County Hub — Sumner County, Tennessee
Sumner County, TN Mortgage & Home Loan Guide
Gallatin · Goodlettsville · Hendersonville · Millersville · Mitchellville · Portland · Westmoreland · White House · Unincorporated County
Sumner County is really two mortgage markets wearing one name. Along Old Hickory Lake in the south, Hendersonville and Gallatin are effectively urban for lending purposes and USDA financing is off the table. North of them, Portland, Westmoreland and Mitchellville are entirely USDA-eligible — zero down payment, same county, same school system boundaries in places. This page shows exactly where that line falls, along with the 2026 loan limits, the county-plus-city tax stacking and Sumner’s THDA limits.
Valor Mortgage is based next door in Robertson County, at 724 S Main Street in Springfield. Christopher Armantrout (NMLS #1210804) has financed Middle Tennessee homes since 2015. As an independent broker we work with dozens of wholesale lenders rather than a single bank’s product shelf.
Christopher Armantrout — Valor Mortgage
615.671.9178 | christopher@valor.mortgage
724 S Main St, Springfield, TN 37172 | Sun–Thu 8am–5pm | Fri 8am–3pm
USDA Eligibility in Sumner County, Town by Town
USDA Rural Development financing allows qualified buyers to purchase with no down payment, and unlike a VA loan it is not limited to veterans. The catch is geographic: the property itself has to sit inside a USDA-designated eligible area.
In Sumner County that line is unusually sharp. About 15% of the county’s land area is ineligible — but nearly all of it is concentrated in the three southern cities along the lake and the Davidson County line. Move north and the answer flips completely.
| City / area | USDA eligible? | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Portland | Yes — entire city | Fully eligible, and the largest fully eligible city in the county at 15.1 sq mi. Portland straddles the Robertson County line; both sides qualify. |
| Westmoreland | Yes — entire city | No ineligible area within city limits. |
| Mitchellville | Yes — entire city | No ineligible area within city limits. |
| Millersville | Mostly — verify by address | About 2% of the city, on its southern edge, falls inside the Nashville metro ineligible area. |
| Gallatin | Mostly not — verify by address | Roughly 91% of the city is ineligible. Outer edges still qualify, so a Gallatin address has to be checked individually. |
| Goodlettsville | Mostly not | About 97% ineligible. Goodlettsville spans the Davidson line and the Davidson side has no eligible area at all. |
| Hendersonville | Effectively no | 99.5% of the city is ineligible. Treat Hendersonville as a USDA no and plan around FHA, VA or conventional. |
| White House | Yes — entire city | Counterintuitive but confirmed — the whole town qualifies, Sumner and Robertson sides alike. |
| Unincorporated county | Largely yes | The ineligible area is concentrated in and around the three southern cities. Most unincorporated Sumner County qualifies. |
Source: USDA Rural Development, Single Family Housing ineligible-area boundaries (RHS SFH/MFH layer, boundary effective 25 July 2023), measured against U.S. Census Bureau city limits. Checked 1 September 2026.
The north–south split is the whole story here
Two buyers with identical incomes shopping the same county can face a 0% down payment and a 3.5% down payment depending on whether they look above or below roughly the Gallatin latitude. On a $400,000 purchase that is $14,000 out of pocket, decided by geography rather than by anything about the borrower.
The boundaries do not follow city limits or zip codes, so the percentages above describe a whole city, not your house. Eligibility has to be confirmed by street address before you write an offer.
Passing the map test is only half of it
USDA applies a household income limit on top of the geographic test, set by area and household size. A buyer can sit squarely inside an eligible area and still be over the cap. Both tests have to clear, so an address check alone is not a pre-approval. Ask us to run your household against the current limit before you commit to the program; we quote it from USDA’s published table rather than from memory.
2026 Loan Limits for Sumner County
Sumner County sits inside the Nashville–Davidson–Murfreesboro–Franklin metropolitan statistical area, so it carries the full metro ceiling — the same figure as Davidson County.
| Program | 2026 limit, 1-unit | What it means here |
|---|---|---|
| FHA | $1,029,250 | The national FHA floor is $541,287. Sumner is nowhere near it — the metro figure applies. |
| Conventional / conforming | $1,029,250 | Sumner is a designated high-cost area. The national baseline is $832,750; this county is above it. |
| VA | No limit | With full entitlement there is no VA loan limit at all. Entitlement, not geography, is the constraint. |
| USDA | No stated limit | USDA constrains by household income and repayment ability rather than by a published loan ceiling. |
FHA and conforming figures: HUD FHA Mortgage Limits lookup, Sumner County TN, limit year CY2026, last revised 1 January 2026. Retrieved 1 September 2026.
Multi-unit limits for Sumner County in 2026: $1,317,650 for a duplex, $1,592,700 for a triplex and $1,979,350 for a fourplex, on both FHA and conforming. If you have been told a Sumner County purchase under roughly $1.03 million is a jumbo, get a second opinion before you accept jumbo terms.
Property Taxes: The City Limits Question
Tennessee assesses residential property at 25% of appraised value. Sumner County levies its rate against that assessed value, and if the home sits inside an incorporated municipality the city rate stacks on top. Sumner’s county rate of $1.421 is the lowest of any county on this site.
Worked example — a $400,000 home
A $400,000 home in Sumner County is assessed at $100,000. At the county rate of $1.421 per $100 of assessed value, an unincorporated address pays $1,421 a year, or $118.42 a month in escrow.
The same house inside Portland city limits pays $2,321 a year — $193.42 a month. That is $900 a year of difference decided by a city line.
Run your own: (purchase price × 0.25) ÷ 100 × combined rate = annual tax
| Municipality | City rate | County rate | Combined | Tax on a $400k home |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unincorporated county | — | $1.421 | $1.4210 | $1,421.00 / yr · $118.42 / mo |
| Mitchellville | 0.2534 | $1.421 | $1.6744 | $1,674.40 / yr · $139.53 / mo |
| Goodlettsville | 0.5068 | $1.421 | $1.9278 | $1,927.80 / yr · $160.65 / mo |
| Gallatin | 0.5295 | $1.421 | $1.9505 | $1,950.50 / yr · $162.54 / mo |
| Hendersonville | 0.5883 | $1.421 | $2.0093 | $2,009.30 / yr · $167.44 / mo |
| Millersville | 0.6698 | $1.421 | $2.0908 | $2,090.80 / yr · $174.23 / mo |
| Westmoreland | 0.8300 | $1.421 | $2.2510 | $2,251.00 / yr · $187.58 / mo |
| White House | 0.8961 | $1.421 | $2.3171 | $2,317.10 / yr · $193.09 / mo |
| Portland | 0.9000 | $1.421 | $2.3210 | $2,321.00 / yr · $193.42 / mo |
Rates per $100 of assessed value. Source: Tennessee Comptroller of the Treasury, Property Tax Rates, tax year 2025 — the most recent year the state has published. Retrieved 1 September 2026. Rates reset after reappraisal cycles; confirm with the county trustee and your city before relying on them for a closing figure.
One more thing that surprises relocating buyers. Tennessee has no state income tax. Your gross is the same and your debt-to-income ratio is still calculated on gross, but what a given payment feels like once you are in the house is not.
Down Payment Assistance for Sumner County Buyers
The Tennessee Housing Development Agency sets its down payment assistance limits by county. Publishing the state headline number is how buyers get told they do not qualify when they do. Here are Sumner County’s.
| THDA limit — Sumner County | Amount |
|---|---|
| Acquisition cost limit (max purchase price) | $500,000 |
| Household income limit — 1–2 persons | $139,320 |
| Household income limit — 3 or more persons | $162,540 |
Source: THDA Acquisition Cost & Income Limits by County, Great Choice and HFA Advantage mortgage loan programs, effective 1 August 2026. Retrieved 1 September 2026.
Sumner is not a targeted county
Unlike neighbouring Robertson and Davidson, THDA does not flag any Sumner County census tract as targeted. That means the first-time homebuyer requirement applies countywide — there is no tract here where a repeat buyer can use Great Choice. If you have owned before and you are flexible on location, that is a concrete reason to look at a targeted tract one county over.
The programs worth knowing
Great Choice Home Loan. A 30-year fixed mortgage, statewide, with down payment assistance attached. The county limits above govern eligibility.
Homeownership for the Brave. A reduced-rate track for active-duty military, veterans, reservists, National Guard and surviving spouses. If you also have VA entitlement we will compare the two side by side rather than assuming.
Great Choice Plus. The assistance component, in deferred and amortizing forms. The amount and structure are revised periodically and there is a lot of stale information about it online, so we quote it from THDA’s current program guide when we price your file.
What a Sumner County Purchase Actually Costs
We are not quoting an interest rate on a web page — yours depends on your credit, your program, your loan size and the day. But everything around the rate is knowable in advance, and that is where the surprises live.
| Cost component | What to expect in Sumner County |
|---|---|
| Down payment | USDA 0% · VA 0% · FHA 3.5% · conventional 3–5% for many first-time buyers. Which of these you can use is decided partly by the address, per the USDA section above. |
| Property tax | $118.42 to $193.42 a month on a $400,000 home depending on where the property sits. Use the stacking table above for your specific jurisdiction. |
| Homeowners insurance | Middle Tennessee carries real wind and hail exposure and carriers have tightened deductibles on it. Get a real quote early — do not let anyone plug in a placeholder. |
| Mortgage insurance | Handled differently by every program: USDA has an upfront guarantee fee plus an annual fee, FHA has upfront and annual MIP, VA has a one-time funding fee with exemptions, conventional uses PMI that comes off with equity. This line alone can flip which program is cheapest for you. |
| Closing costs | Tennessee recordation and transfer taxes, title work, appraisal, and prepaid escrows. |
Find Out What Your Address Qualifies For
USDA eligibility, loan limits, THDA assistance and the real tax figure for your city — checked for your specific property. Christopher will review it personally. No pressure, no runaround.
Sumner County Communities and Neighbouring Counties
Three towns on this list have their own guide. For everywhere else, start with the county map.
Frequently Asked Questions — Sumner County Homebuyers
Is Sumner County eligible for a USDA loan?
Partly. About 15% of Sumner County’s land area is USDA-ineligible, and it is concentrated in the south. Portland, Westmoreland, Mitchellville and White House are entirely eligible and most of the unincorporated county qualifies. Hendersonville is 99.5% ineligible, Goodlettsville about 97% and Gallatin about 91%, so those three have to be checked address by address. Eligibility is set by street address, not by city or zip code.
What is the FHA loan limit in Sumner County, TN for 2026?
$1,029,250 for a one-unit property. Sumner County is part of the Nashville–Davidson–Murfreesboro–Franklin metropolitan statistical area, so it carries the full metro FHA limit rather than the $541,287 national floor. The 2026 conforming limit is the same figure because Sumner is a designated high-cost area above the $832,750 baseline.
What is the property tax rate in Sumner County, Tennessee?
The county rate is $1.421 per $100 of assessed value and Tennessee assesses homes at 25% of appraised value. Inside an incorporated city that city’s rate stacks on top, from $0.2534 in Mitchellville to $0.90 in Portland. On a $400,000 home the county-only bill is $1,421 a year; inside Portland it is $2,321. Rates shown are the Tennessee Comptroller’s published 2025 figures.
What are the THDA income limits for Sumner County?
As of 1 August 2026, THDA’s Great Choice and HFA Advantage limits for Sumner County are $139,320 for a one or two person household and $162,540 for three or more, with a $500,000 acquisition cost limit. Sumner contains no THDA targeted census tracts, so the first-time homebuyer requirement applies throughout the county.
Do I have to live in Sumner County to work with Valor Mortgage?
No — Valor Mortgage is licensed throughout Tennessee. We are based one county west in Springfield, and Sumner is part of the Middle Tennessee market we work in every week.
Where These Numbers Come From
Every figure on this page is taken from the agency that publishes it, not from an aggregator. Here is the audit trail.
| Figure | Source | As of |
|---|---|---|
| FHA and conforming limits | HUD FHA Mortgage Limits, Sumner County TN, CY2026 | Revised 1 Jan 2026 |
| USDA eligible areas | USDA Rural Development ineligible-area boundaries | Boundary eff. 25 Jul 2023 |
| County and city tax rates | Tennessee Comptroller of the Treasury, Property Tax Rates | Tax year 2025 |
| Assessment ratio (25%) | Tennessee Code Ann. § 67-5-801 | Current statute |
| THDA limits | THDA Acquisition Cost & Income Limits by County | Effective 1 Aug 2026 |
| VA — no loan limit | Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Act of 2019 | Eff. 1 Jan 2020 |
Last updated: 1 September 2026. Loan limits are reset each November for the following calendar year. THDA limits change periodically. Tennessee property tax rates change after reappraisal cycles. We re-check every figure on this page on that schedule.
Valor Mortgage — Locally Owned, Robertson County Based
Christopher Armantrout | 724 S Main St, Springfield, TN 37172
Christopher Armantrout NMLS #1210804 | Encore Lending Group, LLC NMLS #1249911 | Equal Housing Lender | Licensed in Tennessee
724 S Main St, Springfield, TN 37172 | 615.671.9178 | christopher@valor.mortgage
All figures on this page are estimates for general information and are not an offer or a commitment to lend. Loan limits, program limits, tax rates and USDA eligibility boundaries are set by the agencies named above and change without notice; every figure must be verified for your specific property and household before you rely on it. This is not a commitment to lend. All loans subject to credit approval, income verification, and property appraisal. Programs subject to change without notice.
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