Mortgage Broker in Boston, MA
Most Boston homes that sell are condominiums, and the size of the building decides how hard a lender looks at it. We shop your mortgage across many lenders and match it to the building you’re buying.
Free Quick Chat
Tell us the building. A licensed loan officer calls you back. No credit pull to start.
We can pre-qualify you and show you options from several lenders. GoldCoast is a mortgage broker, not a lender.Thank you
Your request is in. A licensed loan officer will call you back, usually the same day. If it’s urgent, call 978-922-4446.
Figures from Redfin city data, the City of Boston FY2026 assessing file and FRED (Boston metro).
Boston Mortgages in 2026
Three Units, More Room
Suffolk County’s 2026 conforming limits climb with the unit count. A three-unit buyer gets $526,950 more room under the jumbo line than a single-family buyer on the same street.
| One unit | $962,550 |
|---|---|
| Two units | $1,232,250 |
| Three units | $1,489,500 |
| Four units | $1,851,100 |
City Down Payment Help
Boston’s own first-time buyer program covers a condo or a one-to-three family you’ll live in.
| Under 100% of area median income | Up to $50,000 |
|---|---|
| 101% to 135% | Up to $35,000 |
Buyers moving in from outside Boston get it as a 0% deferred loan since September 14, 2026. First-time buyers at or under area median income also skip the agencies’ loan-level fees.
What Affects a Boston Loan
Building Size
Lenders skip project review on condo buildings of two to four units, and on five to ten units outside a larger development. A tower gets the full review of the association’s finances.
What changed in 2026
The lighter review path retired on August 3, 2026, and required reserves rise from 10 to 15 percent of the association budget on January 4, 2027.
The 6(d) Certificate
Every Massachusetts condo sale needs a 6(d) certificate from the association showing what the seller owes. Ask for it two to four weeks before closing.
Why the lender won't close without it
Under Chapter 183A, unpaid condo fees outrank a first mortgage for up to six months of assessments. A slow management company is the most common reason a Boston closing slides.
Exemption Timing
Boston’s residential exemption took $4,353.74 off a fiscal 2026 owner-occupier bill. Record the deed and move in before July 1 and you may qualify for the fiscal year that starts that July.
Why the listing's tax may not be yours
Only 36.8 percent of Boston three-families get the exemption, so the tax on a listing may be an investor’s full bill.
Boston Flood Zones
can change your flood zone in Boston. Fan Pier in the Seaport is in FEMA’s high-risk AE zone. Sleeper Street, one block inland, is Zone X.
The waterfront flood maps in force date from July 3, 2024. In a high-risk zone the lender requires flood insurance, so check the address before you offer.
Check an address with usLive FEMA flood layer. Official determinations: FEMA's Map Service Center.
Boston Loan Details
Water Commission Service
The Boston Water and Sewer Commission serves the whole city, buying its water wholesale from the MWRA. No well test, no septic inspection.
No Rural Loans
USDA's zero-down mortgage is for rural addresses, and no part of Boston qualifies. The city's own program is the low-down route here.
Tax Votes
Boston has never held a Prop 2½ override vote. Voters took up the Community Preservation Act in 2016, adding 1% to bills, figured after the first $100,000 of value.
| Flood zones | Set address by address. The Seaport, East Boston and Charlestown waterfront carry AE zones. |
|---|---|
| Tax rate | Fiscal 2026 residential rate $12.40, with owner-occupiers' bills cut by the exemption. |
| MBTA Communities zoning | Not in play. The state rule is in Chapter 40A, which leaves Boston out. |
| Recording | 24 New Chardon Street. $155 for the deed, $205 for the mortgage. |
Run Your Closing Costs
Type any Boston price. It adds four months of tax escrow and the registry fees.
What will closing cost in Boston?
Start from Boston's median price or type your own. Every line below is an estimate you can adjust.
Prefilled with the Boston median. Change it to the house you are actually looking at.
Changes the loan amount, which moves several buyer line items.
| Line item | Estimate |
|---|---|
| Total | $0 |
The property tax, the deed excise and the recording fees above use Boston's own figures: its current tax rate, its median sale price and the fees charged at its registry of deeds.
Talk to GoldCoast about your home ownership planAn estimate, not a quote. GoldCoast Mortgage Service is an independent mortgage brokerage, so we shop your loan across lenders rather than selling one bank's product. We can pre-qualify you and put real numbers against the house you are actually looking at.
An estimate, not a quote. Your Loan Estimate from the lender is the real number.
From Renting in Boston to Owning
Two numbers settle it: the payment your rent would cover, and the cash to close. The calculator above covers the cash. These cover the rest.
Why a Local Broker
- We shop your loan across many lenders. A bank can only offer its own.
- We know Boston's paperwork, from 6(d) certificates to condo project review.
- A licensed loan officer picks up, not a call center.
Loan officers John Donlon, owner (NMLS #4931), Jeff Rolke (NMLS #1217216) and Matthew Teeter (NMLS #20485).
"John Donlon and his team at GoldCoast Mortgage are amazing to work with and made the whole process incredibly easy!!"Fred Berg, Google review
- A 15-minute quick chatNo credit pull to start.
- Your pre-qualificationWhat each loan type would cost on this home.
- We shop the lendersYou choose the loan and terms that fit.
Boston Mortgage Questions
Do I need a jumbo loan in Boston?
Usually not. The median Boston sale is about $859,000, under the $962,550 one-unit limit at any common down payment. A two-to-four-unit building has a much higher limit.
Is now a good time to buy in Boston?
We won't push you. A slower market gives a buyer time to ask questions, and city single-family prices were down about 8.4 percent year over year in May.
Do you work in every Boston neighborhood?
Yes, from East Boston and Charlestown to Hyde Park and West Roxbury. One loan officer handles your file start to finish.
Bring Us the Building
Send us the listing. We'll tell you how a lender will treat the building before you make an offer.
Nearby: Chelsea · Cambridge · Somerville · Brookline · Everett · Winthrop · Dorchester · Refinancing in Boston · Every town we serve
GoldCoast Mortgage Service, Inc., 100 Cummings Center, Suite 544H, Beverly, MA 01915. 978-922-4446.
NMLS #1841. Massachusetts Division of Banks Mortgage Broker License #MB1841. GoldCoast is a mortgage broker, not a lender. Loan approval, rates and terms are set by the lender.