Hot Spring County, AR: mortgages, home buyers & loan limits
What buyers in Hot Spring County actually borrowed, earned and paid in 2025, from the official Home Mortgage Disclosure Act records — plus the 2026 conforming and FHA loan limits.
HMDA 2025 data released June 23, 2026 · Loan limits for calendar year 2026
In 2025, lenders reported 217 home-purchase mortgages for owner-occupied, single-family homes in Hot Spring County, AR. The median buyer borrowed $175,000 on a home valued at $195,000 and reported a household income of $74,000.
Buyers financed a median 96.5% of the home's value (roughly 3.5% down), paid a median 6.75% on 30-year fixed conventional loans and faced median conventional loan costs of $3,360.
Lenders denied 14.0% of completed home-purchase applications.
Key facts about Hot Spring County mortgages
- Home buyers' median income ($74,000) is 20% lower than the Arkansas median ($93,000).
- The median 30-year fixed conventional rate here was 13 basis points above the U.S. median (6.625%).
- Median conventional loan costs ($3,360) were 40% lower than the U.S. median ($5,570).
- FHA loans made up 27.6% of purchase mortgages, versus 21.1% nationally.
- USDA rural loans financed 18.4% of purchases.
- 19.1% of buyers put at least 20% down (financed 80% or less), compared with 38.5% nationally.
- 23.0% of single-family purchase mortgages financed manufactured homes.
- The most common age bracket among borrowers was 25–34 (36.4% of purchase loans).
- 59.5% of purchase mortgages had a single borrower with no co-applicant.
- The most-cited reason for denial was credit history (30.6% of denials with a stated reason).
National rank among 1,994 counties with at least 100 purchase loans: median income of home buyers 1802nd · median home-purchase loan 1735th · median conventional loan costs 1671st · purchase application denial rate 110th. See rankings.
2026 loan limits in Hot Spring County
| Property | Conforming 2026 | vs 2025 | FHA 2026 | vs 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 unit | $832,750 | +$26,250 | $541,287 | +$17,062 |
| 2 units | $1,066,250 | +$33,600 | $693,050 | +$21,850 |
| 3 units | $1,288,800 | +$40,650 | $837,700 | +$26,425 |
| 4 units | $1,601,750 | +$50,500 | $1,041,125 | +$32,825 |
2026 limits for Hot Spring County, AR: conforming (Fannie Mae / Freddie Mac) from FHFA; FHA forward-mortgage limits from HUD. FHA limit is at the national floor for low-cost areas. Loans above the conforming limit are "jumbo" loans.
All Arkansas counties: Arkansas 2026 loan limits. FHFA and HUD normally announce the next year's limits in late November.
Who bought homes in Hot Spring County
Home-purchase mortgages for owner-occupied, single-family (1–4 unit) site-built homes, first liens, originated in 2025.
Values are medians; "middle half" is the 25th to 75th percentile.
Loan type
What the homes were for
All first-lien, closed-end purchase mortgages, including second homes and investors.
Borrower age
Debt-to-income ratio
Monthly debts (including the new payment) as a share of income, as used in underwriting.
What borrowing cost in Hot Spring County
Medians for 2025 home-purchase loans. Total loan costs are section D of the Loan Estimate/Closing Disclosure (lender and third-party loan charges, excluding taxes, prepaids and escrow). FHA and VA costs include the upfront mortgage insurance premium or VA funding fee, so compare like with like.
| Measure | Hot Spring County | Arkansas | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30-year fixed rate · conventional | 6.750% | 6.625% | 6.625% |
| 30-year fixed rate · FHA | 6.375% | 6.250% | 6.250% |
| 30-year fixed rate · VA | — | 6.250% | 6.125% |
| 15-year fixed rate · conventional | — | 5.875% | 5.875% |
| Rate spread vs. APOR · conventional | +0.51 pts | +0.17 pts | +0.13 pts |
| Total loan costs · conventional | $3,360 | $3,850 | $5,570 |
| Total loan costs · FHA | $7,500 | $8,060 | $11,310 |
| Total loan costs · VA | — | $4,330 | $6,490 |
| Origination charges (all loan types) | $1,590 | $1,800 | $1,860 |
| Borrowers paying discount points | 54.9% | 51.2% | 51.3% |
| Points paid, when paid (% of loan) | 0.92% | 0.72% | 0.87% |
| Borrowers receiving lender credits | 34.0% | 30.2% | 33.1% |
| Adjustable-rate mortgages | 7.8% | 4.8% | 7.4% |
| Jumbo loans (above conforming limit) | 0.0% | 1.3% | 3.8% |
Medians are shown only when at least 30 loans report the field. Rates are those reported at closing; market rates changed during 2025, which the rate spread (APR minus the average prime offer rate on the lock date) adjusts for.
Approvals and denials
Hot Spring County: 36 of 258 completed home-purchase applications were denied (14.0%).
Denial rate
| Application | Hot Spring County | Arkansas | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Home purchase | 14.0% | 8.5% | 8.5% |
| Conventional | 16.7% | 7.9% | 7.1% |
| FHA | 11.4% | 9.7% | 12.5% |
| VA | — | 8.3% | 8.0% |
| USDA | 12.5% | 8.6% | 12.5% |
| Refinance | 19.2% | 16.7% | 17.9% |
| Cash-out refinance | 35.8% | 36.8% | 33.6% |
Main reason for purchase denials
First reason the lender reported.
Denial rate = denied ÷ (originated + approved but not accepted + denied). Withdrawn and incomplete applications are excluded. Differences between places reflect who applies, not only lender behavior.
Refinancing in Hot Spring County
Top mortgage lenders in Hot Spring County
74 lenders originated at least one home-purchase or refinance loan here in 2025. The table ranks them by loan count; pricing columns compare conventional purchase loans only.
| # | Lender | Loans | Share | Denial rate | 30-yr rate* | Spread* | Costs* |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rocket Mortgage, LLC | 27 | 8.1% | — | — | — | — |
| 2 | Southern Bancorp Bank | 25 | 7.5% | 5.0% | — | — | — |
| 3 | GMFS LLC | 21 | 6.3% | 0.0% | — | — | — |
| 4 | Diamond Lakes Federal Credit Union | 19 | 5.7% | — | — | — | — |
| 5 | Fairway Independent Mortgage Corporation | 19 | 5.7% | 5.0% | — | — | — |
| 6 | Firsttrust Home Loans, Inc. | 17 | 5.1% | — | — | — | — |
| 7 | Flanagan State Bank | 13 | 3.9% | — | — | — | — |
| 8 | SWBC Mortgage Corporation | 13 | 3.9% | — | — | — | — |
| 9 | Veterans United Home Loans | 12 | 3.6% | — | — | — | — |
| 10 | Eustis Mortgage Corporation | 8 | 2.4% | — | — | — | — |
| 11 | Community Mortgage Corporation | 8 | 2.4% | — | — | — | — |
| 12 | Pennymac Loan Services, LLC | 8 | 2.4% | — | — | — | — |
| 13 | Arkansas Federal Credit Union | 7 | 2.1% | — | — | — | — |
| 14 | Freedom Mortgage Corporation | 7 | 2.1% | — | — | — | — |
| 15 | Ark-La-Tex Financial Services, LLC. | 6 | 1.8% | — | — | — | — |
| 16 | United Wholesale Mortgage (UWM) | 6 | 1.8% | — | — | — | — |
| 17 | The Malvern National Bank | 6 | 1.8% | — | — | — | — |
| 18 | Farmers Bank & Trust Company | 5 | 1.5% | — | — | — | — |
| 19 | First Community Mortgage, Inc. | 5 | 1.5% | — | — | — | — |
| 20 | Bank OZK | 5 | 1.5% | — | — | — | — |
| 21 | Better Mortgage Corporation | 5 | 1.5% | — | — | — | — |
| 22 | Arvest Bank | 5 | 1.5% | — | — | — | — |
| 23 | First Security Bank | 4 | 1.2% | — | — | — | — |
| 24 | Diamond Bank | 4 | 1.2% | — | — | — | — |
| 25 | Newrez LLC | 4 | 1.2% | — | — | — | — |
Lenders in Hot Spring County, AR. Loans = home-purchase, refinance and cash-out originations (2025); share = share of those loans here; denial rate = home-purchase applications. *Medians for conventional home-purchase loans, shown with at least 20 loans; spread = APR minus the average prime offer rate at rate lock (percentage points); costs = total loan costs (section D).
Check a quote for Hot Spring County
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Compare your origination charges and total loan costs with 2025 loans of the same type and size in Arkansas and Hot Spring County.
Monthly payment calculator
Principal, interest, property tax (0.48% typical effective rate here) and insurance, with Hot Spring County defaults.
Typical effective property-tax rate 0.48% = median real estate taxes ÷ median home value, U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2020–2024 5-year estimates.
Nearby counties
| County | Distance | Purchase loans | Median loan | Buyer income | Conforming limit | FHA limit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Garland County, AR | 22 mi | 841 | $225,000 | $87,000 | $832,750 | $541,287 |
| Clark County, AR | 22 mi | 133 | $175,000 | $73,000 | $832,750 | $541,287 |
| Saline County, AR | 28 mi | 1,751 | $235,000 | $93,000 | $832,750 | $541,287 |
| Dallas County, AR | 29 mi | 29 | — | — | $832,750 | $541,287 |
| Grant County, AR | 30 mi | 170 | $205,000 | $87,000 | $832,750 | $541,287 |
| Pike County, AR | 42 mi | 29 | — | — | $832,750 | $541,287 |
Frequently asked questions
What is the 2026 conforming loan limit in Hot Spring County?
$832,750 for a one-unit home (FHFA). Two- to four-unit limits are $1,066,250, $1,288,800, $1,601,750. Loans above the limit are jumbo loans and are not eligible for purchase by Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac.
What is the 2026 FHA loan limit in Hot Spring County?
$541,287 for a one-unit home (HUD). This is the national floor for low-cost areas.
How much do home buyers in Hot Spring County earn?
The median household income reported on 2025 home-purchase mortgages was $74,000; the middle half of buyers reported $51,000 to $111,000.
What mortgage rate did buyers in Hot Spring County get in 2025?
The median rate on 30-year fixed conventional purchase loans was 6.75%; FHA borrowers paid a median 6.375%. These are rates locked during 2025; check today's rates with several lenders.
How often are mortgage applications denied in Hot Spring County?
14.0% of completed home-purchase applications were denied in 2025; the most common stated reason was credit history.
Sources: FFIEC/CFPB HMDA 2025 public loan/application register (Snapshot as of June 1, 2026); FHFA 2026 conforming loan limits; HUD 2026 FHA forward-mortgage limits; U.S. Census Bureau. Figures describe typical 2025 loans, not your offer. Methodology