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First-time home buyer agent in Houston Your first home, guided.
The five fears every first-time buyer brings to call #1 — and what actually happens between pre-approval and closing on a Houston home. No jargon, no pressure, no skipped steps.
The fears that hold buyers back
The five fears every first-time buyer brings to the first call
“I don’t have 20% down”
You don’t need it. Conventional starts at 3% down, FHA at 3.5%, VA and USDA at 0%. The 20% number is folklore — useful for avoiding PMI, not required to buy a home.
“My credit score isn’t perfect”
It doesn’t need to be. FHA loans work at 580+. Conventional loans work at 620+. A high-680 or 700+ score gets you the best terms, but you don’t need 760 to qualify.
“I don’t know how much I can actually afford”
That’s what pre-approval is for. A real lender pre-approval (not just an online “estimate”) gives you the actual price ceiling with the actual monthly payment math.
“What if the inspection finds something terrible?”
That’s the point of the option period. Texas gives you a defined window to inspect, evaluate, and walk away with your earnest money intact. You’re protected by the contract.
“What if I’m the wrong person for this house?”
Then you don’t buy it. There’s no penalty for touring a home and saying no. The right house feels like the right house — and it’s my job to tell you honestly when something isn’t a fit.
The real numbers
How much do you actually need?
Down payment
3% conventional, 3.5% FHA, 0% VA or USDA. On a $300,000 home, that’s $9,000–$10,500 conventional, $0 if VA/USDA.
Closing costs
2%–4% of the purchase price. Lender fees, title fees, escrow, appraisal, recording. A negotiated seller-paid credit can offset some or all.
Earnest money and option fee
Earnest money: 1% of purchase price is typical in Houston. Option fee: $250–$500 buys you the right to inspect and walk. Both apply to closing if you proceed.
Prepaid escrows + inspection
Inspection: $400–$700 depending on home size. Prepaid escrow: 2-3 months of tax and insurance reserves. Lender-required.
The assistance landscape
Real Texas down payment assistance programs
These programs are run by the state, by TSAHC, by Harris County, or by the City of Houston. I do not fund them, and the lender or the program office decides who qualifies. The figures below were read from their sites on October 24, 2026. See the full Houston DPA guide and the TSAHC walkthrough.
| Program | Assistance | Official page |
|---|---|---|
| TDHCA My First Texas Home First-time buyers: no ownership interest in a primary residence in the past three years. Waived for veterans and for some homes in a targeted area. HUD-approved homebuyer education. Harris County limits effective July 13, 2026: $104,000 (1 or 2 people), $119,600 (3 or more). Targeted-area rows: $124,800 and $145,600. Purchase price limit $566,354.70, or $692,211.30 in a targeted area. | Up to 5% of the mortgage for down payment and closing costs, as a 30-year deferred repayable second lien or a 3-year deferred forgivable second lien. An unassisted rate with no assistance is also offered. | TDHCA programs |
| TSAHC Home Sweet Texas and Homes for Texas Heroes Home Sweet Texas is income-based. Homes for Texas Heroes includes teachers, aides, librarians, counselors, school nurses, police, public security, firefighters, EMS, veterans, active military, corrections officers, juvenile corrections officers, county jailers, nursing faculty, and allied health faculty. Minimum credit score 620 (640 for manufactured homes). Education required before closing. Harris County DPA-only limits: Home Sweet Texas $156,000. Homes for Texas Heroes $176,800, effective July 9, 2026. | Guidelines revised September 9, 2026: the buyer chooses 2%, 3%, 4%, or 5% of the loan amount, depending on the product. Government loans can use a grant or a 3-year deferred forgivable second lien. A mortgage credit certificate, when combined, uses a 15% credit rate on interest paid. | TSAHC Houston page Compare TSAHC options |
| Harris County Down Payment Assistance First-time buyer who has not owned a home for three years. Credit score at least 580. Front-end ratio no more than 39%, back-end no more than 42%. HUD education. At least $1,000 toward the purchase. Liquid assets no more than $30,000. Home in unincorporated Harris County, in a qualified census tract, and not in a flood hazard area. Existing home purchase price up to $285,000. New home up to $296,000. The public page says the general program is at capacity. It is accepting buyers affected by Hurricane Beryl or the derecho, and it is not accepting applications from people who were not affected. | Up to $40,000, effective November 18, 2025, including set-asides. The county page says the base left for down payment, prepaids, and closing costs is $27,100 after those maximum set-asides. Silent second mortgage. Affordability period 5 years under $25,000, and 10 years from $25,000 to $40,000. | Harris County page |
| City of Houston Homebuyer Assistance First-time buyer, or no ownership in the last 3 years, including spouse and co-applicant. The public qualify list says household income at or below 80% of area median income. Liquid assets under $50,000. Front-end ratio 33% and back-end ratio 45%. The buyer contributes at least $350. The home pays City of Houston taxes. Assistance is suspended for homes inside the Fifth Ward and Kashmere Gardens Union Pacific sampling zone while the EPA investigation continues. The City page, re-read the evening of October 24, says program funds are exhausted and new applications are not being accepted. One FAQ answer also says the loan is forgiven after a five-year residency period. That sentence conflicts with the eight-year rule, so this page does not treat five years as the rule. | Public page and guidelines version 8.0, approved June 23, 2026: up to $75,000, no interest, forgivable, secured by a lien. The public page says the loan is fulfilled if the buyer lives in the home for eight years, and that a sale or move before then requires repayment of a portion. | City of Houston page |
Both offices can change the rules without updating this site, so the official link is the one to use when someone applies. A buyer who is a teacher, veteran, or first responder, or who is under the Home Sweet Texas income limit, should start with the guides already linked here and then talk with a participating lender.
The loan types
The credit score conversation, made simple
FHA loan
Best for: credit 580-680, or first-time buyers with limited down payment. 3.5% down, FHA mortgage insurance for the life of the loan in most cases.
Conventional loan
Best for: credit 680+ with at least 3% down. PMI required below 20% down but drops off automatically at 78% LTV.
VA loan
Best for: veterans, active-duty, and eligible surviving spouses. 0% down, no PMI, very competitive rates. Should be the first option evaluated.
USDA loan
Best for: buyers in USDA-eligible Houston-area pockets — parts of far north Harris, Brazoria, Waller, Liberty counties. 0% down on eligible homes.
The honest year-1 math
What the first year of homeownership actually costs
On a $300,000 Houston home, year 1 typically looks like:
Monthly principal + interest (5% down, 7.5% rate, 30-year): ~$1,990
Property taxes: ~$650–$800 (depends on submarket + homestead)
Insurance: ~$150–$220
HOA (if any): ~$30–$150
Utilities: ~$200–$350 (Houston summers raise the cooling load)
Routine maintenance reserve: ~$200 (you should set this aside even if you don’t spend it every month)
Typical year-1 monthly all-in: $3,200–$3,700.
Year 1 also tends to include one or two unexpected repairs. Budget for them, don’t fear them. Most are smaller than you imagine.
One step do not forget
The Texas homestead exemption (file this!)
After closing, you have until April 30 of the following year to file your homestead exemption. It reduces your taxable value and caps annual appraisal increases at 10% for owner-occupied homes.
Example: On a $300,000 Houston home with a $140,000 school-district + city homestead exemption stack, you save $1,400 to $2,500 saved per year in property tax for as long as you own and occupy the home.
This is one of the highest-value 30 minutes of paperwork in Texas homeownership. See my full homestead walkthrough. I remind every first-time buyer post-close.
Real examples
Three first-time buyer scenarios I see often
The 28-year-old solo buyer with a steady tech job
Good credit, ~$25K saved. Usually goes conventional, 5%-10% down on a $280K-$350K starter. TSAHC sometimes layers if income qualifies.
The young couple with one income on parental leave
Lender qualifies on the working spouse’s income. Often FHA 3.5% down or conventional 3% down, with DPA stacking when household income qualifies.
The veteran buyer using VA benefits
0% down VA loan, no PMI, often layered with TSAHC Heroes program. The most efficient first-time-buyer path that exists for eligible veterans.
The process
How I work with first-time buyers specifically
- The first call is longer. 30-45 minutes. We cover the fears, the math, the timeline, and the loan options. No pressure, no scripts.
- Pre-approval before tours. I introduce you to Texas-licensed lenders I’ve closed with. Pre-approval first, tours second.
- Tour education, not tour pressure. I explain what to look at, what to ignore, and what we’d need to verify in the option period.
- Post-close, I’m not done. Homestead reminder, service intros, year-1 check-in, and protest filing reminder.
First-Time Buyer · Buyer Consultation
Buying your first Houston home?
I walk first-time buyers through every step — pre-approval, neighborhood fit, option period, closing — in plain English, no jargon, no pressure.
Prefer a checklist? Use the first-time home buyer checklist for Houston (2026) when you’re ready to execute step by step.
