Less than most people assume. Conventional loans start around three percent down, FHA sits at three and a half, and VA and USDA can go to zero for buyers who qualify. Twenty percent is not a requirement, it is a threshold that removes mortgage insurance. The more useful number is your total cash to close, which includes closing costs and prepaid escrow for taxes and insurance. In Texas those escrow amounts run higher than buyers from other states expect, because property taxes here are higher. Get that full figure from a lender before you tour anything, not after you find a house you love.

Yes, and the timing matters more than the decision. The person at the sales office is a representative of the builder, paid by the builder, working from a contract the builder's attorneys wrote. They are not neutral and they are not obligated to protect you. Most builders will pay a buyer's agent, but nearly all of them require your agent to be registered on your very first visit to the community. Walk in alone once and you can forfeit representation on that property permanently. If you are even considering new construction, bring your agent to the first walk-through.

Not what an online estimate says. Texas is a non-disclosure state, which means sale prices are not public record here. Those national valuation tools are working from incomplete data and filling the gaps with assumptions. A real number comes from NTREIS, the MLS, using closed comparable sales in your immediate area adjusted for condition, lot, updates, and what is currently competing against you. Two houses on the same street can appraise very differently. The honest answer requires someone looking at your specific property, and it should be free.

It depends entirely on your equity position and your risk tolerance, and anyone who answers this without asking about both is guessing. Selling first gives you a clean, strong offer with no financing contingency, but it can mean a temporary move. Buying first is smoother to live through but often means carrying two payments or writing a contingent offer, which is weaker in a competitive situation. There are bridge options and lease-back arrangements that solve parts of this. The right sequence is a math problem specific to your numbers, and it is worth an hour of conversation before you list anything.

Because Texas does not have a state income tax. The state funds schools, counties, and cities largely through property taxes instead, so what you save on income you pay back in part through your annual assessment. Rates vary by county, city, school district, and any special taxing districts attached to a particular community, which means two homes at the same price can carry very different monthly payments. Always look at the total rate for the specific address, not the county average. And if the home will be your primary residence, file for your homestead exemption.

Land is where the expensive mistakes live, because the things that matter are invisible in listing photos. Confirm the ag exemption status and understand exactly what would break it, since losing it can trigger rollback taxes for prior years. Verify water, whether that means a well, a co-op, or a municipal tap, and confirm the property will pass a septic feasibility test. Check legal access in writing, because a road you can drive on is not the same as a road you have the right to use. Then confirm utility access, and any restrictions on hunting, shooting, or livestock. Every one of these should be answered before your option period ends.

That question has no universal answer, and anyone who gives you one is selling something. Markets here vary sharply by city and even by price band within the same city. What matters is your situation: how long you plan to stay, what your monthly number needs to be, and whether you are moving because you want to or because you have to. The market data on the area pages of this site will tell you what is actually happening where you are looking. What it will not tell you is whether the timing is right for you, and that is a conversation, not a chart.

Consultations are free and carry no obligation. On the buyer side, compensation is negotiable and gets spelled out in a written agreement before we tour anything, so there are no surprises. On the listing side, the commission structure is discussed openly at the listing appointment and put in writing. What I will not do is quote you a number before I understand your situation, because the strategy and the scope are different for a first-time buyer, a relocating family, and an owner selling acreage. Ask me directly on the first call and you will get a direct answer.