Coastal OC · Service Area
Your Mortgage Lender in Laguna Beach
Laguna Beach properties are art: hillside lots, ocean-view cottages, unpermitted additions, and comps that don't behave. Financing here is jumbo by default and succeeds on preparation — appraisal strategy, property condition review, and a lender who has seen weird files before.
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Buying or refinancing in Laguna Beach
A Laguna Beach client review says it best: "one of the only lenders in the industry to perfectly put together a bank statement loan and close." Self-employed buyers and unique properties are the norm here, not the exception — which is exactly the file type Cris's non-QM toolkit exists for.
Hillside access, septic vs. sewer, view easements — Laguna's quirks show up in appraisals and underwriting conditions. Flagging them in week one instead of week four is how escrows here close on schedule.
Who you would be working with
Cris Pacheco is a mortgage loan officer serving Laguna Beach and all of Orange County with EZ Fundings Home Loans, Inc., a U.S. Marine Corps Veteran and USC Marshall School of Business alum, licensed under NMLS #1961452 (company NMLS #1156892). Verify his license independently at NMLS Consumer Access. Se habla español.
Laguna Beach loan limits and price breakpoints for 2026
Orange County is a federally designated high-cost area, so it sits at the national ceiling for both conforming and FHA lending. Which tier your loan amount falls into changes your pricing and your guidelines more than almost any other single factor.
Conforming
Up to $832,750
Best available pricing. Standard Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac terms.
High-balance conforming
$832,751 to $1,249,125
Still agency-backed, but priced slightly above the baseline tier. Available because Orange County is a high-cost area.
Jumbo
Above $1,249,125
Portfolio and private-investor money. Guidelines, reserve requirements and pricing vary widely between investors, which is why shopping the file matters most here.
The highest price you can buy before your loan becomes a jumbo
What determines your tier is the loan amount, not the purchase price. More money down means a higher price while still keeping agency financing. These are the exact breakpoints at the 2026 Orange County ceiling of $1,249,125.
| Down payment | Max price, best-priced tier | Max price before jumbo |
|---|---|---|
| FHA, 3.5% down | $862,953 | $1,294,430 |
| Conventional, 5% down | $876,579 | $1,314,868 |
| Conventional, 10% down | $925,278 | $1,387,917 |
| Conventional, 20% down | $1,040,938 | $1,561,406 |
| Conventional, 25% down | $1,110,333 | $1,665,500 |
Breakpoints are calculated from the 2026 Orange County limits: baseline conforming $832,750, high-balance conforming and FHA ceiling $1,249,125. A Veteran with full entitlement has no VA loan limit, so these breakpoints do not apply to VA financing. Figures are for one-unit properties and exclude closing costs and financed FHA upfront mortgage insurance. For an exact number on your scenario, ask.
Loan programs that fit Laguna Beach
Laguna Beach mortgage questions
+Can unique Laguna properties still get standard financing?
Usually yes — but the appraisal and property review need managing from day one. Where a property truly falls outside standard guidelines, portfolio and non-QM options fill the gap.
Ready to make a move in Laguna Beach?
Free consultation, English or Spanish. Get a real answer about your exact scenario, no credit pull to start, and usually a same-day reply.
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