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Lehigh Valley · PennsylvaniaFrom Allentown to Coopersburg: what changes locally, what does not, and how to find out in fifteen minutes what you actually qualify for.
Lehigh County, with its county seat in Allentown, takes in Allentown, Bethlehem, Emmaus, Whitehall, Macungie and Coopersburg. Stellar lends across all of Pennsylvania, and Lehigh County files are handled from our Southampton, PA office by a licensed officer you can reach directly.
The 2026 baseline conforming limit is $832,750 nationally, and that is the figure that applies in Lehigh County. Loans above it are jumbo, which means tighter reserves and different pricing.
Lehigh County is the western half of the Lehigh Valley, with Allentown at its center and Bethlehem straddling the line with Northampton County. The Valley has been one of the fastest-growing regions in the state for years, driven by logistics and warehouse employment along Route 22 and I-78 and by commuters who moved out from New Jersey and New York for lower prices. Allentown's West End and the boroughs of Emmaus, Catasauqua and Coplay are older twins and singles; Whitehall, South Whitehall, Upper Macungie and Lower Macungie are where the new construction is, in the Parkland and East Penn school districts.
New construction brings its own lending questions: builder contracts with long settlement windows, rate lock timing and builder incentives that have to be documented as seller contributions. Older Allentown and Bethlehem housing brings the condition items an FHA appraiser looks for. We handle both regularly, and Lehigh County is far enough from our Southampton office that we work most files by phone, secure portal and e-signature, with in-person closings through the title company.
Lehigh County is PHFA territory, and the agency's assistance pairs with FHA, VA, USDA and conventional loans for buyers within its limits. Elmer Perez, our Spanish-speaking branch manager, works with Lehigh Valley buyers in Spanish, and a Spanish-language version of this page is available.
In Pennsylvania, closings are typically handled by a title company. Transfer tax is customarily split between buyer and seller, property taxes are paid to the county, municipality, and school district, and older housing stock can bring lead-paint, knob-and-tube, or well-and-septic questions into the appraisal.
FHA limits are set by HUD county by county, and PHFA income and purchase price caps change periodically. We check the current figures for Lehigh County on every file rather than quoting from memory. Official source: PHFA. VA and USDA $0-down loans are available where the borrower and property qualify; USDA eligibility is address-specific, so we check the property on the USDA map before assuming either way.
Yes. Stellar Mortgage Corporation is licensed in Pennsylvania and lends in all 67 counties, including Lehigh County. Our head office is in Southampton, Bucks County, and every file is handled by a licensed loan officer with a direct line.
For 2026 the one-unit conforming limit in Lehigh County is $832,750, the FHFA baseline. Loans above that are jumbo, which brings tighter reserve and credit requirements. FHA limits are set separately by HUD and are usually lower; we check both for the property address before quoting.
PHFA, the state housing agency, offers first mortgages paired with down payment and closing cost assistance for eligible Pennsylvania buyers, and Stellar is an approved PHFA lender. Income and purchase price limits are set by county and change periodically, so we confirm the current Lehigh County figures on your file rather than quoting them here. Some counties and municipalities run their own programs as well; ask your officer what is funded right now.
Once we have your application, credit, and the documents on our checklist, most buyers have a letter within one to two business days. If you have already found a home in Allentown or anywhere else in Lehigh County and are writing an offer, tell us on the form and we prioritize the file.
Conforming limit shown is the 2026 FHFA figure for Lehigh County. FHA limits and state agency caps are set by HUD and PHFA and change periodically. Verify on the official source. Not a commitment to lend.
Three quick steps, about a minute. No Social Security number, no pay stubs. A licensed officer from our Southampton office calls you back, usually the same business day.
Ready to see what you qualify for?