Nassau County Mortgages

A Nassau County mortgage broker is a licensed loan originator who compares mortgage programs from multiple third-party lenders for Long Island buyers and homeowners in Nassau, instead of offering one institution’s products. I’m a mortgage loan originator with Scott Capital Group. I help Nassau clients compare conventional, jumbo, FHA, VA and investment financing, and the lender you choose underwrites and funds the loan.

Prices and property taxes shape almost every financing decision in Nassau. The people I work with here are usually:

• First-time buyers competing in a county where the single-family median is above $900,000. My Long Island first-time home buyer guide walks through the steps and documents.
• Owners moving up whose loan amount lands near the conforming limit, where the rules change. If you need to buy before you sell, see my guide to bridge loans for Nassau County move-up buyers.
• Veterans and service members comparing VA financing with conventional options.
• Homeowners asking whether a refinance, possibly with a CEMA, makes sense.
• Investors buying two- to four-family homes or rentals they won’t live in.

If the tricky part is how you’re paid, I wrote guides on how lenders count income for nurses, teachers, police and firefighters, union members and self-employed borrowers.

Nassau County at a glance

Nassau is made up of three towns (Hempstead, North Hempstead and Oyster Bay), two cities (Glen Cove and Long Beach), 64 incorporated villages, 56 school districts and about 200 special taxing districts, according to the county’s FY2024 Popular Annual Financial Report.

That layering is why I ask for an address early. Your tax bill depends on the town or city, village, school district and special districts a house sits in, so two homes at the same price can carry very different tax bills, and that changes how much house you qualify for. Put the home’s actual bill into my calculator for how much house you can afford, and you’ll see that difference before you make an offer.

Per OneKey MLS, the Nassau County median single-family sales price was $911,000 in August 2026, up 4.7% from a year earlier, after $880,000 in July and $875,000 in June. My Long Island market report for summer 2026 covers the wider region, and my Long Island housing market page lists the Nassau and Suffolk medians month by month, updated after each OneKey MLS release. If your timing is flexible, my look at the best time to buy a house in Nassau shows which months have had the most homes for sale and the most price cuts, from nine years of listing data.

What are the 2026 loan limits in Nassau County?

Nassau County’s 2026 limits for a one-unit home are $1,209,750 for a conforming loan, per FHFA, and $1,249,125 for FHA, per HUD. I check your loan amount against both before we pick a program. HUD’s FHA limits apply to case numbers assigned on or after January 1, 2026.

Limits apply to the loan amount, not the purchase price. Larger loans generally move to jumbo loan programs on Long Island, which set their own guidelines. With VA, a borrower with full entitlement doesn’t have a VA loan limit, but the lender still has to approve the loan and the appraisal has to support the price. Looking outside Nassau? See the 2026 limits for all 62 New York counties.

Who actually makes your Nassau County loan?

In New York, a mortgage banker or a bank makes and funds its own loans. A registered mortgage broker doesn’t lend money; it arranges your loan with a lender. I review your income, assets and credit and compare programs from the lenders I work with. For pre-approval, the credit check is only a soft one, so it won’t affect your credit score. The lender you choose approves, underwrites and funds the loan, and I stay your point of contact through closing.

There is no Nassau County office. You still close with your own real estate attorney and title company, as with any Long Island home purchase.

Loan options for Nassau buyers and owners

FHA loans in Nassau County

HUD says FHA has lower minimum credit score requirements than most conventional mortgages, and gift funds and approved down payment assistance may be used. Two- to four-unit homes may be eligible; a condo generally needs to be in an FHA-approved project or qualify for single-unit approval. Upfront and annual mortgage insurance premiums apply. See FHA loans in Nassau County.

VA loans for Nassau County veterans

Eligible veterans, service members and certain surviving spouses can buy a home of up to four units or a condo in a VA-approved project. Borrowers receiving VA compensation for a service-connected disability don’t pay the VA funding fee. The Nassau County Veterans Service Agency in East Meadow advocates for veterans with the VA. See my guide to VA mortgages for Long Island veterans.

Conventional and jumbo loans in Nassau County

Loans up to the conforming limit follow Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac guidelines; larger loans use jumbo programs. Higher-priced Nassau purchases can fall on either side of that line, so I price both. If you’re looking at a co-op, my guide covers how co-op loans and board approval work in Nassau.

Investment property and DSCR loans in Nassau County

For a rental you won’t live in, some programs qualify on the property’s debt-service coverage ratio, its cash flow divided by its debt payments. See DSCR loans for Nassau County rentals.

One caution on “mother-daughter” listings: in the Town of Hempstead, a Mother-Daughter Use permits a second kitchen in a one-family home for the sole use of the owner’s children or parents, with Board of Appeals approval and a plumbing permit. It is not a rental permit.

Refinancing a Nassau County home

Under New York tax law, a supplemental mortgage generally is not subject to recording tax unless it secures new or further debt, which is the basis for a CEMA. Availability depends on your current lender’s cooperation and the loan type. My guide to Nassau County mortgage refinancing compares rate-and-term, cash-out, FHA Streamline and VA IRRRL refinances and explains how a CEMA works. Its refinance break-even calculator shows how long the savings take to cover the costs.

Reverse mortgages (HECM) in Nassau County, NY

A Home Equity Conversion Mortgage (HECM) is a reverse mortgage insured by FHA, and under HUD’s program rules borrowers must be 62 or older. Before you apply, you complete counseling with a HUD-approved counselor, and you remain responsible for property taxes, homeowners insurance and upkeep on your Nassau home. I compare HECM programs from the lenders I work with, and the lender you choose funds the loan. My Nassau County reverse mortgage (HECM) guide walks through the process, including co-ops, condos and jumbo reverse loans for homes above the HECM limit.

This page is not from HUD or FHA and was not approved by HUD or any government agency.

Property taxes: assessment, grievances and STAR

The county sets assessments

Nassau’s Department of Assessment sets the assessed value of land and improvements on each of about 416,000 parcels, and that value is the basis for property taxes. In Suffolk, each town’s assessor sets assessments instead; my Suffolk County mortgage broker guide covers that system.

Grieving your assessment with ARC

Challenges go to the Assessment Review Commission (ARC) in Mineola, an independent agency separate from the Department of Assessment. For the 2028/29 roll, the tentative roll will be published January 4, 2027, and appeals can be filed through March 1, 2027. If you’re buying, ask your attorney whether a grievance is pending, and budget on the current tax bill rather than a hoped-for reduction. Enter that bill in my Long Island mortgage calculator to see how it shapes your monthly payment.

STAR school tax relief

New owners get STAR as a credit, not an exemption. You register once with the state, and it sends a check or a direct deposit each year you qualify. The Basic STAR credit has a $500,000 income limit. Enhanced STAR needs a resident owner who is 65 or older by December 31, with income of $110,750 or less for 2026 benefits ($113,550 for 2027). In Nassau the state starts sending STAR credits in October, around the first-half school tax that’s due October 1 and payable without penalty through November 10. Glen Cove sets its own dates, so wherever you buy, go by your bill. Eligibility goes by who owned and lived in the house on July 1, so if you close after July 1, your first credit comes the next year. The check goes to you, not your escrow account, so the school tax bill itself isn’t reduced. If you’re 62 or older and weighing a reverse mortgage (HECM), the property taxes stay your obligation under HUD’s rules, so this bill still matters.

Nassau closing costs to plan for

Some of your closing costs come from New York tax law rather than from your loan. The state charges a mortgage recording tax when your mortgage is recorded, and some purchases carry other state taxes at closing, so factor them in before you set a price range. Your Loan Estimate lists these costs, along with the property tax escrow deposit you fund at closing, and your closing attorney confirms the exact amounts. Refinancing? My refinance timeline covers the escrow refund and what happens when a closing lands near a Nassau tax due date.

Flood zones and insurance on the South Shore

If you’re looking at homes near the water in Long Beach, Freeport, Oceanside or Massapequa, put the flood zone on your list right next to the tax bill. FEMA’s flood maps mark the high-risk areas, called special flood hazard areas, with zones that begin with A or V. If the house sits in one of those zones and you buy it with a federally backed mortgage, flood insurance is required as a condition of the loan, and most homeowners policies don’t cover flood damage.

Look up the exact address on FEMA’s Flood Map Service Center at msc.fema.gov before you sign the contract. Zone lines follow the map, not town or ZIP code boundaries, so two houses in the same neighborhood can land in different zones. A lower-risk zone still deserves a quote: FEMA says nearly one-third of National Flood Insurance Program claims from 2014 to 2024 came from outside high-risk areas.

Get that quote early. NFIP premiums depend on where the house sits, how it’s built and what it would cost to rebuild, and every agent quotes the same NFIP rate. In an A or V zone you may need an elevation certificate, which can also point to discounts; your local floodplain manager may already have one on file. A required premium is part of the housing payment the lender looks at, so I build it into your numbers from the start, and you can add an estimate to the insurance line in my mortgage calculator.

Down payment assistance in Nassau County

I offer private down payment assistance programs available through lenders I work with. They are not New York State, Nassau County or town programs and are not affiliated with or endorsed by any government agency, and I’ll check whether one can be paired with your loan when you’re ready to buy. Terms, eligibility and availability vary by program and lender, are subject to credit, income, property and underwriting guidelines, and can change or end without notice; not everyone will qualify. My guide to how down payment assistance works on Long Island explains the common structures.

Step by step: financing a Nassau home with me

1. Start with a call. We talk through your goal, income, savings, credit and the towns you’re considering.
2. Apply online. You complete the application and send pay stubs, W-2s or tax returns and bank statements. My pre-approval document checklist builds the full list from how you’re paid.
3. Compare programs. I price your scenario with third-party lenders, using the property’s actual tax bill once we have one.
4. Get pre-approved. A pre-approval letter goes with your offers so sellers can see your file has been reviewed.
5. Appraisal and underwriting. After the contract of sale is signed, the lender orders the appraisal and underwrites the file, and I work through conditions with you.
6. Close. You close with your attorney and the title company.

Frequently asked questions

About the author Kevin deNeergaard Mortgage Loan Originator, NMLS #2450179 · Scott Capital Group (NMLS #876527)

Founder, The Loan Home Team. I started out as a real estate investor. Now I help buyers, homeowners and investors across Nassau County find the right loan. More about Kevin