At a glance: Better mortgage options

Better is a nonbank lender based in New York City. It offers loans in all 50 states and Washington, D.C.

Better offers most standard types of loans, as well as home equity products and loans for condos and manufactured homes. However, you won’t find construction mortgages.

» MORE: How to choose a mortgage lender

Better special offers and discounts

Better offers a number of unique perks for borrowers to streamline the buying process. These things stood out in our research.

• Better Real Estate, which matches borrowers with partner real estate agents and provides a $2,000 closing cost credit.

• Better Cover, which shops and compares insurance offers. 

• Better Attorney Match, which connects borrowers with real estate attorneys in New York, New Jersey, Illinois and Massachusetts. 

• Better Settlement Services, which provides title insurance and settlement resources. 

What does Better specialize in?

A lender’s experience with your loan type can make a big difference. We looked at the latest federal data to find the types of mortgages Better handles most often.

Conventional purchase mortgages make up most of Better’s lending business — however, 15% of the lender’s originations last year were refinances.

How we score Better

Each year, NerdWallet writers and editors dig into the latest data and independent research on mortgage lending. Then, we rate lenders based on categories that matter most to mortgage borrowers.

Better has a NerdWallet home loans rating of 4.5 stars overall. Here’s a breakdown of this year’s score.

• The Nerdy details: Our rating system, explainedThe Nerdy details: Our rating system, explained

  Ah, so you’re the “read the fine print” type? We got you. Here’s how our scoring rubric works.

  Average mortgage rates and fees (30%)

  We review federal data (as reported by the lenders) and analyze mortgage lenders’ average fees and interest rates across all loan types. Lenders with the lowest average costs get the highest star ratings. Keep in mind: Loans that are easier to qualify for, like FHA loans, usually have higher rates and fees because lenders see them as a higher risk. Pro tip: Paying some fees upfront can sometimes lower your interest rate.

  Mortgage rate transparency (25%)

  We look at how easy it is to compare mortgage rates online. Lenders get higher transparency ratings if they show sample rates on their website. (Not all lenders do!) The best ratings go to lenders that offer interactive tools that let you customize a rate quote on your own.

  Variety of loan types (25%)

  There’s no one-size-fits-all mortgage. Lenders earn top ratings in this category when they offer a large variety of mortgage types. The more variety, the higher their score. A lender earns points for purchase and refinance; fixed and adjustable rates; FHA, VA or USDA loans; renovation or construction loans; and home equity loans or HELOCs.

  Customer experience (20%)

  How easy is it to work with this lender? Top-rated lenders offer helpful features like online applications, multiple ways to get support, a user-friendly mobile app and clear updates about the loan closing timeline.

Better bonus points and penalties

Better earned bonus points for offering mortgages for manufactured homes.

» MORE: How to get the best mortgage rate

Better reputation and customer experience

NerdWallet’s star ratings look at objective factors like rates, fees and loan options. To give you a sense of what the borrower experience is really like, we pulled the latest customer satisfaction scores from Zillow and we contacted the lender’s customer support.

Better customer service options

Here’s how you can get in touch with Better.

» MORE: How to apply for a mortgage

» MORE: How to apply for a mortgage

Alternatives to Better mortgage

Our biggest tip: Get offers from at least three different mortgage lenders. Comparison shopping can save you thousands of dollars. You can get rate quotes yourself, or work with a mortgage broker to shop around on your behalf.

If you’re interested in a lender that offers services for home buyers beyond the mortgage — such as connecting with a real estate agent — you may want to check out Chase.

Borrowers who are put off by Better’s customer service reputation may be interested in Citi, which scores highly on Zillow and JD Power for customer experience.

Finally, if you plan to refinance your mortgage, Wells Fargo could be a solid choice — the lender was NerdWallet’s pick for Best Lender for Refinancing in 2025.

» MORE: Best mortgage lenders

More from NerdWallet