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Watch a short introduction to the homebuying process.
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Buy a Home
Understand what you can afford, what to expect, and how to move forward before you apply.
Whether this is your first home or your next one, this page will help you get oriented.
Start here
A simple way to begin if you're not sure what to do first.
Estimate
Use our payment calculators to estimate a comfortable monthly payment.
Open calculator
Understand
Read a simple guide to learn what happens before and after you apply.
Read guide
Move forward
Ready to take the next step? Start your application here.
ApplyAlso explore
Featured videos
Helpful videos for buyers at different stages of the process.
Plan your payment
Before you choose a home, it helps to understand what monthly payment feels manageable.
Payment calculator
See how you down payment and loan term affect your mortgage payment.
Open calculatorAffordability calculator
See how payment, taxes, insurance, and down payment affect how much home you can afford.
Open calculatorBuy vs. rent calculator
Compare the long-term cost of renting with the potential cost and benefits of buying a home.
Open calculatorExtra payment calculator
See how making extra payments could reduce interest and shorten the life of your mortgage.
Open calculatorCan I qualify?
Answers to common qualification questions about income, credit, and down payment.
Featured qualification topic
Can I Qualify With Student Loans?
Learn how student loans are counted when qualifying for a mortgage, including deferred loans, income-based repayment plans, and differences among conventional, FHA, USDA, and VA guidelines.
More qualification topics
- Can I Qualify With Limited Savings? How Much Money Do I Need to Close? Learn how down payment, closing costs, prepaid expenses, escrow deposits, insurance, taxes, and prepaid interest combine to determine the total funds needed to close.
- Can I Qualify If I'm Self-Employed? Learn how self-employment income is reviewed for mortgage qualification, including tax returns, income history, business stability, and documentation requirements.
- Can I Qualify With Credit Card Debt? Learn how credit card debt affects mortgage qualification, including debt ratios, minimum payments, credit utilization, and options for paying down debt before applying.
More ways we can help
Some loan options are designed around a specific goal or situation. If one of these fits what you're trying to do, visit the page to request details or answer a few questions.
You're eligible for a VA loan
VA loans include benefits many eligible buyers do not fully understand. Request details to learn how VA loan features may make buying a home easier or more flexible.
Request detailsRE agents: You can buy
your own dream home!
Real estate agents often have income that does not fit neatly into traditional mortgage guidelines. This option may help you buy your own home without relying on tax returns to qualify.
Request detailsBuy a home without using tax returns!
Business owners do not always show income the way traditional mortgage guidelines expect. This option may help you buy a home without using tax returns to qualify.
Request detailsCould a mortgage interest tax credit help you buy more home?
A mortgage interest tax credit may increase your effective qualifying income and help you explore a larger home budget. Take the quiz to see whether it may fit.
Take the quizWorkshops
Learn live and ask questions in a low-pressure setting.
First-Time Homebuyer Roadmap: Where Do I Start?
Type: Online
A practical first step for first-time homebuyers who want to understand what to do before they start seriously shopping for a home.
RegisterHelpful articles
More reading if you want to go deeper.
- First-Time Homebuyer Options in Texas Explore common first-time homebuyer options in Texas, including low-down-payment loans, down payment assistance, MCCs, gift funds, seller contributions, and lender credits.
- Down Payment Assistance: What Texas Homebuyers Should Know Learn how down payment assistance may help Texas homebuyers cover down payment, closing costs, or prepaid expenses, and what to consider before using an assistance program.
- Canceling Private Mortgage Insurance Learn when private mortgage insurance may be canceled, how borrower-requested and automatic PMI cancellation work, and why FHA mortgage insurance follows different rules.
- Texas Veterans Land Board Loans: What Veterans Should Know Learn how Texas Veterans Land Board loans may help eligible Texas veterans, military members, and surviving spouses, and how VLB loans differ from VA loans.
What clients say
“Steve Bray was introduced to me by my mother, as he handled the mortgage on her family daycare facility 15 years ago. I was a first time home buyer so really kind of deer in the head lights throughout the process. Steve was really calming and frankly quite gifted at keeping messy situations like home buying as painless and stress-free as possible. He was responsive, kind hearted, and friendly during the entire process. Even the downs of the rollercoaster. I closed on Thursday and he even surprised me at my closing with cheesecake cupcakes, homemade! Trust is my #1 value and I did of course shop around for lenders, but none of them made me feel as comfortable as Steve did from the get-go. He will have my business for life.”
— Deborah S.
From the kitchen
Because life is not all mortgages. Click on a recipe card to enlarge and print it.
Crock Pot Chicken Stew
Peaches and Cream Popsicles
Ready to move forward?
When you're ready, the next step is simple.
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