Mortgage by CountyWhat home buyers actually paid, county by county

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

Iowa · Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA

Grundy County, IA: mortgages, home buyers & loan limits

What buyers in Grundy 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 152 home-purchase mortgages for owner-occupied, single-family homes in Grundy County, IA. The median buyer borrowed $185,000 on a home valued at $235,000 and reported a household income of $88,000.

Buyers financed a median 95% of the home's value (roughly 5% down), paid a median 6.375% on 30-year fixed conventional loans and faced median conventional loan costs of $2,060.

Lenders denied 5.0% 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
$88,000
U.S. $116,000
30-yr fixed rate
6.375%
U.S. 6.625%
Loan costs
$2,060
Conventional · U.S. $5,570
Denial rate
5.0%
Purchase · U.S. 8.5%

Key facts about Grundy County mortgages

  • Home buyers' median income ($88,000) is 24% lower than the U.S. median ($116,000).
  • The median 30-year fixed conventional rate here was 25 basis points below the U.S. median (6.625%).
  • Median conventional loan costs ($2,060) were 63% lower than the U.S. median ($5,570).
  • FHA loans made up 7.9% of purchase mortgages, versus 21.1% nationally.
  • The most common age bracket among borrowers was 25–34 (36.2% of purchase loans).
  • 46.1% 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 1214th · median home-purchase loan 1662nd · median conventional loan costs 1975th · purchase application denial rate 1813th. See rankings.

2026 loan limits in Grundy 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 Grundy County, IA: 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 Iowa counties: Iowa 2026 loan limits. FHFA and HUD normally announce the next year's limits in late November.

Who bought homes in Grundy County

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

Purchase loans
152
of 161 applications
Buyer income
$88,000
Middle half $60,000–$130,000
Home value
$235,000
Middle half $165,000–$315,000
Loan amount
$185,000
Middle half $125,000–$255,000
Down payment
5%
34.2% put 20%+ down
Single borrower
46.1%
No co-applicant

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

Loan type

Conventional 84.9% 129
FHA 7.9% 12
VA 6.6% 10
USDA 0.7% 1

What the homes were for

Primary residence 92.2% 154
Second home 0.0% 0
Investment property 7.8% 13

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

Borrower age

Under 25 23.0%
25–34 36.2%
35–44 22.4%
45–54 9.9%
55–64 3.9%
65–74 3.3%
75 and over 1.3%

Debt-to-income ratio

Under 20% 2.5%
20–29% 19.0%
30–35% 17.4%
36–42% 28.1%
43–49% 26.4%
50–60% 5.8%
Over 60% 0.8%

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

What borrowing cost in Grundy 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.

MeasureGrundy CountyIowaU.S.
30-year fixed rate · conventional6.375%6.375%6.625%
30-year fixed rate · FHA—6.500%6.250%
30-year fixed rate · VA—6.250%6.125%
15-year fixed rate · conventional—5.750%5.875%
Rate spread vs. APOR · conventional−0.04 pts−0.05 pts+0.13 pts
Total loan costs · conventional$2,060$2,380$5,570
Total loan costs · FHA—$7,270$11,310
Total loan costs · VA—$4,250$6,490
Origination charges (all loan types)$730$1,000$1,860
Borrowers paying discount points23.1%26.3%51.3%
Points paid, when paid (% of loan)—0.60%0.87%
Borrowers receiving lender credits37.2%30.9%33.1%
Adjustable-rate mortgages17.8%12.7%7.4%
Jumbo loans (above conforming limit)0.0%0.5%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

Grundy County: 8 of 161 completed home-purchase applications were denied (5.0%).

Denial rate

ApplicationGrundy CountyIowaU.S.
Home purchase5.0%6.3%8.5%
Conventional4.4%4.7%7.1%
FHA—11.7%12.5%
VA—7.8%8.0%
USDA—22.1%12.5%
Refinance—16.7%17.9%
Cash-out refinance31.6%35.3%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 Grundy County

Refinances
21
Rate/term
Refi rate
—
30-yr fixed, conv.
Refi loan costs
—
Conventional
Cash-out refis
25
Cash-out rate
—
30-yr fixed, conv.
Cash-out income
—
Median borrower

Top mortgage lenders in Grundy County

43 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 Greenstate Credit Union 43 21.7% 0.0% 6.375% −0.09 $2,020
2 Veridian Credit Union 30 15.2% 4.0% — +0.05 $1,980
3 Peoples Savings Bank 17 8.6% — — — —
4 GNB Bank 15 7.6% — — — —
5 Rocket Mortgage, LLC 14 7.1% — — — —
6 Iowa Bankers Mortgage Corporation 8 4.0% — — — —
7 Veterans United Home Loans 7 3.5% — — — —
8 MidWestOne Bank 7 3.5% — — — —
9 Cedar Falls Community Credit Union 4 2.0% — — — —
10 United Wholesale Mortgage (UWM) 4 2.0% — — — —
11 Farmers State Bank 4 2.0% — — — —
12 Guild Mortgage Company 3 1.5% — — — —
13 American Pacific Mortgage Corporation 3 1.5% — — — —
14 Denver Savings Bank 2 1.0% — — — —
15 Alerus Financial, N.A. 2 1.0% — — — —
16 Bankers' Bank 2 1.0% — — — —
17 Mutual of Omaha Mortgage, Inc. 2 1.0% — — — —
18 West Gate Bank 2 1.0% — — — —
19 Stockton Mortgage Corporation 2 1.0% — — — —
20 Carrington Mortgage Services, LLC 2 1.0% — — — —
21 Rate 2 1.0% — — — —
22 Community 1st Credit Union 2 1.0% — — — —
23 Empeople Credit Union 1 0.5% — — — —
24 Premier Credit Union 1 0.5% — — — —
25 Community Choice Credit Union 1 0.5% — — — —

Lenders in Grundy County, IA. 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 Grundy County

Typical effective property-tax rate 1.14% = 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
Butler County, IA23 mi130$155,000$73,000$832,750$541,287
Hardin County, IA23 mi138$135,000$68,000$832,750$541,287
Black Hawk County, IA25 mi1,306$175,000$80,000$832,750$541,287
Tama County, IA26 mi128$145,000$72,000$832,750$541,287
Marshall County, IA27 mi285$165,000$68,000$832,750$541,287
Franklin County, IA34 mi35$165,000$75,000$832,750$541,287

Frequently asked questions

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

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

How much do home buyers in Grundy County earn?

The median household income reported on 2025 home-purchase mortgages was $88,000; the middle half of buyers reported $60,000 to $130,000.

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

The median rate on 30-year fixed conventional purchase loans was 6.375%. These are rates locked during 2025; check today's rates with several lenders.

How often are mortgage applications denied in Grundy County?

5.0% 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