Mortgage by CountyWhat home buyers actually paid, county by county

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

Tennessee · Chattanooga, TN-GA

Marion County, TN: mortgages, home buyers & loan limits

What buyers in Marion 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 244 home-purchase mortgages for owner-occupied, single-family homes in Marion County, TN. The median buyer borrowed $265,000 on a home valued at $305,000 and reported a household income of $96,000.

Buyers financed a median 94.5% of the home's value (roughly 5.5% down), paid a median 6.625% on 30-year fixed conventional loans and faced median conventional loan costs of $4,750.

Lenders denied 6.2% 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
$96,000
U.S. $116,000
30-yr fixed rate
6.625%
U.S. 6.625%
Loan costs
$4,750
Conventional · U.S. $5,570
Denial rate
6.2%
Purchase · U.S. 8.5%

Key facts about Marion County mortgages

  • Home buyers' median income ($96,000) is 17% lower than the U.S. median ($116,000).
  • Median conventional loan costs ($4,750) were 15% lower than the U.S. median ($5,570).
  • USDA rural loans financed 6.1% of purchases.
  • The most common age bracket among borrowers was 25–34 (25.9% of purchase loans).
  • 47.9% of purchase mortgages had a single borrower with no co-applicant.

National rank among 1,994 counties with at least 100 purchase loans: median income of home buyers 917th · median home-purchase loan 943rd · median conventional loan costs 982nd · purchase application denial rate 1492nd. See rankings.

2026 loan limits in Marion 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 Marion County, TN: 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 Tennessee counties: Tennessee 2026 loan limits. FHFA and HUD normally announce the next year's limits in late November.

Who bought homes in Marion County

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

Purchase loans
244
of 274 applications
Buyer income
$96,000
Middle half $68,000–$155,000
Home value
$305,000
Middle half $225,000–$495,000
Loan amount
$265,000
Middle half $195,000–$425,000
Down payment
5.5%
37.9% put 20%+ down
Single borrower
47.9%
No co-applicant

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

Loan type

Conventional 54.9% 134
FHA 27.0% 66
VA 11.9% 29
USDA 6.1% 15

What the homes were for

Primary residence 86.8% 264
Second home 7.2% 22
Investment property 5.9% 18

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

Borrower age

Under 25 11.5%
25–34 25.9%
35–44 18.9%
45–54 16.5%
55–64 18.9%
65–74 7.8%
75 and over 0.4%

Debt-to-income ratio

Under 20% 3.9%
20–29% 15.2%
30–35% 15.7%
36–42% 29.1%
43–49% 27.8%
50–60% 8.3%
Over 60% 0.0%

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

What borrowing cost in Marion 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.

MeasureMarion CountyTennesseeU.S.
30-year fixed rate · conventional6.625%6.624%6.625%
30-year fixed rate · FHA6.375%6.250%6.250%
30-year fixed rate · VA—6.125%6.125%
15-year fixed rate · conventional—5.875%5.875%
Rate spread vs. APOR · conventional+0.24 pts+0.11 pts+0.13 pts
Total loan costs · conventional$4,750$5,320$5,570
Total loan costs · FHA$8,920$11,030$11,310
Total loan costs · VA—$6,110$6,490
Origination charges (all loan types)$2,060$2,080$1,860
Borrowers paying discount points47.0%55.6%51.3%
Points paid, when paid (% of loan)0.56%0.89%0.87%
Borrowers receiving lender credits26.3%30.1%33.1%
Adjustable-rate mortgages7.8%6.6%7.4%
Jumbo loans (above conforming limit)4.5%3.2%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

Marion County: 17 of 274 completed home-purchase applications were denied (6.2%).

Denial rate

ApplicationMarion CountyTennesseeU.S.
Home purchase6.2%7.7%8.5%
Conventional6.0%6.6%7.1%
FHA5.3%10.3%12.5%
VA3.2%7.2%8.0%
USDA—11.6%12.5%
Refinance16.1%16.3%17.9%
Cash-out refinance32.6%30.7%33.6%

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 Marion County

Refinances
97
Median loan $255,000
Refi rate
6.375%
30-yr fixed, conv.
Refi loan costs
$5,020
Conventional
Cash-out refis
94
Median loan $205,000
Cash-out rate
—
30-yr fixed, conv.
Cash-out income
$85,000
Median borrower

Top mortgage lenders in Marion County

103 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 35 8.1% — — — —
2 FirstBank 29 6.7% 4.5% — — —
3 Citizens Tri-County Bank 28 6.4% — — — —
4 United Wholesale Mortgage (UWM) 21 4.8% — — — —
5 Union Home Mortgage Corp. 21 4.8% — — — —
6 Tennessee Valley FCU 18 4.1% — — — —
7 loanDepot.com, LLC 12 2.8% — — — —
8 Navy Federal Credit Union 11 2.5% — — — —
9 Veterans United Home Loans 11 2.5% — — — —
10 Magnolia Bank, Incorporated 11 2.5% — — — —
11 Builtwell Bank 10 2.3% — — — —
12 Movement Mortgage, LLC 9 2.1% — — — —
13 Freedom Mortgage Corporation 9 2.1% — — — —
14 First Jackson Bank, Inc. 9 2.1% — — — —
15 Click n' Close, Inc. 8 1.8% — — — —
16 New American Funding 7 1.6% — — — —
17 First Community Mortgage, Inc. 7 1.6% — — — —
18 CrossCountry Mortgage, Inc. 7 1.6% — — — —
19 CMG Mortgage, Inc. 6 1.4% — — — —
20 Fairway Independent Mortgage Corporation 6 1.4% — — — —
21 Mortgage Investors Group, Inc. 6 1.4% — — — —
22 Ark-La-Tex Financial Services, LLC. 5 1.1% — — — —
23 Tower Community Bank 5 1.1% — — — —
24 Highlands Residential Mortgage, Ltd. 5 1.1% — — — —
25 Mr. Cooper 5 1.1% — — — —

Lenders in Marion County, TN. 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 Marion County

Typical effective property-tax rate 0.43% = 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
Grundy County, TN19 mi86$235,000$86,000$832,750$541,287
Dade County, GA20 mi106$275,000$100,000$832,750$541,287
Sequatchie County, TN20 mi147$305,000$107,000$832,750$541,287
Hamilton County, TN23 mi4,010$325,000$115,000$832,750$541,287
Franklin County, TN28 mi384$275,000$92,000$832,750$541,287
Catoosa County, GA31 mi732$275,000$90,000$832,750$541,287

Frequently asked questions

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

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

How much do home buyers in Marion County earn?

The median household income reported on 2025 home-purchase mortgages was $96,000; the middle half of buyers reported $68,000 to $155,000.

What mortgage rate did buyers in Marion 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 Marion County?

6.2% of completed home-purchase applications were denied in 2025.

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