Reviewed by David Ghazaryan, Mortgage Broker, NMLS 1486726 · iQRATE Mortgages · Last updated: October 13, 2026
Quick answer
A Jacksonville mortgage broker compares many lenders for VA, FHA, conventional and investor loans. iQRATE Mortgages (NMLS 1862492) is licensed in Florida and shops more than 100 lenders on complex files. With NAS Jacksonville, Naval Station Mayport and Kings Bay nearby, VA loans are a big share of the market. Jacksonville is a consolidated city-county, Duval County, where the 2026 limits are $832,750 conforming and $580,750 FHA. The metro's median listing price was about $379,000 in September 2026, and the city's Head Start to Homeownership (H2H) program helps first-time buyers. 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
Jacksonville covers more land than any other city in the contiguous U.S., from the St. Johns River neighborhoods to the beaches and the fast-growing suburbs in St. Johns County. Our clients here are often Navy families on PCS orders, logistics and finance workers, and retirees. Insurance is usually cheaper than in South Florida, but flood zones along the river and the beaches still matter.
Part of our Florida mortgage broker coverage. We're licensed in Florida under company NMLS 1862492 and work Jacksonville files from our Las Vegas office, closing with local escrow and title.
Neighborhoods and ZIPs we lend in: Riverside and Avondale (32204, 32205), San Marco (32207), Mandarin (32223, 32258), the Southside and Town Center (32246, 32256), Arlington (32211, 32225), the Northside (32218, 32226), the Westside near NAS Jax (32210, 32244), and the Beaches (32233, 32250, 32266).
Florida basics that apply here: the seller customarily pays documentary stamps on the deed ($0.70 per $100; $0.60 in Miami-Dade). The buyer pays two mortgage taxes: doc stamps on the note ($0.35 per $100 of the loan) and intangible tax (0.2% of the loan), or $2,200 on a $400,000 loan. Homeowners insurance, plus flood insurance in many zones, is among the most expensive in the country, and lenders collect the first year's premium plus escrow months, so prepaids are often the biggest part of cash to close. Owner-occupants get the homestead exemption and Save Our Homes (3% cap), but the assessment resets when a home sells. Whole-home rentals of under 30 days need a state DBPR vacation-rental license. Statewide down payment help includes Florida Hometown Heroes (5% of the loan, $10,000–$35,000, when funded) and FL Assist (up to $10,000), plus county SHIP funds.
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 Jacksonville, the first full year of homeowners insurance, flood insurance where required, and the escrow deposit are usually the largest prepaids; Jacksonville premiums are generally lower than in South Florida, but riverfront and beach homes cost more to insure. 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.
Duval County: conforming $832,750 and FHA $580,750 for a one-unit home. VA has no loan limit for borrowers with full entitlement.
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.
Yes. Eligible Navy and other service members and veterans with full entitlement need no down payment and face no VA loan limit.
Head Start to Homeownership, the City of Jacksonville's down payment and closing-cost assistance for income-qualified first-time buyers.
$580,750 for a one-unit home in Duval County. The conforming limit is $832,750.
Florida fully exempts the homestead of a veteran with a 100% permanent and total service-connected disability.
Usually, yes, though riverfront and beach homes in flood zones cost more.
Usually, after you meet the VA occupancy requirement.
Nocatee has Jacksonville mailing addresses but lies in St. Johns County, which has its own tax rate.
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 Jacksonville, the first full year of homeowners insurance, flood insurance where required, and the escrow deposit are usually the largest prepaids; Jacksonville premiums are generally lower than in South Florida, but riverfront and beach homes cost more to insure.
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.
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