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.
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. Limits per FHFA 2026; verify your scenario with us.
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), closing since 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, conventional, jumbo, VA, and non-QM. Whenever you’re ready — buying, refinancing, or still weighing options — begin online or call (949) 522-7310.
First home in Berkeley? See which down-payment assistance is actually real in 2026 — CalHFA’s help applies to Berkeley buyers too.
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?
For Berkeley, the 2026 single-family ceiling is $1,249,125 — a high-cost figure. FHFA publishes the limits; we'll map your Berkeley purchase against them.
Do Berkeley buyers usually need jumbo financing?
Many Berkeley deals do cross into jumbo territory. The move on a Berkeley purchase is knowing where it sits against the limit — then shopping lenders built for that range.
What parts of Berkeley do you work in?
All of Berkeley — including Elmwood, Claremont, Northbrae, West Berkeley. The financing follows you across Berkeley: the loan matches your Berkeley file, never the ZIP.
Is Choice Home Mortgage local to Berkeley?
We do. Choice Home Mortgage is California-licensed (NMLS #2629064) and works Berkeley loans regularly — your Berkeley file stays owner-handled, phone-and-online, Berkeley to closing.
What if I'm buying just outside Berkeley?
Absolutely — Oakland, Richmond, Alameda included. The Berkeley playbook travels; only the county numbers change.
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.