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Reviewed by David Ghazaryan, Mortgage Broker, NMLS 1486726 · iQRATE Mortgages · Last updated: October 13, 2026
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A Modesto mortgage broker compares many lenders for the FHA, conventional, VA, USDA and investor loans used in Stanislaus County. iQRATE Mortgages (NMLS 1862492) is licensed in California and shops more than 100 lenders on complex files. Stanislaus County's 2026 limits are $832,750 conforming and $545,100 FHA for a one-unit home. Agriculture, food processing and health care drive Modesto's economy, so seasonal and overtime income come up often.
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5.0 stars from 87 reviews on Experience.com (October 2026) · Read David's reviews on Experience.com
Modesto is a Central Valley city built on agriculture and food processing, with major employers in health care and education. Buyers include first-time families, farm and processing workers, and Bay Area commuters looking for lower prices in Modesto, Turlock, Ceres and Riverbank.
Part of our California mortgage broker coverage. We're licensed in California under company NMLS 1862492 and work Modesto files from our Las Vegas office, closing with local escrow and title.
Areas and ZIPs we lend in: north Modesto (95355, 95356), central and college area (95350, 95354), south and west Modesto (95351, 95358), Salida (95368), Ceres (95307), Turlock (95380, 95382), Riverbank (95367) and Oakdale (95361).
Areas outside Modesto's urban core, near Oakdale, Waterford, Hughson and Patterson, may qualify for USDA loans with zero down for income-qualified buyers. Eligibility depends on the exact address.
Turlock has California State University, Stanislaus and its own employment base, while Ceres and Riverbank offer lower prices close to Modesto. Each city has its own fees and some newer communities have special taxes.
Modesto's economy leans on agriculture and food processing, including E. & J. Gallo, Foster Farms and nut and dairy processors, plus Doctors Medical Center and Memorial Medical Center. Packing-house and harvest jobs are often seasonal. A lender can count seasonal pay when you have a two-year history in the same line of work and expect to be rehired, so bring W-2s for both years and any rehire letter. Super-commuters who drive to Livermore, Pleasanton or San Jose and use the ACE train can count Bay Area pay; the long drive doesn't hurt approval, but budget for it.
Neighborhoods like College Area, La Loma and the airport district have many homes from the 1940s to 1970s. Appraisers look hard at roofs, older electrical panels and foundations. Homes near the Tuolumne River and Dry Creek can be in mapped flood zones, so ask for the FEMA flood zone before you write an offer. Newer subdivisions in Salida, Riverbank and north Modesto avoid most of that but may carry Mello-Roos special taxes, which count in your payment.
Stanislaus County's 2026 FHA limit is $545,100, a little higher than many Central Valley counties, while the conforming limit stays at the baseline $832,750. Buyers who need more than that use a jumbo loan.
Get preapproved with two years of W-2s or tax returns, then compare FHA's 3.5% down against conventional 3% down programs. Stanislaus County buyers often pair a CalHFA first mortgage with a CalHFA down payment loan if they qualify. Ask the seller for a Natural Hazard Disclosure, which shows flood and fire zones, and check whether the subdivision has a Mello-Roos tax. California property tax runs about 1.1–1.3% of the purchase price, so budget that into the payment.
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 Modesto, the first year of homeowners insurance and property-tax escrow at your new Prop 13 value are the big prepaids. 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.
Stanislaus County: conforming $832,750 and FHA $545,100 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.
$545,100 for a one-unit home in Stanislaus County. The conforming limit is $832,750.
Yes, with a two-year history in the same seasonal work.
Some areas are; check the exact address.
Usually a two-year average of Schedule F income, with some depreciation added back.
Often, for eligible first-time buyers.
About 1.1–1.3% of the purchase price under Prop 13.
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 Modesto, the first year of homeowners insurance and property-tax escrow at your new Prop 13 value are the big prepaids.
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
