Mortgage by CountyWhat home buyers actually paid, county by county

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

Texas · Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX

Austin County, TX: mortgages, home buyers & loan limits

What buyers in Austin 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 253 home-purchase mortgages for owner-occupied, single-family homes in Austin County, TX. The median buyer borrowed $305,000 on a home valued at $355,000 and reported a household income of $127,000.

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 $8,140.

Lenders denied 11.7% 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
$127,000
U.S. $116,000
30-yr fixed rate
6.625%
U.S. 6.625%
Loan costs
$8,140
Conventional · U.S. $5,570
Denial rate
11.7%
Purchase · U.S. 8.5%

Key facts about Austin County mortgages

  • Median conventional loan costs ($8,140) were 46% higher than the U.S. median ($5,570).
  • FHA loans made up 28.9% of purchase mortgages, versus 21.1% nationally.
  • 19.6% of single-family purchase mortgages financed manufactured homes.
  • The most common age bracket among borrowers was 25–34 (27.3% of purchase loans).
  • 43.9% of purchase mortgages had a single borrower with no co-applicant.
  • The most-cited reason for denial was debt-to-income ratio (55.9% of denials with a stated reason).

National rank among 1,994 counties with at least 100 purchase loans: median income of home buyers 275th · median home-purchase loan 629th · median conventional loan costs 26th · purchase application denial rate 277th. See rankings.

2026 loan limits in Austin 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 Austin County, TX: 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 Texas counties: Texas 2026 loan limits. FHFA and HUD normally announce the next year's limits in late November.

Who bought homes in Austin County

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

Purchase loans
253
of 299 applications
Buyer income
$127,000
Middle half $87,000–$189,000
Home value
$355,000
Middle half $275,000–$525,000
Loan amount
$305,000
Middle half $255,000–$445,000
Down payment
10%
35.4% put 20%+ down
Single borrower
43.9%
No co-applicant

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

Loan type

Conventional 59.3% 150
FHA 28.9% 73
VA 11.1% 28
USDA 0.8% 2

What the homes were for

Primary residence 94.9% 319
Second home 1.5% 5
Investment property 3.6% 12

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

Borrower age

Under 25 8.3%
25–34 27.3%
35–44 22.5%
45–54 22.5%
55–64 10.7%
65–74 6.3%
75 and over 2.4%

Debt-to-income ratio

Under 20% 1.4%
20–29% 12.4%
30–35% 12.9%
36–42% 24.0%
43–49% 33.6%
50–60% 13.8%
Over 60% 1.8%

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

What borrowing cost in Austin 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.

MeasureAustin CountyTexasU.S.
30-year fixed rate · conventional6.625%6.500%6.625%
30-year fixed rate · FHA6.058%5.990%6.250%
30-year fixed rate · VA—5.990%6.125%
15-year fixed rate · conventional—5.750%5.875%
Rate spread vs. APOR · conventional+0.29 pts+0.09 pts+0.13 pts
Total loan costs · conventional$8,140$6,860$5,570
Total loan costs · FHA$12,320$11,110$11,310
Total loan costs · VA—$6,730$6,490
Origination charges (all loan types)$2,980$1,950$1,860
Borrowers paying discount points69.3%60.7%51.3%
Points paid, when paid (% of loan)1.26%1.06%0.87%
Borrowers receiving lender credits31.7%30.4%33.1%
Adjustable-rate mortgages2.4%4.7%7.4%
Jumbo loans (above conforming limit)3.6%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

Austin County: 35 of 299 completed home-purchase applications were denied (11.7%).

Denial rate

ApplicationAustin CountyTexasU.S.
Home purchase11.7%10.2%8.5%
Conventional9.1%8.8%7.1%
FHA17.8%12.7%12.5%
VA9.7%9.1%8.0%
USDA—14.7%12.5%
Refinance22.4%24.4%17.9%
Cash-out refinance37.5%32.8%33.6%

Main reason for purchase denials

Debt-to-income ratio 55.9%
Credit history 17.6%
Collateral (appraisal/property) 8.8%
Other 8.8%
Insufficient cash (down payment/closing costs) 2.9%
Unverifiable information 2.9%
Credit application incomplete 2.9%

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 Austin County

Refinances
60
Median loan $305,000
Refi rate
—
30-yr fixed, conv.
Refi loan costs
—
Conventional
Cash-out refis
40
Median loan $215,000
Cash-out rate
—
30-yr fixed, conv.
Cash-out income
$88,000
Median borrower

Top mortgage lenders in Austin County

102 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 Stone Meadow Lending, LLC 26 7.4% 0.0% — — —
2 Rocket Mortgage, LLC 24 6.8% — — — —
3 K. Hovnanian American Mortgage, L.L.C. 21 5.9% 25.0% — — —
4 Citizens State Bank 20 5.7% — — — —
5 DHI Mortgage Company, Ltd. 16 4.5% 27.3% — — —
6 United Wholesale Mortgage (UWM) 15 4.3% — — — —
7 Austin County State Bank 12 3.4% — — — —
8 Movement Mortgage, LLC 11 3.1% — — — —
9 Kind Lending, LLC 10 2.8% — — — —
10 CMG Mortgage, Inc. 9 2.5% — — — —
11 Freedom Mortgage Corporation 9 2.5% — — — —
12 CrossCountry Mortgage, Inc. 8 2.3% — — — —
13 loanDepot.com, LLC 7 2.0% — — — —
14 Veterans United Home Loans 7 2.0% — — — —
15 Newrez LLC 7 2.0% — — — —
16 The First National Bank of Bellville 6 1.7% — — — —
17 Union Home Mortgage Corp. 6 1.7% — — — —
18 Synergy One Lending, Inc. 5 1.4% — — — —
19 Farm Credit Mid-America 5 1.4% — — — —
20 Lakeview Loan Servicing, LLC 5 1.4% — — — —
21 New American Funding 4 1.1% — — — —
22 Fairway Independent Mortgage Corporation 4 1.1% — — — —
23 Brazos Valley Schools 4 1.1% — — — —
24 Pennymac Loan Services, LLC 4 1.1% — — — —
25 Flagstar Bank, N.A. 4 1.1% — — — —

Lenders in Austin County, TX. 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 Austin County

Typical effective property-tax rate 1.16% = 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
Waller County, TX19 mi1,672$305,000$110,000$832,750$541,287
Washington County, TX24 mi297$275,000$113,000$832,750$541,287
Colorado County, TX25 mi82$315,000$129,000$832,750$541,287
Fayette County, TX39 mi107$315,000$131,000$832,750$541,287
Fort Bend County, TX39 mi10,944$345,000$135,000$832,750$541,287
Wharton County, TX42 mi227$225,000$101,000$832,750$541,287

Frequently asked questions

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

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

How much do home buyers in Austin County earn?

The median household income reported on 2025 home-purchase mortgages was $127,000; the middle half of buyers reported $87,000 to $189,000.

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

The median rate on 30-year fixed conventional purchase loans was 6.625%; FHA borrowers paid a median 6.058%. These are rates locked during 2025; check today's rates with several lenders.

How often are mortgage applications denied in Austin County?

11.7% 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