California
Mortgage lender in California — FHA, first-time buyer help, jumbo and investor loans, from LA to the Bay.
I'm Zach Bates — licensed in California and Ohio, with a 213 phone number and a Cincinnati home base. California is where a 'first-time buyer' program has to work on a $900,000 house, where FHA limits reach $1,249,125, and where a 20% down payment in San Francisco still means a jumbo loan. This is the hub for how I lend there, with the 2026 numbers that actually apply.
Closings average about 13 days · No SSN or credit pull to start
Why a California buyer would call an originator with a Cincinnati address
Because the phone gets answered. I went to school in Los Angeles — Cal State Northridge — and I still carry a 213 number and a California license alongside my Ohio one. Through Coast 2 Coast Mortgage (NMLS #376205) I broker the same wholesale lenders a Santa Monica or Irvine office uses. The difference is that you get one person who reads the file, calls the listing agent, and is available nights and weekends — in a market where a Saturday open house turns into a Sunday offer deadline.
California lending is its own discipline: limits that are double the national floor, property taxes that reset on purchase, a first-time buyer program that works on seven-figure homes, and a jumbo market that is the norm rather than the exception. Here is the 2026 version.
$887,680
California median price, July 2026
$1,249,125
2026 FHA & conforming ceiling (LA, OC, SF, Santa Clara)
3.5%
CalHFA MyHome assistance with an FHA first
1%
Prop 13 base tax rate on purchase price
Sources: California Association of Realtors, July 2026 home sales report; HUD and FHFA CY2026 limits; CalHFA MyHome program page; California BOE Publication 29.
FHA loans in California: the limits make the program
Nationally, FHA's 2026 floor is $541,287. In California's expensive counties the limit rises to the ceiling — $1,249,125 in Los Angeles, Orange, San Francisco and Santa Clara — which means a buyer with 3.5% down and a 580-plus credit score can finance a $1.2 million home through FHA. That is the single most under-used fact in California first-time buying. FHA's flexibility on credit and debt ratios is the same everywhere; only the limit changes, and here it changes everything.
HUD FHA mortgage limits, CY2026 (last revised January 1, 2026). Conforming limits match FHA in every county above except Sacramento, where conforming is $832,750. Compare the national FHA floor of $541,287, which applies in Hamilton County, Ohio.
First-time home buyer programs in California: CalHFA in 2026
The California Housing Finance Agency layers help on top of a standard first mortgage. The current lineup, per CalHFA's program pages and handbooks:
| Program | What it does (2026) | Key rules |
|---|---|---|
| MyHome Assistance | Deferred-payment junior loan for down payment and closing costs: 3.5% of the lesser of price or appraised value with a CalHFA FHA first; 3% with conventional, VA or USDA | First-time buyer; homebuyer education; repaid at sale, refinance or payoff; income under county limit |
| CalPLUS FHA / Conventional | Slightly higher-rate first mortgage paired with a 2% or 3% zero-interest "ZIP" second for closing costs only | Deferred; same eligibility as the CalHFA first |
| Dream For All | Shared-appreciation second: 20% of the price up to $150,000; CalHFA takes 15–20% of appreciation at sale | 2026 lottery ran Feb 24–Mar 16; vouchers issued May 20, 2026; currently closed; first-generation buyers; cannot combine with MyHome |
| Underwriting | Min. credit 640 on government loans, 680 conventional (660 at or below 80% AMI); DTI up to 50% with a 700+ score, 45% below | Primary residence; 30-year fixed CalHFA first mortgage |
2026 CalHFA income limits (effective June 30, 2026; one figure per county regardless of household size): Los Angeles $214,000 · Orange $274,000 · San Diego $259,000 · Sacramento $245,000 · San Francisco $325,000 · Santa Clara $325,000. Most two-income households qualify. The first-time buyer page goes deeper on the mechanics of down payment assistance and how it stacks with FHA.
The California first-time buyer playbook: FHA first mortgage up to the county limit, 3.5% down, CalHFA MyHome covering that 3.5% as a deferred second, seller credit toward closing costs. On a $900,000 Los Angeles County home that can mean a few thousand dollars out of pocket instead of $31,500. Income and price limits apply; I run them before we shop.
Property tax, Prop 13, and the supplemental bill nobody warns you about
California's Proposition 13 sets property tax at 1% of assessed value plus voter-approved local bonds, and assessed value resets to your purchase price when you buy. After that it can rise no more than 2% a year. Effective rates run around 1.1% to 1.25% depending on local bonds — San Francisco's official secured rate for fiscal 2025–26 is 1.18268%. For a buyer, the practical implications:
- Your tax is predictable from day one: price times roughly 1.1–1.25%, divided by twelve, in your escrow.
- The seller's tax bill is not your tax bill. A long-time owner may be paying on a 1998 assessment. Your escrow is set on your price.
- Expect a supplemental tax bill after closing, prorated from the month after you buy through June 30. It arrives separately from the regular bill, and it is often not covered by your impound account. Budget for it.
Jumbo is normal here
With July 2026 medians of $2,050,000 in San Francisco and $1,955,000 in Santa Clara County, a 20% down payment still leaves a loan of $1.5–1.6 million — well above the $1,249,125 ceiling. Orange County's $1,475,000 median goes jumbo below about 15% down. Los Angeles County's $888,120 median lands in high-balance conforming at 20% down, but the neighborhoods people actually search run higher. The jumbo page covers reserves, down payment options, and the three ways to structure a loan near the line.
Investors and the self-employed
California runs on 1099 income, LLCs and rental portfolios. A bank statement loan qualifies a self-employed buyer on 12 or 24 months of deposits instead of a tax return that a good CPA shrank on purpose. A DSCR loan qualifies a rental purchase on the rent, not your income — 20–25% down, LLC vesting allowed. On the coast the rent-to-payment ratio is tight, so the ratio is the whole conversation; Sacramento and inland markets pencil more readily.
- 1 Day 1
Scenario call — Pacific hours
Price range, county, down payment, income shape. I map conforming vs. high-balance vs. jumbo and whether CalHFA fits. No credit pull.
- 2 Week 1
Underwritten pre-approval
Full documentation reviewed. In a market where offers are due Sunday night, the letter has to be real.
- 3 Under contract
Appraisal, escrow, disclosures
Local appraiser, California escrow company, e-signed disclosures. I call the listing agent on every offer.
- 4 Closing
Fund and record
My closings average about 13 days from application. Supplemental tax bill explained before you get it.
Where Zach lends in California
Five metros, each with its own page on the local market, limits and programs:
- Mortgage broker in Los Angeles — Pasadena, Long Beach, Santa Clarita, Torrance, Burbank
- Mortgage broker in Orange County — Irvine, Anaheim, Huntington Beach, Costa Mesa, Mission Viejo
- Mortgage broker in San Diego — Chula Vista, Carlsbad, Escondido, La Jolla, North Park
- Mortgage broker in Sacramento — Elk Grove, Roseville, Folsom, Natomas
- Mortgage broker in the Bay Area — San Francisco, San Jose, Oakland, Fremont, Sunnyvale
Licensed in California and Ohio only. If you are buying elsewhere, I will tell you on the first call and point you to someone who can help.
Figures current as of September 2026 — programs and limits change; Zach re-verifies at application.
Napkin math, upgraded
What can you afford in California?
Defaults set for a two-income California household. The affordability math assumes roughly 1.1% property tax plus insurance — Prop 13 keeps that side predictable.
Illustrative estimates only — not a rate quote, an offer, or a commitment to lend. Your actual figures depend on your full scenario. More tools on the calculators page.
Real questions
Things people ask Zach about this
What are the FHA loan limits in California for 2026?
They vary by county. Los Angeles, Orange, San Francisco and Santa Clara counties are at the 2026 ceiling of $1,249,125 for a one-unit home. San Diego County is $1,104,000 and Sacramento County is $764,750. Those are far above the $541,287 FHA floor that applies in most of the country, which is why FHA with 3.5% down is a real first-time buyer tool in California, not just a starter-home program.
What does CalHFA offer first-time buyers in 2026?
CalHFA's MyHome Assistance is a deferred-payment junior loan for the down payment and closing costs — 3.5% of the price with a CalHFA FHA first mortgage, 3% with conventional, VA or USDA — repaid when you sell, refinance or pay off the loan. It requires a first-time buyer, homebuyer education, and income under the county limit: $214,000 in Los Angeles County, $274,000 in Orange, $259,000 in San Diego, $245,000 in Sacramento, and $325,000 in San Francisco and Santa Clara as of June 30, 2026. Dream For All, the shared-appreciation program, ran a lottery in early 2026 and is currently closed.
How does California property tax work for a new buyer?
Under Proposition 13, your assessed value resets to your purchase price when you buy, and the base tax is 1% of that plus voter-approved local bonds — effective rates generally land around 1.1% to 1.25% depending on the area. Assessed value can then rise at most 2% a year. Expect a supplemental tax bill after closing that covers the gap between the seller's old assessment and yours for the rest of that fiscal year.
Is my California loan going to be jumbo?
Subtract your down payment from the price and compare to the county limit. In San Francisco and Santa Clara County the July 2026 medians ($2.05M and $1.955M) are jumbo even at 20% down. Orange County's $1.475M median goes jumbo below roughly 15% down. Los Angeles County's $888,120 median at 20% down is a $710,000 high-balance conforming loan. Sacramento, at $540,000, rarely goes jumbo. The jumbo page covers the structure options.
Can a Cincinnati-based lender really handle a California purchase?
Yes. I hold a California license (NMLS #2687902), I keep a Los Angeles-area phone number, and California files run the same way Ohio files do: phone, text, email, e-signatures, and a local appraiser and escrow company. Through Coast 2 Coast Mortgage I have access to the same wholesale lenders a Los Angeles broker uses. What you get in addition is one accountable person who answers after 5 p.m. Pacific.
Do you do DSCR and investor loans in California?
Yes. DSCR loans qualify on the property's rent instead of your tax returns, with 20–25% down and LLC vesting allowed. In coastal California the rent-to-payment math is tighter than in Ohio, so the ratio is the whole conversation; I run it on the address before we go further. Sacramento and parts of the Inland Empire pencil more easily than the coast.
Keep reading
Related lending
Jumbo loans in California and Ohio — the 2026 limits by county →FHA loans — 3.5% down at California's high limits →First-time home buyer programs →DSCR loans for California and Ohio investors →Bank statement loans for self-employed Californians →Where Zach lends
Every loan program in California
No pressure, no credit pull
Run your California mortgage scenario by Zach.
Send the shape of it — what you’re buying, roughly what you earn, where you’re at. Zach reads every one personally and gets back to you the same day, nights and weekends included.
Nothing sensitive lives on this form: no Social Security number, no paperwork, and your credit isn’t touched until you say so. Equal Housing Opportunity. Zachary Bates, NMLS #2687902 · Coast 2 Coast Mortgage, NMLS #376205.