Owning rental properties doesn't, by itself, force a bigger down payment on a new primary residence. We've had clients with multiple existing rentals still qualify for low-down-payment purchases (around 5% down on a primary) without a problem. The financed-property count matters in a different spot. Fannie Mae caps borrowers at 10 financed one-to-four-unit properties, but that limit applies when the home you're buying is a second home or investment property; a primary-residence purchase isn't subject to the count. (With 7 to 10 financed properties, investment purchases also require higher minimum credit scores and reserves, and past the ceiling you're into non-agency financing.) What your rentals do affect is qualifying rather than down payment. The lender factors the rental income and the mortgage payments on those properties into your debt-to-income picture, so how those properties cash-flow matters more than how many you own. If your rentals are a mixed bag on cash flow, map it out in advance. We can walk through the whole picture on the free Roadmap conversation.