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Grants & Down Payment Assistance · Texas

Down payment assistance in Texas worth 3–5% of your loan

State, city and lender programs can cover part of your down payment and closing costs as a grant or a deferred second lien. We check every one against your income, location and buyer status, for free.

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Free, no obligation · or call 512-588-2771

Grants and deferred second liensStacks with FHA, VA, USDAPrograms for teachers & first respondersFree eligibility check

GRANT GUARDIAN, the Wise Capital Mortgage down payment assistance hero, drawn in comic book style — Meet GRANT GUARDIAN

Licensed mortgage broker · NMLS #2092335 We shop a panel of lenders for you A real loan officer, start to finish Equal Housing Lender

Assistance amount

3–5%

Of the loan amount, depending on the program

Form

Grant or 2nd lien

A grant never has to be repaid. A deferred second is repaid on sale, refinance or payoff

Pairs with

FHA, VA, USDA, conventional

Stacks with most first-mortgage programs

Cost to check

Free

We run every program against your actual file

Sound familiar?

The down payment is the real wall.

For most buyers, the payment is not the problem. Saving the cash is.

“I can afford the payment, but not the cash to close.”That is exactly what assistance programs are for. They can cover 3% to 5% of the loan amount.

“I assumed my income was too high.”Income limits are higher than most buyers assume, and they depend on your county and household size. Do not rule yourself out on a guess.

“I am a teacher, first responder or veteran.”There are programs reserved for you, and they are usually the first thing we check.

“The state websites are a maze.”We run your file against every program you might qualify for, so you do not have to decode each one yourself.

Often you can stack programs, and the result is a purchase with far less cash to close than the 3.5% or 5% you planned for.

How it works

From first call to closing, in four steps

Tell us your situation

A 30-minute call or a short online application: income, savings, credit, and the kind of property you want.

Get a real plan

We compare your options across programs and lenders, explain the costs in plain English, and tell you if anything is worth fixing first.

Get approved

With your documents in hand, we move your file to underwriting and issue the approval you need to move forward with confidence.

Close with confidence

We manage the file through appraisal, underwriting and closing, and keep you updated at every stage.

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Why it matters

Less cash to close, same dream home

Real money toward your purchase

Assistance can cover a meaningful share of your down payment and closing costs.

Stacks with your loan

Pair it with FHA, VA, USDA or a conventional program that allows it.

Hero programs

Homes for Texas Heroes serves teachers, firefighters, EMS, police, corrections officers and veterans.

State and local

Statewide programs, plus city-specific help in many Texas markets — we check what applies to your address.

Honest side-by-side

We quote your loan with and without assistance, so you choose with numbers, not a rumor.

Early beats late

Funds are limited and programs pause and reopen, so checking early opens more paths.

Could you qualify for assistance?

One conversation tells you which programs fit your income, location and buyer status.

Check My Eligibility Book a Call

The programs

The programs Texas buyers actually use

Programs and funding change, so we confirm what is open for your file before you plan around any of them. The three below are statewide; most major Texas cities also run their own local program on top — Austin’s is shown as one example, and we check what your own city offers.

TSAHC

Home Sweet Texas Home Loan

3% to 5% of the loan amount as a non-repayable grant or a deferred 0% second lien repaid only on sale, refinance or payoff. Pairs with FHA, VA, USDA and conventional HFA financing. Open to any profession within income limits.

TSAHC

Homes for Texas Heroes

The same assistance structure, reserved for teachers, firefighters, EMS, police, corrections officers and veterans. Usually the first program we check for anyone who serves.

TDHCA

My First Texas Home

A below-market first mortgage paired with down payment and closing cost assistance for eligible first-time and veteran buyers statewide.

Example: City of Austin

Austin Housing Finance Corporation

Local assistance for buyers purchasing inside Austin city limits, sometimes with deeper support for lower-income households, layered on top of state programs. Houston, Dallas, San Antonio and other cities run similar local programs — tell us where you are buying and we will check.

Comic book style illustration of golden coins raining gently onto a small house

Do you qualify?

Three tests usually decide it

Purchase price caps and property-type rules also apply and vary by program. Rather than sending you to a state website to decode it, we run your actual file against every program you might be eligible for.

Income: your household income relative to the limit for your county and household size. These limits are higher than most buyers assume.
First-time buyer status: nearly every program defines it as not having owned a home in the previous three years. It is waived for veterans and for purchases in designated targeted areas.
Homebuyer education: most programs require an approved course before closing.

Find your programs in one conversation.

We check state, city and lender assistance against your income, location and buyer status.

Check My Eligibility Book a Call

Comic book style illustration of two gloved hands passing a gold house key

Know what you are signing

Grant or second lien: know which one you are getting

A grant never has to be repaid. A deferred second lien carries no interest and no monthly payment, but comes due when you sell, refinance or pay off the home. Both are good outcomes. They are simply different, and you should know which one you signed before closing.

Does assistance mean a worse loan? Sometimes there is a small rate trade-off, and sometimes there is none. It depends on the program and your credit profile. We quote both scenarios side by side in writing, including total cost over the years you plan to own the home.

Often, yes

Stack them

A zero-down VA or USDA loan can pair with closing-cost help, and local city assistance can sometimes layer on top of a state program.

Combine programs

Can you stack programs?

The result can be a purchase where your total cash to close is dramatically smaller than the 3.5% or 5% you were budgeting for. See how these pair with FHA loans, VA loans and USDA loans, or read our down payment assistance in Austin guide.

Funds are not unlimited

Check early

Guidelines change and some programs pause and reopen through the year. Check before you are a week from closing.

Timing

Timing decides your options

Buyers who check eligibility early have far more paths available. If you are even considering a purchase in the next twelve months, the eligibility check is free and takes one conversation.

Who you'll talk to

Meet your Down Payment Assistance loan officer

Matthew MontsDeOca is an independent mortgage broker based in Austin — Texas’s state capital — licensed to help buyers and homeowners across the entire state, from Houston and San Antonio to Dallas-Fort Worth and everywhere between. Because Wise Capital shops a panel of lenders instead of selling one bank’s products, you get advice on which program actually fits, including when this one is not the right answer.

Matthew MontsDeOca · Independent Mortgage Broker · NMLS #1034513

Straight answers

Your questions, answered

What is down payment assistance?

It is money from a state, city or lender program that helps with your down payment and closing costs. It comes as a grant you never repay or as a deferred second lien repaid when you sell, refinance or pay off the home.

How much assistance can I get?

Many Texas programs offer 3% to 5% of the loan amount. The exact amount depends on the program, your income and the loan type.

Do I have to be a first-time buyer?

Most programs define first-time as not owning a home in the previous three years. That rule is waived for veterans and for purchases in designated targeted areas.

Are there income limits?

Yes. Limits depend on your county and household size, and they are higher than many buyers assume. We check your numbers against each program.

Can I use assistance with FHA, VA or USDA?

Often yes. Several programs pair with FHA, VA, USDA and conventional HFA financing. We confirm what stacks for your situation.

Is there a catch with a second lien?

A deferred second lien has no interest or monthly payment, but it comes due when you sell, refinance or pay off the home. We show you which type you would receive before you commit.

Will assistance give me a worse interest rate?

Sometimes there is a small trade-off and sometimes there is none. We quote your loan with and without assistance, side by side.

Are there programs for teachers and first responders?

Yes. Homes for Texas Heroes serves teachers, firefighters, EMS, police, corrections officers and veterans.

Prefer to talk it through?

Book a free 30-minute call

Not ready to apply? Talk it through first. We will look at your numbers and tell you honestly what your best move is.

30 minutes, by video (Google Meet) or phone
Free, with no obligation to apply
A clear next step, whether that is applying now or fixing one thing first
You talk to a licensed loan officer, not a call center

Pick a time that works for you

Choose a slot on the calendar and you will get a confirmation by email. No obligation, no pressure.

Prefer to talk now? Call 512-588-2771 · open the calendar in a new tab.

Ready when you are

Let us show you what you qualify for.

Check your options in a few minutes, or book a quick call and we will walk you through it.

Check My Eligibility Book a Free Call

Or call 512-588-2771 · Free, no obligation

Keep reading

Keep learning, in plain English

Down payment assistance in AustinThe programs active in Travis County.Best Austin suburbs for first-time buyersWhere your budget goes further.How much home can you afford in Austin?Know your budget first.FHA 3.5% down vs. conventional 3% downThe side-by-side math.The mortgage pre-approval processWhat happens, step by step.Rent vs. buy in AustinWhen buying wins.

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Wise Capital Mortgage is not affiliated with TSAHC, TDHCA, the City of Austin or any government agency. Program names are used to describe publicly available programs. Down payment assistance programs have eligibility requirements, including income and purchase price limits, may require homebuyer education and a specific first mortgage, may change or pause funding without notice, and may carry a deferred second lien. Interest rates and APR depend on your credit profile, loan amount and market conditions. Ask us for a personalized Loan Estimate.

Wise Capital Mortgage, LLC · 5900 Balcones Drive #23333, Austin, TX 78731 · NMLS #2092335 · Equal Housing Lender. Matthew MontsDeOca, NMLS #1034513. This page is for general information and is not a commitment to lend or an offer of credit. Loan programs, eligibility, terms and rates are subject to change and to underwriting approval. You can verify our licensing at the NMLS Consumer Access website, nmlsconsumeraccess.org.