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Lehigh Valley · PennsylvaniaFrom Easton to Forks Township: what changes locally, what does not, and how to find out in fifteen minutes what you actually qualify for.
Northampton County, with its county seat in Easton, takes in Easton, Bethlehem, Nazareth, Bath, Palmer Township and Forks Township. Stellar lends across all of Pennsylvania, and Northampton 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 Northampton County. Loans above it are jumbo, which means tighter reserves and different pricing.
Northampton County is the eastern Lehigh Valley, bordered by the Delaware River and New Jersey, which makes it a natural landing spot for buyers who work across the river or commute toward New York on I-78 and Route 22. Easton, the county seat, has a walkable downtown and older housing stock along the river; Bethlehem's Northampton County side includes the historic district and the SteelStacks redevelopment; and Forks, Palmer, Bethlehem Township and Lower Nazareth are where most of the county's newer single-family subdivisions have been built. To the north, Nazareth, Bath and the Slate Belt towns of Bangor, Pen Argyl and Wind Gap are smaller and more affordable, with some addresses inside USDA's eligible area.
Two location-specific items come up here. Easton and the riverfront boroughs have parcels in mapped flood zones along the Delaware and the Lehigh, so we pull the flood determination before you write the offer. And buyers moving from New Jersey are often surprised that Pennsylvania has no attorney review period and that closings run through a title company, so we walk through the timeline at the first call.
Northampton County files are handled from our Southampton office by a licensed Pennsylvania officer, mostly by phone and secure portal given the distance, with PHFA assistance available to buyers within the agency's income and price limits and VA and conventional options for everyone else.
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 Northampton 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 Northampton 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 Northampton 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 Northampton 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 Easton or anywhere else in Northampton 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 Northampton 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?