Lakewood, CA
Your Lakewood mortgage, done right.
First-time-buyer, high-balance, FHA programs sized to Lakewood budgets — matched to your Lakewood file, from Lakewood Village to every corner of Lakewood.
Where do Lakewood buyers find a mortgage broker?
A Lakewood 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 Lakewood loan, and owner Esther Buede runs the file personally.
For Lakewood, FHFA's 2026 one-unit limit is $1,249,125 (Los Angeles County), which is where a loan stops being conforming and becomes jumbo. Everything from the first call to closing runs by phone and online.
How Lakewood buyers reach closing in Lakewood.
Lakewood is a self-contained incorporated city — one of the first master-planned postwar suburbs in America — bordered by Long Beach and Cerritos, giving residents access to LA and OC job corridors without downtown density; its mid-century ranch stock at a discount to coastal Long Beach is a reliable LA County high-balance entry.
That Lakewood market shapes the loan. Because Los Angeles County is high-cost, a Lakewood one-unit purchase can reach $1,249,125 and stay conforming on a Lakewood file. In practice, Lakewood deals lean on high-balance and jumbo programs; mapping your Lakewood price against $1,249,125 is where strategy starts. Lakewood itself prices solidly middle-of-market, which is part of why Los Angeles County carries a high-cost designation. 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.
Roughly 81,000-plus people call Lakewood home, spread from Lakewood Village to Lakewood Estates, with Bellflower and Paramount minutes away. Our Lakewood knowledge is street-level — the area around Lakewood Center included. We finance homes across Lakewood Village, Mayfair, Lakewood Country Club Estates, and Lakewood Estates — and every other corner of Lakewood. Need a broker near you in Lakewood? Everything runs by phone and online, so Lakewood expertise comes straight to you.
How we work Lakewood loans.
Lakewood market knowledge
From Lakewood Village, Mayfair, Lakewood Country Club Estates to Lakewood Center, we track what Lakewood homes really cost and which loans carry them.
First-time & assistance
First-time-buyer, high-balance, FHA carry most Lakewood purchases — and we check every assistance program a Lakewood file qualifies for.
Lenders shopped for you
Lakewood loans here go to whichever lender earns them — we shop the Lakewood file wide.
Owner-handled
In Lakewood you get the owner, Esther Buede, personally — no queue for Lakewood files, and the Lakewood attention shows in our reviews.
The owner works your file. Personally.
Your Lakewood loan gets the owner, not a queue: Esther Buede, licensed (individual NMLS #2003644). The family brokerage dates to 2005. One person, your whole Lakewood loan — from Mayfair across the Lakewood map. Meet the family behind CHM →
“Closed in 8 days. I never knew a home refinance could happen so quickly and painlessly!”
Matched to your Lakewood purchase, not a template.
Lakewood’s pull — think Lakewood Center — keeps first-time-buyer work coming. First-time-buyer, high-balance, FHA carry most of our Lakewood work — and beyond those, Lakewood buyers get the full menu: jumbo, VA, non-QM, an FHA loan, and conventional. Come in at your own pace — buying, exploring a refinance, or comparing paths — apply online or call (949) 522-7310.
For Lakewood, that usually means high-balance, FHA, first-time-buyer.
First home in Lakewood? See which down-payment assistance is actually real in 2026 — CalHFA’s help applies to Lakewood buyers too.
Not every Lakewood file fits a W-2 box — self-employed borrowers can qualify on bank-statement income, and Lakewood investors can lean on bridge financing. Want every unit count, not just single-family? Los Angeles County’s 2026 loan limits page has the full table. Lakewood is one of the Los Angeles County communities we serve — see the county overview.
And around Lakewood: Bellflower, Paramount, Cerritos are all in reach. Every California city we cover →
A licensed California mortgage broker for Lakewood: Choice Home Mortgage, NMLS #2629064, CA DRE #01822046. Equal Housing Opportunity.
Real questions from Lakewood buyers.
What's the 2026 conforming loan limit in Lakewood?
The 2026 conforming loan limit for a one-unit home in Lakewood is $1,249,125, the figure FHFA set for Los Angeles County. Loans from $832,750 up to $1,249,125 count as high-balance conforming in high-cost Los Angeles County; above $1,249,125, the loan is jumbo. For two units, the Los Angeles County conforming limit is $1,599,375.
How do first-time buyers usually finance a Lakewood home?
First-time buyers in Lakewood usually finance with FHA and conventional loans. FHA loans allow 3.5% down with a credit score of 580 or higher, under HUD's rules. For FHA, the 2026 one-unit limit in Los Angeles County is $1,249,125, per HUD. Some conventional programs accept 3% down from first-time buyers.
Which Lakewood neighborhoods do you serve?
All of them, from Lakewood Village to Lakewood Estates; the rest of Lakewood is covered too. What changes from one neighborhood to the next is the price and the appraisal, since the appraiser compares recent sales nearby. Whether the home is in Lakewood Village or Lakewood Estates, owner Esther Buede handles the loan by phone and online.
Is Choice Home Mortgage local to Lakewood?
Yes. Choice Home Mortgage works out of Fountain Valley, roughly 14 miles from Lakewood. We are a family-owned California mortgage broker (NMLS #2629064, CA DRE #01822046), and we compare many lenders on every loan. Owner Esther Buede handles each loan herself. The Los Angeles County conforming limit for one unit is $1,249,125 in 2026.
Do you serve areas near Lakewood?
Yes. Besides Lakewood, we also arrange loans in Bellflower, Paramount and Cerritos. Loan limits are set county by county, so the limit is re-checked for whichever town the home is in. Choice Home Mortgage arranges those loans as a licensed California broker, the same way as a Lakewood file.
Ready for your Lakewood address?
One call with the owner — local, honest, no pressure. We'll match the program to your Lakewood purchase and shop lenders for your Lakewood file.