Austin · Travis County
Austin's market mixes tech-economy price points, a sprawl of tax districts, and neighborhoods that behave like different cities. We're based just west of town — here's how financing actually works here, and which loans fit which parts of the map.
The market
Austin is really several markets wearing one name. The urban core — Zilker, Hyde Park, Clarksville, East Austin — prices like a coastal city, and a meaningful share of homes there clear the $832,750 conforming limit, putting some ordinary-looking houses in jumbo territory. Meanwhile the city's edges and suburbs stay within conventional and FHA reach, which is why so many first-time buyers' searches drift north and southwest along the corridors.
The buyer pool is its own story. Austin's tech and startup economy pays people in ways traditional underwriting reads poorly: contractors on 1099s, founders with real cash flow but write-off-heavy returns, employees whose compensation leans on equity. A meaningful slice of our Austin work is matching real income to the right documentation path — bank statement loans for the self-employed, careful structuring for RSU earners.
And Austin is an investor town — the east side's duplex stock, student rentals near campus, and short-term rentals feeding the events calendar all trade actively. Those purchases run on DSCR financing, qualified on the property's rent rather than the buyer's paycheck. Add it up and 'what loan should I get in Austin' has genuinely different answers depending on which Austin you're buying in.
Austin fast facts
Matched to this market
Not a generic menu — these are the products Austin buyers actually end up in, and why.
The fine print, locally
Austin's affordability math is set as much by taxes and limits as by list prices. These are the local specifics that move your monthly payment.
A common misconception: Texas has no high-cost counties. For 2026 every Texas county, Travis included, uses the baseline conforming limit of $832,750 — cross it and you are in jumbo territory. FHA is a separate, much lower line at $571,550 in Travis County.
An Austin tax bill layers city, county, school district, and special entities. Effective rates around the metro commonly land near the 2% range, but the exact stack varies by address — and it lives inside your monthly escrow.
Inside old-line Austin neighborhoods, MUD taxes are rare. In the newer developments ringing the city — and in suburbs we cover separately — MUD/PID levies can add materially to the rate. Two similar homes, miles apart, different math.
Austin's appreciation makes the Texas homestead exemption — and its cap on assessed-value growth for your primary home — genuinely valuable. Free to file, missed constantly by relocating buyers. We remind every client.
RSUs and variable tech income are underwriting puzzles standard lenders fumble. How vesting history is documented can change your qualifying income substantially — worth structuring before you offer, not after.
Austin rewrote its short-term rental ordinance in 2025, and as of July 1, 2026 platforms must show a valid license number and delist unlicensed properties within 10 days of a city notice. Critically for buyers: licenses are non-transferable, so an existing STR license does not come with the house. Confirm you can obtain your own before financing around STR income.
Where we lend in Austin
From the urban core to the commuter ring — and the Hill Country towns we call home.
This page is reviewed by Jonathan Sarver, a licensed Texas loan officer. Have a question about your specific situation in Austin or the Hill Country? Reach out directly — a real person, licensed in Texas, will answer.
Answers
In Austin, affordability is set by more than the list price — Travis County property taxes flow through your monthly escrow, so the same income qualifies for less house here than in a low-tax state. A quick prequalification with real Austin tax figures gives you an honest number before you fall for a listing.
For 2026 the conforming limit in Travis County is $832,750 — the national baseline, since no Texas county qualifies as high-cost. The FHA limit is separate and much lower at $571,550. Above the conforming figure you are in jumbo territory. Both adjust annually, so we confirm current numbers when we prequalify you.
Very likely yes, and you're in the majority here, not the exception. If your tax returns reflect your income well, conventional works. If write-offs understate it, a bank statement loan qualifies you on 12–24 months of actual deposits. RSU and equity compensation can also count toward qualifying income when documented correctly.
Effective rates around the Austin metro commonly land near the 2% range once city, county, and school levies stack — among the higher big-metro rates in the country, offset by Texas having no state income tax. The exact rate varies by address and district, and filing your homestead exemption meaningfully helps on a primary home.
Yes — Austin's rental stock trades actively, and DSCR loans finance these on the property's rental income rather than your personal income, including LLC ownership. For short-term rentals, know that Austin requires a city license and those licenses are non-transferable — buying a currently-licensed STR does not convey the license. Since July 2026 platforms must also delist unlicensed properties. Verify you can license the property yourself before financing around STR revenue.
We're based in Lakeway, about thirty minutes west of downtown — this metro is home. Jonathan Sarver (NMLS #993872) lives and lends in this market, which is exactly why this page talks about MUD boundaries and equity comp instead of generic mortgage advice.
Thirty minutes west, all-in local
Talk to a licensed loan officer who knows where jumbo starts, how the tax stack works, and which loan fits your side of town.
Start my Austin pre-approvalThis is not a commitment to lend. All loans subject to credit approval, income and asset verification, and property appraisal. Rates and terms vary and are not guaranteed.