Buying in Houston
Quick answer
If you are comparing down payment assistance in Houston, start with a 30-minute consultation with me, Eddie Weir, to discuss your housing goals, preferred area and timeline. I can then introduce you to a TSAHC-approved lender. Once that lender supplies actual quotes, compare cash to close, monthly payment and written repayment conditions together. The lender alone confirms eligibility and loan terms.
I am Eddie Weir with REMAX Signature. TSAHC stands for the Texas State Affordable Housing Corporation, one provider of down payment assistance for eligible Texas homebuyers. Your first step is a 30-minute consultation with me. Tell me where you hope to live, what you want in a home and when you need to move. I can introduce you to a TSAHC-approved lender for the financing conversation. You do not need to send me financial documents to book our consultation. The lender reviews your file and confirms program eligibility and loan terms; I help plan the home search around those answers. This page helps you compare the lender’s actual written quotes before choosing a home.
Video accuracy note: The video says a grant never has to be repaid. That statement is too broad: TSAHC says repayment may apply if the first mortgage is refinanced or paid off within six months. A three-year forgivable lien has different repayment triggers. Use the current TSAHC explanation and your lender’s written terms. Recorded income, credit and tax figures also need current confirmation.
What the comparison is for
Program names you will hear include Homes for Texas Heroes and the Home Sweet Texas Home Loan Program. Each has its own fine print, income screen, and property rules. I am not restating this year’s income or credit screens here. Ask the approved lender for the current written limits for the county and the loan type you are using. For help preparing that conversation, use my Questions to ask a TSAHC agent and consultation page.
The three columns I want on the page
Cash to close is the estimated amount you need to complete the purchase after the lender accounts for the loan, assistance, deposits and credits. Ask for the down payment, closing costs and prepaids to be itemized. Reserves are separate: the lender may require money left in your accounts after closing, even though it is not paid at the closing table. Do not accept a single round number from a video, including mine, as your cash to close. The illustration in the video was a simplified example. Your purchase price, loan type, assistance amount, seller contributions, and title fees will change it.
Compare principal and interest, mortgage insurance when required, and estimated property taxes and homeowners insurance on each offer. Check what is actually included in escrow. Budget separately for HOA dues, flood insurance or other ownership costs that are not included. Compare the quoted interest rate and payment rather than assuming how much assistance changes either. A smaller check at closing can sit beside a higher monthly payment.
Repayment condition is the third column, and it is the one a casual summary most often flattens. Put the trigger in writing: what event makes money due, whether a monthly payment is collected on the second lien, and what anniversary matters. Then verify that wording against the current TSAHC article and the note the lender will have you sign.
How down payment assistance options differ
Start with the structures the lender actually offers for your loan. The comparison below explains a grant and a three-year forgivable second lien; it does not mean every option is currently available to every borrower.
A grant reduces what you bring now. It does not, by itself, prove that nothing can ever be owed. TSAHC’s repayment article says repayment may apply if the first mortgage is refinanced or paid off within six months. If you might refinance quickly, that sentence belongs in the comparison before you choose the grant.
A three-year forgivable second lien is different. TSAHC describes that lien as repayable if you sell, refinance, or transfer before the third anniversary. Follow the conditions and forgiveness schedule in the written lien. I would put the anniversary on the calendar when you close, then check the documents again before a refinance, sale or title change.
If a lender also offers a deferred repayable second lien, ask for its separate note and repayment schedule. A deferred payment is not the same as forgiveness. Do not assume that a repayment rule from one assistance offer applies to another.
A Mortgage Credit Certificate, when a lender offers one, is a separate tax item. It is not assistance at the closing table, and it is not a guaranteed refund. Eligibility is a tax question. If your preparer says it applies, the IRS form to know is Form 8396. I am not a tax adviser, and I will not quote a credit rate on this page.
What should the written comparison include?
Use this completed question guide to read the lender’s actual quotes. It contains no sample mortgage offers or invented payment amounts.
| Compare | Grant | Three-year forgivable second lien |
|---|---|---|
| Cash to close | Confirm the assistance credited and the buyer funds still due | Confirm the assistance credited and the buyer funds still due |
| Payment and rate | Request the quoted rate, principal and interest, mortgage insurance and escrow estimate | Request the same components on the same property and assumptions |
| Assistance obligation | Read the grant conditions rather than assuming repayment is impossible | Read the recorded second-lien terms and forgiveness conditions |
| Early repayment trigger | TSAHC says first-mortgage refinance or payoff within six months may require repayment | TSAHC describes sale, refinance or transfer before the third anniversary as repayment triggers |
| Money kept after closing | Ask whether reserves are required; separate these from cash to close | Ask the same reserve question and any additional lender conditions |
| Before choosing | Confirm the current terms and what happens if plans change | Confirm the anniversary date and what happens if plans change |
If two offers show similar cash to close and different payments, ask what causes the difference. If the payments are close and the repayment conditions differ, discuss your likely time in the home and the possibility that plans change. Compare costs and conditions together rather than selecting from one number.
What to confirm before choosing a home
I will not rank the options from a purchase price alone. I will not tell you that you qualify. Income, credit, first-mortgage type, occupancy, and property type are the lender’s screen, and the screens change. I also will not borrow another buyer’s cash-to-close figure and hand it to you. Assistance is calculated from the loan the lender approves, and closing costs are property-specific.
When you have the comparison, the next practical step is a home whose price, dates, and insurance quote still fit the payment you chose. Insurance is its own bill. The examples on my Houston home insurance quotes page are fictional comparisons, so use them to see which questions to ask, then get a quote on the house.
Frequently asked questions
Does every TSAHC down payment assistance offer work the same way at closing?
No. The cash you bring, the rate, and the repayment trigger can all change between a grant and a second lien. Compare the written offers, not the program nickname.
If I receive a grant, is repayment impossible?
No. TSAHC says repayment may apply if the first mortgage is refinanced or paid off within six months. Confirm the current article and your closing documents.
When does a three-year forgivable lien have to be repaid?
If you sell, refinance, or transfer before the third anniversary, TSAHC’s description says the lien is repayable. The note you sign controls your file.
Can I choose the assistance and the house on the same day?
You can look, but I want the payment comparison before you write an offer. Seeing the payment first helps keep the property search realistic.
Start with a 30-minute consultation
Schedule a conversation with me, Eddie Weir, about your homebuying goals, preferred area and timeline. I can then introduce you to a TSAHC-approved lender and help plan the home search around the financing answers.
Schedule a 30-minute consultation with EddieSources: TSAHC repayment explanation; CFPB Loan Estimate guide; CFPB comparing Loan Estimates; IRS Form 8396. Reviewed October 12, 2026.
General information, not a loan approval or tax advice. Ask a TSAHC-approved lender for current program terms and a qualified tax adviser about tax benefits. Informational only; no guarantee of outcomes. If your home is currently listed with a REALTOR®, please do not consider this a solicitation of that listing.
