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Santa Clara County, direct lender with the option to broker
San Jose Mortgage Broker
A San Jose mortgage broker has to work two markets at once. MLSListings put the September 2026 single-family median at $1,568,888 and the condo and townhome median at $729,000, so the same city can produce a plain conforming condo loan in the morning and a jumbo house loan in the afternoon, and lenders do not price those two files alike. Alameda Mortgage lends directly, and when another wholesale lender has a better price or a program we don’t offer, Mike Fisher can broker your San Jose loan there instead, all from Simi Valley.
Price my San Jose loan San Jose rates today
San Jose Mortgage Broker for a House Market and a Condo Market
Most cities have one price story. San Jose has two. MLSListings’ September 2026 figures put single-family homes at a median of $1,568,888, selling in about 14 days, while condos and townhomes sat at $729,000 and took about 27 days.
That gap matters because Santa Clara County’s 2026 loan limit is $1,249,125, the high-cost ceiling. Put 20% down on the single-family median and the loan comes to about $1,255,000, roughly $5,985 over the line, which makes it a jumbo. Add about $6,000 more to the down payment and it is a high-balance conforming loan instead. The median condo is conforming with almost any down payment, and with 3.5% down it fits FHA. Sorting out which of the three bands your file belongs in is the first job of any San Jose mortgage broker, before a single rate is quoted.
Santa Clara County Home Loan Rates Today
Priced for Santa Clara County, November 10, 2026
0.125 points See every option 15-year fixed 6.375% 6.436% APR P&I $5,531/mo on $640,000
$800 lender credit See every option 30-year FHA 7.099% 7.143% APR P&I $4,301/mo on $640,000
$634 lender credit See every option 30-year VA 6.599% 6.640% APR P&I $4,087/mo on $640,000
$627 lender credit See every option 30-year jumbo 8.125% 8.181% APR P&I $10,395/mo on $1,400,000
0.075 points See every option
Par pricing for a single-family primary residence in Santa Clara County: 20% down, 30-year term unless noted, 780+ credit, 30-day lock, escrows included. Payments are principal and interest only; taxes and insurance add to them. Rates change through the day and are not a commitment to lend. Price your own San Jose scenario, no credit pull.
Mortgage Broker in San Jose or a Bank: Where the Quote Changes
A bank quotes only its own rate sheet. Mike prices your San Jose scenario with us and against other wholesale lenders and lines them up with the APR, the points or credit and the cash to close. The differences are widest where San Jose files tend to land: the high-balance band between $832,751 and $1,249,125, loans a few thousand dollars either side of the jumbo line, and condo projects one lender approves and another declines. Sometimes the jumbo prices better than the high-balance loan, and you only know by pricing both the same day.
| A retail bank | Alameda Mortgage, direct lender that can also broker | |
|---|---|---|
| Rate sheets compared | One, the bank’s own | Ours plus other wholesale lenders, side by side |
| Loans just over $1,249,125 | Jumbo only if the bank keeps that loan type | Jumbo priced against a slightly larger down payment that stays conforming |
| Downtown and North San Jose condos | One HOA review standard | Lenders with different project rules, so one decline is not the end |
| Stock grants and bonus income | Counted the way that bank’s policy allows | Matched to a lender whose guidelines fit how you are paid |
| Self-employed borrowers | Tax returns | Tax returns, or bank statement and other non-QM programs |
| A file that gets declined | You start again elsewhere | Mike moves it to the next lender that fits |
General comparison. Banks and lenders vary, and every loan is subject to credit approval.
San Jose Real Estate Market Insights for 2026
Sources: Redfin San Jose housing market (September 2026), MLSListings San Jose (September 2026), U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 2020-2024.
Prices eased in 2026 without the market going soft. Zillow’s typical value of about $1,353,869 was down 0.5% over the year to September, yet the average sale still closed above list. That usually leaves room to keep an appraisal contingency, which matters when values have slipped a few percent.
San Jose Neighborhoods and the Home Loans They Need
Zillow typical values for September 2026 unless a Redfin month is noted.
Downtown
High-rise and mid-rise condos near SAP Center and San Jose State, plus older homes, at a typical value of about $949,000. Much of it finances as conforming.
East San Jose and Buena Vista
Older, smaller houses and multifamily buildings at about $1.0 million in East San Jose and $769,000 in Buena Vista. Both sit inside the county FHA limit, and the lower end can fit the Housing Trust Silicon Valley HELP loan, which caps the price at $800,000.
Seven Trees and Edenvale
1950s and 1960s tract homes and townhomes at about $1.05 million to $1.06 million: a high-balance conforming loan with 20% down, and often with less.
Berryessa and Evergreen
Tract homes and townhomes near the Berryessa BART station, at a Redfin median near $1.39 million (July 2026), and east-side foothill homes in Evergreen near $1.34 million (September 2026). Both stay conforming with roughly 10% or more down.
Blossom Valley
1960s and 1970s tracts in south San Jose at about $1.54 million (Redfin, June 2026), right at the edge: 20% down keeps the loan just under the county limit, and less than about 19% down tips it into jumbo. First Street data on Redfin rates flood risk as extreme for about 76% of properties here, so price flood coverage early.
Willow Glen and Cambrian
Older single-family streets and Eichler tracts west of downtown, with Willow Glen near $1.75 million. See our West San Jose mortgage broker page for Eichlers and tech pay.
Almaden Valley and Silver Creek
Larger foothill homes at about $2.04 million (Almaden, three months to September 2026) and newer hillside and gated homes near $2.69 million (Silver Creek, August 2026, a small sample). These are jumbo loans, and a sale above $2.3 million also owes Measure E.
San Jose Home Loan Programs We Lend and Broker
- Conventional and high-balance loans up to $1,249,125 for one unit, from 3% down on standard loans (5% on high-balance) for eligible first-time buyers.
- FHA loans with 3.5% down at a 580 score, up to the same $1,249,125 county limit.
- VA home loans, with no VA loan limit for borrowers who have full entitlement.
- Jumbo loans for Almaden, Silver Creek, Willow Glen and most single-family purchases with less than 20% down.
- Non-QM and bank statement loans for founders, contractors and consultants whose returns understate income.
- DSCR loans that qualify a rental on its rent instead of your pay stubs.
- HELOCs and fixed-rate seconds that leave a low first mortgage untouched.
- Refinances, rate-and-term or cash-out, compared against keeping what you have.
First-Time Buyer Help in Santa Clara County
Housing Trust Silicon Valley’s Homebuyer Empowerment Loan Program lends up to 10% of the price, as much as $80,000, to first-time buyers in the county earning up to 140% of area median income, with no payments or interest; it is repaid with a matching share of appreciation. The $800,000 price cap points it at condos and townhomes, and the program page does not say whether 2026 funds are open. CalHFA’s MyHome Assistance Program is also listed as current statewide.
Property Taxes, Insurance and Transfer Taxes in San Jose
The tax bill starts at 1% of the price under Proposition 13, plus voter-approved debt and direct charges by tax rate area. We could not confirm which newer neighborhoods carry a Mello-Roos tax, so ask for the seller’s current bill before you offer; the lender counts all of it.
San Jose also levies its own tax when a home sells. The base city conveyance tax is $3.30 per $1,000 of value according to a title company rate table, on top of the Santa Clara County documentary transfer tax of $1.10 per $1,000. Together that is $4.40 per $1,000, about $5,940 on a $1.35 million sale. Who pays is set by local custom and the purchase contract.
Measure E, approved by voters on March 3, 2020, adds a second tax charged on the whole price once a sale crosses a threshold: 0.75% from $2,300,000.01 to $5,000,000, 1.0% up to $10,000,000 and 1.5% above that. On a $2.4 million Silver Creek sale, that is $18,000 on top of the base tax. The city sits between the San Andreas, Hayward and Calaveras faults, so price earthquake coverage with the homeowners quote during your inspection period.
California property tax starts at 1% of the purchase price under Proposition 13, plus voter-approved bonds and any special assessments on the parcel, so the real bill varies by street. Insurance depends on the home, its fire and flood exposure and the carrier. These are estimates for budgeting, not quotes. Run your own numbers.
Refinance or Tap Equity in a San Jose Home
For owners holding a first mortgage well below today’s rates, a San Jose HELOC, from 7.49% APR, variable, usually beats refinancing the whole balance to fund an Eichler roof, a kitchen or an ADU. A rate-and-term refinance still wins when the new rate is clearly lower or FHA mortgage insurance can come off at 20% equity; Mike prices both.
Financing a San Jose Rental Property
About 44% of San Jose homes are rented, and Apartment List’s October 2026 report put the two-bedroom median at $3,257, with rents up 7.6% over the year. A rental can be financed conventionally on your income or with a DSCR loan that qualifies on the lease and can close in an LLC.
Check the building’s age first. The city’s Apartment Rent Ordinance limits increases to 5% a year in buildings of three or more units built and occupied before September 7, 1979, and its Tenant Protection Ordinance adds just-cause rules for multifamily rentals. Houses, condos and duplexes fall outside it, though state AB 1482 may apply.
San Jose Housing Market Outlook
We do not publish forecasts. Redfin’s median sale price fell 5.0% from September 2025 and MLSListings’ single-family median fell 4.9%, while days on market rose only two days and buyers still paid slightly over list. Rents rose 10.4% from January to September 2026 (Apartment List). One tax question is on the ballot: statewide Proposition 43, on November 3, 2026, would require a two-thirds vote for future voter-initiated local special taxes; coverage says already approved taxes such as Measure E stay in place.
Working With Alameda Mortgage as Your San Jose Mortgage Broker
You work with Mike from the first quote to funding. He prices the file with us and, when it helps, against other wholesale lenders, and says so when a bigger down payment or another program would cost less. As your San Jose mortgage broker he works by phone, email and e-signature, with a Santa Clara County appraiser and a local escrow and title company.
How a San Jose Loan Gets From Quote to Keys
- Describe the purchaseHouse or condo, neighborhood, price range, down payment and how you are paid. No credit pull to start.
- Find the bandMike shows where the loan sits against the $832,750 baseline and the $1,249,125 county limit, and what moving the down payment would change.
- Underwritten pre-approvalIncome, RSU and asset documents are reviewed before you offer, so the letter holds up in a 14-day market.
- Compare and lockRate, APR, points or credit and cash to close from each lender, then you choose when to lock.
- Appraise, sign, fundA local appraiser values the home, you sign electronically or with a mobile notary, and escrow records the loan.
San Jose Mortgage Broker: Questions People Ask
Is the typical San Jose house a jumbo loan?
With exactly 20% down, yes, by a small margin. The September 2026 single-family median of $1,568,888 leaves a loan of about $1,255,000, just over the $1,249,125 Santa Clara County limit. A down payment about $6,000 larger keeps it high-balance conforming. The condo and townhome median of $729,000 is conforming at nearly any down payment.
Why use a San Jose mortgage broker instead of my bank?
A bank prices only its own programs. A broker compares several wholesale lenders on the same file, which matters most for loans near the jumbo line, condo buildings with review issues, and borrowers paid in stock or self-employment income. Alameda Mortgage does both: it lends directly and can also broker, so you still choose the lender in one application.
What transfer taxes apply when a San Jose home sells?
The base city conveyance tax of $3.30 per $1,000 plus the county’s $1.10 per $1,000, a combined $4.40 per $1,000. Sales over $2.3 million also owe Measure E: 0.75% of the full price up to $5 million, then 1.0% and 1.5% at higher tiers. Who pays is negotiable.
Which San Jose neighborhoods still finance as conforming?
Condos and townhomes across the city, downtown (about $949,000), Buena Vista (about $769,000), East San Jose (about $1.0 million) and Seven Trees and Edenvale (about $1.05 million), using Zillow’s September 2026 values. Evergreen and Berryessa medians near $1.34 million to $1.39 million stay conforming with roughly 10% or more down.
Is San Jose a fast market in 2026?
Fast, but calmer. Redfin’s September 2026 median was 22 days on market at 101.1% of list, with prices down 5.0% from a year earlier. Single-family homes moved in about 14 days and condos in about 27, according to MLSListings.
Does the HELP down payment loan work in San Jose?
It can, within its limits. Housing Trust Silicon Valley lends up to 10% of the price, capped at $80,000, to first-time buyers in Santa Clara County earning up to 140% of area median income, on homes priced at $800,000 or less. In San Jose that mostly means condos and townhomes. Its 2026 funding status was not posted, so confirm before you shop.
Can you close a San Jose loan from Simi Valley?
Yes. Alameda Mortgage Corp is licensed throughout California. San Jose loans are handled by phone, email and e-signature, with a Santa Clara County appraiser and a local escrow and title company. Mike is your contact from the first quote to funding, and he prices the file on our own programs and other wholesale lenders’ rather than one rate sheet.
What Clients Say About Working With Mike
★★★★★
The process went smoothly and very quickly
★★★★★
Everthing was explained in detail and answered all my questions.
★★★★★
Mike had great communication and knows how to get things done.
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Contact a San Jose Mortgage Broker Today
Tell us the neighborhood, whether it is a house or a condo, the price range and your planned down payment. Mike will show you which side of the $1,249,125 limit the loan lands on and price it with us and, if it helps, other wholesale lenders, usually the same business day. No credit pull to start.
Prefer to talk? Call 800-801-5626.