Mortgage by CountyWhat home buyers actually paid, county by county

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

North Carolina · Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC

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

What buyers in Alexander 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 250 home-purchase mortgages for owner-occupied, single-family homes in Alexander County, NC. The median buyer borrowed $265,000 on a home valued at $295,000 and reported a household income of $91,000.

Buyers financed a median 95% of the home's value (roughly 5% down), paid a median 6.624% on 30-year fixed conventional loans and faced median conventional loan costs of $4,880.

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
$91,000
U.S. $116,000
30-yr fixed rate
6.624%
U.S. 6.625%
Loan costs
$4,880
Conventional · U.S. $5,570
Denial rate
6.2%
Purchase · U.S. 8.5%

Key facts about Alexander County mortgages

  • Home buyers' median income ($91,000) is 18% lower than the North Carolina median ($111,000).
  • Median conventional loan costs ($4,880) were 12% lower than the U.S. median ($5,570).
  • 27.4% of buyers put at least 20% down (financed 80% or less), compared with 38.5% nationally.
  • 17.6% of single-family purchase mortgages financed manufactured homes.
  • The most common age bracket among borrowers was 25–34 (30.0% of purchase loans).
  • 49.6% 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 1099th · median home-purchase loan 915th · median conventional loan costs 891st · purchase application denial rate 1500th. See rankings.

2026 loan limits in Alexander 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 Alexander 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 Alexander County

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

Purchase loans
250
of 276 applications
Buyer income
$91,000
Middle half $65,000–$128,000
Home value
$295,000
Middle half $235,000–$405,000
Loan amount
$265,000
Middle half $215,000–$355,000
Down payment
5%
27.4% put 20%+ down
Single borrower
49.6%
No co-applicant

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

Loan type

Conventional 69.6% 174
FHA 16.4% 41
VA 11.6% 29
USDA 2.4% 6

What the homes were for

Primary residence 96.8% 303
Second home 1.9% 6
Investment property 1.3% 4

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

Borrower age

Under 25 10.0%
25–34 30.0%
35–44 20.0%
45–54 14.8%
55–64 14.4%
65–74 8.0%
75 and over 2.8%

Debt-to-income ratio

Under 20% 3.1%
20–29% 15.6%
30–35% 16.4%
36–42% 29.3%
43–49% 24.0%
50–60% 10.2%
Over 60% 1.3%

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

What borrowing cost in Alexander 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.

MeasureAlexander CountyNorth CarolinaU.S.
30-year fixed rate · conventional6.624%6.500%6.625%
30-year fixed rate · FHA6.250%6.250%6.250%
30-year fixed rate · VA—6.125%6.125%
15-year fixed rate · conventional—5.750%5.875%
Rate spread vs. APOR · conventional+0.05 pts+0.04 pts+0.13 pts
Total loan costs · conventional$4,880$4,840$5,570
Total loan costs · FHA$9,800$10,360$11,310
Total loan costs · VA—$6,600$6,490
Origination charges (all loan types)$2,500$1,890$1,860
Borrowers paying discount points44.2%49.4%51.3%
Points paid, when paid (% of loan)0.74%0.93%0.87%
Borrowers receiving lender credits22.3%30.0%33.1%
Adjustable-rate mortgages15.2%13.3%7.4%
Jumbo loans (above conforming limit)1.6%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

Alexander County: 17 of 276 completed home-purchase applications were denied (6.2%).

Denial rate

ApplicationAlexander CountyNorth CarolinaU.S.
Home purchase6.2%7.6%8.5%
Conventional5.8%6.6%7.1%
FHA2.3%12.3%12.5%
VA11.8%6.1%8.0%
USDA—11.8%12.5%
Refinance14.3%15.9%17.9%
Cash-out refinance29.5%34.1%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 Alexander County

Refinances
53
Median loan $265,000
Refi rate
—
30-yr fixed, conv.
Refi loan costs
—
Conventional
Cash-out refis
64
Median loan $195,000
Cash-out rate
—
30-yr fixed, conv.
Cash-out income
$82,000
Median borrower

Top mortgage lenders in Alexander County

93 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 State Employees' 50 13.6% 2.5% — −0.40 $4,770
2 Rocket Mortgage, LLC 41 11.2% 14.3% — — —
3 Atlantic Bay Mortgage Group, L.L.C. 33 9.0% 0.0% — — —
4 Taylorsville Savings Bank, SSB 24 6.5% 8.7% — — —
5 Movement Mortgage, LLC 14 3.8% — — — —
6 Alcova Mortgage LLC 12 3.3% — — — —
7 CrossCountry Mortgage, Inc. 11 3.0% — — — —
8 Veterans United Home Loans 10 2.7% — — — —
9 United Wholesale Mortgage (UWM) 10 2.7% — — — —
10 Highlands Residential Mortgage, Ltd. 10 2.7% — — — —
11 First Community Bank 9 2.5% — — — —
12 Lower, LLC 7 1.9% — — — —
13 Pennymac Loan Services, LLC 7 1.9% — — — —
14 Fairway Independent Mortgage Corporation 6 1.6% — — — —
15 Truist Bank 6 1.6% — — — —
16 Freedom Mortgage Corporation 5 1.4% — — — —
17 loanDepot.com, LLC 4 1.1% — — — —
18 AmeriSave Mortgage Corporation 4 1.1% — — — —
19 First-Citizens Bank & Trust Company 4 1.1% — — — —
20 Guild Mortgage Company 3 0.8% — — — —
21 New Day Financial, LLC 3 0.8% — — — —
22 Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. 3 0.8% — — — —
23 Summit Credit Union 2 0.5% — — — —
24 Skyline National Bank 2 0.5% — — — —
25 Navy Federal Credit Union 2 0.5% — — — —

Lenders in Alexander 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 Alexander County

Typical effective property-tax rate 0.60% = 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
Catawba County, NC18 mi2,092$285,000$96,000$832,750$541,287
Iredell County, NC19 mi2,788$345,000$117,000$832,750$541,287
Caldwell County, NC19 mi669$255,000$88,000$832,750$541,287
Wilkes County, NC20 mi364$235,000$81,000$832,750$541,287
Lincoln County, NC30 mi1,191$355,000$121,000$832,750$541,287
Burke County, NC32 mi625$255,000$88,000$832,750$541,287

Frequently asked questions

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

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

How much do home buyers in Alexander County earn?

The median household income reported on 2025 home-purchase mortgages was $91,000; the middle half of buyers reported $65,000 to $128,000.

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

The median rate on 30-year fixed conventional purchase loans was 6.624%; FHA borrowers paid a median 6.25%. These are rates locked during 2025; check today's rates with several lenders.

How often are mortgage applications denied in Alexander 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