Downey, CA
Downey home loans, built for Downey's market.
Downey prices ask more of a loan — high-balance, jumbo, move-up — so we shape financing to how Downey actually sells, from Gallatin on out.
Where do Downey buyers find a mortgage broker?
A Downey buyer can work with Choice Home Mortgage, a California mortgage broker licensed under NMLS #2629064 and CA DRE #01822046. We have been family-owned since 2005, we compare many lenders on each Downey loan, and owner Esther Buede runs the file personally.
For 2026, a one-unit Downey home can carry a conforming loan of up to $1,249,125, the Los Angeles County limit FHFA sets, and we check where your Downey price falls before you write an offer. The whole process runs by phone and online.
Downey home loans, the honest version.
Downey is an established southeast LA suburb with a balanced owner-renter mix, positioned as an accessible entry point into the high-cost LA market for buyers priced out of coastal cities.
The loan has to fit the Downey picture. High-cost Los Angeles County gives Downey purchases a $1,249,125 conforming limit — extra 2026 headroom on Downey homes. So many Downey buyers use high-balance or jumbo financing — knowing where a Downey purchase lands against that $1,249,125 line is half the work. Downey’s price tier is above the national norm, the same reality behind Los Angeles County’s high-cost limit. Source: FHFA 2026 limits. We’ll verify your numbers.
2026 loan limits checked against FHFA’s county file; this page was last updated October 13, 2026.
Some 113,000-plus people live in Downey — Gallatin, Appleby, and between — a short drive from Paramount or Bellflower. From the Columbia Memorial Space Center outward, we treat Downey as home turf. Buyers come to us from Gallatin, Hollydale, Downey City Center, and Appleby, and from every other part of Downey. A Downey broker without the drive: we handle Downey loans by phone and online, and the Downey market knowledge travels with us.
How we work Downey loans.
Downey market knowledge
We know where Downey values run hot — Gallatin, Hollydale, Downey City Center, out to the Columbia Memorial Space Center — and which programs fit each pocket.
High-balance & jumbo ready
Downey runs above the national norm — we structure jumbo, high-balance financing around Downey price points.
Lenders shopped for you
Your Downey file gets shopped across many lenders — a broker working Downey, not one bank's sales desk.
Owner-handled
Your Downey file is handled by owner Esther Buede herself — in Downey or Paramount, hers is the name buyers recognize from our reviews.
One owner, handling your whole loan.
Every Downey file lands on one desk: owner Esther Buede’s (individual NMLS #2003644). She’ll know your Downey plans — Hollydale or anywhere Downey — and your name from the first call. Choice Home Mortgage has closed loans since 2005. Meet the family behind CHM →
“This Duo is amazing. Esther helped with all of the loan documentation and made the whole process the best house buying experience we've ever had.”
The right Downey loan for your situation.
Demand around the Columbia Memorial Space Center keeps jumbo activity steady in Downey. Jumbo, high-balance carry most of our Downey work — and beyond those, Downey buyers get the full menu: 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 Downey, that usually means high-balance, jumbo.
If the down payment is the wall between you and a Downey home, read what assistance actually exists right now — CalHFA reaches Downey.
Downey borrowers who work for themselves get their own path here, qualifying on bank-statement income instead of W-2s; Downey investors have DSCR investor loans too. See Los Angeles County’s complete 2026 loan-limit table for the one- through four-unit numbers behind that figure. For the county-level view, including which loans fit Los Angeles County prices, see our Los Angeles County page.
And around Downey: Paramount, Bellflower, Norwalk are all in reach. Every California city we cover →
Serving Downey as a licensed California mortgage broker — Choice Home Mortgage, NMLS #2629064, CA DRE #01822046. Equal Housing Opportunity.
Downey home-loan questions, straight answers.
Where does the Downey conforming loan limit sit for 2026?
In Downey, a one-unit home can carry a conforming loan of up to $1,249,125 for 2026, under FHFA's limit for Los Angeles County. High-cost status lifts the Los Angeles County limit above the $832,750 national baseline, so a loan sized between the two is high-balance conforming.
How do Downey buyers finance above the conforming limit?
Above $1,249,125, Downey buyers either take a jumbo loan or raise the down payment until the loan fits under the Los Angeles County limit. A loan between the $832,750 national baseline and $1,249,125 is high-balance conforming in Los Angeles County. Your file goes to many lenders, and you see their offers side by side.
Which Downey neighborhoods do you serve?
We finance homes in every Downey neighborhood, including Gallatin, Hollydale, Downey City Center and Appleby. The neighborhood affects the appraisal, which compares recent nearby sales, but the loan terms come from your credit, income and down payment. Loans from Gallatin to Appleby go through owner Esther Buede, by phone and online.
Can you handle my Downey purchase remotely?
Yes. A Downey purchase runs by phone and online, and owner Esther Buede handles the file from application to closing. We are a family-owned California mortgage broker (NMLS #2629064, CA DRE #01822046), and we compare many lenders on every loan. For a one-unit home in Los Angeles County, the 2026 conforming limit is $1,249,125.
What if I'm buying just outside Downey?
Buying just outside Downey changes nothing on our side; we also arrange loans in Paramount, Bellflower and Norwalk. 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 Downey file.
Let's get you home in Downey.
Your Downey plans, the owner's full attention, and a market of lenders shopped on your Downey file's behalf.