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Reviewed by David Ghazaryan, Mortgage Broker, NMLS 1486726 · iQRATE Mortgages · Last updated: October 13, 2026
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A San Francisco mortgage broker finds lenders for the city's unusual properties: high-priced single-family homes, condos, and tenancy-in-common (TIC) units that few banks will finance. iQRATE Mortgages (NMLS 1862492) is licensed in California and shops more than 100 lenders on complex files. San Francisco's 2026 conforming and FHA limits are $1,249,125, its transfer tax runs from $6.80 per $1,000 under $1 million to $7.50 from $1 million to $5 million, and higher above that, and unhosted short-term rentals are capped at 90 nights a year. 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
San Francisco buyers are often tech and finance professionals with RSUs and bonuses, buying a condo, a TIC share or a single-family home in the Sunset or Noe Valley. TIC units need a fractional TIC loan from one of only a handful of lenders, and condo buildings need a project review. Knowing which lenders do what is most of the job here.
Part of our California mortgage broker coverage. We're licensed in California under company NMLS 1862492 and work San Francisco files from our Las Vegas office, closing with local escrow and title.
Neighborhoods and ZIPs we lend in: Noe Valley (94114), Bernal Heights and the Mission (94110), the Inner and Outer Sunset (94122, 94116), the Richmond (94118, 94121), Pacific Heights and the Marina (94115, 94123), SoMa and Mission Bay (94103, 94107, 94158), the Excelsior (94112) and Glen Park (94131).
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 San Francisco, property-tax escrow at your new Prop 13 value and, for condos, the HOA's master policy review are what most affect cash to close. 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.
San Francisco: conforming $1,249,125 and FHA $1,249,125 for a one-unit home. Most single-family purchases need a jumbo loan; many condos 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.
Yes, through a fractional TIC loan secured only by your share. Only a few lenders offer them, and they review the TIC agreement and the building closely.
It's tiered: $6.80 per $1,000 from $250,000 to $1 million, $7.50 from $1 million to $5 million, and $22.50 from $5 million to $10 million, with higher tiers above that. By custom the seller pays.
$1,249,125 for a one-unit home, and the FHA limit is the same.
Only if it's your permanent residence and you register it. Unhosted stays are capped at 90 nights a year.
Condos often fit within the high-balance limit, but the building must pass a project review that covers its budget, insurance and any litigation.
About $1,875,000 for single-family homes in August 2026, according to the California Association of Realtors.
Yes. Lenders use current, rent-controlled rents rather than market rents for most pre-1979 multi-unit buildings.
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 San Francisco, property-tax escrow at your new Prop 13 value and, for condos, the HOA's master policy review are what most affect cash to close.
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
