California payment tool · West Capital Lending, Inc.
California Mortgage Payment Estimator
Estimate the full monthly payment on a California home — principal, interest, property taxes, and insurance — before you fall in love with a listing.
California property taxes work differently than almost anywhere else: Proposition 13 sets the base rate, but reassessment at purchase, voter-approved bonds, and Mello-Roos assessments decide what you'll actually pay. Adam DeCraene (NMLS# 2811542), Mortgage Loan Originator with West Capital Lending, Inc., is licensed statewide in California (CA DRE #02448241) and built this estimator for California buyers.
Run your numbers
Estimate a California Monthly Payment
Enter a home price, your down payment, and a rate you want to test — then add the property taxes and insurance for the specific home you're looking at. The rate is a modeling assumption you control; it is not a rate quote.
Your California scenario
Estimated total monthly payment
$5,045/moPrincipal & interest, plus estimated taxes and insurance, on a $640,000 loan.
Payment breakdown
How the monthly estimate is built
- Loan amount (price − down payment)
- $640,000
- Principal & interest
- $4,045/mo
- Property taxes (est., ÷ 12)
- $800/mo
- Homeowner's insurance (est., ÷ 12)
- $200/mo
- Estimated total monthly payment
- $5,045/mo
Estimates only. This estimator is an educational estimate — not a rate quote, an offer of credit, a commitment to lend, or tax or financial advice. The rate, taxes, and insurance shown are numbers you enter as modeling assumptions. Actual California property taxes depend on the specific property's assessed value and the levies and assessments attached to its parcel, and they change after a sale — confirm a property's taxes with the county assessor. The estimate excludes mortgage insurance (PMI/MIP), HOA dues, Mello-Roos or other special assessments you haven't included in the tax figure, supplemental tax bills, and other costs that may apply to your loan. No personal information is collected by this estimator — your numbers never leave your browser. For exact figures on your situation, talk to Adam DeCraene, Mortgage Loan Originator, NMLS# 2811542 — call or text 949-393-6360.
California tax basics
How California Property Taxes Affect Your Payment
General educational information about how California property taxes work — not tax advice. A specific home's taxes depend on its assessed value and the levies attached to its parcel, and tax bills vary by county and parcel — verify them with the county assessor.
Proposition 13: the 1% base and the 2% cap
California property tax starts with Proposition 13, which sets a base rate of 1% of a property's assessed value. While you own the home, that assessed value can rise by no more than 2% per year — no matter how fast the market value climbs. That's a real benefit for long-time owners, whose tax bills can sit far below what the home would fetch today.
But when a home sells, it is reassessed at the purchase price. As a buyer, your starting assessed value is what you paid — so your tax bill is built from your price, not from the seller's older, capped value.
Bonds and Mello-Roos stack on top
The 1% base rate is only the starting point. Voter-approved bonds and special assessments — most notably Mello-Roos, charged in many newer communities to pay for roads, schools, and other infrastructure — stack on top of the base rate.
That's why real-world California tax bills typically run at an effective rate of about 1.10% to 1.55% or more of the assessed value. Two homes at the same price can carry noticeably different bills depending on which bonds and assessments attach to the parcel — a difference you'll feel in the monthly payment, since taxes are usually collected monthly into escrow as part of it.
Supplemental tax bills: the surprise to budget for
Because your purchase triggers a reassessment, you'll also receive supplemental tax bills. They cover the difference between the prior assessed value and your new assessment, prorated for the part of the tax year you own the home.
The important part: supplemental bills arrive separately from your regular tax bills, and they are not paid through your escrow account — you pay them directly. Buyers who aren't warned are often caught off guard in their first year, so set money aside for one or two supplemental bills after you close.
The homeowner's exemption — and checking your bill
If you own and occupy the home as your principal residence, the homeowner's exemption reduces your taxable value by $7,000. It's a modest saving — worth roughly $70 a year at the 1% base rate — but it's yours to claim by filing with your county assessor after you buy and move in, and it stays in place while the home remains your principal residence.
Because bonds, assessments, and exemptions differ from one parcel to the next, tax bills vary by county and parcel. Before you buy, look at the property's actual tax bill and verify the figures with the county assessor — don't budget from a statewide average or from the seller's old bill.
Worked example
An $800,000 California Purchase, Broken Down
The estimator above, run on its example scenario. The 6.5% rate is an example assumption used for illustration — not a rate quote — and the tax and insurance figures are example amounts to replace with the real ones for any specific home.
The purchase
Example inputs
- Home price
- $800,000
- Down payment (20%)
- $160,000
- Loan amount
- $640,000
- Rate tested (example assumption)
- 6.5%
- Term
- 30 years
- Estimated annual property taxes
- $9,600/yr
- Estimated annual homeowner's insurance
- $2,400/yr
The monthly payment
What the estimator shows for this scenario
- Principal & interest
- $4,045/mo
- Property taxes ($9,600 ÷ 12)
- $800/mo
- Homeowner's insurance ($2,400 ÷ 12)
- $200/mo
- Estimated total monthly payment
- $5,045/mo
Where the tax figure comes from: a sale reassesses the home at its $800,000 purchase price, and this example uses an effective rate of 1.20% — the 1% Prop 13 base plus voter-approved bonds and assessments — for $9,600 a year. A parcel with Mello-Roos could run higher, toward 1.55% or more. And remember the two things this monthly figure does not include: the first year's supplemental tax bills, which you pay directly, and the small offset from the $7,000 homeowner's exemption once you file for it.
Statewide lending
Buying Anywhere in California
Adam DeCraene is licensed statewide in California (CA DRE #02448241) and works with buyers across the state — Los Angeles and Orange County, San Diego, the Bay Area and Silicon Valley, Sacramento, the Central Valley, the Inland Empire, and everywhere in between. The Prop 13 rules on this page apply statewide, but the bonds, Mello-Roos districts, and insurance costs attached to a specific parcel can swing the monthly payment by hundreds of dollars — which is why the estimator asks for the property's own tax figure instead of guessing one.
Relocating to or from California? Adam is licensed in 34 states and the District of Columbia, so he can help with the California purchase and the out-of-state sale or purchase on either side of a move.
First-time buyers: assistance programs exist in California — including state and local programs — that can help with down payment and closing costs, and their terms and availability change over time. Rather than rely on a program list that may be out of date, ask Adam to check the current options across 175 wholesale lenders for your specific situation.
Common questions
California Mortgage & Property Tax FAQs
How are California property taxes figured into a mortgage payment?
Under Proposition 13, California property tax starts with a 1% base rate applied to your home's assessed value, and voter-approved bonds and special assessments — including Mello-Roos in some communities — stack on top, so effective rates commonly run about 1.10% to 1.55% or more of the assessed value. Most lenders collect one-twelfth of the estimated annual tax bill with each monthly mortgage payment, hold it in an escrow account, and pay the county installments from that account when they come due. So your monthly payment is principal and interest, plus one-twelfth of your annual property taxes, plus one-twelfth of your homeowner's insurance — plus mortgage insurance or HOA dues if they apply to your loan.
What is Proposition 13, and how does it affect my property taxes?
Proposition 13 sets California's base property tax rate at 1% of a property's assessed value and caps annual increases in that assessed value at 2%, no matter how fast the market value climbs. When a home sells, however, it is reassessed at the purchase price — so a buyer's starting tax bill is based on what they paid, not on the seller's often much lower assessed value. Long-time owners benefit from the 2% cap; new buyers start fresh at their purchase price and then get the same 2% annual cap going forward.
What is a supplemental tax bill — and is it paid through escrow?
When you buy a California home, the property is reassessed at your purchase price. The supplemental tax bill covers the difference between the prior assessed value and your new assessment, prorated for the part of the tax year you own the home. These bills arrive separately from your regular tax bills and are not paid through your escrow account — you pay them directly. Many buyers are surprised by them, so it is smart to set money aside in your first year for one or two supplemental bills.
What is Mello-Roos?
Mello-Roos is a special tax assessment found in many newer California communities, used to pay for local infrastructure and services such as roads, schools, and utilities. It is charged on top of the Proposition 13 base tax and any voter-approved bonds, which is one reason effective California property tax rates commonly run from about 1.10% to 1.55% or more depending on the parcel. Not every home has Mello-Roos, and the amount varies by community and parcel — check the property's tax bill or ask the county assessor before you buy.
How much down payment do I need to buy a home in California?
It depends on the loan program, not the state. As typical guidelines that vary by lender and borrower profile: conventional loans can start as low as 3% down for qualified buyers, FHA loans at 3.5% down, and VA loans at 0% down for eligible veterans and service members. Larger down payments lower the loan amount and the monthly payment, and putting 20% down on a conventional loan avoids private mortgage insurance. California also has homebuyer assistance programs whose terms change over time. Adam DeCraene shops 175 wholesale lenders and can check which programs and assistance options you qualify for.
Work With Adam
Adam DeCraene — Mortgage Loan Originator, NMLS# 2811542, CA DRE #02448241 — with West Capital Lending, Inc. Run your numbers above, then get the real figures for the specific California home you're considering — with access to 175 wholesale lenders behind the search.