First-time buyers
You are closer than you think.
Everything on this page is public information. We put it in one place because the people who need it most are the least likely to ever be handed it.
What actually stops people
Three walls stand between you and the keys.
Nobody mentions these until you are already sitting in the room. We would rather you read them here first, for free, and decide with your eyes open.
The down payment you don't need
Most renters are saving toward a 20% down payment that almost nobody actually puts down. The City of Houston offers up to $50,000 as a forgivable loan for first-time buyers, and the state programs run by TDHCA and TSAHC add up to 5% of your loan amount. Typical requirements are a 620 credit score, household income under roughly $100,000, and a homebuyer education course.
We check which programs you already qualify for before you tour a single house.
The tax bill nobody budgets for
Texas charges no state income tax and makes up the difference right here. Property tax runs roughly 1.60% to 2.20% depending on the taxing jurisdiction. On a $305,000 home that is about $500 a month on top of principal and interest — the line that breaks budgets built on the sticker price alone. Filing a homestead exemption brings it down.
We give you the true monthly number, taxes and insurance included, before you write an offer.
The water
This is Houston. A home inside a FEMA Special Flood Hazard Area carries at least a 1% chance of flooding in any given year, which works out to roughly 26% across a 30-year mortgage, and your lender will require flood insurance. Texas Property Code 5.008 requires sellers to disclose flooding they know about — but an owner who moved in recently may not know much.
We pull the flood history and the FEMA map on every address you get serious about.
Down payment assistance
There is more help than you think.
These programs exist whether or not anyone tells you about them. Most buyers never hear the list, because nobody gets paid to read it out loud. Here it is.
What most of them ask for
- A credit score around 620
- Household income under roughly $100,000
- A homebuyer education course
- The home must be your primary residence
Program amounts, income caps and eligibility rules change from year to year, and several of these run out of funding before the year ends. Treat this page as a starting point, not as an approval — we confirm what is actually open and what you actually clear before you make any plans around it. This is not an offer of credit or a commitment to lend.
How it goes
Five steps, and you know the number at every one.
A conversation, not a sales pitch
We look at your income, your credit and your timeline. If the answer is that you should wait six months and fix two things first, that is what we will tell you — we would rather have you as a client next spring than as a denial next month.
No cost, no obligation
Pre-approval before you fall in love
Touring homes before you know your number is how people get their hearts broken. Because the mortgage side sits in the same office, your pre-approval does not depend on a stranger returning a call.
This is the step most people skip
The assistance check, in writing
We go through the down payment assistance programs one by one and tell you which ones you actually clear, which ones still have funding, and what each one would cost you in the long run.
Touring with the real number
Every home you walk through comes with its true monthly cost — principal, interest, property tax, insurance and flood insurance if the address needs it. No surprises at the closing table.
Offer, negotiate, close
On new construction we negotiate the builder's incentives against your actual rate. On resale we price against what is really selling, not what sellers wish. Our listings move in 69 days on average, well under the Houston norm.
294 closings behind that number
Straight answers
The questions people are embarrassed to ask.
No. Almost nobody puts down 20%.
Most assistance programs start around 620.
Roughly 1.60% to 2.20% of the home's value per year.
Only if the home sits in a FEMA Special Flood Hazard Area — but check every address anyway.
Sometimes — but never without comparing.
We put it in writing before you tour anything.
Contact
Ask us the awkward question first.
Whether you qualify, what you can actually afford, whether now is even the right year. We would rather answer that today than sell you something you regret.
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