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Reviewed by David Ghazaryan, Mortgage Broker, NMLS 1486726 · iQRATE Mortgages · Last updated: October 13, 2026
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An Irvine mortgage broker shops many lenders for the jumbo and high-balance loans Irvine prices require, and makes sure Mello-Roos and HOA costs are in the numbers from day one. iQRATE Mortgages (NMLS 1862492) is licensed in California and compares more than 100 lenders on complex files, including foreign national and self-employed borrowers. Orange County's 2026 conforming and FHA limits are $1,249,125, and the county median was $1,452,500 in August 2026. Irvine adds no city transfer tax, and short-term rentals are banned in residential areas. Full-doc loans close in about 17 days.
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5.0 stars from 87 reviews on Experience.com (October 2026) · Read David's reviews on Experience.com
Irvine is a planned city of villages, which means nearly every home has an HOA and many newer ones carry Mello-Roos special taxes. Buyers include tech and biotech staff, UC Irvine faculty, business owners and international families, some with income or assets abroad. We shop jumbo, bank statement and foreign national lenders side by side and work out your full monthly cost, not just principal and interest.
Part of our California mortgage broker coverage. We're licensed in California under company NMLS 1862492 and work Irvine files from our Las Vegas office, closing with local escrow and title.
Villages and ZIPs we lend in: Woodbridge (92604, 92614), Northwood (92620), Turtle Rock and Quail Hill (92603), the Great Park neighborhoods and Portola Springs (92618), Orchard Hills (92602), University Park (92612), and Westpark (92614).
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 Irvine, property-tax escrow at your new Prop 13 value plus the Mello-Roos special tax are the main prepaids, and in newer villages the two together can run close to 2% of the price a year. 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.
Orange County: conforming $1,249,125 and FHA $1,249,125 for a one-unit home. At Irvine's prices most single-family purchases are jumbo; many condos and townhomes fit within the high-balance limit.
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.
A special tax from a community facilities district that pays for infrastructure in many Irvine villages, especially newer ones like the Great Park neighborhoods. It's billed with your property tax, and lenders count it.
The Prop 13 base is about 1.1–1.3% of the price. With Mello-Roos, the total in some newer villages approaches 2% a year.
$1,249,125 for a one-unit home in Orange County, and the FHA limit is the same.
Yes. Foreign national loans can qualify buyers without U.S. credit, usually with a larger down payment and reserves.
No. Irvine prohibits rentals of fewer than 30 days in residential areas.
No. Only Orange County's $1.10 per $1,000 applies, customarily paid by the seller.
Usually, for single-family homes. Orange County's median was $1,452,500 in August 2026, above the $1,249,125 high-balance limit.
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 Irvine, property-tax escrow at your new Prop 13 value plus the Mello-Roos special tax are the main prepaids, and in newer villages the two together can run close to 2% of the price a year.
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.
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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
