Mortgage lender in Monmouth County, NJ

Buying in Monmouth County

Monmouth County, with its county seat in Freehold, takes in Freehold, Middletown, Howell, Marlboro, Long Branch, Red Bank and Manalapan. Stellar lends across all of New Jersey, and Monmouth County files are handled from our Hamilton, NJ office by a licensed officer you can reach directly.

2026 conforming limit

$1,209,750 (high-cost area)

2026 FHA limit

$1,249,125 (one-unit, set by HUD)

Above that

Jumbo pricing

Closing handled by

attorney

State housing agency

NJHMFA (participating lender)

Your office

Hamilton, NJ

2026 limits for a one-unit property. Monmouth County is designated a high-cost area for conforming loans. Sources: FHFA conforming loan limit values and HUD FHA mortgage limits.

Monmouth County sits inside the New York metropolitan high-cost area, so its conforming limit is $1,209,750, the FHFA high-cost limit for this area, rather than the national baseline of $832,750. That matters: a loan that would be jumbo elsewhere in New Jersey can still be a conforming loan here, with conforming pricing and guidelines.

Monmouth County: western townships and the shore

Monmouth County is two markets. Western Monmouth is Freehold, Marlboro, Manalapan, Howell, Colts Neck and Holmdel, family suburbs with large lots, strong schools and commuters on the NJ Transit North Jersey Coast and Route 9 corridors. The shore side runs from Middletown, Red Bank and Rumson down through Long Branch, Asbury Park, Belmar and Manasquan, where the housing stock ranges from converted summer bungalows to riverfront estates. Prices are high in both halves, and the county is part of the New York high-cost area, so the conforming limit is the higher New York-area limit.

On the shore the flood zone is part of every conversation. We pull the FEMA determination on the property before you write the offer, price flood insurance into the payment, and check the elevation certificate where one exists, because post-Sandy elevation and insurance rules can move a payment materially. Older shore homes also bring condition and foundation items into the appraisal. Inland, Colts Neck, Millstone and parts of Howell have well and septic properties, and a few addresses fall inside USDA's eligible area.

Attorney review follows the signed contract, and NJHMFA assistance pairs with FHA, VA, USDA and conventional loans for buyers within the agency's limits. Monmouth files are handled from our Hamilton branch by a licensed New Jersey officer, and Russian- and Ukrainian-language versions of this page are available.

Monmouth County by the numbers

Median home value

$606,100 (Census Bureau, ACS 2020–2024, table B25077)

Typical property tax

Median tax bill of $10,000 or more, the highest bracket the Census Bureau reports (Census Bureau, ACS 2020–2024, table B25103)

Transfer tax

Realty Transfer Fee on a graduated schedule per $500 of the price, charged to the seller (New Jersey Division of Taxation)

Largest communities

Middletown Township, Howell Township, Marlboro Township, Manalapan Township (Census Bureau, ACS 2020–2024, table B01003)

The county median home value is $606,100. The 2026 one-unit conforming loan limit here is $1,209,750 and the FHA limit is $1,249,125.

Census figures are survey estimates for owner-occupied homes, not appraisals or tax quotes. We use the actual tax bill for the property when we quote.

Closing and programs in New Jersey

Closings in New Jersey are typically handled by an attorney. The closing process, state transfer and recording taxes and first-time buyer programs are covered on the New Jersey page. Property taxes are set locally; we take the figure from the tax record for the address.

Questions Monmouth County buyers ask

Conforming limit shown is the 2026 FHFA figure for Monmouth County. FHA limits and state agency caps are set by HUD and NJHMFA and change periodically. Verify on the official source. Not a commitment to lend.