On this page, you’ll find the FHA and conforming loan limits for Riverside County, California in 2019, along with an outlook for 2020. Riverside jumbo loan limits are covered below as well.
Note: All of the information below is current for 2019. This page will be updated in 2020 to reflect any changes for the new year.
Conforming Loan Limits in 2019
A “conforming” loan is a conventional mortgage loan that meets the size restrictions and other parameters used by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. A conforming loan can be sold into the “secondary” mortgage market via those two institutions.
In 2019, the conforming loan limits for Riverside County are:
- One-unit property: $484,350
- Two-unit property: $620,200
- Three-unit property: $749,650
- Four-unit property: $931,600
Note: These limits apply to the entire Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario metropolitan area, and all cities that fall within that metro area.
Anything higher than the amounts shown above would be considered a jumbo mortgage loan (as explained below).
FHA Limits for Riverside County
The Federal Housing Administration (FHA) mortgage-insurance program has its own set of limits. And they are sometimes different from the conforming caps mentioned above.
The 2019 FHA loan limits for Riverside County, CA are:
- One-unit property: $431,250
- Two-unit property: $552,050
- Three-unit property: $667,350
- Four-unit property: $829,350
Note: These figures apply to the entire Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario metropolitan area.
Jumbo Mortgage Threshold
When a person borrows an amount that exceeds the conforming loan limits listed above, it is referred to as a “jumbo” mortgage product.
Technically speaking, there is no official “jumbo loan limit” for Riverside County — or any other county for that matter. While that phrase is commonly used among borrowers, it’s actually a misnomer. There is a conforming limit, as shown above, and anything about that would fall into the jumbo mortgage category.
So, in 2019, the jumbo threshold for a single-family home in Riverside County would be anything greater than $484,350. Depending on the borrower’s qualifications, a mortgage lender might offer a jumbo loan up to $2 million or more. This can vary from one lender to the next.
Home buyers in Riverside seeking a jumbo or “non-conforming” mortgage product might encounter stricter qualification criteria. These loans are larger than their conforming counterpart (hence the name). So there is more risk for the lender. As a result, they often require higher credit scores and larger down payments from borrowers seeking these products.
Home Price Trends and 2020 Outlook
The loan limits for Riverside County were increased from 2018 to 2019, in response to rising home values in the area. But we don’t expect that to happen again, going into 2020.
The limits themselves are based on median home values within a particular area. So when house prices rise significantly over the course of a year, housing officials often raise the FHA, VA and conforming loan limits to keep pace.
That’s what happened in Riverside County. Home values in the area climbed steadily during 2018, so the conforming and FHA mortgage caps were increased for 2019.
At this point, we do not expect housing officials to increase the loan limits for Riverside, California in 2020. It could happen — but it seems unlikely. Home prices in the area haven’t risen that much during 2019.
According to Zillow, the median home value for the county rose by around 1.9% over the past year or so (as of fall 2020). When this page was last updated, the median home price for the Riverside housing market was around $385,000. That’s below the current FHA and conforming loan limits for the county. So there doesn’t seem to be any need to increase them in 2020.
Riverside County Facts & Figures
Riverside County, California is located in the southern portion of the state. It is part of the so-called “Inland Empire,” a large and populous region of the state that’s located east of San Diego County.
Riverside is also the name of the most populous city within this county, and the seat of government. Other major cities include Moreno Valley, Corona, Murrieta, Temecula and Menifee.
Riverside is the fourth most populous county in California (after Los Angeles, San Diego and Orange counties). According to the U.S. Census Bureau, it had a population of 2,450,758 as of 2018. That was an increase of nearly 12% from 2010. Many of those new residents relocated in from more expensive areas of California, like San Diego and the Bay Area.
The broader metropolitan area, commonly referred to as the Inland Empire, is home to more than 4 million residents.
Want to learn more about conforming loan limits and where they come from? Check out this page.