Buying a home in Nipomo
An unincorporated community the County governs, outside the Coastal Zone and inside the eligible area on USDA's map. In the Nipomo Mesa Water Conservation Area, the County requires new homes and second units to offset their water use before it issues a construction permit.
Nipomo at a glance
What the public records say about building, insuring and lending here. Each line names the record it was read from.
- Local government
- An unincorporated community governed by San Luis Obispo County, whose inland ADU ordinance applies.Source: San Luis Obispo County, ADU pre-screening checklist
- Coastal Zone
- The community lies outside it.Source: San Luis Obispo County, Dana Reserve environmental report, land use
- Fire hazard zones
- Very High, High and Moderate zones in parts of the community, some in the local responsibility area and some in the State's.Source: State Fire Marshal, fire hazard severity zone map
- Flooding
- FEMA maps flood zones along Nipomo Creek, Deleissigues Creek, the Tefft Road tributary and other streams.Source: FEMA Flood Map Service Center, Nipomo
- USDA home loans
- Inside the eligible area on USDA's map, which USDA notes is not a final determination for an address.Source: USDA Rural Development, property eligibility map
- Water
- In the Nipomo Mesa Water Conservation Area, new homes and second units offset their new water use before a construction permit.Source: San Luis Obispo County, new construction in water conservation areas
What a loan meets in Nipomo
Rules in the public record that can bear on buying in Nipomo.
Water offsets come before the building permit
In the Nipomo Mesa Water Conservation Area, a new home, mobile home, second unit, guest house or pool has to offset its new water use at least one for one before the County issues a construction permit. Additions, replacement homes and expansions of existing buildings are exempt. A construction or ADU budget here carries the cost of the offset.
Sources:San Luis Obispo County, new construction in water conservation areas
Wells, septic systems and second units
An accessory dwelling unit is not allowed on a parcel smaller than one acre that is served by its own well. For a second unit, the County's checklist asks that an on-site well meet the County's pumping standard for each home and pass a potability clearance before a permit, and that a parcel without sewer have a septic system that meets the County's program.
Inside USDA's map
USDA's eligibility map places Nipomo inside the area its home loan programs serve, and USDA says viewing the map is not a final determination of a property's eligibility.
Loans that come up in Nipomo
Programs with a rule that touches something on this page, and the rule. Other programs can work here too.
- USDA loan
USDA's map places Nipomo inside its eligible area, so a USDA loan can be on the table here, within USDA's household income limit.
- Construction loan
In the Nipomo Mesa Water Conservation Area, a new home buys its water offset before the County issues a construction permit.
- ADU financing
In the Nipomo Mesa Water Conservation Area a second unit offsets its water use before a permit, and a parcel under one acre on its own well cannot add one at all.
Our services in Nipomo
What each of these means here, from the records this page cites. The service pages explain each in full.
Pre-qualification letter in Nipomo
In Nipomo, the listing agent reads your pre-qualification letter with the water and the lot in view. A parcel here can be served by its own well and a septic system. The County's checklist for a second unit asks that an on-site well meet the County's pumping standard and pass a potability clearance, and a septic system meet the County's program. An appraisal and a lender ask about those too, so a letter written before you know the water source can name the wrong program. In the Nipomo Mesa Water Conservation Area, a new home offsets its water use before the County issues a construction permit. That is a cost for a construction plan rather than for a letter on an existing home. USDA's map places Nipomo inside its eligible area, so your letter can name a USDA loan where your income and the address fit. Very High, High and Moderate fire zones lie in parts of the community, so the insurance premium a lender counts in your payment depends on the parcel. Should the price sit above the county's conforming limit, your letter has to name a jumbo loan rather than a conventional one. Our letter states the program and the amount your file supports and says, plainly, that it is not a commitment to lend.
Sources:FHFA conforming loan limits by countySan Luis Obispo County, ADU pre-screening checklistSan Luis Obispo County, new construction in water conservation areasUSDA Rural Development, property eligibility mapState Fire Marshal, fire hazard severity zone map
More on the Central Coast:The Central Coast, town by townThe county's loan limitsCentral Coast questions
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This page is general information about buying in Nipomo, not an offer of credit or a commitment to lend. The records it cites change, and what a lender will do with a file depends on the file.
Tell us about the house in Nipomo
Start with a few questions about the property and your plans, or call and ask.
No credit pull to get started. This is not a commitment to lend. Equal Housing Opportunity.