Fort Smith VA Loan Rates, Closing Costs & Stats

FORT SMITH, AR-OK

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.

Fort Smith's 75 lenders originated 492 VA loans during 2024. The total origination value was $128,320,000, with an average VA loan value of $260,813.

Fort Smith VA Loans, 30 Year Fixed Rates

30 Year VA mortgages in Fort Smith averaged 6.57% for the week of 2025-04-04, compared to the national average (all VA variants) of 6.06% for the same period.

Fort Smith's average VA mortgage closing costs are $4,925.

The average rate for the prior week (2025-03-28) was 6.59% and one month ago for the week of 2025-02-28, the average rate was 6.27%.

The average rate one year ago was 6.78%.

For refis of the same type during the week of 2025-04-04, the average rate was 6.31%.

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

Fort Smith 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 Fort Smith level.

Name # of Loans 2024 Avg. 30yFix Rate 2024 Avg. Closing Costs
Mortgage Research Center, LLC 92 6.47% $4,021
Firstar Bank 48 6.29% $6,994
QUICKEN LOANS, LLC 25 6.30% $8,526
Arvest Bank 24 6.39% $5,462
SWBC MORTGAGE CORPORATION 17 6.29% $5,922
NEW DAY FINANCIAL, LLC 17 7.46% $9,575
UNITED WHOLESALE MORTGAGE, LLC 16 5.95% $6,197
First Financial Bank 16 6.18% $7,055
PENNYMAC LOAN SERVICES, LLC 14 5.76% $7,851
NAVY FEDERAL CREDIT UNION 13 5.85% $3,050
MORTGAGE SOLUTIONS OF COLORADO, LLC 13 7.18% $3,546
USAA Federal Savings Bank 13 6.35% $5,713
FREEDOM MORTGAGE CORPORATION 11 6.32% $6,664
HIGHLANDS RESIDENTIAL MORTGAGE, LTD. 10 6.17% $4,101
FAIRWAY INDEPENDENT MORTGAGE CORPORATION 7 6.54% $1,768
FIRST WESTERN MORTGAGE, INC. 7 6.11% $6,557
FIRST COMMUNITY MORTGAGE, INC. 7 6.14% $4,534
VILLAGE CAPITAL MORTGAGE 7 5.82% $5,533
Barrington Bank & Trust Company, N.A. 5 6.45% $5,080
FLAT BRANCH MORTGAGE, INC. 5 6.40% $6,289
Carrington Mortgage Services, LLC 4 6.25% $8,027
T2 FINANCIAL LLC 4 6.28% $8,655
Bank of England 4 5.81% $5,424
LOANDEPOT.COM, LLC 4 6.06% $6,979
U.S. Bank 4 5.97% $5,673
CROSSCOUNTRY MORTGAGE, LLC 4 6.27% $4,798
BancorpSouth 4 6.28% $8,429
NEWREZ LLC 4 5.97% $4,636
The Federal Savings Bank 3 6.58% $12,423
CLEARPATH LENDING 3 6.50% $5,173
Sierra Pacific Mortgage Company, Inc. 3 6.58% $5,252
PLANET HOME LENDING, LLC 2 6.31% $1,844
Priority Bank 2 5.88% $3,820
BROKER SOLUTIONS, INC. 2 6.44% $6,618
MUTUAL OF OMAHA MORTGAGE, INC. 2 6.69% $6,282
AMERISAVE MORTGAGE CORPORATION 2 6.38% $6,925
Magnolia Bank 2 5.81% $18,097
GERSHMAN INVESTMENT CORP. 2 6.13% $1,632
GUARANTEED RATE, INC. 2 6.51% $3,426
BANK OF LITTLE ROCK MORTGAGE CORPORATION 2 6.63% $4,498
LOANPAL, LLC 2 6.44% $15,560
PRIMELENDING, A PLAINSCAPITAL COMPANY 2 6.75% $6,658
ZILLOW HOME LOANS, LLC 1 6.75% $4,089
AmeriHome Mortgage Company, LLC 1 5.88% $6,774
ARKANSAS Federal Credit Union 1 6.13% $5,547
Capital Bank 1 5.75% $5,309
Centennial Bank 1 6.25% $12,170
Chambers Bank 1 6.13% $10,772
Eagle Bank and Trust Company 1 6.00% $4,840
EMBRACE HOME LOANS, INC. 1 6.13% $4,345
ENCORE BANK 1 6.63% $6,167
Equity Prime Mortgage LLC 1 5.88% $6,558
EUSTIS AND AMERICAN MORTGAGE COMPANY 1 6.25% $4,923
Fifth Third Bank 1 6.25% $11,831
First Federal Bank 1 6.25% $7,367
First United Bank and Trust Company 1 6.38% $8,180
GUARANTEED RATE AFFINITY, LLC 1 6.00% $3,379
HOMEBRIDGE FINANCIAL SERVICES, INC. 1 5.88% $1,359
HOMESIDE FINANCIAL, LLC 1 6.75% $9,596
JPMorgan Chase Bank 1 6.50% $0
LAKEVIEW LOAN SERVICING, LLC 1 6.75% $7,802
MASON MCDUFFIE MORTGAGE CORPORATION 1 5.75% $8,474
Mr. Cooper ( Nationstar Mortgage ) 1 6.50% $8,030
OPEN MORTGAGE, LLC 1 6.75% $675
Paramount Residential Mortgage Group, Inc. 1 6.75% $3,243
Prosperity Home Mortgage, LLC 1 6.00% $14,410
Regions Bank 1 5.38% $12,305
ROYAL UNITED MORTGAGE LLC 1 6.00% $15,759
SENTE MORTGAGE, INC. 1 6.63% $6,229
SUCCESS MORTGAGE PARTNERS, INC. 1 7.63% $9,616
UNION HOME MORTGAGE CORP. 1 5.99% $4,398
VERITAS FUNDING, LLC 1 6.63% $12,946
Waterstone Mortgage Corporation 1 6.75% $6,615
Wells Fargo Bank 1 6.88% $18,871
AMERICAN FINANCIAL NETWORK, INC. 1 7.00% $2,946

The top Fort Smith VA lender as defined by loan originations is Mortgage Research Center, LLC, with 92 VA loans originated. Their average total fees are $4,021, which is $2,973 lower than the next largest lender, Firstar Bank.

The lowest fee Fort Smith VA lenders (with over 10 loans originated) are NAVY FEDERAL CREDIT UNION ($3,050), MORTGAGE SOLUTIONS OF COLORADO, LLC ($3,546), Mortgage Research Center, LLC ($4,021), HIGHLANDS RESIDENTIAL MORTGAGE, LTD. ($4,101) and Arvest Bank ($5,462).

The lowest rate Fort Smith VA lenders (with over 10 loans originated) are PENNYMAC LOAN SERVICES, LLC (5.76%), NAVY FEDERAL CREDIT UNION (5.85%), UNITED WHOLESALE MORTGAGE, LLC (5.95%), HIGHLANDS RESIDENTIAL MORTGAGE, LTD. (6.17%) and First Financial Bank (6.18%).


Market Conditions (Median, Average Prices & Listing Count)

Realtor.com - Fort Smith (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 $155,925 (1.6%) $225,227 (2.8%) 0.58 1,046
2018-02-01 $157,450 (5.0%) $226,504 (4.6%) 0.57 1,022
2018-03-01 $164,900 (9.2%) $233,718 (7.2%) 0.58 1,017
2018-04-01 $162,450 (2.9%) $233,974 (1.8%) 0.55 1,042
2018-05-01 $162,900 (2.2%) $232,532 (-1.2%) 0.54 1,067
2018-06-01 $162,900 (1.8%) $234,102 (-2.4%) 0.54 1,088
2018-07-01 $160,000 (3.2%) $230,325 (-0.3%) 0.53 1,110
2018-08-01 $165,000 (9.3%) $231,432 (3.2%) 0.55 1,115
2018-09-01 $159,900 (6.6%) $229,257 (2.4%) 0.54 1,137
2018-10-01 $159,900 (4.5%) $227,327 (1.5%) 0.54 1,148
2018-11-01 $159,500 (4.3%) $223,339 (-1.1%) 0.54 1,165
2018-12-01 $157,500 (3.6%) $221,840 (-0.4%) 0.54 1,123
2019-01-01 $158,300 (1.5%) $227,008 (0.8%) 0.55 1,078
2019-02-01 $159,900 (1.6%) $232,498 (2.7%) 0.54 1,051
2019-03-01 $164,186 (-0.4%) $239,539 (2.5%) 0.54 1,029
2019-04-01 $169,250 (4.2%) $246,310 (5.3%) 0.54 1,028
2019-05-01 $173,700 (6.6%) $248,415 (6.8%) 0.54 1,007
2019-06-01 $175,000 (7.4%) $252,924 (8.0%) 0.55 985
2019-07-01 $172,425 (7.8%) $253,357 (10.0%) 0.54 977
2019-08-01 $169,268 (2.6%) $247,052 (6.8%) 0.54 989
2019-09-01 $168,245 (5.2%) $241,247 (5.2%) 0.54 1,004
2019-10-01 $166,725 (4.3%) $236,737 (4.1%) 0.54 1,006
2019-11-01 $165,000 (3.5%) $235,510 (5.5%) 0.54 974
2019-12-01 $164,500 (4.4%) $235,047 (6.0%) 0.55 926
2020-01-01 $165,000 (4.2%) $233,384 (2.8%) 0.55 885
2020-02-01 $165,000 (3.2%) $240,789 (3.6%) 0.54 884
2020-03-01 $171,200 (4.3%) $246,419 (2.9%) 0.54 829
2020-04-01 $175,850 (3.9%) $251,773 (2.2%) 0.55 814
2020-05-01 $181,000 (4.2%) $258,862 (4.2%) 0.55 755
2020-06-01 $195,000 (11.4%) $272,439 (7.7%) 0.57 696
2020-07-01 $199,900 (15.9%) $282,626 (11.6%) 0.58 646
2020-08-01 $199,900 (18.1%) $286,167 (15.8%) 0.57 609
2020-09-01 $195,000 (15.9%) $297,686 (23.4%) 0.56 539
2020-10-01 $199,900 (19.9%) $295,650 (24.9%) 0.57 522
2020-11-01 $197,520 (19.7%) $305,723 (29.8%) 0.58 477
2020-12-01 $187,000 (13.7%) $297,689 (26.7%) 0.56 453
2021-01-01 $184,900 (12.1%) $304,372 (30.4%) 0.55 415
2021-02-01 $199,900 (21.2%) $323,511 (34.4%) 0.58 349
2021-03-01 $187,125 (9.3%) $319,027 (29.5%) 0.53 328
2021-04-01 $195,000 (10.9%) $329,446 (30.9%) 0.53 327
2021-05-01 $223,250 (23.3%) $347,381 (34.2%) 0.59 305
2021-06-01 $224,850 (15.3%) $335,384 (23.1%) 0.59 339
2021-07-01 $219,000 (9.6%) $322,988 (14.3%) 0.58 423
2021-08-01 $203,450 (1.8%) $317,270 (10.9%) 0.54 434
2021-09-01 $200,000 (2.6%) $318,324 (6.9%) 0.53 444
2021-10-01 $216,500 (8.3%) $328,458 (11.1%) 0.58 411
2021-11-01 $219,900 (11.3%) $332,475 (8.8%) 0.59 357
2021-12-01 $219,975 (17.6%) $337,405 (13.3%) 0.60 341
2022-01-01 $215,000 (16.3%) $337,168 (10.8%) 0.58 314
2022-02-01 $224,500 (12.3%) $346,148 (7.0%) 0.58 294
2022-03-01 $217,500 (16.2%) $334,516 (4.9%) 0.54 325
2022-04-01 $219,950 (12.8%) $336,342 (2.1%) 0.52 321
2022-05-01 $235,000 (5.3%) $337,732 (-2.8%) 0.54 347
2022-06-01 $229,950 (2.3%) $329,285 (-1.8%) 0.51 386
2022-07-01 $239,450 (9.3%) $340,407 (5.4%) 0.54 431
2022-08-01 $235,000 (15.5%) $337,118 (6.3%) 0.54 460
2022-09-01 $230,000 (15.0%) $309,296 (-2.8%) 0.54 487
2022-10-01 $239,938 (10.8%) $311,398 (-5.2%) 0.56 524
2022-11-01 $234,450 (6.6%) $324,817 (-2.3%) 0.56 526
2022-12-01 $229,900 (4.5%) $321,912 (-4.6%) 0.57 492
2023-01-01 $233,123 (8.4%) $324,205 (-3.8%) 0.58 482
2023-02-01 $241,050 (7.4%) $330,455 (-4.5%) 0.58 447
2023-03-01 $240,000 (10.3%) $338,068 (1.1%) 0.57 424
2023-04-01 $245,000 (11.4%) $348,241 (3.5%) 0.57 413
2023-05-01 $256,975 (9.4%) $347,590 (2.9%) 0.58 415
2023-06-01 $263,500 (14.6%) $353,389 (7.3%) 0.59 445
2023-07-01 $269,900 (12.7%) $356,265 (4.7%) 0.61 485
2023-08-01 $276,975 (17.9%) $364,666 (8.2%) 0.64 516
2023-09-01 $279,900 (21.7%) $365,246 (18.1%) 0.65 551
2023-10-01 $274,725 (14.5%) $361,531 (16.1%) 0.65 626
2023-11-01 $270,950 (15.6%) $358,069 (10.2%) 0.65 632
2023-12-01 $265,000 (15.3%) $349,154 (8.5%) 0.65 653
2024-01-01 $271,000 (16.3%) $349,392 (7.8%) 0.66 621
2024-02-01 $258,375 (7.2%) $343,966 (4.1%) 0.62 630
2024-03-01 $256,000 (6.7%) $340,483 (0.7%) 0.60 620
2024-04-01 $276,250 (12.8%) $358,086 (2.8%) 0.64 604
2024-05-01 $279,250 (8.7%) $365,858 (5.3%) 0.64 642
2024-06-01 $275,000 (4.4%) $362,097 (2.5%) 0.63 661
2024-07-01 $279,900 (3.7%) $371,235 (4.2%) 0.64 669
2024-08-01 $280,000 (1.1%) $371,932 (2.0%) 0.65 716
2024-09-01 $277,450 (-0.9%) $362,620 (-0.7%) 0.65 728
2024-10-01 $272,000 (-1.0%) $355,872 (-1.6%) 0.64 803
2024-11-01 $270,000 (-0.4%) $345,599 (-3.5%) 0.65 876
2024-12-01 $278,225 (5.0%) $356,705 (2.2%) 0.69 720
2025-01-01 $279,600 (3.2%) $361,542 (3.5%) 0.70 701
2025-02-01 $277,225 (7.3%) $362,525 (5.4%) 0.67 689
2025-03-01 $283,950 (10.9%) $363,965 (6.9%) 0.00 723
Fort Smith's median listing price for 2025-03-01 was $283,950, a difference of $27,950 (10.9%) versus the prior year and $6,725 versus the prior month.

Fort Smith's median listing price comes in at 0% of the national average.

Fort Smith's average listing price for 2025-03-01 was $363,965, a difference of $23,482 (6.9%) versus the prior year and $1,440 versus the prior month.

For the 2025-03-01 period, Fort Smith had 723 MLS listings, a difference of 34 listings (5%) versus the prior month and 103 listings (17%) versus the prior year.

Median Listing Time on Market & Square Footage

Realtor.com - Fort Smith (CBSA) retrieved from FRED, Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Date Median Listing Time on Market Median Square Footage
2018-01-01 91 days 1,842 sqft
2018-02-01 90 days 1,855 sqft
2018-03-01 78 days 1,912 sqft
2018-04-01 68 days 1,918 sqft
2018-05-01 65 days 1,920 sqft
2018-06-01 62 days 1,922 sqft
2018-07-01 67 days 1,922 sqft
2018-08-01 73 days 1,941 sqft
2018-09-01 76 days 1,900 sqft
2018-10-01 78 days 1,894 sqft
2018-11-01 79 days 1,857 sqft
2018-12-01 85 days 1,843 sqft
2019-01-01 93 days 1,818 sqft
2019-02-01 90 days 1,825 sqft
2019-03-01 82 days 1,869 sqft
2019-04-01 72 days 1,916 sqft
2019-05-01 67 days 1,947 sqft
2019-06-01 75 days 1,964 sqft
2019-07-01 74 days 1,952 sqft
2019-08-01 72 days 1,926 sqft
2019-09-01 72 days 1,900 sqft
2019-10-01 72 days 1,886 sqft
2019-11-01 75 days 1,863 sqft
2019-12-01 85 days 1,862 sqft
2020-01-01 90 days 1,875 sqft
2020-02-01 81 days 1,874 sqft
2020-03-01 72 days 1,902 sqft
2020-04-01 72 days 1,945 sqft
2020-05-01 74 days 1,992 sqft
2020-06-01 65 days 1,997 sqft
2020-07-01 66 days 2,023 sqft
2020-08-01 65 days 2,010 sqft
2020-09-01 59 days 2,010 sqft
2020-10-01 52 days 2,031 sqft
2020-11-01 54 days 2,004 sqft
2020-12-01 62 days 1,923 sqft
2021-01-01 68 days 1,920 sqft
2021-02-01 57 days 1,949 sqft
2021-03-01 42 days 1,799 sqft
2021-04-01 32 days 1,822 sqft
2021-05-01 32 days 1,887 sqft
2021-06-01 28 days 1,900 sqft
2021-07-01 28 days 1,888 sqft
2021-08-01 33 days 1,866 sqft
2021-09-01 36 days 1,840 sqft
2021-10-01 44 days 1,894 sqft
2021-11-01 49 days 1,869 sqft
2021-12-01 50 days 1,901 sqft
2022-01-01 52 days 1,904 sqft
2022-02-01 36 days 1,853 sqft
2022-03-01 31 days 1,805 sqft
2022-04-01 32 days 1,800 sqft
2022-05-01 30 days 1,781 sqft
2022-06-01 31 days 1,799 sqft
2022-07-01 36 days 1,832 sqft
2022-08-01 39 days 1,836 sqft
2022-09-01 46 days 1,806 sqft
2022-10-01 48 days 1,818 sqft
2022-11-01 55 days 1,834 sqft
2022-12-01 61 days 1,806 sqft
2023-01-01 69 days 1,824 sqft
2023-02-01 68 days 1,848 sqft
2023-03-01 61 days 1,850 sqft
2023-04-01 51 days 1,864 sqft
2023-05-01 41 days 1,861 sqft
2023-06-01 47 days 1,865 sqft
2023-07-01 49 days 1,861 sqft
2023-08-01 50 days 1,873 sqft
2023-09-01 51 days 1,863 sqft
2023-10-01 50 days 1,857 sqft
2023-11-01 58 days 1,870 sqft
2023-12-01 68 days 1,834 sqft
2024-01-01 85 days 1,843 sqft
2024-02-01 79 days 1,799 sqft
2024-03-01 60 days 1,783 sqft
2024-04-01 52 days 1,822 sqft
2024-05-01 49 days 1,861 sqft
2024-06-01 55 days 1,854 sqft
2024-07-01 59 days 1,858 sqft
2024-08-01 58 days 1,878 sqft
2024-09-01 58 days 1,848 sqft
2024-10-01 60 days 1,840 sqft
2024-11-01 66 days 1,807 sqft
2024-12-01 76 days 1,852 sqft
2025-01-01 86 days 1,852 sqft
2025-02-01 86 days 1,843 sqft
2025-03-01 0 days 1,864 sqft
Fort Smith's median listing age (time on market) for 2025-03-01 was 0 days. This is -100% shorter than the same period one year ago.

Fort Smith's median square footage for active listings during the 2025-03-01 period was 1,864 sqft. One year prior, the average listing was 1,783 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.