Take the Next
Step Today
Prefer to speak with someone? Call us at (702) 766-3744
Reviewed by David Ghazaryan, Mortgage Broker, NMLS 1486726 · iQRATE Mortgages · Last updated: October 13, 2026
Quick answer
A Fremont mortgage broker compares many lenders for the jumbo, high-balance, conventional and FHA loans used in southern Alameda County. iQRATE Mortgages (NMLS 1862492) is licensed in California and shops more than 100 lenders on complex files. Alameda County's 2026 limits are $1,249,125 for both conforming and FHA one-unit loans, so many Fremont purchases fit a high-balance loan instead of a jumbo. Tech pay with RSUs, bonuses and H-1B visas is the most common file we see here.
Get My Custom Rate Now · or call (702) 766-3744
5.0 stars from 87 reviews on Experience.com (October 2026) · Read David's reviews on Experience.com
Fremont sits between Silicon Valley and the East Bay, close to Tesla's Fremont factory and the tech campuses of Santa Clara County. Buyers are mostly engineers, many on work visas, often with equity compensation that is larger than their base salary. School attendance areas, especially Mission San Jose, drive prices as much as house size.
Part of our California mortgage broker coverage. We're licensed in California under company NMLS 1862492 and work Fremont files from our Las Vegas office, closing with local escrow and title.
Areas and ZIPs we lend in: Mission San Jose (94539), Warm Springs (94539), Irvington and Centerville (94538, 94536), Ardenwood and Northgate (94555, 94536), Niles (94536), plus Newark (94560) and Union City (94587).
With Alameda's $1,249,125 limit, a $1,500,000 home with 20% down ($1,200,000 loan) is high-balance conforming, which usually means a lower down payment and simpler underwriting than a jumbo. Above the limit, jumbo lenders often want 10–20% down and 6–12 months of reserves.
Newer HOA communities often meet lender requirements easily, but some buildings with commercial space or high investor ownership may need a portfolio lender. Ask for the HOA budget and reserve study.
Fremont sits across the bay from Silicon Valley, and Tesla's Fremont factory, Lam Research, Seagate and dozens of hardware firms along the Warm Springs corridor employ many buyers. Restricted stock units can count as income when they've vested on a regular schedule and will keep vesting; lenders usually average two years. H-1B and L-1 visa holders can get conventional loans with a valid visa and a Social Security number. Buyers moving up from a Mission San Jose condo often need to buy before they sell, so we look at bridge and HELOC options.
Mission San Jose homes carry a premium for the schools, and many sit above the Alameda County high-balance limit of $1,249,125, which means jumbo financing. Warm Springs has newer townhomes near the BART station, often with HOA dues and Mello-Roos. Centerville, Irvington and Niles have older ranch homes where appraisers look closely at condition. Some Fremont hillside streets sit near the Hayward Fault, and earthquake insurance is separate from homeowners coverage.
California basics that apply here: Proposition 13 reassesses a home to its purchase price when it sells; the tax is 1% plus local voter-approved levies, usually about 1.1–1.3% of the price in total, and assessed value then rises at most 2% a year. Expect a supplemental tax bill after you buy. Every county charges a documentary transfer tax of $1.10 per $1,000, and some cities add their own. Down payment help statewide includes CalHFA MyHome (up to 3.5% for FHA or 3% for conventional, deferred) and California Dream For All (a shared-appreciation loan of up to 20%, capped at $150,000, when funded).
Closing costs are what it costs you to get the loan: origination, discount points, appraisal, and escrow and title. Cash to close also includes your prepaids (first-year homeowners insurance, daily interest to month-end, and an escrow deposit for your own future property taxes and insurance) plus your down payment. Prepaids aren't a cost of the loan; they're your own bills paid ahead. In Fremont, the first year of homeowners insurance and property-tax escrow at your new Prop 13 value are the big prepaids; hillside homes near Mission Peak may need FAIR Plan coverage plus a wraparound policy. Your actual closing costs depend on county, price and loan type, so we don't quote a one-size range: every line is itemized on your Loan Estimate, and our Bare Bones guarantee means we add no fees of our own. Compare states on our closing costs by state page.
Alameda County: conforming high-balance and FHA $1,249,125 for a one-unit home (FHFA and HUD).
Conventional (as little as 3% down for eligible first-time buyers), FHA (3.5% down, 580+ score), VA (no down payment for eligible veterans with full entitlement), jumbo above the conforming limit, DSCR loans that qualify on rent, bank statement loans for self-employed borrowers, asset-based and 1099 loans, and rate-and-term or cash-out refinances. As a broker we compare wholesale lenders, more than 100 on complex files, instead of one bank's menu.
Terms for each are on its own page; see all iQRATE guarantees.
$1,249,125 for a one-unit home in Alameda County, for both conforming high-balance and FHA loans.
Often, with a history of vesting and continued grants. Rules vary by lender.
Yes. Conventional and FHA loans allow non-permanent residents with valid work authorization.
Not necessarily. With 20% down, the $1.2 million loan is under the $1,249,125 high-balance limit.
Some newer developments do. Check the tax bill and HOA documents.
About 1.1–1.3% of the purchase price under Prop 13, plus any special assessments.
Closing costs depend on the price, loan type and county, so yours are itemized on your Loan Estimate rather than quoted as a range. Closing costs are what it costs to get the loan (origination, points, appraisal, escrow and title). Cash to close also includes prepaids and your down payment; in Fremont, the first year of homeowners insurance and property-tax escrow at your new Prop 13 value are the big prepaids; hillside homes near Mission Peak may need FAIR Plan coverage plus a wraparound policy.
Most of our loans close in under 30 days. For eligible full-documentation conventional, FHA and VA purchases, our goal is 17 calendar days from signing initial disclosures.
Get My Custom Rate Now · or call (702) 766-3744
iQRATE Mortgages · NMLS 1862492 · 6360 S Rainbow Blvd Ste 101, Las Vegas, NV 89118 · Licensed in Nevada, California, Texas and Florida. David Ghazaryan, Mortgage Broker, NMLS 1486726. Verify us on NMLS Consumer Access. Equal Housing Opportunity. Programs, rates and terms change and are subject to credit, property and underwriting approval; local facts on this page come from the public sources below and are not legal or tax advice.
More: California mortgage broker · DSCR loans · Bank statement loans · Our guarantees · Closing costs by state
