A straight answer
My loan is just over the conforming limit. Should I go jumbo or put more down?
The direct answer
Not always. A loan above the national baseline can still be conforming in a high-cost county, and when it is over the county limit, I compare a jumbo program against a larger down payment or a smaller refinance before you choose. I'm Zach von der Linden (NMLS 1652805), a mortgage broker with West Capital Lending, based in San Clemente.
I arrange loans with lenders and put the financing together. The limit is set by county and by unit count, and it applies to the loan amount, not the price of the home, so the first thing I check is which limit your property falls under. Text or call me with the county, the price, your planned down payment and whether you are buying or refinancing, and I will tell you where the line is and what each route would need. I work with homeowners in California, Utah, Oregon and Arizona.
Zach von der Linden, mortgage broker and Branch Manager, West Capital Lending · NMLS 1652805
Wholesale pricing · California, Utah, Oregon and Arizona
5.0 across 66 reviews on Experience.com (read on 2026-09-24) · Text reaches Zach directly · Last updated 2026-10-17
Just over the line? Text me the county, the price, your planned down payment and whether you are buying or refinancing, and I will tell you which limit applies and what each route would need.
No credit pull happens from a conversation. Texts go to Zach's cell.
Which loan limit applies to my county?
The one FHFA publishes for that county and that number of units. FHFA sets a baseline value that applies in most of the country and a higher value for counties where home prices justify it, up to a ceiling, and it announced the 2026 values on November 25, 2025, for "mortgages Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac (the Enterprises) will acquire in 2026" (FHFA, conforming loan limit values for 2026). This site prints no loan limit figure of its own; the baseline, the ceiling and your county's value are in that release and in FHFA's county file, and they change each year.
Your county decides which value you get. In FHFA's 2026 county file, Orange County, California is listed at the ceiling, and so is Los Angeles County, while San Diego County sits between the baseline and the ceiling. Salt Lake County, Multnomah County and Maricopa County are listed at the baseline, and Summit County, Utah is above it (FHFA, conforming loan limits by county). Look up your own county in that file, or text me the county and I will.
A loan above the baseline but within your county's higher limit is what Fannie Mae calls a high-balance loan. Its guide says high-balance loans are subject to the high-cost area loan limits and that its eligibility and delivery requirements may vary for them, and it requires those loans to be underwritten through its automated system and to meet the loan-to-value limits in its eligibility matrix (Fannie Mae Selling Guide B5-1-01). So "over the conforming limit" has two meanings, and only the second one forces a jumbo: over the baseline, or over your county's limit.
The limit is about the loan, not the house. The statute behind it directs Fannie Mae to set "limitations governing the maximum original principal obligation of conventional mortgages that are purchased by it" (12 U.S.C. 1717), and FHFA's own FAQ says the limit "restricts the size of loan originations that the Enterprises can purchase (but not the price of homes)" (FHFA loan limit FAQs). A home priced above the limit can carry a conforming loan when the down payment brings the loan amount under it.
Are the 2027 conforming limits official yet?
No, not on the day this page was written. On October 16, 2026, FHFA's newsroom and its loan limit page carried the 2026 values and no 2027 file. FHFA's FAQ describes the schedule in one sentence, "At the end of each November, FHFA updates the CLL based on rules set forth in HERA," and says the new values take effect on January 1 (FHFA loan limit FAQs). Until FHFA publishes, there is no official 2027 figure, and I do not estimate one here.
When the 2027 values are released, this page will be updated with FHFA's own figures and the date they were read. If you are deciding between now and then, text me and I will tell you what the current limit means for your county today.
Can I close this year using an early lender limit?
Only on that lender's terms. If a lender has told you it will treat a loan above FHFA's current limit as conforming before the new year, that is the lender's own program, not FHFA's limit, and Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac acquire loans under the published values in force when the loan is delivered. Whether such a program exists for your county, your unit count and your file, and through the channels I can use, is something I confirm with the lender in writing rather than assume. Terms vary, and an announcement is not an approval.
The question I ask first is simpler: is your loan over the baseline or over your county's limit? In a county at the ceiling, a loan just over the baseline is usually still a high-balance conforming loan today, and no early program is needed.
Should I put more down or keep the cash?
It depends on what the extra cash would otherwise do for you, and I run both structures side by side on your numbers rather than on a rule of thumb. This page shows no rate, payment or comparison figure. Putting more down to land under the county limit opens the conforming programs and their rulebooks. Keeping the cash and taking a jumbo keeps your reserves intact and may fit a file better when the jumbo program is written for your situation.
The things that move the answer: how much cash it takes to get under the line and what that leaves you after closing; where the down payment comes from, because gift funds, vested stock and retirement accounts each have their own rules (RSU and stock income, qualifying on assets); how your income is documented, because a jumbo investor can read it differently from an agency program (bank statement loans for a self-employed buyer); and the property itself, since a condo or a two- to four-unit home is reviewed under its own rules. Jumbo programs are each lender's own, their terms vary, and none of them is available for every file, so I check the particular guideline before I tell you which way to lean.
How much money needs to be left after closing?
It is program specific. Fannie Mae defines reserves as "those liquid or near liquid assets that are available to a borrower after the mortgage closes," measured in months of the full housing payment, and it subtracts the funds you need to close before counting what is left. Under Fannie Mae, its automated system sets the requirement: none for a one-unit principal residence, two months for a second home, six months for a two- to four-unit principal residence, an investment property or certain cash-out refinances, and more where its risk assessment calls for it (Fannie Mae Selling Guide B3-4.1-01). A jumbo program writes its own reserve rule, and I state none here because they differ; I read the one that applies to your file.
This is where the two routes trade against each other. A bigger down payment spends the cash that a jumbo program may want to see in the bank. Retirement accounts, vested shares and other near-liquid assets can count toward reserves under the rules of the program you end up in, so the cash does not all have to sit in checking. I work out both columns before you commit to either.
What changes if I'm refinancing?
The same limit applies to the new loan's amount. Fannie Mae's guide says its limits "are based on the original loan amount of the loan," so a jumbo whose balance has fallen under your county's current limit can be refinanced as a conforming loan if the rest of the file qualifies (Fannie Mae Selling Guide B2-1.5-01). Bringing cash to closing to get under the line is the refinance version of putting more down, and it is weighed the same way.
A cash-out refinance carries its own eligibility and reserve rules, and a limit that has risen since you bought may put you under it where you were not before. If you would rather keep your first mortgage and borrow against equity instead, a home equity line is qualified on the line program's own rules; keeping your mortgage and taking a second loan explains that route.
What I check before you decide
- The county and the number of units, which fix the limit, and whether the home is a condo.
- The price, the loan amount you want and the down payment you planned, so I can see how far over the line you are.
- Where the down payment and any extra cash would come from, and what would be left after closing.
- How your income is documented: W-2, self-employed, commission, stock or assets.
- Whether you are buying or refinancing, and whether you will live in the home.
- Your other monthly debts, because both routes are qualified against them.
A conversation does not pull your credit. Buying a home? Get pre-approved once we have talked. The pre-approval uses a soft credit check, never a hard pull for the first look, and a loan near the limit needs the county and the structure settled first.
The hard-to-qualify hub covers the income questions that decide which programs are open, and the other buying questions cover rate locks, seller credits and offers. Already turned down over the loan size? Get an individual review after a denial.
Questions people ask next
Is the 2027 conforming limit already higher than the 2026 one?
Not officially. On October 16, 2026, FHFA had published only the 2026 values, and its FAQ says it updates the limit at the end of each November, effective January 1. A higher figure you have seen advertised is a lender's own program, not FHFA's limit. This page will carry FHFA's 2027 values once they are released.
Can I use the 2027 limit if I close this year?
Not as FHFA's limit, because it has not been published. A lender may offer its own program for loans above the current limit before the new year; whether it exists for your county and your file is confirmed with that lender in writing, and terms vary. In a county at the ceiling, a loan just over the baseline is usually a high-balance conforming loan today and needs no early program.
Is the conforming limit based on the house price or my loan amount?
Your loan amount. The statute sets a limit on the original principal of the mortgage, and FHFA's FAQ says the limit restricts the size of the loan, not the price of the home. A home priced above the limit can carry a conforming loan when the down payment brings the loan amount under it.
How much do I need in reserves for a jumbo?
It depends on the program, and I state no figure here because jumbo programs each set their own. Reserves are the liquid or near-liquid assets left after closing, counted in months of the housing payment. Retirement accounts and vested shares can count under many programs' rules, and I read the particular guideline before telling you a number.
Can I refinance my jumbo into a conforming loan?
Possibly. The limit applies to the new loan's amount, so if your balance is now under your county's current limit, or you bring cash to closing to get there, the refinance can be conforming when the rest of the file qualifies. A limit that has risen since you bought can put you under it. Text me the balance and the county and I will check.
Are jumbo loans really that much harder than regular mortgages?
Different rather than harder, and it varies by lender. A jumbo loan is not sold to Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac, so the investor behind it writes its own rules on income, reserves, credit and the property, and some are stricter than the agency rules while others are more flexible in places. What decides it is whether your income, reserves, credit and the property meet that investor's guidelines; what makes a jumbo feel harder is usually a documentation rule nobody read in advance.
What clients say
Zach was so easy to work with. He made a stressful situation into a very positive experience for us and did push us one way or another. He listened to what we hoped we could accomplish and made it happen.
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Sources and checked dates
Sources: FHFA, FHFA Announces Conforming Loan Limit Values for 2026 (November 25, 2025) (checked 2026-10-16) · FHFA, Conforming Loan Limits for Calendar Year 2026, All Counties (county loan limit list) (checked 2026-10-16) · FHFA, Conforming Loan Limit Values FAQs (updated November 2025) (checked 2026-10-16) · 12 U.S.C. 1717(b)(2) (United States Code, 2024 edition, govinfo) (checked 2026-10-16) · Fannie Mae Selling Guide, B2-1.5-01, Loan Limits (checked 2026-10-16) · Fannie Mae Selling Guide, B5-1-01, High-Balance Mortgage Loan Eligibility and Underwriting (checked 2026-10-16) · Fannie Mae Selling Guide, B3-4.1-01, Minimum Reserve Requirements (checked 2026-10-16) · Freddie Mac, Loan Limit Values for 2026 (November 25, 2025) (checked 2026-10-16).
Show each claim on this page, what it depends on, and the date it was checked (8)
| What we say, and what it depends on | Source | Checked |
|---|---|---|
| FHFA news release, "FHFA Announces Conforming Loan Limit Values for 2026" (November 25, 2025): "U.S. Federal Housing (FHFA) today announced the conforming loan limit values (CLLs) for mortgages Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac (the Enterprises) will acquire in 2026. In most of the United States, the 2026 CLL value for one-unit properties will be" the baseline value the release states (not printed on this site), "an increase" from 2025. "The Housing and Economic Recovery Act (HERA) requires FHFA to adjust the Enterprises' baseline CLL value each year to reflect the change in the average U.S. home price." "For areas in which 115 percent of the local median home value exceeds the baseline conforming loan limit value, the applicable loan limit will be higher than the baseline loan limit. HERA establishes the high-cost area limit in those areas as a multiple of the area median home value, while setting the ceiling at 150 percent of the baseline limit." The release then states the new ceiling loan limit for one-unit properties as a dollar figure (not printed on this site) and says it is 150 percent of the baseline. "Due to rising home values, the CLL values will be higher in all but 32 U.S. counties or county equivalents." | FHFA, FHFA Announces Conforming Loan Limit Values for 2026 (November 25, 2025) | 2026-10-16 |
| FHFA, Conforming Loan Limits for Calendar Year 2026, All Counties (the full county loan limit list, HERA-based, final; page last updated October 14, 2026): the one-unit limit printed for Orange County, California, and for Los Angeles County, California, equals the ceiling value in FHFA's release; San Diego County, California, is printed at a value between the baseline and the ceiling; Salt Lake County, Utah, Multnomah County, Oregon, and Maricopa County, Arizona, are printed at the baseline value; Summit County, Utah, is printed above the baseline. The file lists a separate limit for one-, two-, three- and four-unit properties in every county, and the one-unit value varies: most counties are at the baseline, and California alone has nine different one-unit values. | FHFA, Conforming Loan Limits for Calendar Year 2026, All Counties (county loan limit list) | 2026-10-16 |
| FHFA, Conforming Loan Limit Values FAQs (updated November 2025): "The highest loan amount for mortgages that Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac can acquire. Mortgages above this limit are known as jumbo loans. The U.S. Federal Housing (FHFA) sets the CLL annually and it varies geographically using guidelines specified in the Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008 (HERA) and modified in subsequent legislation." "At the end of each November, FHFA updates the CLL based on rules set forth in HERA. The CLL takes effect a month later, on Jan. 1." "The baseline loan limit value is the highest loan amount for an acquisition in a particular year. This limit restricts the size of loan originations that the Enterprises can purchase (but not the price of homes) across the nation except in a small amount of high-cost or statutory areas." | FHFA, Conforming Loan Limit Values FAQs (updated November 2025) | 2026-10-16 |
| 12 U.S.C. 1717(b)(2), the Fannie Mae charter as amended by HERA (United States Code, 2024 edition): "The corporation shall establish limitations governing the maximum original principal obligation of conventional mortgages that are purchased by it", with the limitations "adjusted effective January 1 of each year" by the percentage change in the housing price index maintained by the Director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, and increased "with respect to properties of a particular size located in any area for which 115 percent of the median house price for such size residence exceeds the foregoing limitation for such size residence, to the lesser of 150 percent of such limitation for such size residence or the amount that is equal to 115 percent of the median house price in such area for such size residence." The parallel Freddie Mac charter provision, 12 U.S.C. 1454(a)(2), carries the same "maximum original principal obligation" wording. | 12 U.S.C. 1717(b)(2) (United States Code, 2024 edition, govinfo) | 2026-10-16 |
| Fannie Mae Selling Guide B2-1.5-01, Loan Limits (02/02/2022): "The loan limits apply to all conventional loans delivered to Fannie Mae for whole loan purchase or MBS pool issuance and are based on the original loan amount of the loan (irrespective of the origination date). The limits are subject to change annually and vary, depending upon the number of units in the property and the property's location." "Lenders are responsible for ensuring that the original loan amount of each loan does not exceed the applicable maximum loan limit for the specific area in which the property is located at the time the loan is delivered to Fannie Mae." "The baseline limits apply to the majority of the loans that Fannie Mae purchases." "The high-cost area loan limits apply to loans secured by properties in designated high-cost areas, as determined by Fannie Mae's regulator. The high-cost area loan limits vary across the country." "High-balance loans are subject to the high-cost area loan limits. Fannie Mae's eligibility and delivery requirements may vary for high-balance loans." "Loan limits for modified loans are based on the original loan amount of the loan and not on the unpaid principal balance of the loan at the time of modification or acquisition by Fannie Mae." | Fannie Mae Selling Guide, B2-1.5-01, Loan Limits | 2026-10-16 |
| Fannie Mae Selling Guide B5-1-01, High-Balance Mortgage Loan Eligibility and Underwriting (07/02/2025): "The high-balance loan requirements apply to mortgage loans with original loan amounts meeting the high-cost area loan limits established by the Federal Housing Finance Agency. Fannie Mae publishes on its website the maximum high-cost area loan limits that may apply by state (or territory); however, specific loan limits are established for each county (or equivalent) and may be lower for each specific high-cost area." "High-balance mortgage loans must meet all standard Fannie Mae eligibility and underwriting requirements, as outlined in this Selling Guide, except as noted in this section." "Loans must be conventional first-lien mortgages only." "Loans must meet the LTV, CLTV, and HCLTV ratios as outlined in the Eligibility Matrix." "All loans must be underwritten through DU." | Fannie Mae Selling Guide, B5-1-01, High-Balance Mortgage Loan Eligibility and Underwriting | 2026-10-16 |
| Fannie Mae Selling Guide B3-4.1-01, Minimum Reserve Requirements (08/07/2024): "Liquid financial reserves are those liquid or near liquid assets that are available to a borrower after the mortgage closes. Liquid financial reserves include cash and other assets that are easily converted to cash by the borrower by" drafting or withdrawing funds from an account, selling an asset, redeeming vested funds, or obtaining a loan secured by assets from a fund administrator or an insurance company. "Reserves are measured by the number of months of the qualifying payment amount for the subject mortgage (based on PITIA) that a borrower could pay using their financial assets." "Funds to close are subtracted from available assets when considering sufficient assets for reserves." "Manually underwritten loans: The minimum required reserves are documented in the Eligibility Matrix." For DU loan casefiles, DU determines the reserve requirement: two months' reserves for a second home transaction; six months' reserves for a two- to four-unit principal residence, an investment property, and a cash-out refinance above a stated debt-to-income ratio; "Additional reserves may need to be verified based on DU's overall risk assessment." "Note: There is no minimum reserve requirement for one-unit principal residence transactions." | Fannie Mae Selling Guide, B3-4.1-01, Minimum Reserve Requirements | 2026-10-16 |
| Freddie Mac Single-Family news article, loan limit values for 2026 (November 25, 2025): "In line with the U.S. Federal Housing (FHFA) announcement, we're increasing our maximum baseline conforming loan limit and high-cost area loan limit values." "For properties located in designated high-cost areas*, we'll purchase mortgages with original loan amounts up to the following limits" and "*Actual loan limit values for certain high-cost areas, as determined by FHFA, may be lower than the maximum high-cost area loan limits identified. Loan limit values are available on the FHFA website." "The Single-Family Seller/Servicer (Guide) will be updated in December to reflect the 2026 loan limit values." The article's tables carry the same 2026 baseline and ceiling values as FHFA's release. | Freddie Mac, Loan Limit Values for 2026 (November 25, 2025) | 2026-10-16 |
Written for and accountable to: Zach von der Linden, Mortgage broker and Branch Manager, West Capital Lending.
Last updated 2026-10-17.
Verify him: NMLS Consumer Access, ID 1652805 · 66 reviews on Experience.com.
Sources for product claims are listed on this page, with the date each was checked.
Talk it through with Zach
No credit pull happens from a conversation. Texts go to Zach's cell.