There are difference in the mortgages you can use when you are buying a second home. Most of the time, you will be limited to buying a second home with a conventional loan. These are mortgages offered by private lenders without a guarantee by the federal government. You can typically only buy a primary residence with a government-backed mortgage (VA, FHA, and USDA loans). This means you can’t buy a second home with these mortgages in most cases.