Novato, CA
Novato home loans, built for Novato's market.
From jumbo to move-up money, Novato loans get built around real Novato price tags — Hamilton included, template excluded.
Inside the Novato mortgage market.
As Marin County’s northernmost and most affordable city, Novato provides the county’s primary entry point for buyers who require proximity to the 101 corridor for Bay Area employment but cannot access Mill Valley or Tiburon price ranges.
Those Novato realities set the strategy. For a Novato one-unit home, the 2026 conforming line sits at $1,249,125 — high-cost-area room for Novato buyers. That means high-balance and jumbo tools come up constantly in Novato — the first job on any Novato file is placing it against $1,249,125. 2026 limits published by FHFA — confirm your exact scenario with us.
Roughly 54,000-plus people call Novato home, spread from Hamilton to San Marin, with Petaluma and San Rafael minutes away. From the Hamilton district (former Hamilton Army Airfield) outward, we treat Novato as home turf. Buyers come to us from Hamilton, Ignacio, Bel Marin Keys, and San Marin, and from every other part of Novato. Looking for a mortgage broker near you in Novato? We serve Novato by phone and online, so Novato buyers get local-market help without driving anywhere.
How we work Novato loans.
Novato market knowledge
We know where Novato values run hot — Hamilton, Ignacio, Bel Marin Keys, out to the Hamilton district (former Hamilton Army Airfield) — and which programs fit each pocket.
High-balance & jumbo ready
Novato runs above the national norm — we structure high-balance, jumbo financing around Novato price points.
Lenders shopped for you
Many lenders bid on each Novato file we bring them — Novato buyers never shop one shelf.
Owner-handled
In Novato you get the owner, Esther Buede, personally — no queue for Novato files, and the Novato attention shows in our reviews.
Novato's file, the owner's desk.
In Novato, your loan is handled personally by owner Esther Buede — a licensed expert (individual NMLS #2003644) guiding families — Ignacio to all Novato — to closing since 2005. Not a call center — one expert on your Novato file. Meet the family behind CHM →
“Esther is amazing, very knowledgeable. She made the loan process fast and easy.”
The right Novato loan for your situation.
Near the Hamilton district (former Hamilton Army Airfield), high-balance files are a Novato staple for us. For Novato we lean on high-balance, jumbo — but whatever fits your Novato file, we shop it: non-QM, FHA financing, conventional, jumbo, and VA. Jump in at any stage: buying, exploring a refinance, or just running numbers — begin online or call (949) 522-7310.
First home in Novato? See which down-payment assistance is actually real in 2026 — CalHFA’s help applies to Novato buyers too.
Novato borrowers who work for themselves get their own path here, qualifying on bank-statement income instead of W-2s; Novato investors have DSCR investor loans too. See Marin County’s complete 2026 loan-limit table for the one- through four-unit numbers behind that figure.
Close to Novato, we also help buyers in Petaluma, San Rafael, Rohnert Park. See all California cities we serve →
A licensed California mortgage broker for Novato: Choice Home Mortgage, NMLS #2629064, CA DRE #01822046. Equal Housing Opportunity.
Novato home-loan questions, straight answers.
How high can a conforming loan go in Novato?
Because Marin County counts as high-cost, Novato buyers get a $1,249,125 single-family ceiling for 2026. Per FHFA — we'll confirm your Novato numbers.
Is a jumbo loan the norm for Novato purchases?
Often, yes — Novato prices push many Novato purchases past the conforming line, so high-balance and jumbo carry a lot of deals here. We structure your Novato file around where the price lands.
What parts of Novato do you work in?
We work Novato citywide — Hamilton, Ignacio, Bel Marin Keys, San Marin included. Where in Novato you buy doesn't change how hard we shop.
Do you actually know the Novato market?
Novato? Definitely. California-licensed (NMLS #2629064) with Novato squarely covered — your Novato loan runs remotely and owner-handled.
Do you cover the towns around Novato?
Of course: Petaluma, San Rafael, Rohnert Park run the same as Novato files, with each area's numbers checked separately.
Let's get you home in Novato.
One call with the owner — local, honest, no pressure. We'll match the program to your Novato purchase and shop lenders for your Novato file.