Mortgage Broker in California
Licensed by the California Department of Financial Protection and Innovation, MortgagePros shops your loan across the lenders we work with and closes it through a California escrow company near you, from the Bay Area and Los Angeles to San Diego, Sacramento and the Inland Empire.
California DFPI Financing Law License 60DBO-117390. NMLS #1925352. Rated 4.9 across 5,200+ Google reviews.
58
California counties, one licensed pro as your contact
2019
Founded in Troy, Michigan
300+
Licensed loan officers on the team
4.9
Average of 5,200+ Google reviews
39
States licensed, headquartered here
What is different about a California mortgage.
Price, first. In Los Angeles, Orange and the Bay Area counties the 2026 conforming limit is $1,249,125, the highest allowed anywhere in the country, and San Diego, Ventura, Napa, Monterey and the Central Coast sit between there and the $832,750 baseline that covers Sacramento, the Inland Empire and the Central Valley. Whether a loan is conforming or jumbo depends on the county line, and so does the FHA limit, which climbs to the same $1,249,125 ceiling in the expensive counties.
Then insurance. Wildfire risk has pushed insurers out of parts of the state, and a lender will not fund without a bound homeowners policy. In a high-risk area that can mean the California FAIR Plan plus a wrap-around policy at a higher price, and it has to be in the budget before you write an offer. We check insurability early on any property near the wildland edge.
Property taxes run on Proposition 13: about 1 percent of the purchase price plus local voter-approved charges, reassessed when you buy and then capped at 2 percent growth a year. Expect a supplemental tax bill in your first year covering the jump from the seller’s old assessment to yours, on top of the two regular instalments due November 1 and February 1.
Licensed in California, exactly as filed.
Issued by the California Department of Financial Protection and Innovation under the California Financing Law, and verifiable on the NMLS Consumer Access site under MortgagePros, LLC, NMLS #1925352.
CA
California
California - DFPI Financing Law LicenseLicense No. 60DBO-117390
2026 loan limits in California.
California has more high-cost counties than any state, so both the conforming limit from FHFA and the FHA limit from HUD depend on the county. VA loans have no limit for veterans with full entitlement.
| Area | Conforming (1 unit) | FHA (1 unit) |
|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles, Orange, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, San Benito | $1,249,125 | $1,249,125 |
| San Diego | $1,104,000 | $1,104,000 |
| Ventura | $1,035,000 | $1,035,000 |
| Napa | $1,017,750 | $1,017,750 |
| San Luis Obispo, Monterey, Santa Barbara, Sonoma | $897,000 to $1,000,500 | Matches the conforming figure |
| Sacramento, Riverside, San Bernardino, Fresno and the rest of the state | $832,750 | $541,287 and up, by county |
Two- to four-unit limits are higher. Your pro checks the exact county figure against the home you are looking at.
The Bay to the border
One licensed pro from the first call to the escrow office, wherever in California the home is.
California closing costs, and who usually pays them.
California closes through escrow, with no attorney, and custom differs between the north and the south of the state. These are the customs; every one can be negotiated.
01
Escrow
An escrow company, independent in Southern California and usually part of the title company in the north, holds the funds and closes the file. The escrow fee is customarily split between buyer and seller.
02
County documentary transfer tax
$1.10 per $1,000 of the price, customarily paid by the seller in most counties. $440 on a $400,000 home.
03
City transfer taxes
Los Angeles, San Francisco, Oakland, Berkeley, San Jose, Santa Monica, Culver City and others add their own, some tiered by price and some steep on high-value homes. Who pays follows local custom and the contract; we flag it early.
04
Owner’s title policy
Seller-paid by custom in Southern California; in much of Northern California the buyer pays. The buyer pays for the lender’s policy everywhere.
05
Insurance before funding
A bound homeowners policy is required to fund. In wildfire-exposed areas that may be the California FAIR Plan plus a difference-in-conditions policy, and the premium goes into the payment lenders qualify you on.
06
Property taxes and the supplemental bill
Two instalments a year, due November 1 and February 1 and delinquent after December 10 and April 10. In your first year a supplemental bill covers the step up from the seller’s assessed value to your purchase price.
Every loan we offer, in California.
The same seven products as everywhere we are licensed, sized to California’s county limits and insurance realities.
Buying
Home purchase
A quick pre-approval with the supplemental tax, insurance and any HOA or Mello-Roos charges already in the payment.
3.5% down
FHA loans
Credit scores from 580 and limits up to $1,249,125 in the expensive counties, which makes FHA a real option in Los Angeles and the Bay Area, not only inland.
Zero down
VA loans
California has the largest veteran population in the country, from Camp Pendleton and San Diego to Travis, Lemoore and Twentynine Palms. No down payment, no monthly mortgage insurance, no limit with full entitlement.
From 3% down
Conventional loans
Best pricing for good credit, mortgage insurance you can ask to cancel at 80 percent of the original value, and high-balance conforming loans up to the county limit.
Above the county limit
Jumbo loans
Much of coastal California is jumbo territory. Lender-by-lender rules on reserves, credit and income; we place the file with the lender whose rules fit yours.
Lower payment
Refinance
No mortgage tax and no transfer tax on a refinance, so California refinances are cheaper to close than in many states. We run the break-even before you commit.
Use your equity
Cash-out refinance
An ADU, a seismic or fire-hardening retrofit, debt consolidation or a rental down payment, paid from equity at a mortgage rate.
How it works from Michigan to California.
Most California clients never meet us in person, and nothing about the loan is slower for it.
1
Tell us the goal
A short call about what you want to do and where in California. We check the county limit, insurability and the tax picture before quoting.
2
Apply and upload
The application, disclosures and signatures are online. A licensed pro reviews everything and stays on your file to closing.
3
We shop the loan
Your file goes to the lender whose pricing and rules fit it. You see the options side by side.
4
Close through escrow
Signing happens at a California escrow office near you or with a mobile notary. Funds release when the deed records with the county.
Ready to buy or refinance in California?
A licensed pro quotes your options with the county limit, insurance already in the numbers. Free, and it starts without a hard credit pull.
California mortgage FAQ
The questions California buyers and homeowners ask us most. If yours is not here, a licensed pro will answer it directly, with no obligation.
Is my loan conforming or jumbo?
It depends on the county. In 2026 the one-unit conforming limit is $1,249,125 in Los Angeles, Orange and the core Bay Area counties, $1,104,000 in San Diego, and $832,750 in Sacramento, Riverside, San Bernardino and most of the interior. A loan above the county figure is a jumbo and follows the individual lender’s rules. We check the county before we quote.
What is a supplemental tax bill?
Under Proposition 13 the county reassesses a home to its purchase price when it sells. Your regular tax bill is still based on the seller’s old assessed value for a while, so the county sends a one-time supplemental bill for the difference, usually within a few months of closing. It is not escrowed by the lender, so budget for it.
Can I still get insurance in a wildfire area?
Usually, but not always from a standard carrier. Where insurers have pulled back, the California FAIR Plan provides fire coverage and a separate difference-in-conditions policy covers the rest. Lenders accept the combination, but it costs more and it counts in the payment used to qualify you, so we price it before you are under contract.
Do I have to come to Michigan?
No. Your licensed pro handles the loan by phone, email and e-signature, and the closing runs through a California escrow company near you, with a mobile notary if you prefer. The DFPI licence on this page is what lets us lend in California.
Who pays the transfer tax in California?
By custom the seller pays the county documentary transfer tax of $1.10 per $1,000. City transfer taxes, where they exist, follow local custom: in some cities the seller pays, in others the cost is split. Refinances pay no transfer tax at all, which is one reason a California refinance closes relatively cheaply.
Talk to a California-licensed pro.
Tell us what you are looking to do and where in California. A licensed pro will call back, usually the same business day. Asking does not start a loan or require a hard credit pull.
Prefer to talk?
248-416-1361
Open 24/7. Ask for your pro by name.
Visit our office
880 W. Long Lake Rd, Suite 300
Troy, Michigan 48098, just off I-75. Free parking.
Licensed and reviewed
California DFPI Financing Law License 60DBO-117390. NMLS #1925352. Rated 4.9 across 5,200+ Google reviews.