Clearwater, FL
The straight path to a Clearwater mortgage.
Your Clearwater budget picks the program — conventional, second-home, retirement lending — and we handle the Clearwater lender legwork, whether you're eyeing Clearwater Beach or beyond.
Can Choice Home Mortgage help me buy a home in Clearwater, FL?
Yes. Choice Home Mortgage helps Clearwater buyers and homeowners through licensed partner brokers who handle the Florida licensing, while we coordinate the Clearwater file and compare many lenders for it. We are a family-owned broker licensed in California (NMLS #2629064), and owner Esther Buede coordinates your loan from the first call to closing.
For 2026, a one-unit Clearwater home can carry a conforming loan of up to $832,750, the Pinellas County limit FHFA sets, and we check where your Clearwater price falls before you write an offer. The whole process runs by phone and online.
Buying in Clearwater: the numbers that matter.
Clearwater is a barrier-island beach city within the Tampa Bay metro, drawing layered demand from retirees, vacation-home buyers, and year-round residents; Pinellas County is bounded by water on three sides, permanently limiting supply, and Florida’s no-income-tax status is a persistent pull.
That Clearwater market shapes the loan. For Clearwater, 2026 conforming tops out at Pinellas County’s $832,750 baseline on one-unit Clearwater homes. Clearwater price points mostly stay under $832,750, which keeps conventional, FHA, and retirement lending on the menu for Clearwater buyers. Clearwater’s price tier is solidly middle-of-market. 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.
Clearwater holds 109,000-plus residents across pockets like Clearwater Beach and Harbor Oaks, with Largo and Pinellas Park right next door. We work Clearwater from the ground up — close to Clearwater Beach and Pier 60. From Clearwater Beach, Island Estates, Countryside, and Harbor Oaks to everywhere else on the Clearwater map — the financing reaches all of it. From anywhere in Clearwater, the whole process runs by phone and online — local Clearwater market reads included, commute not required. Across Florida, our coverage runs 73 cities deep — and in Clearwater, as everywhere, the county numbers get verified before anything is quoted.
Clearwater deserves a real broker.
Clearwater, block by block
From Clearwater Beach and Pier 60 across Clearwater Beach, Island Estates, Countryside, we keep tabs on what Clearwater homes actually go for and which programs carry them.
Down-payment friendly
We open most Clearwater files with conventional, second-home, retirement lending, then layer in whatever down-payment help your Clearwater numbers qualify for.
Lenders shopped for you
One Clearwater application, many lenders competing on it — that's what a Clearwater buyer hires a broker for.
Owner-coordinated
In Clearwater you get the owner, Esther Buede, coordinating your file personally, with no queue for Clearwater files.
Owner-coordinated, application to Clearwater keys.
Your Clearwater loan gets the owner as its coordinator: Esther Buede (individual NMLS #2003644), working with licensed partner brokers from Island Estates across the Clearwater map. Meet the family behind CHM →
“She was sincere. Got me processed and funded in 20 days. I felt taken care of every step of the way.”
Your Clearwater file decides the loan.
Clearwater’s pull — think Clearwater Beach and Pier 60 — keeps conventional work coming. Through licensed partner brokers, Clearwater buyers lean on conventional, second-home, retirement lending most — and whatever else the Clearwater numbers call for: non-QM, VA, an FHA loan, and conventional. Step in wherever you are — buying, refinancing, or comparing — start your application here or call (949) 522-7310.
For Clearwater, that usually means conventional, second-home, retirement lending.
Self-employed in Clearwater? We also work with 1099 and business-owner borrowers — 1099 income included. Pinellas County’s 2026 conforming and FHA limits, by unit count are laid out in full if you’re comparing property types.
The same coverage rings Clearwater: Largo, Pinellas Park, St. Petersburg included. Browse our Florida service areas →
Working with Clearwater, FL buyers through licensed partner brokers — Choice Home Mortgage, California-licensed, NMLS #2629064. Equal Housing Opportunity. Clearwater is served remotely — we keep no office there.
Clearwater questions we hear most.
What loan size keeps a Clearwater mortgage conforming?
In Clearwater, a one-unit home can carry a conforming loan of up to $832,750 for 2026, under FHFA's limit for Pinellas County. That is the national baseline with no high-cost adjustment, so a loan above $832,750 is a jumbo loan. A two-unit property in Pinellas County can borrow up to $1,066,250 and stay conforming.
What's the usual first mortgage for a Clearwater buyer?
For a first home in Clearwater, the usual choices are conventional and FHA loans. Some conventional programs accept 3% down from first-time buyers. An FHA loan on one unit in Pinellas County can go to $541,287 in 2026 (HUD). FHA loans allow 3.5% down with a credit score of 580 or higher, under HUD's rules.
Do you cover all of Clearwater?
Yes, we cover all of Clearwater, including Clearwater Beach, Island Estates, Countryside and Harbor Oaks. Prices shift from street to street, and the appraisal follows recent nearby sales; the loan terms follow your credit, income and down payment. FHFA's 2026 one-unit limit for Pinellas County is $832,750.
Are you set up to arrange loans in Clearwater, FL?
Yes. Clearwater loans are arranged through licensed partner brokers in Florida, with Choice Home Mortgage coordinating the file. Our own license is California's (NMLS #2629064); we keep no local office, and the file runs by phone and online. Owner Esther Buede coordinates the file, and many lenders compete for it.
What about the towns just past the Clearwater line?
We cover those too: Largo, Pinellas Park and St. Petersburg are in our service area along with Clearwater. Loan limits are set county by county, so the limit is re-checked for whichever town the home is in. Licensed partner brokers originate those loans and Choice Home Mortgage coordinates them, the same way as a Clearwater file.
How do we work together on a Clearwater purchase?
We start with a call to map your Clearwater purchase, then coordinate the application, documents and updates online. Licensed partner brokers cover the Florida licensing, while Choice Home Mortgage (California NMLS #2629064) coordinates the file and the lender shopping. Owner Esther Buede is your point of contact from the first call to closing.
Ready for your Clearwater address?
Tell us where in Clearwater you're headed — the program match and the Clearwater lender legwork are on us.