Question 1

Does Wake County's growth actually support a conventional buy-and-hold, or is that just marketing?

Accepted Answer

The numbers back it up. Wake County's population grew from 1,130,903 in 2020 to 1,257,235 in 2025, a gain of 126,332 people, or 11.2%, in five years, and the county adds roughly 66 residents a day. That's landing on a labor market that isn't thin: the Raleigh-Cary metro carried 783,900 nonfarm jobs in May 2026, and unemployment ran 3.1% in June 2026, under the statewide rate of 3.6%. State government alone accounts for 55,300 of those jobs, a payroll that doesn't cycle with housing the way a single-employer town does. If your file documents income cleanly, that's the backdrop a conventional loan is underwriting against; if it doesn't, we'll also price the same deal as a DSCR loan qualified on the property's rent instead.

Question 2

My Wake County tax bill didn't move for years and now I hear it's about to reset. How do I underwrite that on a conventional escrow line?

Accepted Answer

Model the step, not the current bill. North Carolina freezes assessed values between revaluations, so Wake County's tax line sits flat and then jumps in one move at each reval. The 2024 revaluation raised residential values 53% over 2020 in a single step. The next revaluation is effective 2027-01-01, with notices mailing that January and appeals opening at the same time; Wake then shifts to a two-year cycle starting in 2029. On today's tax-year 2026 rate, a Raleigh address pays a combined $0.9091 per $100 of assessed value (county $0.5371 plus city $0.3720), about $3,964 a year on a $436,056 house. Don't underwrite a 2029 hold to that number without pricing in the 2027 reset. Appeals to the Board of Equalization and Review are free to file and typically close when the board adjourns in early to mid April; confirm the current year's date with Wake County Tax Administration.

Question 3

Does Raleigh face the same homeowners insurance spikes as the North Carolina coast?

Accepted Answer

No, and that's a real underwriting difference. North Carolina prices homeowners rates through the NC Rate Bureau, which files for all carriers, and the settled 2025 round capped increases at 7.5% effective 2025-06-01 and another 7.5% effective 2026-06-01, with the Bureau barred from refiling before 2027-06-01. That's a stepped, negotiated statewide increase, not the open filed-rate churn a coastal or Gulf Coast market sees. Raleigh and the rest of Wake County also sit well outside the state's eligible coastal wind-pool counties, so there's no NCIUA Beach Plan placement, no wind-pool deductible, and no assessment story to model here the way there is on the coast.

Question 4

Median home values are down year over year across the Triangle. Does that hurt my appraisal on a conventional purchase or refinance?

Accepted Answer

It's a soft tape, not a falling one, and the direction is mild. Raleigh's Zillow home value index ran $436,056 in June 2026, down 2.1% from a year earlier, and the Raleigh-Cary metro's median list price was $450,000 in July 2026, down 2.2% year over year. Every meaningful Triangle city is down over the same period, and active listings reached 5,963 in July 2026, up 5.5% from a year earlier and the highest reading in the two-year window. That's inventory loosening slowly, not flooding, but it means underwriting to a flat-to-slightly-down ARV is the honest read, not appreciation. Send us the specific address and comps and we'll walk you through where it lands.

Question 5

Is a Raleigh address cheaper to carry than a Durham or Chapel Hill address at the same purchase price?

Accepted Answer

Yes, and the gap is large enough to change your numbers. On the fiscal 2025-2026 rates that put all three counties on one footing, a Raleigh address in Wake County ran a combined $0.8721 per $100 of assessed value, a Durham address in Durham County ran $0.9913 (about 14% more), and a Chapel Hill address in Orange County ran $1.1383 (about 30% more) on identical assessed value. The three counties also revalue on different schedules: Wake reset in 2024, Durham and Orange both reset in 2025. Don't apply a Wake County tax figure to a Durham or Chapel Hill parcel, and pull the county from the register of deeds rather than the mailing address, since Cary, Wake Forest, and other Triangle towns straddle county lines.

Question 6

What is a conventional investment property loan?

Accepted Answer

It is standard, competitively priced financing for a non-owner-occupied investment property, the long-term loan you take when your file fits the conventional box. It usually carries a lower rate than a bridge or DSCR loan, in exchange for full documentation.

Question 7

How is it different from a DSCR loan?

Accepted Answer

A conventional loan qualifies on your documented personal income and credit, while a DSCR loan qualifies on the property's rent. Conventional pricing is often lower if you can document your income and you are within the limit on financed properties; DSCR is easier to scale and skips the income docs. We compare both and put you in the one that fits.

Question 8

How much do I need to put down?

Accepted Answer

Plan on roughly 20% to 25% down on an investment-property purchase, with the best pricing at lower leverage and higher credit. Cash-out refinances are typically capped a bit lower than purchases.

Question 9

What credit score do I need?

Accepted Answer

Conventional investment financing generally wants a credit score around 580 or higher, and your rate improves meaningfully as your score and reserves go up. We will tell you up front where your file lands.

Question 10

What can I use it for?

Accepted Answer

Purchases, rate-and-term refinances, and cash-out refinances on non-owner-occupied 1-4 unit investment property. If you will live in the property, that is owner-occupied financing, which we refer to a trusted partner rather than originate here.

Question 11

What documents are required?

Accepted Answer

Because it is fully documented, expect to provide income verification, tax returns, bank statements, and the standard conventional paperwork. If that documentation is a hurdle, our DSCR and bank-statement programs are the no-tax-return alternatives.

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