Mortgage by CountyWhat home buyers actually paid, county by county

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

North Carolina · Winston-Salem, NC

Forsyth County, NC: mortgages, home buyers & loan limits

What buyers in Forsyth 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 4,132 home-purchase mortgages for owner-occupied, single-family homes in Forsyth County, NC. The median buyer borrowed $275,000 on a home valued at $325,000 and reported a household income of $98,000.

Buyers financed a median 92.1% of the home's value (roughly 7.9% down), paid a median 6.625% on 30-year fixed conventional loans and faced median conventional loan costs of $4,690.

Lenders denied 7.1% 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
$98,000
U.S. $116,000
30-yr fixed rate
6.625%
U.S. 6.625%
Loan costs
$4,690
Conventional · U.S. $5,570
Denial rate
7.1%
Purchase · U.S. 8.5%

Key facts about Forsyth County mortgages

  • Home buyers' median income ($98,000) is 12% lower than the North Carolina median ($111,000).
  • Median conventional loan costs ($4,690) were 16% lower than the U.S. median ($5,570).
  • The most common age bracket among borrowers was 25–34 (34.3% of purchase loans).
  • 56.1% of purchase mortgages had a single borrower with no co-applicant.
  • The most-cited reason for denial was debt-to-income ratio (46.1% of denials with a stated reason).

National rank among 1,994 counties with at least 100 purchase loans: median income of home buyers 861st · median home-purchase loan 835th · median conventional loan costs 1020th · purchase application denial rate 1242nd. See rankings.

2026 loan limits in Forsyth 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 Forsyth County, NC: 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 North Carolina counties: North Carolina 2026 loan limits. FHFA and HUD normally announce the next year's limits in late November.

Who bought homes in Forsyth County

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

Purchase loans
4,132
of 4,552 applications
Buyer income
$98,000
Middle half $68,000–$147,000
Home value
$325,000
Middle half $255,000–$425,000
Loan amount
$275,000
Middle half $215,000–$355,000
Down payment
7.9%
34.2% put 20%+ down
Single borrower
56.1%
No co-applicant

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

Loan type

Conventional 71.2% 2,940
FHA 19.8% 817
VA 8.9% 368
USDA 0.2% 7

What the homes were for

Primary residence 95.6% 4,182
Second home 1.4% 62
Investment property 3.0% 131

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

Borrower age

Under 25 5.6%
25–34 34.3%
35–44 24.0%
45–54 15.4%
55–64 11.7%
65–74 6.5%
75 and over 2.4%

Debt-to-income ratio

Under 20% 4.9%
20–29% 16.1%
30–35% 15.2%
36–42% 26.0%
43–49% 29.1%
50–60% 8.3%
Over 60% 0.5%

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

What borrowing cost in Forsyth 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.

MeasureForsyth CountyNorth CarolinaU.S.
30-year fixed rate · conventional6.625%6.500%6.625%
30-year fixed rate · FHA6.375%6.250%6.250%
30-year fixed rate · VA6.250%6.125%6.125%
15-year fixed rate · conventional5.750%5.750%5.875%
Rate spread vs. APOR · conventional+0.13 pts+0.04 pts+0.13 pts
Total loan costs · conventional$4,690$4,840$5,570
Total loan costs · FHA$10,170$10,360$11,310
Total loan costs · VA$4,200$6,600$6,490
Origination charges (all loan types)$2,290$1,890$1,860
Borrowers paying discount points50.8%49.4%51.3%
Points paid, when paid (% of loan)0.98%0.93%0.87%
Borrowers receiving lender credits27.1%30.0%33.1%
Adjustable-rate mortgages13.1%13.3%7.4%
Jumbo loans (above conforming limit)2.0%3.4%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

Forsyth County: 322 of 4,552 completed home-purchase applications were denied (7.1%).

Denial rate

ApplicationForsyth CountyNorth CarolinaU.S.
Home purchase7.1%7.6%8.5%
Conventional5.9%6.6%7.1%
FHA11.2%12.3%12.5%
VA6.5%6.1%8.0%
USDA—11.8%12.5%
Refinance18.7%15.9%17.9%
Cash-out refinance33.4%34.1%33.6%

Main reason for purchase denials

Debt-to-income ratio 46.1%
Credit history 18.1%
Collateral (appraisal/property) 11.5%
Other 10.0%
Unverifiable information 5.0%
Credit application incomplete 4.4%
Insufficient cash (down payment/closing costs) 2.8%
Employment history 2.2%

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 Forsyth County

Refinances
703
Median loan $275,000
Refi rate
6.25%
30-yr fixed, conv.
Refi loan costs
$4,110
Conventional
Cash-out refis
877
Median loan $205,000
Cash-out rate
6.75%
30-yr fixed, conv.
Cash-out income
$74,000
Median borrower

Top mortgage lenders in Forsyth County

303 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 Rocket Mortgage, LLC 462 8.1% 11.4% 6.875% +0.36 $5,050
2 State Employees' 371 6.5% 11.3% 6.500% −0.38 $4,520
3 Atlantic Bay Mortgage Group, L.L.C. 294 5.1% 1.4% 6.625% +0.34 $6,520
4 Movement Mortgage, LLC 236 4.1% 1.7% 6.625% +0.26 $5,060
5 United Wholesale Mortgage (UWM) 224 3.9% 11.0% 6.615% +0.20 $5,510
6 Fairway Independent Mortgage Corporation 209 3.7% 4.3% 6.625% +0.32 $5,480
7 First National Bank of Pennsylvania 195 3.4% 10.5% 6.375% +0.10 $4,590
8 Highlands Residential Mortgage, Ltd. 191 3.3% 2.0% 6.625% +0.26 $6,060
9 Vanderbilt Mortgage and Finance, Inc. 178 3.1% 3.2% 5.990% −0.29 $6,230
10 Allegacy Federal Credit Union 124 2.2% 2.6% 6.500% −0.02 $5,100
11 Prosperity Home Mortgage, LLC 123 2.1% 1.0% 6.500% +0.08 $6,100
12 Truist Bank 123 2.1% 5.8% 6.490% −0.00 $4,040
13 Veterans United Home Loans 122 2.1% 9.5% — — —
14 Freedom Mortgage Corporation 106 1.9% — — — —
15 Truliant Federal Credit Union 99 1.7% 18.1% 6.625% +0.19 $3,470
16 Lennar Mortgage, LLC 98 1.7% 6.6% 6.125% −0.15 $1,230
17 CrossCountry Mortgage, Inc. 92 1.6% 1.3% 6.750% +0.61 $6,200
18 JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. 78 1.4% 3.2% 6.500% +0.05 $4,010
19 Rate 75 1.3% 0.0% 6.625% +0.28 $4,500
20 Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. 72 1.3% 22.2% 6.375% −0.04 $4,400
21 Pennymac Loan Services, LLC 71 1.2% — — — —
22 U.S. Bank, N.A. 70 1.2% 17.7% 6.625% +0.13 $3,810
23 DHI Mortgage Company, Ltd. 68 1.2% 20.7% 5.375% −1.18 $2,460
24 Envoy Mortgage, LTD 68 1.2% 0.0% 6.625% +0.33 $6,250
25 Canopy Mortgage, LLC 56 1.0% 0.0% 6.500% +0.17 $6,430

Lenders in Forsyth County, NC. 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 Forsyth County

Typical effective property-tax rate 0.79% = 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
Stokes County, NC18 mi418$275,000$91,000$832,750$541,287
Davie County, NC21 mi515$295,000$99,000$832,750$541,287
Yadkin County, NC23 mi271$245,000$85,000$832,750$541,287
Davidson County, NC23 mi1,948$275,000$91,000$832,750$541,287
Guilford County, NC26 mi4,641$285,000$101,000$832,750$541,287
Surry County, NC31 mi430$235,000$82,000$832,750$541,287

Frequently asked questions

What is the 2026 conforming loan limit in Forsyth 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 Forsyth County?

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

How much do home buyers in Forsyth County earn?

The median household income reported on 2025 home-purchase mortgages was $98,000; the middle half of buyers reported $68,000 to $147,000.

What mortgage rate did buyers in Forsyth County get in 2025?

The median rate on 30-year fixed conventional purchase loans was 6.625%; 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 Forsyth County?

7.1% 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