Houston · Harris County
Texas's largest city runs on energy, medicine, and the port — and on one of the most complex property-tax and flood-zone landscapes in the state. We're licensed statewide, and here's what matters most on a Houston loan.
The market
Houston's scale is the first thing to understand: the metro sprawls across multiple counties, and 'Houston' can mean an Inner Loop bungalow, a Woodlands-area master-planned home, or a new build far out a freeway corridor. Price points vary enormously, and so does the tax picture — which is why an address-level answer beats a city-level one every time here.
Two structural features dominate financing. First, municipal utility districts are exceptionally common across Houston's suburban development, adding taxes that fund water, sewer, and drainage — often materially above the base rate. Second, flooding is a real and well-documented risk in parts of this metro, making flood zone determination and insurance central rather than incidental to a Houston mortgage.
The employment base — energy, the Texas Medical Center, the port, and aerospace — produces a broad mix of W-2 professionals, physicians, and self-employed contractors. That variety means the right documentation path differs widely from borrower to borrower, which is exactly the kind of matching a broker is for.
Houston fast facts
Matched to this market
A broad market with a wide range of buyer profiles.
The fine print, locally
Two checks matter more here than almost anywhere in Texas.
Parts of the Houston metro carry documented flood risk, and flood history has reshaped how insurers and lenders approach this market. Every mortgage includes a flood zone determination; a property in a designated special flood hazard area will require flood insurance, which can significantly affect your monthly payment.
Harris County and surrounding suburban development lean heavily on municipal utility districts. The additional levy can be substantial, and it varies district to district — meaning two similar homes can carry very different monthly costs. Always confirm the total rate by address.
Houston famously lacks conventional zoning, so adjacent land uses can vary in ways that occasionally affect appraisal and marketability. It rarely blocks a loan, but it's a reason to read the appraisal rather than skim it.
The 2026 conforming limit is $832,750 across all of Texas, so the jumbo threshold is uniform metro-wide. FHA is a separate and much lower line: Harris County sits at $541,287, the Texas floor, because the Houston metro is not designated high-cost. That gap between the two figures is wider here than most buyers expect.
The Texas Medical Center generates a steady stream of physician and resident borrowers, whose income structure and student debt profile underwrite differently than a standard W-2 file. Worth structuring deliberately.
Statewide coverage
Licensed across all 254 counties.
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
It depends on the specific property's flood zone. Every mortgage includes a flood zone determination, and homes in designated special flood hazard areas require flood insurance. Given the Houston metro's flood history, this is one of the first things to check on any address here — the cost difference is significant enough to affect what you can afford.
Municipal utility districts are very common across Houston-area suburban development. They levy additional property taxes to fund water, sewer, and drainage infrastructure, and rates vary considerably between districts. Because that flows into your monthly escrow, we confirm the total rate for a specific address rather than working from an average.
We're licensed for the entire state of Texas — all 254 counties, Houston included. Our office is in Lakeway near Austin and our deepest local knowledge is in the Hill Country, but the same loan options, licensing, and service apply to a Houston purchase.
The conforming limit is the same — $832,750 statewide, since no Texas county is designated high-cost. FHA differs: Harris County is at $541,287, the Texas floor, while the Austin metro sits higher at $571,550. So a purchase that clears FHA limits in Austin might not in Houston, even though the jumbo threshold is identical. Limits adjust annually, so we confirm current figures at prequalification.
Local and licensed
Flood zones, MUD rates, and the right loan structure — from a Texas-licensed loan officer.
Start my Houston 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.