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By David Ghazaryan, Mortgage Broker, NMLS 1486726 · iQRATE Mortgages · Last updated: November 12, 2026
Quick answer: For San Antonio properties, a jumbo loan is any loan above $832,750. That is the 2026 Bexar County limit for a one-unit home, set by the Federal Housing Finance Agency. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac cannot buy a loan above it. So each lender sets its own rules. iQRATE Mortgages is a licensed Texas mortgage broker. We shop more than 100 lenders on complex files. You see several jumbo options, not one bank's menu. Approval depends on credit, income, assets, the property and underwriting. This page is general information and not a commitment to lend.
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San Antonio is one of the lower-priced big metros. The median listing price was about $320,374 in September 2026. So most buyers stay well under the jumbo line. Jumbo files come from a few places. They include high-value in-town homes, large newer homes on the north side, rental purchases and bigger refinances.
Loan limits decide where a conventional loan stops and a jumbo loan starts. Bexar County is not a high-cost area, so the limits for a one-unit home are:
| Program | Bexar County 2026 one-unit limit | What it means for a jumbo file |
|---|---|---|
| Conforming (Fannie Mae / Freddie Mac) | $832,750 | Anything above this amount is jumbo |
| FHA | $557,750 | Far below the jumbo line; FHA is not a path for a jumbo purchase |
| VA | No limit with full entitlement | Eligible veterans can still borrow above $832,750, subject to the lender's own maximum |
You can confirm the county figure in the FHFA full county loan limit list and read the agency's 2026 announcement. For VA rules, see the VA loan limits page. Our statewide explainer is on the iQRATE jumbo loans page.
iQRATE's San Antonio mortgage broker page lists the areas we serve, with ZIP codes. Whether a loan is jumbo depends on the loan amount, not the neighborhood. This table does not say these areas have jumbo volume. It lists who may need to compare jumbo options and what to check.
| Area (ZIPs) | Who may need to compare jumbo options | What to check before you lock |
|---|---|---|
| Alamo Heights (78209) | Buyers of higher-priced homes, if the loan passes the limit | Appraisal support and reserves |
| Monte Vista and Tobin Hill (78212) | Buyers of higher-priced homes, if the loan passes the limit | Condition and flood-zone status |
| King William and Southtown (78204, 78210) | Buyers of historic or renovated homes, if the loan passes the limit | Appraisal comparables |
| Stone Oak (78258, 78259) | Buyers of larger newer homes, if the loan passes the limit | School district rate and any MUD or PID tax line |
| Alamo Ranch (78253) | New-construction buyers, if the loan passes the limit | Builder incentives, MUD or PID taxes |
| Medical Center area (78229, 78240) | Health care professionals whose loan passes the limit | Income documentation and reserves |
| Northwest Side (78249, 78250) | Buyers whose loan passes the limit | Appraisal support and reserves |
| Far West Side (78245, 78227) | Military families near Lackland, if the loan passes the limit | VA entitlement, BAH income, PCS timing |
San Antonio buyers include active-duty service members, military retirees, health care and USAA staff, and first-time buyers. Many VA buyers move on short PCS orders. Many keep the home as a rental later.
A loan above the FHFA limit cannot be sold to Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac. So each investor sets its own rules. Compare these items across lenders:
Taxes are the largest cost line that is specific to Texas. iQRATE's San Antonio mortgage guide reports:
| Item | Figure | Why it matters on a jumbo balance |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 combined rate, City of San Antonio plus San Antonio ISD | About $2.82 per $100 of value, before exemptions | The same rate on a larger home produces a larger annual bill |
| Illustration from our page | About $9,000 a year on a $320,000 home | Scale it to the price you are considering and expect more |
| Other school districts | Northside ISD and North East ISD rates differ | Check the district for each address |
| Escrow at closing | Often 2 to 6 months of taxes, depending on closing month | The seller's prorated tax credit offsets part of it |
| Homestead cap | 10% yearly cap on appraisal increases after the first year | Applies to owner-occupants only |
| Cash-out on a homestead | Limited to 80% of value under Section 50(a)(6) | Affects jumbo cash-out refinances on a primary home |
Here is that rate at jumbo-sized prices. Each row multiplies $2.82 by the price, before any exemption. These are planning estimates. They are not a tax bill or a quote.
| Home price | Estimated yearly tax at $2.82 per $100 | Estimated monthly tax |
|---|---|---|
| $320,000 (metro median range) | $9,024 | $752 |
| $832,750 (conforming limit) | $23,483 | $1,957 |
| $1,000,000 | $28,200 | $2,350 |
| $1,500,000 | $42,300 | $3,525 |
| $2,000,000 | $56,400 | $4,700 |
Rates differ by school district, and your exemptions change the result. Check the exact bill for each address with the county appraisal district.
Texas has no transfer tax and no state income tax. The Texas Department of Insurance sets title insurance premiums. Property taxes are billed each October and paid in arrears. Disabled veterans may qualify for exemptions. Texas fully exempts the homestead of a 100% disabled veteran. It offers partial exemptions at lower ratings. That can change your escrow a lot.
Often, yes. Veterans with full VA entitlement have no VA loan limit. Each lender still sets its own maximum, so compare a VA option with a conventional jumbo. Joint Base San Antonio includes Lackland, Randolph and Fort Sam Houston. VA loans are a big share of the market. Basic Allowance for Housing counts as income and is not taxed. Many lenders gross it up. After PCS orders you can usually keep a VA home as a rental. You can use your remaining entitlement at your next base.
Yes, but the structure changes for investors. A DSCR loan uses the property's market rent, not your personal income. It can close in an LLC. On pricey Texas rentals, taxes and insurance can pull coverage down. So leverage matters. The rent has to cover the full payment. Our San Antonio and Austin guide covers Bexar tax rates, Texas appraisal caps and short-term rental rules. Every short-term rental needs a city permit. Type 2 rentals, which are not owner-occupied, are capped at one-eighth (12.5%) of the homes on each block face. At least one is allowed per block face.
David's investor view: an approved loan is not always a good investment. We look at cash invested, monthly carrying costs, reserves, prepayment penalties and the exit plan. We do not look only at the interest rate. A loan that saves money today can cost more later. That happens if you must refinance or sell before a prepayment penalty ends.
An example from another market (Las Vegas, not San Antonio). A client came to us after the financing on her new Las Vegas investment property fell apart. A builder was offering strong incentives. To get them, she had to apply through the builder's preferred lender. She did. The builder's lender denied her loan. She had met the builder's requirement, so the builder agreed to honor the incentives with outside financing. We arranged a DSCR loan based on the rent, not her personal debt-to-income. We put the incentives toward a rate buydown. The debt-service coverage ratio was about 1.00. We closed in less than three weeks.
The lesson David took from it: a lender's denial does not always mean the deal is dead. Read the purchase contract. Protect your negotiating position. Then pick the program that fits the deal. Past results do not predict future results.
Every lender writes its own jumbo guidelines. Ask each one the same questions so the quotes line up:
| Term | What it means | What to ask |
|---|---|---|
| Loan-to-value (LTV) | The loan amount divided by the home's value | Is the maximum lower for a second home or a rental? |
| Reserves | Cash or liquid assets left after closing | How many months of payments are required? |
| Fixed-rate or ARM | Rate stays set, or adjusts after an initial period | When can the rate change, and by how much? |
| Mortgage insurance (PMI) | Insurance some lenders require at higher LTV | Is it required, and can it be removed later? |
| Qualified mortgage (QM) | A Regulation Z category with ability-to-repay protections | Does this jumbo meet QM, or is it non-QM? |
| Debt-to-income (DTI) | Monthly debts divided by gross monthly income | What DTI limit applies to my income type? |
| Prepayment penalty | A charge for paying off early, mainly on investor loans | When does it end, and does it fit my exit plan? |
| Rate lock | A promise to hold your rate for a set period | How long, and what if closing slips? |
| Appraisal | An independent value opinion | Is a second appraisal or a desk review required? |
| Escrow | An account for taxes and insurance | How many months of taxes are collected at closing? |
| Fact | Figure |
|---|---|
| Bexar County 2026 conforming limit, one unit | $832,750 |
| Bexar County 2026 FHA limit, one unit | $557,750 |
| Metro median listing price, September 2026 | About $320,374 |
| City of San Antonio plus San Antonio ISD tax rate, 2025 | About $2.82 per $100 of value |
| Estimated annual tax on a $320,000 home at that rate | About $9,000 |
| Texas homestead appraisal cap after year one | 10% a year |
| Texas homestead cash-out ceiling, Section 50(a)(6) | 80% of value |
| Months of taxes usually collected into escrow | 2 to 6 |
| Short-term rental density cap, Type 2, per block face | 12.5% (one-eighth) |
| Lenders compared on complex files | More than 100 |
| School districts serving the city | 5 (San Antonio, Northside, North East, Judson, Southwest) |
| States where iQRATE is licensed | 4 (Nevada, California, Texas, Florida) |
| Military installations in Joint Base San Antonio named here | 3 (Lackland, Randolph, Fort Sam Houston) |
| iQRATE rating on Experience.com, October 2026 | 5.0 stars from 87 reviews |
| Google rating (company-wide) | 5.0 from 77 reviews |
| Yelp rating (company-wide) | 5.0 from 51 reviews |
| Zillow rating (company-wide) | 5.00 from 9 reviews |
Cash to close includes your prepaids. These are first-year homeowners insurance, daily interest to month-end, and an escrow deposit for future taxes and insurance. It also includes your down payment. Flood risk matters too. Some older neighborhoods near creeks sit in FEMA flood zones. We check before you lock.
A loan above $832,750 for a one-unit home is jumbo in Bexar County. The FHA limit for a one-unit home is $557,750, and VA has no limit for borrowers with full entitlement.
Pricing depends on the lender, your credit, the property and the structure. We do not quote rates here. Texas adds property tax as a big monthly line. It was about $2.82 per $100 of value in the City of San Antonio with San Antonio ISD in 2025, before exemptions.
Often, yes. Veterans with full entitlement have no VA loan limit, but individual lenders set their own maximums, so compare a VA option with a conventional jumbo.
Possibly. Some programs qualify self-employed borrowers on bank statements instead of tax returns, with lender-specific rules. Compare options on our bank statement loan page.
DSCR programs qualify on market rent, and larger balances are reviewed case by case with lender-specific limits and reserves. The rent has to cover the full payment, including Texas property taxes.
Only with a city permit. Non-owner-occupied short-term rentals in residential zones are capped at 12.5% of the homes on each block face.
They depend on the price, loan type and county. Each one is itemized on your Loan Estimate. In Texas, the main prepaids are property-tax escrow and the first year of homeowners insurance. Tax escrow is often 2 to 6 months. The seller's prorated tax credit offsets part of it.
Not necessarily. If the home is held in a revocable trust, the lender checks the trust's powers and qualifies the borrower. Investors commonly close in an LLC under a DSCR program.
Timing varies with the file, the program and appraisal turn times. Most of our loans close in under 30 days, but we cannot guarantee a closing date.
Texas fully exempts the homestead of a 100% disabled veteran and offers partial exemptions at lower ratings. Ask your appraisal district which applies.
Yes. Under 12 CFR 1002.14, a lender must give you a copy of appraisals used in a first-lien dwelling loan decision. Ask when you apply so you know the timing.
Above the FHFA limit, each lender sets its own jumbo rules because Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac cannot buy the loan. As a broker, iQRATE compares more than 100 lenders on complex files. A broker does not fund the loan and cannot promise approval, a rate or a closing date.
Company-wide reviews from other markets and loan types. These are verbatim reviews of iQRATE Mortgages from Google and Yelp. They come from other markets and loan types, not from this market. Results vary. Verify our licensing on NMLS Consumer Access, see our Zillow lender profile, or read more on our reviews page.
"David and his team helped me refinance my house & they were amazing. They helped explain all of the different aspects of refinancing & answered all questions I had. Working with the team was easy & I am so grateful to have gone through them, because I am confident they got me the best deal I could get."
"Thank you so much David and team!
You made the mortgage process so easy and were very patient with me. The process was smooth and the level of communication and professionalism was extraordinary.
I will definitely recommend to family and friends for their mortgage needs as well"
"David and his team are very professional in their field of expertise. They helped me to get the loan really quick and easy, explaining all steps and assisting me with all of the papers. It has been a pleasure to work with such a reliable and responsible team. I would truly recommend their service to everyone."
Tell us the property, the loan amount and how you earn income. David Ghazaryan and the iQRATE team will compare lenders. We will walk through the numbers with you. Apply now or call (702) 766-3744. Related pages: San Antonio mortgage broker, about iQRATE, and the HMDA public data browser if you want to look at jumbo lending data yourself. Get started today.
iQRATE Mortgages, Company NMLS 1862492. David Ghazaryan, Mortgage Broker, NMLS 1486726. (702) 766-3744. Licensed in Nevada, California, Texas and Florida. iQRATE is a mortgage broker, not a lender, and does not fund loans. Equal Housing Opportunity. Programs, terms and loan limits change. They are subject to credit, property and underwriting approval. This page is not a rate quote or an offer. It is general information and not a commitment to lend. Local facts come from iQRATE's published San Antonio guide, FHFA and VA pages. They are not legal or tax advice.
