San Rafael, CA
San Rafael home loans, built for San Rafael's market.
San Rafael prices ask more of a loan — high-balance, jumbo, move-up — so we shape financing to how San Rafael actually sells, from Terra Linda on out.
How San Rafael buyers reach closing in San Rafael.
San Rafael is Marin County’s largest city and county seat, combining the county’s natural amenity base — ridgeline trails, bay views, Point Reyes proximity — with the most accessible price points in a county where the median detached home regularly exceeds $1.5M; its transit hub status gives structural commuter demand from San Francisco.
Financing follows that San Rafael math. High-cost Marin County gives San Rafael purchases a $1,249,125 conforming limit — extra 2026 headroom on San Rafael homes. So many San Rafael buyers use high-balance or jumbo financing — knowing where a San Rafael purchase lands against that $1,249,125 line is half the work. FHFA sets these limits annually; run your scenario by us.
Roughly 58,000-plus people call San Rafael home, spread from Terra Linda to Dominican, with Richmond and Novato minutes away. San Rafael isn’t an abstraction to us — we know it down to the Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Marin Civic Center. Whether the address is in Terra Linda, Downtown San Rafael, Glenwood/Sun Valley, and Dominican or another San Rafael pocket entirely, the financing follows. Need a broker near you in San Rafael? Everything runs by phone and online, so San Rafael expertise comes straight to you.
The broker difference, San Rafael edition.
San Rafael market knowledge
Terra Linda, Downtown San Rafael, Glenwood/Sun Valley, the streets around the Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Marin Civic Center — we read San Rafael's price points like locals, because that's how we work it.
High-balance & jumbo ready
San Rafael runs among the priciest in California — we structure jumbo, wealth-management, high-balance financing around San Rafael price points.
Lenders shopped for you
One San Rafael application, many lenders competing on it — that's what a San Rafael buyer hires a broker for.
Owner-handled
Esther Buede — the owner — works your San Rafael loan start to finish; our Google reviews show San Rafael buyers why that matters.
One owner, handling your whole loan.
Your San Rafael loan gets the owner, not a queue: Esther Buede, licensed (individual NMLS #2003644), closing since 2005. One person, your whole San Rafael loan — from Downtown San Rafael across the San Rafael 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.”
Matched to your San Rafael purchase, not a template.
Around the Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Marin Civic Center, jumbo remains the workhorse of San Rafael lending. The San Rafael playbook usually starts with jumbo, wealth-management, high-balance — then we shop whatever your San Rafael file calls for: conventional, jumbo, VA, non-QM, and FHA. Come in at your own pace — buying, refinancing, or comparing paths — apply here or call (949) 522-7310.
San Rafael first-timers: our guide to real down-payment assistance covers CalHFA and city programs — worth five minutes before you save another year.
Beyond San Rafael itself, Richmond, Novato, San Francisco buyers work with us the same way. Browse our California service areas →
NMLS #2629064 · CA DRE #01822046 — Choice Home Mortgage, a licensed California mortgage broker serving San Rafael. Equal Housing Opportunity.
San Rafael home-loan questions, straight answers.
What's the 2026 conforming loan limit in San Rafael?
Marin County is high-cost, so a San Rafael single-family purchase can reach $1,249,125 and stay conforming. FHFA resets these yearly; we'll verify your San Rafael scenario.
Is a jumbo loan the norm for San Rafael purchases?
Often, yes — San Rafael prices push many San Rafael purchases past the conforming line, so high-balance and jumbo carry a lot of deals here. We structure your San Rafael file around where the price lands.
Which San Rafael neighborhoods do you serve?
Every corner of San Rafael, from Terra Linda, Downtown San Rafael, Glenwood/Sun Valley, Dominican on out. A San Rafael loan prices off your file, not the neighborhood.
Do you actually know the San Rafael market?
Absolutely. San Rafael is core coverage for a California broker like us (NMLS #2629064); San Rafael clients work directly with owner Esther Buede remotely.
What if I'm buying just outside San Rafael?
Absolutely — Richmond, Novato, San Francisco included. The San Rafael playbook travels; only the county numbers change.
Ready for your San Rafael address?
One call with the owner — local, honest, no pressure. We'll match the program to your San Rafael purchase and shop lenders for your San Rafael file.