President of Milestone
Banks offer their own products. Milestone offers the market. Your loan officer shops your scenario across 65+ investors to find the rate and program that fits your situation. You get options, not a take-it-or-leave-it quote.
Milestone serves homebuyers all across California. Your loan officer works with you remotely and has full access to the same 65+ investor network available at any Milestone branch. Whether you're buying in Orange County, the Bay Area, or the Central Valley, you get the same professional process and the same network.
Clear-to-close in as few as 15 days. Every cost is upfront from day one. No surprise fees, no fine print.
Your loan officer matches you to the right loan based on your goals, not a script. Whether you're a first-time buyer in Sacramento or refinancing in San Jose, your loan officer walks you through every step from application to closing.
Traditional mortgages with competitive rates for borrowers with good credit. Down payments as low as 3%.
Government-backed loans perfect for first-time buyers with flexible credit requirements.
Exclusive benefits for veterans, active military, and eligible spouses. Thank you for your service!
Zero down payment loans for eligible rural and suburban homebuyers. Great for first-time buyers!
Lower your rate, reduce your payment, or tap into your home's equity with our refinance options.
Financing for luxury properties and high-value homes that exceed conventional loan limits.
Conventional Loans: California conventional loan limits vary by county. The baseline conforming loan amount is $832,750, but high-cost counties like Los Angeles, Orange, San Francisco, San Mateo, and Santa Clara allow conventional loans up to $1,249,125 before a loan becomes jumbo.
FHA Loans: FHA loan limits in California range from $541,287 in standard-cost counties to $1,249,125 in high-cost areas like Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Santa Clara counties.
VA Loans: California is home to 30+ military installations and more than 800,000 veterans. Veterans with full entitlement have no VA loan limit in California, meaning they can purchase at any price point with zero down. For veterans with partial entitlement, county limits range from $832,750 to $1,249,125.
USDA Loans: Over 90% of California’s land area qualifies as USDA-eligible, including many communities outside the major metro centers. Buyers in the Central Valley, Inland Empire outskirts, and Northern California often qualify.
Jumbo Loans: A jumbo loan in California is any mortgage exceeding your county’s conforming limit. In most counties, the jumbo threshold is $832,750. In high-cost counties (Los Angeles, San Francisco, Orange, Santa Clara, and others), a loan becomes jumbo above $1,249,125. Jumbo loans are common in California’s housing market, and Milestone’s 65+ investor network includes multiple jumbo lenders with competitive rates.
Milestone serves homebuyers in Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego, San Jose, Sacramento, Riverside, Oakland, Fresno, and all other communities across the state. California’s high home values make jumbo loans and high-balance conventional loans common here, and VA loans serve the state’s large veteran population. Your loan officer works with you to find the right fit for your housing goals.
The California Department of Financial Protection and Innovation (DFPI) oversees mortgage companies operating in the state, and California is a community property state where both spouses must sign the deed of trust on a primary residence. Milestone operates within full compliance of California’s regulatory framework and stays current on assistance programs like CalHFA’s Dream For All and MyHome, which help first-time buyers with down payment and closing costs.
Milestone serves homebuyers in 30+ states.
Can’t make it during business hours? Leave a message anytime and we’ll get back to you the next business day.
Milestone has 70+ loan officers ready to help you find the right mortgage. Tell us about your goals and we’ll match you with a loan officer who knows your market and fits your situation.
Fill out a short form on our website. We'll ask the basics: purchase or refinance, loan amount, and your timeline. Takes about 5 minutes.
Your loan officer reviews your scenario and shops it across 65+ investors. You'll receive personalized loan options and suggestions, not a generic rate sheet.
Once you've chosen the right option, your loan officer locks the rate and walks you through your documents. Upload everything through Milestone's secure portal.
Milestone coordinates with your real estate agent, title company, and appraiser. Clear-to-close in as few as 16 days.
No. California closings are handled by licensed escrow companies or title companies with escrow authority. An attorney is not required at any point in the transaction. Some buyers hire one for complex situations, but it is optional.
California counties charge a documentary transfer tax of $1.10 per $1,000 of the sale price (0.11%). The seller typically pays the county transfer tax. Some cities add their own transfer tax on top of the county rate. Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Oakland all charge additional city-level transfer taxes that vary by sale price.
Proposition 13 caps the base property tax rate at 1% of the assessed value at the time of purchase. Annual increases to the assessed value are limited to 2% per year, regardless of how much the home’s market value grows. This means a homeowner who bought a property years ago may pay significantly less in taxes than a neighbor who bought recently at a higher price.
Yes. The California Housing Finance Agency (CalHFA) runs several programs. Dream For All offers up to 20% of the purchase price (capped at $150,000) as a shared appreciation loan. MyHome provides a deferred-payment second loan of up to 3.5% for FHA borrowers or 3% for conventional borrowers. CalHFA’s Zero Interest Program (ZIP) covers up to 3% of the loan amount for closing costs. Eligibility requirements include income limits that vary by county and completion of an 8-hour homebuyer education course.
Your Milestone loan officer will compare options from 65+ investors to find the right fit for your situation in California. Fill out a quick form and a loan officer will reach out to walk you through your options. Not in California? Milestone serves homebuyers in 30+ states.
