NMLS #2560393Licensed mortgage broker in New Jersey
From Elizabeth's multi-family blocks to Westfield and Summit — one broker, the full program range.
AI REMCO L.L.C. is a licensed mortgage broker (NMLS #2560393) based in Oldwick, in Tewksbury Township, serving borrowers throughout Union County. You deal with the owner, Lawrence Higgins, MS, CFM from application through closing. Here that often means commuters looking in Westfield, Summit, Cranford or Scotch Plains, and a property tax bill that carries real weight in the monthly payment.
Union County holds one of the widest price ranges of any county in New Jersey inside a small geographic area. Elizabeth is the county's largest city and one of the state's most active markets for two-to-four unit buildings and first purchases; Westfield, Summit, New Providence, Berkeley Heights and Mountainside sit far higher on the price scale; Linden, Rahway, Roselle, Plainfield and Union Township fall in between and each behave differently.
That spread means the program conversation changes town by town rather than countywide. An owner-occupied three-family in Elizabeth and a single-family purchase in Summit are different files in almost every respect — documentation, program eligibility, appraisal approach and loan size — even though they sit fifteen minutes apart.
Multi-unit housing is central to how people buy in the county's eastern cities. Owner-occupied two-to-four unit purchases let a portion of the rent from the other units support qualification, which is one of the more practical routes into ownership in Elizabeth, Roselle and parts of Linden and Plainfield. How much rent counts depends on the program and on the documentation available.
Rail access organizes the higher-priced western towns. NJ Transit's Raritan Valley Line and the Midtown Direct service through Summit anchor demand in Westfield, Cranford, Summit and Fanwood, and appraisers weigh walkability to a station when selecting comparables.
The western and central towns each price on their own terms. Scotch Plains, Clark and Springfield are steady single-family markets with commuters on the Parkway, Route 22 and I-78; Berkeley Heights, New Providence and Mountainside sit closer to Summit in price and often need jumbo or high-balance financing. On the eastern side, Rahway and Linden have their own train stations and more attainable prices. Across all of them, property taxes vary enough from one municipality to the next that the same purchase price can mean a noticeably different monthly payment.
Union County has a large stock of pre-1978 housing, particularly in Elizabeth, Roselle, Plainfield and Hillside. FHA and VA appraisals apply property standards conventional appraisals do not, and paint condition, roof life, heating systems and safety items commonly appear as conditions to resolve. Anticipating that keeps the closing timeline realistic.
Investor activity is steady across the eastern half of the county, ranging from first-time owner-occupants buying a duplex to established landlords adding buildings. For a conventional investment-property loan, we review personal income, existing mortgage obligations, documented rent and cash reserves together.
Most Union County files land in one of a few programs: First-time home buyer financing in Union County, FHA loans in Union County and Conventional loans in Union County. Business owners can start with a self-employed mortgage documented from returns or bank statements, and first-time buyers should read how New Jersey down payment assistance pairs with a first mortgage.
Loan limit figures published by the Federal Housing Finance Agency for 2026 — fhfa.gov conforming loan limits. Last reviewed 2026-09-05. For reference only.
Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates; FHFA House Price Index, county annual, 2025; FEMA OpenFEMA, National Flood Insurance Program data, as of August 2026. Public estimates for the county as a whole, for general information only; they are not an appraisal, a tax figure for any property or a prediction.
Government and Freddie Mac data, updated as each source publishes.
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Sources: Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, HMDA data (loans originated); U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey; Freddie Mac House Price Index (FMHPI). Figures describe the past and are for general information only; they are not an appraisal, a forecast or an offer of credit.
The Raritan Valley Line, Morris & Essex Line, Route 22 and the Garden State Parkway shape commuting across the county.
AI REMCO L.L.C. is based in Oldwick, NJ, in Tewksbury Township, and serves borrowers throughout Union County — we do not maintain a branch office in every county we serve.
Owner-occupied multi-unit purchases can use FHA or conventional financing, and part of the rent from the other units may support qualification. Non-owner-occupied purchases move to conventional investment-property financing with different documentation.
Older housing across Elizabeth, Roselle, Plainfield and Hillside frequently draws appraisal-noted repairs under FHA and VA property standards. Those are conditions to resolve rather than automatic declines, but they affect timing.
Summit, Westfield, New Providence and Mountainside often price above conforming limits, where reserve and documentation expectations are deeper and appraisal review is closer.
Effective tax rates differ sharply between Union County towns, and taxes are escrowed into the payment underwriters measure. We work from the actual figure for the parcel.
Older houses converted to two or three units sometimes share meters or heating systems. Lenders and appraisers treat that differently by program, and it can affect both eligibility and value.
State assistance, employer programs and lender credits can sometimes combine with a first mortgage, but each carries its own eligibility rules and not every pairing is permitted. We confirm the combination before you rely on it.
Reserves, master insurance, investor concentration and litigation are reviewed alongside the borrower. Projects that clear one lender's standard can fail another's.
In parts of Elizabeth and Linden, appraisers account for adjacency to industrial and port uses when selecting comparables. It is a normal adjustment, but it can affect value conclusions on otherwise similar homes.
New Jersey property taxes are set at the municipal level and vary widely between neighboring towns, so two similarly priced homes can carry very different monthly payments. Lenders escrow taxes and insurance in most cases, which means the tax bill affects both the payment and the income you need to qualify. We use the actual assessed figure for the parcel rather than a county average, and any figure we quote before the tax collector's current bill is confirmed is an estimate.
New Jersey closings are attorney-review based on the contract side and involve title search, survey where required, recording fees and the state's realty transfer fee on a sale. Those third-party costs are set by the provider, the county clerk and the state — not by the broker — and appear on the Loan Estimate and Closing Disclosure the lender issues.
Documents, the appraisal, credit review, rate locks and refinancing work the same way in every county: see how the mortgage process works.
Union County is a high-cost area for 2026: its one-unit conforming limit of $1,209,750 sits above the national baseline of $832,750. A loan up to that county limit is still conforming here, so buyers can finance more before jumbo credit, reserve and appraisal guidelines apply.
Union County is one of the state's busiest first-purchase markets.
Heavily used in Elizabeth, Roselle, Linden and Plainfield, including owner-occupied multi-unit purchases.
The standard path across Cranford, Westfield, Scotch Plains and the western towns.
NJHMFA programs pair with a first mortgage for eligible Union County buyers.
Required across Summit, Westfield, New Providence and Mountainside price points.
For self-employed borrowers and files agency guidelines do not fit.
Financing for eligible veterans and service members countywide.
The 2026 FHFA one-unit conforming loan limit in Union County is $1,209,750. Loan amounts at or below that figure follow conventional conforming guidelines; above it, the loan is a jumbo and is underwritten to the investor's own credit, reserve and appraisal requirements.
Yes — owner-occupied two-to-four unit purchases are among the most common transactions in eastern Union County, and both FHA and conventional financing support them. Part of the rent from the other unit may help you qualify, depending on the program and the documentation of existing rents.
It varies by program, by whether you will occupy a unit, and by what documentation exists — signed leases, tax returns showing rental history, or the appraiser's market-rent analysis. We structure the file around what the specific building supports.
Many do. FHA and VA appraisals apply property standards conventional appraisals do not, and common findings on older housing include paint condition, roof life and safety items. They become conditions to resolve, which affects timing more than approval.
Yes. AI REMCO L.L.C. is licensed throughout New Jersey and handles files across all of Union County. The program and the structure differ considerably between those markets; the licensing does not.
Often, but each assistance program sets its own eligibility rules and not every combination is permitted with every first mortgage. We verify the specific pairing before you count on it.
Shared utilities and single-meter setups affect how the property is classified and appraised, and lenders treat them differently by program. It does not necessarily prevent financing, but it should be identified before the appraisal.
All of them. AI REMCO L.L.C. is licensed as a mortgage broker in New Jersey and works with borrowers anywhere in Union County, including municipalities not listed on this page. Files are handled remotely from Tewksbury, New Jersey — there is no Union County branch office.
Yes. Taxes and insurance are part of the housing expense a lender counts, so a higher tax bill reduces the loan amount a given income supports. We use the parcel's actual assessed figure where available, and treat pre-closing figures as estimates.
Reach a licensed loan officer at (732) 561-4292 or [email protected]. Mon–Fri, 9am–8pm ET.
Verified against public program guidance as of September 2026.
