Getting a conventional loan in Missouri: numbers, limits and rules

A conventional loan in Missouri is priced by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac’s national rules, then shaped by local facts: a $250,000 median, property tax near 0.96%, title company closings, and a baseline conforming limit of $832,750. Here are the numbers and the rules, in that order.

How much house stays conforming in Missouri

A conventional loan is conforming when it fits Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac’s limit and their guidelines; in Missouri that limit is $832,750 for a one-unit home in 2026. With 20% down, a purchase up to about $1,040,938 stays conforming; with 5% down, up to about $876,579. The state’s $250,000 median leaves ample room, so a typical purchase here is conforming unless the buyer is in a premium neighborhood. Every Missouri county is in the table below; see conforming loan limits and jumbo loans.

Conforming limits for all 115 Missouri counties

FHFA sets the limit county by county, but for 2026 every one of Missouri’s 115 counties sits at the national baseline: $832,750 for a one-unit home, $1,066,250 for two units, $1,288,800 for three and $1,601,750 for four. The table is here so you can confirm your county rather than assume.

Source: FHFA, Conforming Loan Limit Values for 2026 (county list, mortgages acquired in calendar year 2026). Limits are for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac loans; FHA and VA use their own county figures.

What a conventional loan costs on the Missouri median

Worked at an illustrative 6.5% over 30 years on the $250,000 median. PMI uses order-of-magnitude annual rates by down payment; tax uses Missouri’s approximate 0.96% effective rate. Your county, score and insurer will move every column.

Under 20% down, conventional loans require mortgage insurance until the loan-to-value falls; the next section gives the ${e.nom} timeline. Payment tables at other amounts and rates: mortgage payment tables.

When PMI ends in Missouri

Federal rules, identical in Missouri: you may request cancellation at 80% of the original value and the servicer must cancel at 78%. On the scheduled amortization alone, the 5% down loan above reaches 80% after about 10 years and 4 months and 78% after about 11 years and 3 months; the 10% down loan, 80% after about 7 years and 11 months; the 3% down loan, 80% after about 11 years and 1 months. At roughly $148 a month on the 5% scenario, that is about $18,352 of PMI over the period — the strongest argument for extra principal payments or a value-based cancellation request once prices rise.

The Missouri closing: costs and who runs it

Missouri closings are conducted by title companies, which handle the title search, the policies, the settlement statement and the recording of the deed of trust, with no attorney required by law. Attorneys are engaged mainly for contract review or for the seller’s deed, and Kansas City and St. Louis both follow title-company practice. Funding is wet, and buyer closing costs of about 2 percent to 3 percent are usual.

Missouri imposes no mortgage tax, intangible tax or documentary stamp on the deed of trust, and no real estate transfer tax on the deed. The recorder of deeds charges a modest fee for the first page and a smaller amount for each additional page, so recording a deed of trust costs a few dozen dollars. A release of deed of trust is recorded for a similar fee once the loan is paid. Missouri has no real estate transfer tax and no mortgage tax; recording fees are modest.

Missouri buyer closing costs typically run 2% to 3% of the price, among the lowest in the country, with title companies handling closings and no government transfer charges.

Three Missouri rules to read before signing

Prepayment. Missouri allows a prepayment penalty on a loan secured by residential real estate only during the first five years of the loan under Missouri Revised Statutes 408.036, and none may be charged after that. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac do not buy loans with prepayment penalties, so a conforming loan will not carry one.

Spouses and title. Missouri is a separate-property state where married couples usually hold as tenants by the entirety, which requires both spouses to sign any deed of trust on that property.

Homestead. Missouri’s creditor homestead exemption is a fixed $15,000 of equity under Missouri Revised Statutes 513.475, one of the smaller figures nationally, and it offers no protection against a deed of trust, taxes or a mechanic’s lien.

The complete state layer — licensing, predatory-lending limits, disclosures, foreclosure — is on mortgage laws in Missouri.

Frequently asked questions

What is the conforming loan limit in Missouri for 2026?

$832,750 for a one-unit home in every one of Missouri’s 115 counties: FHFA designates no high-cost area in the state for 2026. Above that figure the loan is jumbo. On the state’s $250,000 median, a 20% down loan of $200,000 is well inside the limit.

When can I cancel PMI on a conventional loan in Missouri?

Two thresholds apply everywhere, including Missouri: you may ask at 80% loan-to-value (original value, good payment history) and the servicer must stop charging at 78%. Scheduled payments on a $237,500 loan at 6.5% reach 80% of a $250,000 price after about 10 years and 4 months. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac also allow cancellation on a new appraisal after enough seasoning.

Does Missouri add anything to a conventional loan’s closing costs?

Missouri imposes no mortgage tax, intangible tax or documentary stamp on the deed of trust, and no real estate transfer tax on the deed. Missouri has no real estate transfer tax and no mortgage tax; recording fees are modest. Missouri buyer closing costs typically run 2% to 3% of the price, among the lowest in the country, with title companies handling closings and no government transfer charges.

Related: Assumable mortgages: taking over a seller’s low rate, and what it really costs, How to compare mortgage offers: reading the Loan Estimate line by line, Renovation loans: HomeStyle, CHOICERenovation and FHA 203(k) compared, Loan-level price adjustments: why two borrowers get different rates on the same loan. First home in Missouri: programs and assistance. Hub: Conventional loan.