Mortgage by CountyWhat home buyers actually paid, county by county

Independent analysis of official mortgage recordsHMDA 2025 · 7,155,718 applications

Michigan

Van Buren County, MI: mortgages, home buyers & loan limits

What buyers in Van Buren 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 554 home-purchase mortgages for owner-occupied, single-family homes in Van Buren County, MI. The median buyer borrowed $255,000 on a home valued at $295,000 and reported a household income of $91,000.

Buyers financed a median 90% of the home's value (roughly 10% down), paid a median 6.625% on 30-year fixed conventional loans and faced median conventional loan costs of $4,010.

Lenders denied 7.4% of completed home-purchase applications.

Conforming limit 2026
$832,750
1-unit home · FHFA
FHA limit 2026
$541,287
1-unit home · HUD
Buyer income
$91,000
U.S. $116,000
30-yr fixed rate
6.625%
U.S. 6.625%
Loan costs
$4,010
Conventional · U.S. $5,570
Denial rate
7.4%
Purchase · U.S. 8.5%

Key facts about Van Buren County mortgages

  • Home buyers' median income ($91,000) is 22% lower than the U.S. median ($116,000).
  • Median conventional loan costs ($4,010) were 28% lower than the U.S. median ($5,570).
  • FHA loans made up 14.6% of purchase mortgages, versus 21.1% nationally.
  • Second homes accounted for 16.2% of first-lien purchase mortgages — a vacation-home market.
  • 10.6% of single-family purchase mortgages financed manufactured homes.
  • The most common age bracket among borrowers was 25–34 (34.4% of purchase loans).
  • 53.1% of purchase mortgages had a single borrower with no co-applicant.
  • The most-cited reason for denial was debt-to-income ratio (25.0% of denials with a stated reason).

National rank among 1,994 counties with at least 100 purchase loans: median income of home buyers 1092nd · median home-purchase loan 995th · median conventional loan costs 1409th · purchase application denial rate 1138th. See rankings.

2026 loan limits in Van Buren County

PropertyConforming 2026vs 2025FHA 2026vs 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 Van Buren County, MI: 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 Michigan counties: Michigan 2026 loan limits. FHFA and HUD normally announce the next year's limits in late November.

Who bought homes in Van Buren County

Home-purchase mortgages for owner-occupied, single-family (1–4 unit) site-built homes, first liens, originated in 2025.

Purchase loans
554
of 606 applications
Buyer income
$91,000
Middle half $68,000–$134,000
Home value
$295,000
Middle half $225,000–$375,000
Loan amount
$255,000
Middle half $185,000–$325,000
Down payment
10%
37.9% put 20%+ down
Single borrower
53.1%
No co-applicant

Values are medians; "middle half" is the 25th to 75th percentile.

Loan type

Conventional 74.5% 413
FHA 14.6% 81
VA 9.2% 51
USDA 1.6% 9

What the homes were for

Primary residence 82.4% 630
Second home 16.2% 124
Investment property 1.4% 11

All first-lien, closed-end purchase mortgages, including second homes and investors.

Borrower age

Under 25 12.1%
25–34 34.4%
35–44 21.0%
45–54 13.9%
55–64 11.6%
65–74 6.3%
75 and over 0.7%

Debt-to-income ratio

Under 20% 4.2%
20–29% 15.5%
30–35% 19.7%
36–42% 27.7%
43–49% 25.9%
50–60% 6.7%
Over 60% 0.4%

Monthly debts (including the new payment) as a share of income, as used in underwriting.

What borrowing cost in Van Buren 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.

MeasureVan Buren CountyMichiganU.S.
30-year fixed rate · conventional6.625%6.625%6.625%
30-year fixed rate · FHA6.490%6.625%6.250%
30-year fixed rate · VA6.250%6.250%6.125%
15-year fixed rate · conventional—5.875%5.875%
Rate spread vs. APOR · conventional+0.28 pts+0.23 pts+0.13 pts
Total loan costs · conventional$4,010$4,140$5,570
Total loan costs · FHA$9,260$8,350$11,310
Total loan costs · VA$5,450$4,830$6,490
Origination charges (all loan types)$1,570$1,610$1,860
Borrowers paying discount points43.5%45.5%51.3%
Points paid, when paid (% of loan)0.67%0.56%0.87%
Borrowers receiving lender credits28.2%35.1%33.1%
Adjustable-rate mortgages5.8%7.1%7.4%
Jumbo loans (above conforming limit)0.9%1.6%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

Van Buren County: 45 of 606 completed home-purchase applications were denied (7.4%).

Denial rate

ApplicationVan Buren CountyMichiganU.S.
Home purchase7.4%7.8%8.5%
Conventional5.4%6.1%7.1%
FHA15.3%15.5%12.5%
VA8.9%9.6%8.0%
USDA—10.6%12.5%
Refinance18.4%16.0%17.9%
Cash-out refinance32.5%31.1%33.6%

Main reason for purchase denials

Debt-to-income ratio 25.0%
Credit history 22.7%
Collateral (appraisal/property) 20.5%
Credit application incomplete 13.6%
Employment history 6.8%
Insufficient cash (down payment/closing costs) 4.5%
Other 4.5%
Unverifiable information 2.3%

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 Van Buren County

Refinances
148
Median loan $235,000
Refi rate
6.50%
30-yr fixed, conv.
Refi loan costs
$3,140
Conventional
Cash-out refis
154
Median loan $165,000
Cash-out rate
6.75%
30-yr fixed, conv.
Cash-out income
$72,000
Median borrower

Top mortgage lenders in Van Buren County

115 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.

#LenderLoansShareDenial rate30-yr rate*Spread*Costs*
1 Consumers Credit Union 88 10.3% 4.4% 6.750% +0.24 $3,520
2 Rocket Mortgage, LLC 65 7.6% 30.6% — — —
3 United Wholesale Mortgage (UWM) 65 7.6% 0.0% — +0.32 $4,810
4 Honor Credit Union 56 6.5% 7.7% — +0.19 $3,050
5 Lake Michigan Credit Union 52 6.1% 2.2% 6.500% +0.11 $3,590
6 Arbor Financial Credit Union 40 4.7% 0.0% 6.125% +0.12 $4,070
7 GVC Mortgage, Inc. 32 3.7% 0.0% — — —
8 Union Home Mortgage Corp. 30 3.5% 3.7% — — —
9 Fifth Third Bank, N.A. 24 2.8% — — — —
10 Veterans United Home Loans 23 2.7% — — — —
11 Success Mortgage Partners, Inc. 20 2.3% — — — —
12 Sturgis Bank & Trust Company 18 2.1% — — — —
13 The Huntington National Bank 17 2.0% — — — —
14 Mercantile Bank 16 1.9% — — — —
15 United Federal Credit Union 15 1.8% — — — —
16 CrossCountry Mortgage, Inc. 15 1.8% — — — —
17 Independent Bank 14 1.6% — — — —
18 GreenStone Farm Credit Services, Flca 11 1.3% — — — —
19 First Community Mortgage, Inc. 10 1.2% — — — —
20 Mortgage Center L.c 10 1.2% — — — —
21 JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. 9 1.1% — — — —
22 PNC Bank, N.A. 8 0.9% — — — —
23 Navy Federal Credit Union 7 0.8% — — — —
24 Flagstar Bank, N.A. 7 0.8% — — — —
25 5493001i9vot1btb5v75 6 0.7% — — — —

Lenders in Van Buren County, MI. 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 Van Buren County

Typical effective property-tax rate 1.23% = median real estate taxes ÷ median home value, U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2020–2024 5-year estimates.

Nearby counties

CountyDistancePurchase loansMedian loanBuyer incomeConforming limitFHA limit
Allegan County, MI10 mi1,087$285,000$103,000$832,750$541,287
Cass County, MI30 mi422$235,000$90,000$832,750$541,287
Kalamazoo County, MI40 mi2,386$235,000$96,000$832,750$541,287
Berrien County, MI41 mi1,229$235,000$90,000$832,750$541,287
St. Joseph County, IN46 mi2,448$205,000$78,000$832,750$541,287
St. Joseph County, MI48 mi553$195,000$75,000$832,750$541,287

Frequently asked questions

What is the 2026 conforming loan limit in Van Buren 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 Van Buren County?

$541,287 for a one-unit home (HUD). This is the national floor for low-cost areas.

How much do home buyers in Van Buren County earn?

The median household income reported on 2025 home-purchase mortgages was $91,000; the middle half of buyers reported $68,000 to $134,000.

What mortgage rate did buyers in Van Buren County get in 2025?

The median rate on 30-year fixed conventional purchase loans was 6.625%; FHA borrowers paid a median 6.49%. These are rates locked during 2025; check today's rates with several lenders.

How often are mortgage applications denied in Van Buren County?

7.4% of completed home-purchase applications were denied in 2025; the most common stated reason was debt-to-income ratio.

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