Santa Cruz, CA
Santa Cruz home loans, built for Santa Cruz's market.
From high-balance and jumbo financing to move-up and refinance, we structure the loan around Santa Cruz's price points — not a one-size template.
How Santa Cruz buyers get to the closing table.
Santa Cruz is a coastal university city with a permanently constrained land supply — hemmed between Monterey Bay, the Santa Cruz Mountains, and greenbelt protections — making new construction extremely limited; UC Santa Cruz sustains demand, and its commute proximity to Silicon Valley gives it a structural price floor tied to tech incomes.
That market shapes the loan. Because Santa Cruz County is a high-cost area, the 2026 one-unit conforming limit is $1,249,125 — above the national baseline. So many Santa Cruz buyers use high-balance or jumbo financing — and knowing exactly where your purchase lands against that $1,249,125 line is half the work. Limits per FHFA 2026; verify your scenario with us.
We work Santa Cruz from the ground up — close to the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk. We finance homes across Westside, Midtown/Seabright, Downtown Santa Cruz, and Live Oak — and every other corner of Santa Cruz. Looking for a mortgage broker near you in Santa Cruz? We serve the area by phone and online, so you get a local-market broker without driving to an office.
What you get with a local broker.
Santa Cruz market knowledge
Near the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk, across Westside, Midtown/Seabright, Downtown Santa Cruz — we know how Santa Cruz prices and programs actually work.
High-balance & jumbo ready
Santa Cruz runs above the national norm — we structure high-balance, jumbo, move-up financing around its price points.
Lenders shopped for you
As a broker we put many lenders in competition for your Santa Cruz file — not one bank's shelf.
Owner-handled
Owner Esther Buede guides your Santa Cruz loan personally — the named expert behind our five-star reviews.
One owner, handling your whole loan.
In Santa Cruz, your loan is handled personally by owner Esther Buede — a licensed mortgage expert (individual NMLS #2003644) who has guided California families to the closing table since 2005. Not a call center, not a rotating cast — one expert who knows your file and your market. Meet the family behind CHM →
“One of the best business interactions that I've ever had. Esther Buede made my loan application possible.”
Santa Cruz financing that fits the home and the borrower.
For Santa Cruz we lean on high-balance, jumbo, move-up — but whatever fits, we shop it: FHA, conventional, jumbo, VA, and non-QM. Start when you’re ready: buying, refinancing, or just exploring — apply here or call (949) 522-7310.
Close to Santa Cruz, we also help buyers in Watsonville, Campbell, Cupertino. See all California cities we serve →
Choice Home Mortgage is a licensed California mortgage broker — NMLS #2629064, CA DRE #01822046. Equal Housing Opportunity.
Santa Cruz mortgage questions, answered.
What's the 2026 conforming loan limit in Santa Cruz?
In Santa Cruz County, the 2026 conforming loan limit is $1,249,125 for a single-family home — a high-cost figure above the national baseline. Limits per FHFA 2026; verify your scenario with us.
Do I need a jumbo loan to buy in Santa Cruz?
Not always. Many Santa Cruz homes can be financed with high-balance conforming loans up to $1,249,125 before a true jumbo is needed. We'll tell you which fits your price point.
Which Santa Cruz neighborhoods do you serve?
We serve buyers across Santa Cruz, including Westside, Midtown/Seabright, Downtown Santa Cruz. Financing works the same citywide — the loan is matched to you, not the ZIP code.
Are you a licensed mortgage broker in Santa Cruz?
Yes. Choice Home Mortgage is a licensed California mortgage broker (NMLS #2629064, CA DRE #01822046) serving Santa Cruz and the surrounding area.
Do you serve areas near Santa Cruz?
Yes — we also work with buyers in nearby Watsonville, Campbell, Cupertino. Same process, local loan-limit details for each.
Let's finance your Santa Cruz home.
Straight answers on your Santa Cruz options, and a broker who shops the whole market so you don't have to.