South OC · Service Area
Your Mortgage Lender in San Clemente
San Clemente sits directly north of Camp Pendleton, which makes it one of the most VA-active housing markets in Orange County. Cris Pacheco — a U.S. Marine Corps Veteran and VA loan specialist (NMLS #1961452) — helps active-duty Marines, Navy personnel, and Veterans buy in San Clemente with $0 down, including VA jumbo where coastal prices require it.
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Buying or refinancing in San Clemente
If you're stationed at Pendleton, San Clemente is the commute that actually works — and the VA benefit is what makes it affordable. Cris handles the parts other lenders fumble: pulling your Certificate of Eligibility, checking whether your disability rating exempts you from the funding fee, and calculating remaining entitlement if you already used the benefit at a prior duty station.
PCS timelines don't care about lender schedules. Files here often need to move fast, sometimes with a spouse signing remotely or BAH factored into qualifying income. Having a loan officer who has personally lived the military move — not just read about it in a guideline manual — changes how those conversations go.
Above the pier and in the hillside neighborhoods, prices push past conforming limits, which is where full VA entitlement matters most: no VA loan limit means a Marine can finance a seven-figure San Clemente home with nothing down. Lender overlays vary wildly at that level, and as a broker Cris shops the file rather than accepting one bank's answer.
Who you would be working with
Cris Pacheco is a mortgage loan officer serving San Clemente 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.
San Clemente 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 San Clemente
San Clemente mortgage questions
+Can active-duty Marines at Camp Pendleton buy in San Clemente with no money down?
Yes. Eligible active-duty service members and Veterans can purchase with $0 down using a VA loan, and with full entitlement there is no VA loan limit — so San Clemente's coastal price points are reachable. We pull your Certificate of Eligibility at no cost to confirm exactly what you qualify for.
+Can I use BAH as income to qualify for a San Clemente home?
Generally yes — Basic Allowance for Housing is typically counted as qualifying income for VA loans, and because it's non-taxable it can be grossed up in some calculations. We'll model your specific pay structure, including BAS and special pays where allowed.
+What if I already used my VA loan at a previous duty station?
You may still have remaining entitlement, or you may be able to restore it. Multiple simultaneous VA loans are possible in PCS situations. This is a common San Clemente scenario and worth a 15-minute call before you assume you can't buy.
+Am I exempt from the VA funding fee?
If you receive VA disability compensation, you're generally exempt — which saves thousands at closing. It's a detail some lenders overlook. We check it on every single Veteran file, first thing.
Ready to make a move in San Clemente?
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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