.
The credit check is the other distinction. The NoTouch Credit Pull is a soft credit pull mortgage review: it lets Duane Buziak, as a soft pull mortgage broker, assess your file without a hard inquiry on your report. That makes a mortgage pre approval without hard pull possible, and a no credit hit mortgage application is useful when you are comparing quotes. A hard pull, by contrast, is recorded on your credit report and can lower your score slightly.
Features that matter for an FHA file
- Broker shopping across wholesale lenders, so overlays (a lender’s stricter-than-FHA rules) can be avoided by routing the file elsewhere.
- NoTouch Credit Pull soft-pull pre-approval, so you can get a no hard inquiry mortgage pre approval before committing.
- FHA loans including low-FICO options, for borrowers in the 500 to 579 band who struggle to find a taker.
- Down payment assistance programs, which can reduce cash needed at closing.
- Physician loan and Non-QM/DSCR options, useful if your situation later moves outside FHA.
Setup runs through an online application and pre-approval portal, and Duane Buziak personally manages the file. The main limitation is geography: licensing covers only VA, FL, TN, GA, DC, NC, SC, and MD, so borrowers elsewhere cannot use this service. A broker also does not set the rate itself; the quotes depend on the wholesale lenders’ sheets that day. Pricing is quoted per file, and no broker fee is published, so ask for the Loan Estimate and read the compensation line.
Best for: FHA borrowers in the eight licensed states who want one file compared across many lenders.
2. Rocket Mortgage
Rocket Mortgage is a large national retail direct lender, and its distinguishing strength is a fully digital process from application to closing at national scale. If you value speed and doing everything from a phone or laptop, that is the draw.
The limitation is structural. Rocket quotes from its own rate sheet, so one quote shows you one company’s pricing. That is not a flaw, but it means any comparison has to be assembled by you, with separate quotes from other companies. If you plan to compare, check how each company handles credit checks before you apply, since Rocket’s own policy on soft versus hard pulls should be confirmed on its site rather than assumed.
What you get
- An online application, so you can start without scheduling a call.
- An FHA loan offering, so you can price a low-down-payment loan from the same platform.
- Digital document upload, which cuts back-and-forth on paperwork.
- Rate and payment tools to model scenarios before applying.
Setup happens through an online account portal. Day to day, you manage the file yourself with support from Rocket’s staff, which suits borrowers who are comfortable with self-service. Borrowers with a complicated file, such as a low FICO score or recent credit events, should ask early about Rocket’s FHA minimums, since individual company overlays can be higher than HUD’s published floor.
Pricing is quoted per borrower; see the website for current terms. What moves the price is the usual set: credit score, down payment, loan amount, property type, and lock period. Ask for the Loan Estimate and compare the rate and the lender-side fees together, because a lower rate with higher fees can cost more than a slightly higher rate with lower ones.
Best for: Borrowers who want a fast, fully online process with one large lender.
3. Movement Mortgage
Movement Mortgage is a retail lender that works through local loan officers and branches. Its distinguishing feature on this list is that human, in-person relationship, which some FHA buyers, particularly first-timers, find valuable when the process feels unfamiliar.
Start with the limitation. Pricing and overlays come from one company, and the experience varies by loan officer, so the person assigned to you matters as much as the brand. Ask any loan officer you speak with about their FHA minimum credit score, how they treat gift funds, and how fast they close. Also ask directly whether the company’s pre-approval uses a hard or soft credit check; that policy should be confirmed with them rather than assumed.
- Local loan officers who can walk you through FHA requirements face to face.
- FHA loans, so a low-down-payment option sits alongside other programs.
- Down payment assistance programs, which can help with cash to close. Verify what is currently offered and whether you qualify.
- An online application option for borrowers who want to start digitally and still have a local contact.
Setup runs through an online application portal, with the loan officer as the day-to-day contact. That model suits borrowers who like calling or visiting someone, and it suits less those who want a purely self-service process. Because there is no multi-lender comparison inside the quote, shoppers need to obtain a second or third quote to know whether the pricing is competitive.
Pricing is quoted per borrower; see the website. The same factors move it: credit score, down payment, loan size, and lock timing. If you are weighing Movement against a broker quote, request each Loan Estimate on the same day and compare the rate, the points, and the closing costs line by line.
Best for: Borrowers who want a local, in-person loan officer.
4. Veterans United Home Loans
Veterans United Home Loans belongs on an FHA list for one reason: if you are a veteran or service member, a VA loan may beat FHA on cost, and this is a VA-focused company. It is not an FHA-first lender, so treat it as a comparison point rather than a direct FHA competitor.
The reason to compare is that the two programs are structured differently. VA loans can allow financing with no down payment for eligible borrowers and do not carry FHA-style monthly mortgage insurance, though they have their own funding fee. Whether that adds up to a lower total cost depends on your entitlement, credit, and loan size. Run both scenarios side by side before choosing.
Where it fits
- VA loan specialization, so staff handle eligibility, entitlement, and Certificate of Eligibility questions routinely.
- Veteran-focused loan support, which helps if your service history or documentation is complicated.
- Online pre-qualification tools to test your eligibility before a full application.
Setup is through an online application portal, and you manage the file with the company’s support staff. The clear limitation is eligibility: if you have no qualifying service, this company is not an option, and even for eligible borrowers it is not designed around FHA. If you are choosing between VA and FHA, ask for a written side-by-side of monthly payment, upfront costs, and cash to close.
Pricing is quoted per borrower; see the website. Rate, funding fee, down payment, and loan size all shift the total. If you are eligible for a VA loan, include that quote in your comparison alongside an FHA quote, since the two can differ materially on monthly cost. A broker can also quote VA programs, so you can compare across multiple companies instead of relying on one.
Best for: Veterans and service members who may qualify for a VA loan instead of FHA.
5. NFM Lending
NFM Lending is a retail mortgage lender with a branch network, and its character is regional and relationship-based. FHA is among its loan programs, though you should verify the current FHA offering and terms on its site or with a loan officer.
Because it prices from a single company’s sheet, you get one rate and fee structure per quote. State availability also varies, so confirm up front that NFM Lending operates in your state and that a branch or loan officer covers your area before investing time in an application. That small check saves a lot of frustration.
- Branch-based loan officers, so you can discuss your file with someone nearby.
- An FHA loan offering (verify current availability), which matters if you want a low-down-payment option from a regional company.
- An online application, so the paperwork can start digitally even if the relationship is local.
Setup runs through an online application portal, and the local loan officer is typically your day-to-day contact. This works well for borrowers who like continuity and a named person; it works less well if you want to compare many companies’ pricing in one step, since NFM Lending quotes only its own.
It is worth asking about FHA-specific details: minimum FICO, treatment of gift funds, how it handles recent credit events, and typical closing timelines. Those answers matter more for an FHA file than the headline rate, because overlays can disqualify a borrower who would qualify elsewhere. Also ask whether pre-approval involves a hard inquiry.
Pricing is quoted per borrower; see the website. Credit score, down payment, loan amount, and lock period move it. As with every single-company quote, get a second source so you know whether the rate and fees you are shown are competitive.
Best for: Borrowers who prefer a regional lender with local staff.
6. Lower (Lower.com)
Lower is a national direct lender with a digital-first process, and it is a separate company from Lower Mortgage Rates by Duane Buziak. If you searched a phrase with the word “lower” in it and landed on either site, make sure you know which company you are dealing with. This site is Duane Buziak of Coast2Coast Mortgage LLC, and it is not affiliated with Lower.com.
What Lower offers is a direct-lender model: a digital application, an online account, and a single rate sheet. FHA is on its program list, though you should verify current FHA availability and requirements with the company. That makes it a reasonable reference quote if you want to see what a digital direct lender offers before comparing it with a broker’s multi-lender results.
- A digital application you can complete online.
- An FHA loan offering (verify), relevant if you want a low-down-payment loan from a direct lender.
- A direct-lender model, which means one company handles underwriting and funding in-house.
Setup is through an online account portal, and you manage the application there with company support. The limitation is the same as for the other single-company options: one rate sheet, so no comparison within the quote. Confirm its credit-check approach and state availability on its own site rather than assuming.
Pricing is quoted per borrower; see the website. Credit score, down payment, loan amount, and lock timing move the rate. When you compare, line up the Loan Estimates from each company on the same day and check the rate, points, and third-party fees together.
Best for: Borrowers comparing a digital direct lender against a broker quote.
Broker, Rocket, and Movement: Structural Differences
The three differ mainly in how many price sheets you see and how credit is checked. These are structural points, not rate claims; confirm each company’s current policies on its own site.
- Rate sources: Duane Buziak shops multiple wholesale lenders per file; Rocket Mortgage and Movement Mortgage each quote from their own pricing.
- Business model: Duane Buziak is an independent broker; Rocket Mortgage is a national online direct lender; Movement Mortgage is a branch-based retail lender.
- Soft-pull pre-approval: Duane Buziak offers the NoTouch Credit Pull; for Rocket and Movement, check each company’s current credit-check practice before applying.
- Contact model: Duane Buziak handles the file directly; Rocket is primarily digital; Movement uses local loan officers.
- Geography: Duane Buziak is licensed in VA, FL, TN, GA, DC, NC, SC, and MD; Rocket and Movement list their own footprints on their sites.
Ten Questions FHA Rate Shoppers Ask
Is LowerMortgageRates the same as Lower.com?
No. LowerMortgageRates.com is Duane Buziak of Coast2Coast Mortgage LLC and is not affiliated with Lower.com. They are separate companies with similar names.
Is Lower Mortgage Rates by Duane Buziak a legitimate mortgage broker?
Yes. Duane Buziak holds NMLS #1110647 and Coast2Coast Mortgage LLC holds NMLS #376205, and you can verify both on the NMLS Consumer Access site.
Which company offers the lowest FHA rate?
No single company is lowest for every borrower. The lowest rate depends on your credit score, down payment, property, and the day you lock, so compare same-day Loan Estimates.
What credit score do I need for an FHA loan?
HUD’s guidelines allow 3.5% down with a 580 FICO or higher, and 10% down for 500 to 579. Many companies set stricter minimums, called overlays, so verify current rules.
Can I get FHA pre-approval without a hard credit pull?
Yes, with the right provider. The NoTouch Credit Pull from Duane Buziak is a soft-pull pre-approval, so checking rates does not trigger a hard inquiry. Confirm other companies’ policies directly.
Does shopping multiple companies hurt my credit?
Usually only slightly. According to the CFPB, shopping for a mortgage within a short window is generally treated as a single inquiry by scoring models, but a soft pull avoids the question entirely.
What is FHA mortgage insurance?
It is a two-part premium: an upfront premium, currently 1.75% of the base loan, and an annual premium paid monthly. Check HUD’s current notice for annual rates.
What are the 2026 loan limits?
FHFA’s 2026 conforming limits are $806,500 baseline and $1,249,125 in high-cost areas. FHA limits are set by county, so check HUD for yours.
How much can a small rate difference save?
On a $350,000 30-year loan, 6.5% versus 6.875% is about $87 a month in principal and interest, or roughly $31,400 over 30 years.
What is the difference between a broker and a direct lender on rate?
A broker can request pricing from multiple wholesale lenders, while a direct lender quotes only its own. That structure can widen your options, but it does not guarantee a lower rate on every file.
Matching an FHA File to the Right Quote
Pick by situation, because no company wins on every file. If you want one FHA file compared across many lenders with no credit hit, Duane Buziak’s multi-lender shopping and NoTouch Credit Pull fit that need. If you want a fully digital process, Rocket Mortgage is built for it. If you want a local loan officer, Movement Mortgage or NFM Lending fit. If you served in the military, get a VA quote from Veterans United Home Loans alongside any FHA quote.
Whatever you choose, collect Loan Estimates on the same day and compare rate, points, and fees together. Don’t let uncertainty about mortgage rates cost you thousands, discover your personalized options with a trusted mortgage professional who can compare rates across multiple lenders without impacting your credit score. Schedule your free consultation today and take the first step toward securing the best mortgage solution for your unique financial goals. Lower Mortgage Rates by Duane Buziak lends in VA, FL, TN, GA, DC, NC, SC, and MD only. Call 804-212-8663.