First-Time Buyers

Reserves are the money left in your accounts after you close. Texas buyers often underestimate this requirement. Here is how much you need and which assets count.

Most first-time buyers in Texas make the same handful of mistakes in 2026. Here are the ones I see most often and how to sidestep each one before it costs you.

Texas buyers in 2026 can put as little as 3% down on a conventional loan or 3.5% on FHA. Here is how each option works, what PMI costs, and how to pick the right down payment for your situation.

Texas buyers in 2026 need more than a lender approval number. Here is a practical affordability framework covering DTI limits, property taxes, down payment, and your comfortable payment ceiling.

TSAHC’s Homes for Texas Heroes program offers Texas teachers, nurses, police, and first responders 3%-5% down payment assistance. Here is who qualifies and how it works.

The credit score you need for a Texas mortgage depends on the loan program. FHA starts at 580, conventional at 620, and jumbo loans typically require 700+. Here’s what each threshold means and how to improve your score before you apply.

The rent vs. buy question has been harder to answer in the past two years than at almost any other point in recent memory. Mortgage rates climbed sharply, home prices stayed elevated, and rents in many Texas markets softened. The balance shifted. But it hasn’t shifted as far as some headlines suggest, and running the…

San Antonio ranks among Texas’s most affordable major metros. Here is what buyers need to know about its mortgage landscape, property taxes, and loan options before making an offer.

The average Texas home purchase generates 100 to 150 pages of documents at the closing table. Here’s what to bring, what you’ll sign, exactly how money moves, and when you walk out with keys.