Why it matters
It is a single number, and it decides more than it seems: once your loan crosses it, the loan stops conforming and each lender's own rules take over. Here is the number for our two counties, the full table by unit count, and how it turns into a home price.
The 2026 table for our counties
The conforming loan limit is the largest loan Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac may buy, and the FHFA, the agency that regulates them, sets it every year. It is set county by county: where local prices run very high, the limit rises; everywhere else the national baseline rules. For 2026, the FHFA's own county list puts Miami-Dade and Broward at the baseline — they are not high-cost counties.
| The property | Miami-Dade and Broward | Monroe (the Keys) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 unit | $832,750 | $990,150 |
| 2 units | $1,066,250 | $1,267,600 |
| 3 units | $1,288,800 | $1,532,200 |
| 4 units | $1,601,750 | $1,904,150 |
Monroe is the only Florida county above the baseline. The national ceiling for high-cost counties is $1,249,125 for one unit (150% of the baseline), and neither Miami-Dade nor Broward is on that list: here the line is the same as in most of the country.
The limit is on the loan, not on the price
The most common confusion: the number does not cap the price of the home, it caps the size of the loan. With a down payment, you can buy above $832,750 and still stay under the limit. This is the exact math for a one-unit home in our counties:
| Your down payment | The top price with the loan at the limit |
|---|---|
| 3% | $858,505 |
| 5% | $876,578 |
| 10% | $925,277 |
| 20% | $1,040,937 |
That is arithmetic on the limit ($832,750 divided by the share you finance), not a quote: your lender confirms the final amount, and for two to four units the limit is the one in its row of the table above. The full loan guide is the conventional loan.
With your numbers, not the example. With five questions and no credit check: how many properties for sale are within your reach and what you'd pay a month.
I want to see what I can buyWhat you gain inside the line, and what changes outside
- Inside (conforming): Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac's published rules govern — the credit floor, down payments from 3% through the conditional paths, and PMI that comes off once you reach 20% equity. It is the standard mold: nearly every lender offers it on similar terms.
- Outside (jumbo): Fannie and Freddie cannot buy the loan, so each lender writes its own rules. There is no official table; market practice is to ask for a larger down payment (often 10–20%), a higher score (often from 700), documented reserves of several payments and full documentation; on very large amounts, sometimes two appraisals.
- The comparison with the other programs is in conventional or government loans; the insurance that rides with a conforming loan on a small down payment, in private mortgage insurance (PMI).
Crossing the line does not ruin the loan: it changes the referee. Inside, published rules that are the same for everyone govern; outside, each lender's do — and with strong credit, a jumbo can compete well.
It is not the only limit: FHA and VA keep their own
The search "loan limits" mixes three different lines, and they are not the same number. The FHA limit is set by HUD, not the FHFA: in Miami-Dade and Broward for 2026 it is $667,000 for one unit — below the conforming line. If your loan is FHA, that is your line, and the full requirements are in FHA minimum requirements.
The VA loan runs on a different rule: with full entitlement there has been no loan cap since 2020; with partial entitlement, the cap is the county conforming limit — here, the same $832,750. The detail is in the VA loan. And USDA does not cap the loan amount: what governs is the household income cap and the home being in an eligible area (the USDA loan).
The programs, for your case. Answer the basics — where you want to buy, the price, how many live in the home and your income — and see which Miami-Dade and Broward programs could fit you, with their amount and whether they are open today.
I want to see my programsHow it is set, and when it changes
The FHFA announces the next year's limit every November, under the formula the law (HERA) prescribes: it moves with the agency's house price index. The 2026 limit rose 3.26% — from $806,500 in 2025 to $832,750 — because that is how much prices rose between the third quarters of 2024 and 2025. It governs loans delivered to Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac from January 1, 2026.
If you buy across the turn of the year, the limit that governs is the one for the year your loan is delivered, not the year of your contract: confirm it with your lender before closing, because a $26,250 annual step can move your loan from one side of the line to the other.
Sources
- Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA), conforming loan limit values for 2026 (announcement of November 25, 2025) and its county list: $832,750 for one unit in Miami-Dade and Broward, with the table by unit count and Monroe at $990,150: fhfa.gov
- HUD, Mortgagee Letter 2025-23: the FHA limits for 2026 — $667,000 for one unit in Miami-Dade and Broward.
- Department of Veterans Affairs (VA): with full entitlement there is no loan limit since 2020; with partial entitlement, the county conforming limit applies.
We tell you whether your loan lands inside or outside.
With the price you are looking at and the down payment you have, we run the number: whether the loan stays under the conforming limit or crosses into jumbo, and what changes either way. Leave us your number and we will go over it with you.
This guide orients you, it does not advise you. The ranges are estimates, and final terms are set by the lender, the insurance company, or the homeowners or building association, based on your specific case.
Whenever you want to move ahead, we handle it with you.