Buyer guide · Texas

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.

Bottom line:

The state programs work in all three metros, but the limits and the local add-ons are different. Austin has the highest income and price limits and an open city program worth up to $40,000. Dallas and Fort Worth each run city assistance with price caps. Houston's city program is closed for lack of funds, though a land trust and state programs remain. Houston buyers also need to price flood and, near the bay, windstorm coverage.

Same state programs, different math

Homes for Texas Heroes, Home Sweet Texas and the TDHCA programs are statewide. A teacher in Katy and a teacher in Round Rock apply the same way. What changes from metro to metro is the ceiling on income and price, what the city or county adds, and the local costs that shape your payment.

State program limits by metro

TSAHC published these income limits in July 2026. TDHCA's limits took effect July 13, 2026. TDHCA figures below are for non-targeted areas.

Metro	Heroes income limit	Home Sweet Texas	TDHCA income (1–2 / 3+ people)	TDHCA price limit
Houston	$176,800	$156,000	$104,000 / $119,600	$566,354
Dallas	$205,870	$181,650	$121,100 / $139,265	$589,596
Fort Worth	$187,510	$165,450	$110,300 / $126,845	$589,596
Austin	$228,480	$201,600	$134,400 / $154,560	$598,019

TSAHC's non-bond assistance has no purchase price limit when you skip the mortgage credit certificate. Add the credit certificate or bond-funded help and price limits apply. Check your county on the income limits page.

Houston: big help on paper, little open right now

Houston has had some of the largest local programs in the state. The city's Homebuyer Assistance Program offered up to $75,000 as a forgivable loan, but the city's housing department says it stopped taking applications when funds ran out. The Harvey Homebuyer Assistance Program is on hold for new applicants without pre-approval. Harris County's DAP has reached capacity for buyers who weren't affected by Hurricane Beryl or the 2024 derecho.

What's still working:

The state programs, with Houston-area limits above.
Houston Community Land Trust, which lists up to $150,000 in grants. You own the house and lease the land, you put in at least $70,000 (usually a mortgage), and resale prices are capped.
Harris County HFC gift funds of $1,000 for TDHCA My First Texas Home borrowers outside certain cities, while funds last.
Beryl and derecho recovery help from Harris County, for affected households.

Local costs to watch: some suburban subdivisions sit in utility districts that add their own tax rate. Flood insurance is a separate policy, and parts of Harris County east of Highway 146 fall under TWIA for wind. Budget for all three.

Dallas-Fort Worth: two cities, two programs, hard price caps

DFW is really several markets. The big cities each run their own help.

Dallas DHAP, run by BCL of Texas for the city: up to $60,000 in high-opportunity areas or $50,000 elsewhere, for buyers up to 80% of area median income, on homes up to $342,000. Your housing payment can't exceed 35% of gross income.
Fort Worth HAP: up to $25,000 for first-time buyers at or below 80% of AMI. The price limits in the city's guidelines are $309,000 for existing homes and $329,000 for new construction. It requires 620 credit, a minimum buyer contribution and two months of reserves.
Tarrant County's program, through the nonprofit Housing Channel, offers up to $50,000 outside Fort Worth, Arlington and Grand Prairie, with the same price caps.
McKinney has offered a $5,000 gift with TDHCA loans.

Hail is the main insurance worry in North Texas. TDI's loss data shows hail as the largest paid-loss category in most recent years. Ask about the roof's age and the wind and hail deductible before you lock in an offer.

Austin: highest limits, highest prices

Central Texas buyers get the most room under the state income caps, which helps dual-income teacher and first-responder households. Local help:

City of Austin DPA: up to $40,000 for first-time buyers at or below 80% of median family income ($106,800 for a family of four), on homes up to $440,000 inside the full-purpose city limits. Austin's city limits reach into Williamson and Hays counties.
Hill Country Home from the Travis County HFC: 4%, 5% or 6% of the loan as a 10-year forgivable second for buyers up to 140% of AMI, on homes up to $364,452. It needs a 640 score and allows up to 45% DTI. Manufactured homes aren't eligible.
Austin Community Land Trust, which sells homes below market under a ground lease.

Austin's challenge is the price, not the paperwork. A $440,000 city cap and a $364,452 county cap rule out a lot of listings. Townhomes and condos are often where those programs actually fit.

Side by side

	Houston	DFW	Austin
Main city program	Closed (funds exhausted)	Dallas DHAP; Fort Worth HAP (funding-dependent)	Austin DPA (open)
Other local help	Land trust; small HFC gift	Tarrant County; McKinney gift	Hill Country Home; land trust
Insurance watch	Flood; wind near the bay	Hail	Hail; flood near creeks
Tax watch	Utility districts in suburbs	Utility districts in new subdivisions	Utility districts in new subdivisions

One household, three metros (illustrative figures)

Take a married teacher and firefighter earning $150,000 together, buying a $350,000 home. In Austin, their income sits under the Heroes limit even if both are on the loan, but over the city program's 80% cap and Hill Country Home's $138,460 income limit. In Dallas, they're under the Heroes limit and over DHAP's income cap. In Houston, they're under the Heroes limit too. In all three, Heroes is the workhorse; local money is for lower-income households and lower prices. If only one spouse is on the loan, TSAHC counts just that borrower's income for its non-bond help.

The suburbs and the city line

City programs stop at the city limits, and they mean the legal boundary, not the mailing address. A Fort Worth or Houston address can sit outside the city. Ask the program to confirm the address before you write an offer. County programs and the state programs keep working in the suburbs.

Wherever you land, start with the state program that fits your job and income, then see what the city or county adds. To get a list built for your situation, check your eligibility.

Readers also ask

Which Texas metro has the highest down payment program limits?

Austin. TSAHC's July 2026 Heroes income limit for the Austin metro is $228,480, and TDHCA's Austin-area limits are $134,400 for one or two people and $154,560 for three or more, with a $598,019 price limit.

Is Houston's down payment assistance program open?

Not right now. The City of Houston says its Homebuyer Assistance Program stopped accepting applications when funds ran out. State programs and the Houston Community Land Trust remain options.

What is the price limit for Dallas DHAP?

$342,000 for existing or new homes, per BCL of Texas, which runs the program for the City of Dallas. Assistance is up to $60,000 in high-opportunity areas and $50,000 elsewhere.

Can I use the City of Austin program in Round Rock?

Only if the address is inside Austin's full-purpose city limits. Austin's limits reach into Williamson and Hays counties, but Round Rock is its own city. Travis County's Hill Country Home covers Travis County.

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