All-in cost first, always. Estimate only — not a loan quote or pre-approval.
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Tell us your income and savings instead, and we'll work out the max home price and a qualification signal for California.
How much house can I afford in California? →California Housing Finance Agency down payment/closing cost assistance loan, paired with a CalHFA Dream For All Conventional first mortgage, providing up to 20% of the purchase price (capped at $150,000) with no monthly payments; repaid at sale/refinance/payoff as the original amount plus a share of the home's appreciation. Distributed via a registration period and randomized voucher drawing when demand exceeds funding, not first-come-first-served.
Deferred-payment, 0%-interest (simple interest) junior loan for down payment and/or closing costs — up to 3.5% of the purchase price when paired with an FHA/government first mortgage, or up to 3% with a conventional CalHFA first mortgage; repaid only upon sale, refinance, or payoff of the first mortgage.
California's base transfer tax is only 0.11%, or $995 on a $904,640 median home, but city add-ons and a huge price base push closing costs to $18,093 and up.
Private mortgage insurance explained in plain English — what it costs, why it exists, the exact federal rules for cancelling it, and how to work out the month your PMI is scheduled to end.
The operational guide to buying property with a partner, friend, sibling, or parent — credit and DTI mechanics, title vesting, a clause-by-clause co-ownership agreement, and how the exit actually works.
A month-by-month plan for the year before you buy: what to do in each phase, what never to touch, how to document every dollar, and how to survive closing day.