Conventional Investment in Santa Rosa

It depends where in the price range your deal sits. As of mid-2026, Santa Rosa's median sale price runs around $815,000 and the Sonoma County median around $842,000. Both figures sit near or above the conforming loan limit depending on the year's figure, so a purchase toward the top of that range can push past what a standard conventional loan covers, while a purchase priced below it fits squarely. We check your address and price against that year's limit before telling you conventional is the right structure, rather than assuming blanket coverage across the county.

Rarely, given how high the entry basis runs here. A minimum-loan-size floor matters most in markets where typical purchase prices are low; with a Santa Rosa median around $815,000 and a countywide median around $842,000 as of mid-2026, most conventional purchases in this metro clear that floor without issue. The binding constraint runs the other direction, whether the price sits under that year's conforming ceiling, not whether it clears a floor.

When your file qualifies on documented income and you want the lowest long-term cost, not the fastest close. Conventional asks for full income documentation and tops out at 80% LTV, in exchange for pricing that is usually the lowest-cost option on a buy-and-hold. DSCR qualifies on the property's rent instead of your tax returns, which is the better fit if your return doesn't reflect your real cash flow or you're scaling past what a conventional file supports. On a straightforward, well-documented Santa Rosa purchase inside the conforming range, conventional is usually the one to start with.

Your tax bill locks to the price you pay at closing, then grows at most 2% a year no matter how much the property appreciates. Sonoma County's most common total ad valorem rate inside Santa Rosa is 1.1375% of assessed value, the 1% Prop 13 base plus voter-approved school, junior college, and water project bond levies. On an $815,000 purchase that pencils to roughly $9,271 in the first year (815,000 x 0.011375). Over a 30-year fixed conventional term, that capped growth is a genuinely favorable mechanic once you get past the first bill, and it's a bigger factor in an amortizing long hold than in a shorter-term loan. Rates vary by tax rate area even within Santa Rosa, from about 1.1025% to 1.1710%, so confirm the parcel's specific rate with your CPA before you finalize the numbers.

Yes, on the exit side. Santa Rosa and Petaluma each add a $2.00 per $1,000 city transfer tax on top of the county's $1.10 per $1,000, with no exemption for assumed loans on the city portion. Healdsburg, Rohnert Park, Windsor, Sebastopol, Cotati and the City of Sonoma levy no city transfer tax at all. On an $815,000 exit, that's roughly $2,526.50 in Santa Rosa or Petaluma versus about $896.50 in one of the other six cities, a real difference to model into your hold-and-exit math even though it doesn't touch the financing itself.

It is standard, competitively priced financing for a non-owner-occupied investment property, the long-term loan you take when your file fits the conventional box. It usually carries a lower rate than a bridge or DSCR loan, in exchange for full documentation.

A conventional loan qualifies on your documented personal income and credit, while a DSCR loan qualifies on the property's rent. Conventional pricing is often lower if you can document your income and you are within the limit on financed properties; DSCR is easier to scale and skips the income docs. We compare both and put you in the one that fits.

Plan on roughly 20% to 25% down on an investment-property purchase, with the best pricing at lower leverage and higher credit. Cash-out refinances are typically capped a bit lower than purchases.

Conventional investment financing generally wants a credit score around 580 or higher, and your rate improves meaningfully as your score and reserves go up. We will tell you up front where your file lands.

Purchases, rate-and-term refinances, and cash-out refinances on non-owner-occupied 1-4 unit investment property. If you will live in the property, that is owner-occupied financing, which we refer to a trusted partner rather than originate here.

Because it is fully documented, expect to provide income verification, tax returns, bank statements, and the standard conventional paperwork. If that documentation is a hurdle, our DSCR and bank-statement programs are the no-tax-return alternatives.