Mortgage by CountyWhat home buyers actually paid, county by county

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

Tennessee · Cleveland, TN

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

What buyers in Bradley 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 1,107 home-purchase mortgages for owner-occupied, single-family homes in Bradley County, TN. The median buyer borrowed $285,000 on a home valued at $335,000 and reported a household income of $93,000.

Buyers financed a median 95% of the home's value (roughly 5% down), paid a median 6.625% on 30-year fixed conventional loans and faced median conventional loan costs of $4,740.

Lenders denied 9.3% 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
$93,000
U.S. $116,000
30-yr fixed rate
6.625%
U.S. 6.625%
Loan costs
$4,740
Conventional · U.S. $5,570
Denial rate
9.3%
Purchase · U.S. 8.5%

Key facts about Bradley County mortgages

  • Home buyers' median income ($93,000) is 12% lower than the Tennessee median ($106,000).
  • Median conventional loan costs ($4,740) were 15% lower than the U.S. median ($5,570).
  • FHA loans made up 27.4% of purchase mortgages, versus 21.1% nationally.
  • The most common age bracket among borrowers was 25–34 (29.5% of purchase loans).
  • 49.6% of purchase mortgages had a single borrower with no co-applicant.
  • The most-cited reason for denial was debt-to-income ratio (41.2% of denials with a stated reason).

National rank among 1,994 counties with at least 100 purchase loans: median income of home buyers 1034th · median home-purchase loan 755th · median conventional loan costs 990th · purchase application denial rate 673rd. See rankings.

2026 loan limits in Bradley 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 Bradley 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 Bradley County

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

Purchase loans
1,107
of 1,251 applications
Buyer income
$93,000
Middle half $65,000–$134,000
Home value
$335,000
Middle half $265,000–$415,000
Loan amount
$285,000
Middle half $225,000–$355,000
Down payment
5%
33.9% put 20%+ down
Single borrower
49.6%
No co-applicant

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

Loan type

Conventional 58.3% 645
FHA 27.4% 303
VA 13.1% 145
USDA 1.3% 14

What the homes were for

Primary residence 94.9% 1,164
Second home 1.9% 23
Investment property 3.3% 40

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

Borrower age

Under 25 9.8%
25–34 29.5%
35–44 21.4%
45–54 15.8%
55–64 14.5%
65–74 6.1%
75 and over 2.9%

Debt-to-income ratio

Under 20% 2.5%
20–29% 14.1%
30–35% 17.3%
36–42% 25.4%
43–49% 28.8%
50–60% 11.2%
Over 60% 0.7%

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

What borrowing cost in Bradley 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.

MeasureBradley CountyTennesseeU.S.
30-year fixed rate · conventional6.625%6.624%6.625%
30-year fixed rate · FHA6.250%6.250%6.250%
30-year fixed rate · VA6.125%6.125%6.125%
15-year fixed rate · conventional—5.875%5.875%
Rate spread vs. APOR · conventional+0.15 pts+0.11 pts+0.13 pts
Total loan costs · conventional$4,740$5,320$5,570
Total loan costs · FHA$9,830$11,030$11,310
Total loan costs · VA$5,180$6,110$6,490
Origination charges (all loan types)$1,860$2,080$1,860
Borrowers paying discount points51.2%55.6%51.3%
Points paid, when paid (% of loan)0.76%0.89%0.87%
Borrowers receiving lender credits25.9%30.1%33.1%
Adjustable-rate mortgages5.3%6.6%7.4%
Jumbo loans (above conforming limit)0.5%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

Bradley County: 116 of 1,251 completed home-purchase applications were denied (9.3%).

Denial rate

ApplicationBradley CountyTennesseeU.S.
Home purchase9.3%7.7%8.5%
Conventional6.7%6.6%7.1%
FHA12.8%10.3%12.5%
VA12.0%7.2%8.0%
USDA—11.6%12.5%
Refinance14.3%16.3%17.9%
Cash-out refinance25.4%30.7%33.6%

Main reason for purchase denials

Debt-to-income ratio 41.2%
Credit history 15.8%
Other 10.5%
Insufficient cash (down payment/closing costs) 9.6%
Credit application incomplete 8.8%
Collateral (appraisal/property) 6.1%
Employment history 4.4%
Unverifiable information 3.5%

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 Bradley County

Refinances
250
Median loan $295,000
Refi rate
6.375%
30-yr fixed, conv.
Refi loan costs
$4,810
Conventional
Cash-out refis
296
Median loan $225,000
Cash-out rate
6.875%
30-yr fixed, conv.
Cash-out income
$82,000
Median borrower

Top mortgage lenders in Bradley County

181 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 142 8.6% 7.3% 6.875% +0.26 $5,470
2 CMG Mortgage, Inc. 111 6.7% 5.0% 6.875% +0.35 $5,720
3 United Wholesale Mortgage (UWM) 89 5.4% 5.9% — — —
4 DHI Mortgage Company, Ltd. 87 5.3% 22.8% 5.500% −1.02 $2,610
5 Bank of Cleveland 76 4.6% 3.3% — — —
6 First Citizens National Bank 61 3.7% 6.3% 6.490% −0.05 $3,420
7 Veterans United Home Loans 53 3.2% 12.2% — — —
8 Tennessee Valley FCU 52 3.1% 12.2% — −0.07 $5,100
9 United Community Bank 50 3.0% 8.5% 6.500% +0.23 $4,530
10 FirstBank 49 3.0% 2.1% 6.625% +0.20 $4,290
11 Freedom Mortgage Corporation 36 2.2% — — — —
12 Cadence Bank 36 2.2% 5.7% — — —
13 SmartBank 34 2.1% 3.1% — — —
14 Union Home Mortgage Corp. 31 1.9% 7.1% — — —
15 Pennymac Loan Services, LLC 29 1.8% — — — —
16 Regions Bank 28 1.7% — — — —
17 The Loan Store, Inc. 25 1.5% 0.0% — — —
18 Movement Mortgage, LLC 25 1.5% 8.3% — — —
19 Builtwell Bank 24 1.5% — — — —
20 Mortgage Investors Group, Inc. 24 1.5% 0.0% — — —
21 Mortgage Right 23 1.4% — — — —
22 Summit Funding, Inc. 23 1.4% — — — —
23 Navy Federal Credit Union 19 1.1% — — — —
24 New American Funding 16 1.0% — — — —
25 Lennar Mortgage, LLC 16 1.0% — — — —

Lenders in Bradley 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 Bradley County

Typical effective property-tax rate 0.45% = 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
Polk County, TN18 mi96$255,000$92,000$832,750$541,287
Hamilton County, TN19 mi4,010$325,000$115,000$832,750$541,287
McMinn County, TN23 mi499$255,000$83,000$832,750$541,287
Catoosa County, GA24 mi732$275,000$90,000$832,750$541,287
Meigs County, TN25 mi79$305,000$116,000$832,750$541,287
Whitfield County, GA25 mi695$255,000$82,000$832,750$541,287

Frequently asked questions

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

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

How much do home buyers in Bradley County earn?

The median household income reported on 2025 home-purchase mortgages was $93,000; the middle half of buyers reported $65,000 to $134,000.

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

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

9.3% 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