Running your own business in Texas and buying a first home
Roofers, hotshot drivers, stylists and other Texas business owners: how lenders read your tax returns, which state and city programs you can use, and what to file.
Buyer guides
Straight answers for Texas buyers
Straight answers for Texas teachers, first responders and veterans: which state program fits, what your paycheck proves, and the Texas costs that decide your payment, from homestead filings and title rates to MUD taxes and storm insurance.
Driving for the apps in Texas? Here's how to buy a home on gig income
Drive for Uber, Lyft, DoorDash, Instacart, Amazon Flex or Favor in Texas? How lenders turn app earnings into qualifying income, and which Texas programs fit.
TSAHC or TDHCA: how to pick the right Texas state program
Texas runs two state homebuyer agencies. Compare Homes for Texas Heroes, Home Sweet Texas and TDHCA's programs: grant vs. forgivable vs. repayable help, credit, income and the MCC.
How a Texas teacher's paycheck looks to a mortgage underwriter
How lenders read a Texas teacher's paycheck: 10- vs. 12-month pay, contract renewals, summer school and stipends, new hires starting in August, and student loans.
Overtime, 24-hour shifts and your mortgage: a guide for Texas first responders
How lenders count overtime, shift pay and extra duty for Texas firefighters, peace officers, EMS crews and corrections officers, plus which Heroes jobs qualify and San Antonio's responder program.
Your first Texas property tax bill: homestead exemption, the 10% cap and protests
How the $140,000 school homestead exemption, the 10% appraisal cap and the May protest deadline shape a Texas first-time buyer's tax bill and escrow.
Texas title insurance rates and the rest of your closing costs
Texas sets title insurance premiums by rule, so every company charges the same. Here's the 2026 rate math, what isn't regulated, and how DPA covers closing costs.
Texas homeowners insurance: what hail, wind and flood do to your payment
Texas homeowners premiums averaged $3,489 in 2025, per TDI. What drives the cost, when you need TWIA or flood coverage, and how insurance hits your mortgage payment.
MUD and PID taxes: the extra bill in new Texas subdivisions
Municipal utility districts and public improvement districts add to the tax bill in many new Texas neighborhoods. What the required notices say and how to read them.
Houston, Dallas-Fort Worth or Austin: where first-home help goes furthest
Compare Texas's three biggest metros for first-time buyers: state income and price limits, local down payment programs, flood and wind risk, and utility district taxes.
Stacking city and county help on top of Texas state programs
How Texas buyers layer city and county programs in Austin, Dallas, Fort Worth, San Antonio and El Paso with state help, the federal second-lien rules, and the mistakes that sink a file.
Texas veterans: the VA loan, the Land Board loan and Heroes, explained
How Texas veterans and service members can use a VA loan, the Texas Veterans Land Board home loan, Homes for Texas Heroes and disabled-veteran property tax exemptions.
