San Rafael, CA
San Rafael home loans, built for San Rafael's market.
High-balance, jumbo, move-up, refinance: whatever a San Rafael purchase needs — near Terra Linda or anywhere San Rafael — the loan fits the market.
Where do San Rafael buyers find a mortgage broker?
A San Rafael 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 San Rafael loan, and owner Esther Buede runs the file personally.
For 2026, a one-unit San Rafael home can carry a conforming loan of up to $1,249,125, the Marin County limit FHFA sets, and we check where your San Rafael price falls before you write an offer. The whole process runs by phone and online.
What financing a San Rafael home really takes.
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. For a San Rafael one-unit home, the 2026 conforming line sits at $1,249,125 — high-cost-area room for San Rafael buyers. In practice, San Rafael deals lean on high-balance and jumbo programs; mapping your San Rafael price against $1,249,125 is where strategy starts. As a market, San Rafael runs among the priciest in California — consistent with Marin County’s high-cost status. 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.
San Rafael holds 58,000-plus residents across pockets like Terra Linda and Dominican, with Richmond and Novato right next door. Ask us about San Rafael blocks near the Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Marin Civic Center — that’s the level we work at. Buyers come to us from Terra Linda, Downtown San Rafael, Glenwood/Sun Valley, and Dominican, and from every other part of San Rafael. Need a broker near you in San Rafael? Everything runs by phone and online, so San Rafael expertise comes straight to you.
What working with us looks like.
San Rafael market knowledge
Near the Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Marin Civic Center, across Terra Linda, Downtown San Rafael, Glenwood/Sun Valley — we know how San Rafael prices and programs actually work.
High-balance & jumbo ready
Jumbo, wealth-management, high-balance — that's the San Rafael toolkit, because San Rafael prices with the most expensive in California and the financing keeps up.
Lenders shopped for you
Many lenders bid on each San Rafael file we bring them — San Rafael buyers never shop one shelf.
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 expert, application to keys.
Every San Rafael file lands on one desk: owner Esther Buede’s (individual NMLS #2003644). She’ll know your San Rafael plans — Downtown San Rafael or anywhere San Rafael — and your name from the first call. Choice Home Mortgage has closed loans since 2005. Meet the family behind CHM →
“Esther is amazing, very knowledgeable. She made the loan process fast and easy.”
San Rafael financing that fits the home and the borrower.
Demand around the Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Marin Civic Center keeps jumbo activity steady in San Rafael. For San Rafael we lean on jumbo, wealth-management, high-balance — but whatever fits your San Rafael file, we shop it: conventional, jumbo, VA, non-QM, and FHA loans. Come in at your own pace — buying, refinancing, or comparing paths — apply online or call (949) 522-7310.
For San Rafael, that usually means high-balance, jumbo, wealth-management.
First home in San Rafael? See which down-payment assistance is actually real in 2026 — CalHFA’s help applies to San Rafael buyers too.
Not every San Rafael file fits a W-2 box — 1099 and business-owner borrowers can qualify on bank-statement income, and San Rafael investors can lean on asset-based qualifying. Want every unit count, not just single-family? Marin County’s 2026 loan limits page has the full table.
Close to San Rafael, we also help buyers in Richmond, Novato, San Francisco. Every California city we cover →
Serving San Rafael as a licensed California mortgage broker — Choice Home Mortgage, NMLS #2629064, CA DRE #01822046. Equal Housing Opportunity.
San Rafael home-loan questions, straight answers.
How high can a conforming loan go in San Rafael?
A conforming loan on a one-unit San Rafael home can go up to $1,249,125 in 2026, which is FHFA's limit for Marin County. Marin County is a high-cost area, so a loan between the $832,750 national baseline and $1,249,125 is high-balance conforming, and anything above $1,249,125 is jumbo.
How do San Rafael buyers finance above the conforming limit?
Above $1,249,125, San Rafael buyers either take a jumbo loan or raise the down payment until the loan fits under the Marin County limit. A loan between the $832,750 national baseline and $1,249,125 is high-balance conforming in Marin County. Choice Home Mortgage compares offers from many lenders on each loan.
What parts of San Rafael do you work in?
Every part of San Rafael, including Terra Linda, Downtown San Rafael, Glenwood/Sun Valley and Dominican. Prices shift from street to street, and the appraisal follows recent nearby sales; the loan terms follow your credit, income and down payment. A Terra Linda address and a Dominican address get the same lender shopping from us.
Do you actually know the San Rafael market?
Yes. A one-unit San Rafael home has a $1,249,125 conforming limit for 2026, the FHA limit there is $1,249,125, and every file we take starts from those figures. We are a family-owned California mortgage broker (NMLS #2629064, CA DRE #01822046), and we compare many lenders on every loan.
Do you serve areas near San Rafael?
Yes. Besides San Rafael, we also arrange loans in Richmond, Novato and San Francisco. 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 San Rafael file.
Ready for your San Rafael address?
No call center — just Esther. We'll find what fits your San Rafael purchase and do the San Rafael lender legwork.