Athens VA Loan Rates, Closing Costs & Stats

ATHENS-CLARKE COUNTY, GA

A VA loan is a mortgage loan that’s backed by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) for those who have served or are presently serving in the U.S. military. The VA does not directly lend, it guarantees the loans made by private lenders to veterans, active military personnel, and qualifying military spouses.

The most obvious benefit of VA loans is that no downpayment is necessary to purchase a home. They will also typically have significantly lower fees-- meaning that if you're eligible to receive a VA loan, it will likely be the most favorable option. VA loans come in 3 varities: purchase, refinance and cash out refis.

For additional benefits of VA loans, click here.

Athens's 48 lenders originated 140 VA loans during 2023. The total origination value was $46,980,000, with an average VA loan value of $335,571.

Athens VA Loans, 30 Year Fixed Rates

30 Year VA mortgages in Athens averaged 5.96% for the week of 2024-10-11, compared to the national average (all VA variants) of 5.854% for the same period.

Athens's average VA mortgage closing costs are $5,981.

The average rate for the prior week (2024-10-04) was 5.73% and one month ago for the week of 2024-09-06, the average rate was 5.82%.

The average rate one year ago was 7.39%.

For refis of the same type during the week of 2024-10-11, the average rate was 6.64%.

Click on whitespace and scroll within the chart to zoom in/out. Larger bubbles equate with more originations.

Athens VA Loan Lenders by Rates & Fees

The below table looks at the average fees/closing costs and rates for VA 30 Year Fixed Rate (purchase, first lien) mortgages originated by each lender at the Athens level.

Name # of Loans 2023 Avg. 30yFix Rate 2023 Avg. Closing Costs
Mortgage Research Center, LLC 22 6.50% $7,681
QUICKEN LOANS, LLC 10 6.09% $12,919
NAVY FEDERAL CREDIT UNION 9 5.97% $5,580
UNITED WHOLESALE MORTGAGE, LLC 6 5.85% $10,774
Regions Bank 5 5.65% $15,361
LOANDEPOT.COM, LLC 5 6.02% $10,574
GUARANTEED RATE, INC. 5 6.61% $5,436
EVERETT FINANCIAL, INC. 4 6.56% $8,494
FREEDOM MORTGAGE CORPORATION 4 6.75% $26,556
FBC MORTGAGE, LLC 4 5.24% $2,985
Colony Bank 3 6.04% $8,368
The Federal Savings Bank 3 6.54% $13,644
USAA Federal Savings Bank 3 6.50% $11,292
NEW DAY FINANCIAL, LLC 3 7.45% $15,635
BANKSOUTH MORTGAGE COMPANY, LLC 3 6.54% $11,318
Bank of England 3 6.00% $8,341
MOVEMENT MORTGAGE, LLC 3 6.54% $7,399
FAIRWAY INDEPENDENT MORTGAGE CORPORATION 3 6.67% $8,559
Prosperity Home Mortgage, LLC 2 5.63% $10,531
MUTUAL OF OMAHA MORTGAGE, INC. 2 6.75% $19,508
PENNYMAC LOAN SERVICES, LLC 2 5.19% $12,087
Flagstar Bank, FSB 2 6.81% $7,057
MILEND, INC. 2 6.25% $11,584
HOMESTAR FINANCIAL CORPORATION 2 7.00% $7,365
VILLAGE CAPITAL MORTGAGE 1 5.13% $9,790
ALLIED MORTGAGE GROUP, INC. 1 6.25% $5,783
Barrington Bank & Trust Company, N.A. 1 6.75% $14,302
BNC National Bank 1 5.13% $9,802
BROKER SOLUTIONS, INC. 1 5.49% $13,874
Capital Bank 1 5.75% $9,385
Cornerstone First Mortgage, Inc 1 5.75% $16,200
CROSSCOUNTRY MORTGAGE, LLC 1 7.25% $4,329
Equity Prime Mortgage LLC 1 6.50% $8,807
Farmers Bank & Trust 1 5.25% $9,503
First Option Mortgage, LLC 1 7.00% $26,082
HOMEBRIDGE FINANCIAL SERVICES, INC. 1 5.99% $2,140
ISERVE RESIDENTIAL LENDING, LLC 1 7.63% $11,337
MORTGAGE INVESTORS GROUP, INC. 1 7.13% $367
MORTGAGE SOLUTIONS OF COLORADO, LLC 1 7.75% $5,321
OCMBC, INC. 1 5.75% $8,692
Paramount Residential Mortgage Group, Inc. 1 5.50% $11,307
PENTAGON FEDERAL CREDIT UNION 1 5.50% $12,590
SOUTHEAST MORTGAGE OF GEORGIA, INC. 1 7.25% $4,955
SOUTHPOINT FINANCIAL SERVICES, INC. 1 7.38% $2,102
STOCKTON MORTGAGE CORPORATION 1 5.75% $10,107
The Central Trust Bank 1 5.25% $9,042
Truist 1 6.75% $11,918
ALAMEDA MORTGAGE CORPORATION 1 6.63% $13,845

The top Athens VA lender as defined by loan originations is Mortgage Research Center, LLC, with 22 VA loans originated. Their average total fees are $7,681, which is $5,237 lower than the next largest lender, QUICKEN LOANS, LLC.

The lowest fee Athens VA lenders (with over 10 loans originated) are Mortgage Research Center, LLC ($7,681), QUICKEN LOANS, LLC ($12,919), .

The lowest rate Athens VA lenders (with over 10 loans originated) are QUICKEN LOANS, LLC (6.09%), Mortgage Research Center, LLC (6.50%), .


Market Conditions (Median, Average Prices & Listing Count)

Realtor.com - Athens (CBSA) retrieved from FRED, Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Date Median Listing Price (YoY Change) Average Listing Price (YoY) MSA/US Median Price Ratio Active Listings
2018-01-01 $269,900 (12.6%) $318,703 (11.9%) 1.00 583
2018-02-01 $282,450 (11.6%) $324,792 (10.9%) 1.03 645
2018-03-01 $285,000 (9.7%) $330,698 (12.6%) 1.00 691
2018-04-01 $293,500 (12.9%) $349,023 (15.4%) 1.00 711
2018-05-01 $294,600 (7.6%) $350,977 (14.2%) 0.98 723
2018-06-01 $294,000 (6.3%) $353,520 (15.5%) 0.98 735
2018-07-01 $284,900 (2.3%) $348,509 (11.7%) 0.95 742
2018-08-01 $275,875 (0.3%) $341,649 (8.9%) 0.92 744
2018-09-01 $275,000 (2.2%) $337,563 (9.6%) 0.92 775
2018-10-01 $269,425 (-0.1%) $324,755 (4.2%) 0.91 771
2018-11-01 $264,700 (-1.9%) $321,391 (3.3%) 0.90 749
2018-12-01 $269,450 (-0.2%) $325,624 (2.9%) 0.93 696
2019-01-01 $278,374 (3.1%) $331,882 (4.1%) 0.96 638
2019-02-01 $289,450 (2.5%) $346,882 (6.8%) 0.98 690
2019-03-01 $294,529 (3.3%) $354,208 (7.1%) 0.96 681
2019-04-01 $306,200 (4.3%) $370,866 (6.3%) 0.97 661
2019-05-01 $315,075 (7.0%) $376,603 (7.3%) 0.98 651
2019-06-01 $309,000 (5.1%) $373,525 (5.7%) 0.97 665
2019-07-01 $298,500 (4.8%) $368,382 (5.7%) 0.93 668
2019-08-01 $295,909 (7.3%) $363,965 (6.5%) 0.94 648
2019-09-01 $292,023 (6.2%) $360,844 (6.9%) 0.93 635
2019-10-01 $291,182 (8.1%) $361,525 (11.3%) 0.94 618
2019-11-01 $298,154 (12.6%) $377,867 (17.6%) 0.98 576
2019-12-01 $288,875 (7.2%) $375,713 (15.4%) 0.96 558
2020-01-01 $287,000 (3.1%) $381,826 (15.1%) 0.96 506
2020-02-01 $309,950 (7.1%) $397,176 (14.5%) 1.01 509
2020-03-01 $314,871 (6.9%) $406,368 (14.7%) 0.99 537
2020-04-01 $320,115 (4.5%) $402,254 (8.5%) 1.00 556
2020-05-01 $324,500 (3.0%) $407,465 (8.2%) 0.99 537
2020-06-01 $327,900 (6.1%) $416,180 (11.4%) 0.97 499
2020-07-01 $314,675 (5.4%) $404,156 (9.7%) 0.91 506
2020-08-01 $299,950 (1.4%) $400,447 (10.0%) 0.86 499
2020-09-01 $312,750 (7.1%) $399,032 (10.6%) 0.90 443
2020-10-01 $315,490 (8.4%) $408,710 (13.1%) 0.90 397
2020-11-01 $320,763 (7.6%) $412,131 (9.1%) 0.94 363
2020-12-01 $322,663 (11.7%) $428,632 (14.1%) 0.96 326
2021-01-01 $325,000 (13.2%) $432,831 (13.4%) 0.97 283
2021-02-01 $344,829 (11.3%) $451,189 (13.6%) 1.00 250
2021-03-01 $366,750 (16.5%) $449,826 (10.7%) 1.04 232
2021-04-01 $371,700 (16.1%) $453,729 (12.8%) 1.01 243
2021-05-01 $369,450 (13.9%) $469,137 (15.1%) 0.98 245
2021-06-01 $359,975 (9.8%) $474,711 (14.1%) 0.95 296
2021-07-01 $368,750 (17.2%) $474,014 (17.3%) 0.97 347
2021-08-01 $349,900 (16.7%) $448,667 (12.0%) 0.93 339
2021-09-01 $349,900 (11.9%) $447,954 (12.3%) 0.93 329
2021-10-01 $339,850 (7.7%) $449,279 (9.9%) 0.91 309
2021-11-01 $348,500 (8.7%) $480,346 (16.6%) 0.93 258
2021-12-01 $349,725 (8.4%) $494,320 (15.3%) 0.95 208
2022-01-01 $365,000 (12.3%) $518,308 (19.8%) 0.99 178
2022-02-01 $374,950 (8.7%) $499,023 (10.6%) 0.98 184
2022-03-01 $394,250 (7.5%) $513,171 (14.1%) 0.99 186
2022-04-01 $382,450 (2.9%) $511,244 (12.7%) 0.91 214
2022-05-01 $359,925 (-2.6%) $508,516 (8.4%) 0.82 252
2022-06-01 $361,200 (0.3%) $512,704 (8.0%) 0.80 305
2022-07-01 $383,900 (4.1%) $501,358 (5.8%) 0.86 404
2022-08-01 $380,925 (8.9%) $506,538 (12.9%) 0.88 440
2022-09-01 $385,800 (10.3%) $507,161 (13.2%) 0.90 448
2022-10-01 $392,500 (15.5%) $525,320 (16.9%) 0.92 430
2022-11-01 $393,175 (12.8%) $533,482 (11.1%) 0.95 414
2022-12-01 $399,999 (14.4%) $537,623 (8.8%) 0.99 408
2023-01-01 $412,000 (12.9%) $550,548 (6.2%) 1.02 360
2023-02-01 $399,925 (6.7%) $541,381 (8.5%) 0.97 360
2023-03-01 $398,350 (1.0%) $546,712 (6.5%) 0.94 356
2023-04-01 $399,900 (4.6%) $535,248 (4.7%) 0.93 349
2023-05-01 $407,175 (13.1%) $542,752 (6.7%) 0.92 367
2023-06-01 $422,946 (17.1%) $556,288 (8.5%) 0.95 435
2023-07-01 $423,283 (10.3%) $573,924 (14.5%) 0.96 409
2023-08-01 $435,440 (14.3%) $587,658 (16.0%) 1.00 411
2023-09-01 $449,900 (16.6%) $585,012 (15.4%) 1.05 439
2023-10-01 $461,000 (17.5%) $573,288 (9.1%) 1.08 440
2023-11-01 $431,667 (9.8%) $562,076 (5.4%) 1.03 454
2023-12-01 $467,000 (16.8%) $571,371 (6.3%) 1.14 435
2024-01-01 $441,750 (7.2%) $543,134 (-1.4%) 1.08 428
2024-02-01 $448,750 (12.2%) $548,985 (1.4%) 1.08 419
2024-03-01 $475,000 (19.2%) $568,295 (4.0%) 1.12 466
2024-04-01 $480,000 (20.0%) $597,845 (11.7%) 1.12 482
2024-05-01 $498,000 (22.3%) $625,089 (15.2%) 1.13 486
2024-06-01 $475,000 (12.3%) $623,081 (12.0%) 1.07 518
2024-07-01 $459,000 (8.4%) $602,922 (5.1%) 1.05 593
2024-08-01 $427,000 (-1.9%) $585,910 (-0.3%) 0.99 609
2024-09-01 $429,975 (-4.4%) $590,868 (1.0%) 1.01 621
Athens's median listing price for 2024-09-01 was $429,975, a difference of $-19,925 (-4.4%) versus the prior year and $2,975 versus the prior month.

Athens's median listing price comes in at 101% of the national average.

Athens's average listing price for 2024-09-01 was $590,868, a difference of $5,856 (1.0%) versus the prior year and $4,958 versus the prior month.

For the 2024-09-01 period, Athens had 621 MLS listings, a difference of 12 listings (2%) versus the prior month and 182 listings (41%) versus the prior year.

Median Listing Time on Market & Square Footage

Realtor.com - Athens (CBSA) retrieved from FRED, Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Date Median Listing Time on Market Median Square Footage
2018-01-01 90 days 2,386 sqft
2018-02-01 59 days 2,463 sqft
2018-03-01 40 days 2,444 sqft
2018-04-01 52 days 2,449 sqft
2018-05-01 54 days 2,408 sqft
2018-06-01 53 days 2,400 sqft
2018-07-01 59 days 2,371 sqft
2018-08-01 63 days 2,314 sqft
2018-09-01 64 days 2,290 sqft
2018-10-01 74 days 2,254 sqft
2018-11-01 80 days 2,235 sqft
2018-12-01 88 days 2,274 sqft
2019-01-01 92 days 2,307 sqft
2019-02-01 69 days 2,384 sqft
2019-03-01 59 days 2,462 sqft
2019-04-01 61 days 2,571 sqft
2019-05-01 58 days 2,560 sqft
2019-06-01 59 days 2,564 sqft
2019-07-01 63 days 2,539 sqft
2019-08-01 66 days 2,500 sqft
2019-09-01 70 days 2,477 sqft
2019-10-01 72 days 2,459 sqft
2019-11-01 75 days 2,413 sqft
2019-12-01 90 days 2,407 sqft
2020-01-01 84 days 2,412 sqft
2020-02-01 54 days 2,473 sqft
2020-03-01 54 days 2,458 sqft
2020-04-01 60 days 2,390 sqft
2020-05-01 66 days 2,402 sqft
2020-06-01 63 days 2,395 sqft
2020-07-01 51 days 2,373 sqft
2020-08-01 50 days 2,324 sqft
2020-09-01 56 days 2,287 sqft
2020-10-01 61 days 2,220 sqft
2020-11-01 62 days 2,228 sqft
2020-12-01 68 days 2,220 sqft
2021-01-01 64 days 2,200 sqft
2021-02-01 59 days 2,218 sqft
2021-03-01 43 days 2,245 sqft
2021-04-01 32 days 2,245 sqft
2021-05-01 36 days 2,114 sqft
2021-06-01 35 days 2,111 sqft
2021-07-01 37 days 2,064 sqft
2021-08-01 41 days 1,966 sqft
2021-09-01 46 days 2,023 sqft
2021-10-01 53 days 1,958 sqft
2021-11-01 56 days 2,086 sqft
2021-12-01 59 days 1,966 sqft
2022-01-01 43 days 2,150 sqft
2022-02-01 35 days 2,104 sqft
2022-03-01 32 days 2,122 sqft
2022-04-01 28 days 2,100 sqft
2022-05-01 29 days 2,121 sqft
2022-06-01 30 days 2,136 sqft
2022-07-01 32 days 2,200 sqft
2022-08-01 45 days 2,099 sqft
2022-09-01 52 days 2,177 sqft
2022-10-01 55 days 2,221 sqft
2022-11-01 65 days 2,205 sqft
2022-12-01 78 days 2,218 sqft
2023-01-01 77 days 2,250 sqft
2023-02-01 70 days 2,250 sqft
2023-03-01 53 days 2,245 sqft
2023-04-01 40 days 2,240 sqft
2023-05-01 41 days 2,239 sqft
2023-06-01 37 days 2,305 sqft
2023-07-01 50 days 2,314 sqft
2023-08-01 53 days 2,336 sqft
2023-09-01 57 days 2,343 sqft
2023-10-01 61 days 2,360 sqft
2023-11-01 59 days 2,270 sqft
2023-12-01 59 days 2,300 sqft
2024-01-01 60 days 2,253 sqft
2024-02-01 57 days 2,272 sqft
2024-03-01 52 days 2,369 sqft
2024-04-01 52 days 2,330 sqft
2024-05-01 45 days 2,251 sqft
2024-06-01 50 days 2,250 sqft
2024-07-01 49 days 2,226 sqft
2024-08-01 58 days 2,208 sqft
2024-09-01 60 days 2,222 sqft
Athens's median listing age (time on market) for 2024-09-01 was 60 days. This is 4% longer than the same period one year ago.

Athens's median square footage for active listings during the 2024-09-01 period was 2,222 sqft. One year prior, the average listing was 2,343 sqft.

VA Loan Features

  • No down payment required
  • Negotiable and competitive interest rate.
  • Ability to finance the VA funding fee (plus reduced funding fees with a down payment of at least 5 percent and exemption for veterans receiving VA compensation).
  • VA rules limit the amount you can be charged for closing costs.
  • Closing costs are comparable with other financing types (and may be lower).
  • Closing costs may be paid by the seller.
  • No private mortgage insurance premiums are required.
  • An assumable mortgage.
  • Right to prepay your mortgage without penalty.
  • For homes inspected by VA during construction, a warranty from builder and assistance from VA to obtain cooperation of builder.
  • VA assistance to veteran borrowers in default due to temporary financial difficulty.