Lenders closed 12,672 home-purchase loans in Travis County in 2025. In 2020 they closed 24,205. That is a drop of 47.6 percent, and it is the steepest fall of the five Austin-area counties we checked. Over the same five years the typical loan grew from about $362,000 to about $491,000, and the share of purchase loans backed by FHA or VA went from 12.4 percent to 19.7 percent.
The numbers come from mortgage filings that lenders must report under federal law. They describe how people paid for homes, not what homes sold for, and they leave out every buyer who paid cash. With that limit in mind, they are the best public record of what borrowing for a house in Travis County actually looks like right now. The Freddie Mac survey put the average 30-year fixed rate at 7.40 percent for the week ending October 8, up from 7.28 percent the week before and 6.30 percent a year earlier.
Five years of Travis County purchase loans
The table covers loans originated to buy a one- to four-unit home, in every Travis County census tract, as reported under the Home Mortgage Disclosure Act (HMDA). Loan sizes are the typical figure across tracts, weighted by loan count, and HMDA reports amounts in $10,000 bins, so read them as approximate. "Denied" is the share of purchase applications that ended in a denial.
| Year | Purchase loans | Typical loan | FHA or VA | Jumbo | Denied |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 24,205 | $361,800 | 12.4% | 10.9% | 8.9% |
| 2022 | 17,906 | $506,200 | 7.5% | 19.4% | 10.2% |
| 2023 | 13,858 | $472,600 | 15.8% | 11.1% | 11.5% |
| 2024 | 13,340 | $477,400 | 17.5% | 10.0% | 9.3% |
| 2025 | 12,672 | $490,900 | 19.7% | 11.2% | 9.1% |
Three things stand out. The count of loans has fallen every year since 2020. The typical loan is about 36 percent larger than in 2020. And the denial share barely moved, from 8.9 to 9.1 percent, so the drop in loans reflects fewer applications (35,986 in 2020, 18,870 in 2025), not a lender clampdown.
The FHA and VA share is the part that changed shape. It was 7.5 percent in 2022 and has climbed every year since. Jumbo loans, the ones above the conforming loan limit, were 19.4 percent of purchase loans in 2022 and 11.2 percent in 2025.
Travis fell furthest; the counties around it moved differently
| County | 2020 loans | 2025 loans | Change | FHA or VA, 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Travis | 24,205 | 12,672 | -47.6% | 19.7% |
| Williamson | 17,440 | 11,088 | -36.4% | 34.2% |
| Hays | 6,160 | 5,098 | -17.2% | 41.0% |
| Bastrop | 1,653 | 1,692 | +2.4% | 40.0% |
| Caldwell | 501 | 686 | +36.9% | 48.2% |
All five counties together went from 49,958 purchase loans in 2020 to 31,236 in 2025, down 37.5 percent. Percent changes are our arithmetic. The 2020 counts were reported on older census tract boundaries and we spread them across today's tracts by home count, so county totals are firm and tract detail for that year is estimated. We do not publish tract-level figures here.
What the loan types ask of a buyer
The federal Consumer Financial Protection Bureau describes the three main routes this way. FHA loans allow down payments as low as 3.5 percent and require mortgage insurance on every loan. Conventional loans with less than 20 percent down typically need mortgage insurance too. The Department of Veterans Affairs says nearly 90 percent of VA-backed loans are made with no down payment.
| Down payment | Amount | Loan |
|---|---|---|
| 0% (VA, if eligible) | $0 | $500,000 |
| 3.5% (FHA minimum) | $17,500 | $482,500 |
| 20% (no mortgage insurance on a conventional loan) | $100,000 | $400,000 |
Closing costs, prepaid taxes and insurance come on top, and the monthly payment moves a lot with the rate. Our payment table from last week shows what the rate does to the monthly cost of a $400,000 loan. The typical Travis County purchase loan in 2025 carried a combined loan-to-value of about 85 percent, which means the loan covered roughly 85 percent of the home's value. That is the middle of the pack, not a target.
What this data cannot say
- It is not a sales count. Cash purchases do not appear, so fewer loans does not mean the same fall in sales. We do not use MLS data for market statistics.
- It is not every lender. Reporting lenders file with the CFPB. Some small lenders are exempt from reporting certain fields, so we leave those blank rather than guess.
- It does not identify anyone. The public file has no names or street addresses, and we do not describe who borrows.
What this means if you're buying or selling here
- Buyers: ask a lender for the loan-type comparison on the same price and the same rate: FHA, conventional and, if you qualify, VA. Compare total monthly cost including mortgage insurance, not just the rate. The property tax analyzer can add the tax line for a specific address.
- Sellers: a growing FHA and VA share means more offers may come with those loans' appraisal and repair standards. Ask your agent how each loan type affects timing and inspections on your sale.
- Everyone: the borrowing record is public and checkable. The CFPB's HMDA page explains the data and links to the browser we drew from.
This is general education, not lending or legal advice. For your own numbers, talk to a licensed lender or loan officer.
If you want help lining up a loan comparison before you start touring, talk to one of our local agents through the buying page.