Chico, CA
Buy your first Chico home with confidence.
Your Chico budget picks the program — USDA, conventional, FHA — and we handle the Chico lender legwork, whether you're eyeing The Avenues/Chico Vecino or beyond.
Is there a mortgage broker serving Chico, CA?
Yes. Choice Home Mortgage is a family-owned California mortgage broker (NMLS #2629064, CA DRE #01822046), and Chico is in our service area. Owner Esther Buede handles each Chico loan herself and compares many lenders for it, so a Chico buyer is not limited to one bank's programs.
For 2026, a one-unit Chico home can carry a conforming loan of up to $832,750, the Butte County limit FHFA sets, and we check where your Chico price falls before you write an offer. The whole process runs by phone and online.
Inside the Chico mortgage market.
Chico State generates predictable rental-to-ownership demand, and Chico is the commercial hub for Butte and neighboring counties, a regional service economy that insulates the housing market from single-industry swings; post-2018-fire inventory remains constrained.
Those Chico realities set the strategy. For Chico, 2026 conforming tops out at Butte County’s $832,750 baseline on one-unit Chico homes. Most Chico purchases sit comfortably under that $832,750 line, keeping conventional, FHA, and USDA open for Chico buyers. Chico’s price tier is entry-level. FHFA sets these limits annually; run your scenario by us.
2026 loan limits checked against FHFA’s county file; this page was last updated October 13, 2026.
From The Avenues/Chico Vecino over to Nord Avenue corridor, Chico’s 88,000-plus residents sit within minutes of Oroville and Red Bluff. Bidwell Park to the Chico line — that’s ground we know well. Buyers come to us from The Avenues/Chico Vecino, Barber, Meriam Park, and Nord Avenue corridor, and from every other part of Chico. Looking for a mortgage broker near you in Chico? We serve Chico by phone and online, so Chico buyers get local-market help without driving anywhere.
How we work Chico loans.
Chico market knowledge
Near Bidwell Park, across The Avenues/Chico Vecino, Barber, Meriam Park — we know Chico's neighborhoods, prices, and the programs that fit them.
First-time & assistance
Chico buyers often start with USDA, conventional, FHA — we match Chico files to the down-payment and first-time programs they qualify for.
Lenders shopped for you
We make lenders compete for Chico business instead of squeezing Chico buyers into a single bank's box.
Owner-handled
Your Chico file is handled by owner Esther Buede herself — in Chico or Oroville, hers is the name buyers recognize from our reviews.
One name on every Chico loan.
In Chico, your loan is handled personally by owner Esther Buede — a licensed expert (individual NMLS #2003644) guiding families — Barber to all Chico — to closing. Not a call center — one expert on your Chico file. Choice Home Mortgage has been a family brokerage since 2005. Meet the family behind CHM →
“They did what our bank of 20+ years could not — refinanced 2 of our homes in record time. The Dynamic Duo!”
Built around your Chico home, not a shelf product.
Demand around Bidwell Park keeps USDA activity steady in Chico. For Chico we lean on USDA, conventional, FHA — but whatever fits your Chico file, we shop it: conventional, jumbo, VA, non-QM, and FHA loans. Jump in at any stage: buying, refinancing your mortgage, or just running numbers — apply online or call (949) 522-7310.
For Chico, that usually means conventional, FHA, USDA.
Buying your first Chico place? We wrote up the down-payment assistance programs that are really open, CalHFA included — it applies in Chico.
Not every Chico file fits a W-2 box — self-employed borrowers can qualify on bank-statement income. Want every unit count, not just single-family? Butte County’s 2026 loan limits page has the full table.
Close to Chico, we also help buyers in Oroville, Red Bluff, Durham. Every California city we cover →
NMLS #2629064 · CA DRE #01822046 — Choice Home Mortgage, a licensed California mortgage broker serving Chico. Equal Housing Opportunity.
Chico mortgage questions, answered.
What counts as a conforming loan amount in Chico?
In Chico, a one-unit home can carry a conforming loan of up to $832,750 for 2026, under FHFA's limit for Butte County. Butte County uses the $832,750 national baseline, so a larger loan is a jumbo loan, which each lender prices and underwrites under its own rules.
What loans help first-time buyers in Chico?
First-time buyers in Chico most often use conventional, FHA and USDA loans. Some conventional programs accept 3% down from first-time buyers. For FHA, the 2026 one-unit limit in Butte County is $541,287, per HUD. FHA loans allow 3.5% down with a credit score of 580 or higher, under HUD's rules.
Do you cover all of Chico?
Yes, we cover all of Chico, including The Avenues/Chico Vecino, Barber, Meriam Park and Nord Avenue corridor. What changes from one neighborhood to the next is the price and the appraisal, since the appraiser compares recent sales nearby. A The Avenues/Chico Vecino address and a Nord Avenue corridor address get the same lender shopping from us.
Can you handle my Chico purchase remotely?
Yes. Owner Esther Buede handles Chico purchases by phone and online, from the application through closing. We are a family-owned California mortgage broker (NMLS #2629064, CA DRE #01822046), and we compare many lenders on every loan. The Butte County conforming limit for one unit is $832,750 in 2026.
What if I'm buying just outside Chico?
Buying just outside Chico changes nothing on our side; we also arrange loans in Oroville, Red Bluff and Durham. Each town's conforming limit depends on its county, so we confirm the 2026 limit for the exact address before quoting. Choice Home Mortgage arranges those loans as a licensed California broker, the same way as a Chico file.
Ready for your Chico address?
Straight answers on your Chico options, and a broker shopping the whole market for Chico buyers like you.