Berkeley, CA
Berkeley home loans, built for Berkeley's market.
The right Berkeley loan respects Berkeley prices — high-balance, jumbo, refinance — structured for Elmwood and every Berkeley block from day one.
Can a mortgage broker help me buy in Berkeley, CA?
Yes. Choice Home Mortgage is a family-owned California mortgage broker serving Berkeley, licensed under NMLS #2629064 and CA DRE #01822046, and it places purchase and refinance loans with whichever of many lenders fits the Berkeley file best. Esther Buede, the owner, is the person you talk to.
The 2026 conforming limit for a one-unit Berkeley home is $1,249,125 (Alameda County, per FHFA). We start every Berkeley file by placing the price against that number, then handle the application, documents and updates by phone and online.
What financing a Berkeley home really takes.
Berkeley is anchored by UC Berkeley — the largest employer in the city and East Bay — producing a supply-constrained, high-cost market with durable demand from the university, research, and Bay Area professionals.
Financing follows that Berkeley math. For a Berkeley one-unit home, the 2026 conforming line sits at $1,249,125 — high-cost-area room for Berkeley buyers. That means high-balance and jumbo tools come up constantly in Berkeley — the first job on any Berkeley file is placing it against $1,249,125. Berkeley itself prices among the priciest in California, which is part of why Alameda County carries a high-cost designation. Limits per FHFA 2026; verify your scenario with us.
2026 loan limits checked against FHFA’s county file; this page was last updated October 13, 2026.
From Elmwood over to West Berkeley, Berkeley’s 116,000-plus residents sit within minutes of Oakland and Richmond. Ask us about Berkeley blocks near UC Berkeley and the Campanile — that’s the level we work at. We finance homes across Elmwood, Claremont, Northbrae, and West Berkeley — and every other corner of Berkeley. Need a broker near you in Berkeley? Everything runs by phone and online, so Berkeley expertise comes straight to you.
What working with us looks like.
Berkeley market knowledge
Elmwood, Claremont, Northbrae, the streets around UC Berkeley and the Campanile — we read Berkeley's price points like locals, because that's how we work it.
High-balance & jumbo ready
Berkeley runs among the priciest in California — we structure jumbo, high-balance financing around Berkeley price points.
Lenders shopped for you
Berkeley loans here go to whichever lender earns them — we shop the Berkeley file wide.
Owner-handled
Your Berkeley file is handled by owner Esther Buede herself — in Berkeley or Oakland, hers is the name buyers recognize from our reviews.
The owner works your file. Personally.
Your Berkeley loan gets the owner, not a queue: Esther Buede, licensed (individual NMLS #2003644). The family brokerage dates to 2005. One person, your whole Berkeley loan — from Claremont across the Berkeley map. Meet the family behind CHM →
“I am a repeat customer. The service is spectacular.”
Berkeley financing that fits the home and the borrower.
Berkeley’s pull — think UC Berkeley and the Campanile — keeps jumbo work coming. The Berkeley playbook usually starts with jumbo, high-balance — then we shop whatever your Berkeley file calls for: FHA financing, conventional, jumbo, VA, and non-QM. Whenever you’re ready — buying, refinancing, or still weighing options — begin online or call (949) 522-7310.
For Berkeley, that usually means jumbo, high-balance.
First home in Berkeley? See which down-payment assistance is actually real in 2026 — CalHFA’s help applies to Berkeley buyers too.
Not every Berkeley file fits a W-2 box — 1099 and business-owner borrowers can qualify on bank-statement income, and Berkeley investors can lean on no-income investor financing. Alameda County’s full 2026 loan limits by property type break down one- through four-unit ceilings if you want the complete picture. Looking beyond Berkeley? Our Alameda County page covers the county-wide picture, including how its limits differ.
Close to Berkeley, we also help buyers in Oakland, Richmond, Alameda. See all California cities we serve →
A licensed California mortgage broker for Berkeley: Choice Home Mortgage, NMLS #2629064, CA DRE #01822046. Equal Housing Opportunity.
Berkeley mortgage questions, answered.
What's the 2026 conforming loan limit in Berkeley?
$1,249,125 is the 2026 conforming limit for a single-family home in Berkeley, based on FHFA's figure for Alameda County. Loans from $832,750 up to $1,249,125 count as high-balance conforming in high-cost Alameda County; above $1,249,125, the loan is jumbo. Two-unit homes in Alameda County have a $1,599,375 conforming limit for 2026.
Do Berkeley buyers usually need jumbo financing?
A Berkeley buyer needs a jumbo loan only when the amount borrowed tops $1,249,125, the 2026 Alameda County limit; at or below it, the loan stays conforming. High-balance conforming covers loans from $832,750 up to $1,249,125 in Alameda County. Choice Home Mortgage compares offers from many lenders on each loan.
What parts of Berkeley do you work in?
Every part of Berkeley, including Elmwood, Claremont, Northbrae and West Berkeley. Prices shift from street to street, and the appraisal follows recent nearby sales; the loan terms follow your credit, income and down payment. Loans from Elmwood to West Berkeley go through owner Esther Buede, by phone and online.
Is Choice Home Mortgage local to Berkeley?
Choice Home Mortgage works out of Fountain Valley, roughly 376 miles from Berkeley, and serves it remotely. We are a family-owned California mortgage broker (NMLS #2629064, CA DRE #01822046), and we compare many lenders on every loan. Owner Esther Buede takes Elmwood and West Berkeley files by phone and online, application to closing.
What if I'm buying just outside Berkeley?
Buying just outside Berkeley changes nothing on our side; we also arrange loans in Oakland, Richmond and Alameda. Every address is checked against its own county's 2026 limit before we quote. Choice Home Mortgage arranges those loans as a licensed California broker, the same way as a Berkeley file.
Your Berkeley keys are the goal.
Your Berkeley plans, the owner's full attention, and a market of lenders shopped on your Berkeley file's behalf.