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Bay Area · Sonoma · Southern California · Licensed in 29 states NMLS #243438 (415) 586-6003
CJ Kerls Team at Rate
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CJ Kerls, Bay Area mortgage lender

CJ Kerls

Branch Manager / SVP of Mortgage Lending · NMLS #243438 · Serving the Bay Area & Sonoma County

Your Bay Area mortgage lender

Based in San Francisco, focused on getting Bay Area buyers to the closing table.

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Financing Homes Across the Bay Area

I'm CJ Kerls, a mortgage lender with Rate based in San Francisco. I help buyers across San Francisco, Marin, the Peninsula, the East Bay and the South Bay, working alongside my daughter and loan partner, Chelsea.

After 35+ years in lending, I've found that one of the most useful things I can do is help you work through the numbers before you write an offer. That matters most when your situation takes some explaining: pay that comes partly in stock, income from your own business, a condo in an older building, or a duplex with a tenant downstairs.

The whole region shares one set of loan limits, but the questions change from place to place. A SoMa condo, a Sunset District house, a Mill Valley hillside home and a San Jose townhome each raise different issues with underwriters. Below, I go through the Bay Area one area at a time.

What I Look at Before You Make an Offer

Send me a listing and I'll estimate your monthly payment and cash to close for that property, including property taxes, homeowners insurance and HOA dues. If you're deciding how much to put down, I'll show you how each option changes the payment and how much cash you'd keep after closing.

I'll also flag anything worth checking before you commit. On a condo, that might be the building's insurance or a pending special assessment. If part of your pay comes from stock or bonuses, I'll review the income documents before you settle on a price range, so the number you shop with is one underwriting will accept.

Key Takeaways

  • The property shapes the fileCondo project reviews, older housing stock, unpermitted units and insurance availability cause challenges here more than credit scores do.
  • Documenting income is often the hard partRSUs, bonuses, business income and multiple income streams are common in the Bay Area. Each one needs to be documented the right way before you write an offer.
  • One loan limit across the regionSan Francisco, San Mateo, Marin, Alameda, Contra Costa and Santa Clara counties all share the same high-cost loan limits, shown in the table below. Borrow above the limit and the loan is jumbo.

2026 Bay Area Loan Limits (all six counties)

PropertyConforming and FHA limit
1 unit$1,249,125
2 units$1,599,375
3 units$1,933,200
4 units$2,402,625

Applies to San Francisco, San Mateo, Marin, Alameda, Contra Costa and Santa Clara counties. A loan above the conforming limit is a jumbo loan. A loan between the $832,750 national baseline and the Bay Area limit is a high-balance conforming loan. Sources: FHFA conforming loan limit lookup; HUD FHA Mortgage Limits lookup.

How Home Financing Differs Across the Bay Area

1 of 72 of 73 of 74 of 75 of 76 of 77 of 7 · swipe for more areas →

01 / 07

San Francisco Condos

  • Building review

    The lender approves the HOA as well as you: budget, reserves, owner-occupancy and litigation.

  • Insurance and repairs

    Master insurance, special assessments, and balcony and façade reports all get reviewed.

  • HOA dues

    Dues count in your debt-to-income ratio and can lower your loan amount.

Read the full San Francisco condos overview

A condo loan depends on the building as much as on you. Before approving it, the lender reviews the homeowners association: its budget and reserves, how many units are owner-occupied, whether one owner holds too many units, and any litigation. Converted older buildings, mixed-use buildings and the newer towers in Mission Bay and South Beach each raise their own questions, and in San Francisco the review can include balcony inspection and façade reports. Some projects qualify for conventional financing and some don't, so I ask for the HOA documents early, while there's still time to work around a problem. Dues also count in your debt-to-income ratio, which can lower your loan amount more than buyers expect. My San Francisco condo financing guide covers the review in detail.

02 / 07

San Francisco Single-Family Homes

  • High-balance or jumbo

    Most purchases fall just under or over the conforming limit, so I run both.

  • Older housing stock

    Appraisers look closely at condition in homes built in the early 1900s.

  • Unpermitted in-law units

    They may not get full appraisal value, and their rent usually can't count as income.

Read the full San Francisco single-family overview

In the Sunset, the Richmond, Noe Valley and the city's other single-family neighborhoods, most purchases need either a high-balance or a jumbo loan. Which side of the conforming limit you land on changes the down payment, the reserves and the rate, so I run both before you set a price range. Much of the city's housing was built in the first half of the twentieth century, and appraisers look closely at condition and at anything added without permits. Ground-floor in-law units are common here, but an unpermitted one may not get full value in the appraisal, and its rent usually can't count as income. Check the permit history before you bid, not after the appraisal comes back. For larger purchases, see my jumbo and super-jumbo loan guide.

03 / 07

San Francisco 2–4 Unit Buildings

  • Live in one unit

    Rent from the other units can help you qualify.

  • Higher loan limits

    Conforming and FHA limits rise with the number of units.

  • Investor option

    A DSCR loan qualifies the purchase on the property's rents, not your income.

Read the full San Francisco 2–4 unit overview

Duplexes, triplexes and fourplexes are a big part of San Francisco's housing, and there are two very different ways to finance one. If you'll live in one unit, it's financed as your primary residence, and rent from the other units can help you qualify. That rent is often what makes the purchase work. Loan limits are higher for multi-unit buildings, lower down payment options are available, and FHA covers them too. If you won't live there, a DSCR loan qualifies the purchase on the rents instead of your personal income. At Rate, the rents need to cover the full monthly payment, including taxes, insurance and any HOA dues, and the minimum credit score is 680. See buying a two-unit property as a first-time buyer and my DSCR loan page.

04 / 07

Marin County

  • Jumbo is the norm

    Southern Marin prices push most loans past the limit, and super-jumbo is common in Belvedere, Tiburon and Ross.

  • Insurance first

    Wildfire underwriting can make coverage harder to line up than the loan.

  • West Marin

    Wells, septic systems and few comparable sales can complicate the appraisal.

Read the full Marin County overview

In southern Marin, prices push most loans into jumbo territory, and super-jumbo loans aren't unusual in Belvedere, Tiburon and Ross. The bigger hurdle is often insurance. Hillside and wooded homes face wildfire underwriting, and some buyers end up on the California FAIR Plan with a separate policy alongside it. The lender needs proof of coverage before closing, and the premium counts in your payment, so get a quote for the specific address during the inspection period. West Marin is its own market: Point Reyes Station, Inverness and Stinson Beach have wells, septic systems and few comparable sales for an appraiser to use. Low-lying areas near the bay and creeks can also fall in FEMA flood zones, so check the flood map before you're in contract. More in Insurance Is the New Interest Rate.

05 / 07

The Peninsula

  • High-balance or jumbo

    A larger down payment can sometimes keep a loan under the conforming limit.

  • Equity compensation

    RSU income can count, but only after the shares vest and are paid out.

  • Buy before you sell

    A bridge loan frees up your current home's equity for the next down payment.

Read the full Peninsula overview

On the Peninsula, which covers San Mateo County, the first question is often high-balance or jumbo. In San Mateo, Redwood City or Menlo Park, a larger down payment can sometimes keep the loan under the conforming limit, and I'll compare both, including how much cash each leaves you after closing. In Hillsborough, Atherton and Woodside, loans usually reach super-jumbo territory, where lenders expect larger reserves. Many Peninsula buyers are also paid partly in RSUs, which take careful documentation; see Do RSUs Count as Income for a Mortgage? If you already own a home, a bridge loan lets you use its equity for the down payment, so your offer doesn't hinge on a sale. On the coast, check bluff setbacks, flood zones and insurance early in Pacifica and Half Moon Bay.

06 / 07

The East Bay

  • Widest range of prices

    Conforming, FHA and first-time-buyer loans fit much of the East Bay. Piedmont, Lamorinda and the hills are mostly jumbo.

  • Hillside insurance

    Homes in the Oakland and Berkeley hills face the same wildfire coverage questions as Marin.

  • Older homes and ADUs

    Permit history matters on older houses, and many lots have room for an accessory unit.

Read the full East Bay overview

The East Bay, which covers Alameda and Contra Costa counties, has the widest range of prices in the region, so every loan type gets used. In much of it, conforming and high-balance loans fit the price, and FHA's high-cost limit puts a low down payment within reach. If you're a first-time buyer looking outside San Francisco, this is often where the numbers start to work. Piedmont, Lamorinda, Danville and the Berkeley and Oakland hills are mostly jumbo, and hillside homes face the same insurance challenges as Marin. Older homes in Oakland and Berkeley raise the same permit questions as San Francisco's. More in my first-time homebuyer guide, ADU financing and Insurance Is the New Interest Rate.

07 / 07

The South Bay

  • Income documentation

    Salary, RSUs and bonuses are each reviewed separately.

  • Condos and townhomes

    HOA review matters in San Jose, Santa Clara and Sunnyvale.

  • Physician loans

    Medical professionals may qualify for low-down-payment financing without mortgage insurance.

Read the full South Bay overview

In the South Bay, which is Santa Clara County, income documentation is usually the main event. Many buyers earn a salary plus RSUs and bonuses, and private startup equity or a recent job change can reduce the income a lender will count. Sorting that out before you shop gives you a pre-approval that holds up; my RSU article explains the rules. Townhomes and condos are a large part of the market in San Jose, Santa Clara and Sunnyvale, so HOA review matters as much as it does in San Francisco. Single-family homes in Palo Alto, Los Altos, Cupertino and Saratoga are mostly jumbo, and buyers there often use bridge financing to buy before they sell. If you're a physician or other medical professional, see my physician mortgage page.

Also looking in Wine Country? See my Sonoma County page.

Bay Area Mortgage FAQ

All mortgage FAQs
Can we start preapproval before I find a property?

Yes. In fact I recommend it. We can review your income, assets and credit while you're still shopping. Once you have an address, we'll update the payment and cash-to-close estimate and flag any property details that need review.

Do you lend throughout the Bay Area?

Yes. We lend in San Francisco, Marin, San Mateo, Alameda, Contra Costa and Santa Clara counties, as well as throughout Sonoma County and the rest of California.

What are the Bay Area loan limits, and what counts as jumbo?

For 2026, the conforming and FHA limits for a one-unit home are both $1,249,125 in all six Bay Area counties. A loan above that amount is a jumbo loan. A loan between the $832,750 national baseline and $1,249,125 is a high-balance conforming loan. Limits are higher for 2–4 unit properties. The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) sets the conforming limits each year, and HUD sets FHA limits.

Can RSU or stock income count toward qualifying?

Often, yes, if the RSUs have vested and been paid out in shares of a publicly traded company. Unvested units and private-company shares don't count. Under conforming guidelines, the income is averaged over 12 or 24 months and valued using a 200-day moving average of the share price, and time-based awards generally need at least 12 months of vesting from your current employer. We review your vesting history before you're in contract, so your pre-approval reflects what underwriting will accept. More in Do RSUs Count as Income for a Mortgage?

Can I buy a new home before selling my current one?

Yes. A bridge loan lets you use the equity in your current home toward the down payment on the next one, so your offer doesn't depend on a sale.

Why does the condo building matter if my credit is strong?

Lenders approve the condo project as well as the borrower. The HOA's budget, reserves, owner-occupancy mix, insurance and any litigation can all affect whether the loan is approved and on what terms. We ask for the HOA documents early so there's time to deal with any issues. See the San Francisco condo financing guide.

Can rent from a duplex or fourplex help me qualify?

Yes. If you'll live in one unit, rent from the others can count toward your income, and loan limits are higher for multi-unit buildings. If you won't live in the building, a DSCR loan can qualify the purchase on its rents.

Can a self-employed borrower qualify without relying only on tax returns?

Yes. Business owners whose tax returns understate their income have other options, such as bank statement loans. See self-employed mortgage options.

Can homeowners insurance affect my loan?

Yes. The loan can't close without proof of insurance, and the premium counts in your monthly payment. Get a quote for the specific address early in escrow.

Do you work with first-time buyers in San Francisco?

Yes. Many first-time buyers in the city start with a condo or an owner-occupied two-unit building. Our first-time homebuyer guide walks through down payment, loan type and what to have ready before you make an offer.

Office in San Francisco

Let's Run the Numbers on Your Next Home

Bring me a listing if you have one. If you're still deciding where to look, tell me what monthly payment feels comfortable and how much you'd like to keep in savings after closing, and we'll work back to a price range from there. Whether it's a first condo, a move-up house, a duplex you'll live in or a rental for your portfolio, I'll tell you plainly what's possible and what it will take.