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Home / Washington Licensed Statewide · Firefighter-Owned

Washington Mortgage Broker.
From Puget Sound
To The Palouse.

Hero Mortgage Group is a firefighter-owned brokerage licensed across Washington. We close loans from Seattle high-rises to Spokane single-families, from Bellevue tech-corridor townhomes to Vancouver border-county purchases. Washington runs one of the most generous statewide DPA programs in the country (WSHFC Home Advantage) — and one of the highest real-estate excise taxes (REET) on the seller side. We know both, in detail.

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5%
WSHFC Home Advantage DPA
$1.01M
Seattle Metro Loan Limit
0TAX
No State Income Tax
15DAYS
Average Washington Close
Why Hero In Washington

Tech-Speed Closes.
Firehouse Discipline.

Washington has one of the most competitive housing markets in the country — driven by Amazon, Microsoft, Boeing, and the broader Seattle metro tech ecosystem. Multiple-offer situations are routine. Cash buyers are common. The difference between winning and losing an offer is often whether your pre-approval is fully underwritten and your broker can close in 15 days instead of 30.

Hero closes Washington files in 15 days. That speed, combined with the WSHFC DPA programs on every eligible file, is how we help working Washington families compete in a market that's otherwise priced for tech salaries.

Programs · Washington

WSHFC Plus The Full
Wholesale Bench.

WSHFC Home Advantage.

The flagship Washington State Housing Finance Commission DPA program. Pairs a competitive bond-rate first mortgage with up to 5% DPA in a deferred-payment second loan (repaid at sale, refinance, or move). Available statewide; no first-time-buyer requirement. Income limits typically run $145,000–$175,000 depending on county. Pairs with FHA, VA, USDA, or conventional.

Home Advantage is one of the more flexible DPA programs in our 12-state footprint — generous income caps, no first-time-buyer requirement, multiple first-mortgage options. The right starting point for most Washington files.

WSHFC House Key Opportunity.

For first-time buyers in lower income brackets who need deeper assistance. House Key Opportunity bundles a deeper rate discount with DPA layered on top. Strict income limits (significantly below Home Advantage), purchase price caps, and first-time-buyer requirement. The right fit for working-family buyers in Tacoma, Spokane, Yakima, and outside the Seattle high-price metros.

VA Loans In Washington.

Washington has roughly 540,000 veterans — a top-15 state by veteran population. Joint Base Lewis-McChord (the largest military installation on the West Coast), Naval Base Kitsap, Naval Air Station Whidbey Island, and Fairchild AFB all drive significant VA loan volume. The 2026 baseline VA loan limit is $832,750; King, Pierce, and Snohomish counties (Seattle metro) hit the intermediate high-cost tier at approximately $1,009,400.

Conventional & Jumbo.

Above the high-cost ceiling, Seattle metro routinely runs jumbo. Our portfolio-lender bench has appetite for Pacific Northwest tech-employee files — particularly RSU-heavy compensation packages from Amazon, Microsoft, and Meta. We handle the documentation and vesting analysis routinely.

FHA In Washington.

2026 FHA single-family limits run from $524,225 (baseline) to roughly $1,009,400 in Seattle metro counties. Pierce County hits intermediate ($800K range); Snohomish & King at the higher limit. We confirm county-specific 2026 numbers at pre-approval.

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Washington · Statewide Coverage

Coast To The Cascades
To The Palouse.

Washington FAQ

Questions From Washington
Buyers, Answered.

What's the difference between WSHFC Home Advantage and House Key Opportunity?

Home Advantage is the broader program — no first-time-buyer requirement, higher income limits ($145K-$175K typical), DPA up to 5%, and works statewide. House Key Opportunity is for lower-income first-time buyers with deeper rate assistance plus DPA. It has tighter income caps and a first-time-buyer requirement. We model both on every eligible file and pick the lowest combined cost.

How much is Washington's Real Estate Excise Tax (REET)?

REET is graduated by sale price (2026 rates):

  • Up to $500K: 1.10%
  • $500K to $1.5M: 1.28%
  • $1.5M to $3M: 2.75%
  • Over $3M: 3.0%

Paid by the seller, NOT the buyer — so it affects net proceeds, not your buyer-side closing costs. But buyers should know about it when running comparable-sale analysis or negotiating concessions. Our seller net sheet calculator computes REET automatically for Washington sales.

I work at Amazon/Microsoft and have a lot of RSU income. Can it qualify me?

Yes, but the treatment varies by lender. Standard underwriting requires a 2-year history of vesting plus a documented vesting schedule going forward 3+ years. Some lenders use the most recent 12 months of vesting as the qualifying base; others use a 2-year average. RSU income from publicly-traded companies (AMZN, MSFT) qualifies more easily than from private companies. We've placed hundreds of Seattle tech files; we know which lenders handle RSUs cleanly and which don't.

I'm stationed at JBLM. How does my BAH work for a Washington mortgage?

BAH (Basic Allowance for Housing) counts as qualifying income at full value — it's a recurring military benefit. JBLM-area BAH rates are among the higher in the West Coast, which helps Pierce County buyers stretch their qualification. We've routinely structured VA loans for active-duty service members at JBLM, including the dual-active-VA-loan pattern when PCS-ing to a new station and renting out the Washington home.

What's the conforming loan limit for Seattle in 2026?

King, Pierce, and Snohomish Counties sit at the FHFA intermediate high-cost tier of approximately $1,009,400 for single-family in 2026 (up from $977,500 in 2025). Multi-unit limits scale up. Most of the rest of Washington sits at the baseline of $832,750. Above the limit, files go jumbo with our Pacific Northwest portfolio bench.

I'm buying in Vancouver, WA but working in Portland. What should I know?

Border-county pattern. Washington has no state income tax; Oregon has a 9.9% top marginal rate. If you work in Oregon and live in Washington, you pay Oregon income tax on your Oregon-sourced wages. The mortgage underwriting uses your gross income regardless. For your actual cost-of-living math, factor the Oregon tax bite into your take-home. We help you right-size your purchase price to your real net cash flow.

How fast can you close a Washington mortgage in this market?

Our average Washington close is 15 days from contract acceptance — critical in this competitive market. Variables: appraisal turn time (5-8 days in Seattle metro; longer in remote/coastal counties), title work (fast in WA — most title companies clear in 3-5 days), and HOA estoppel where applicable. Strong fully-underwritten pre-approvals plus 15-day closes is how we help working WA families compete with cash offers.

For Every Washington Buyer

Compete With Cash.
Win With Speed.

No documents required to start. Eligibility for Home Advantage, House Key Opportunity, and Washington-specific programs verified on the first call.

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