Where does Adam Bartling lend? Statewide, across all of Texas. This page is the index of every city and suburb with its own dedicated guide. Each guide covers the local 2026 FHA limit, the property tax picture, the neighborhoods where each loan type works best, and the military or employer factors that shape the market. I am a licensed Texas mortgage broker, not a bank, and every city below is served the same way: no upfront credit check, multiple lenders competing for your file, and one dedicated processor from first call to closing.
Key takeaways
- Seven Texas metros, more than 40 city-specific guides. Every link on this page goes to a live page written for that market.
- FHA limits vary by metro. Houston and Killeen sit at the $541,287 floor; San Antonio is $557,750; Dallas–Fort Worth is $563,500; Austin is $571,550.
- San Antonio uses FHA the most (32.8% of purchases) and Austin the least (13.1%), according to 2024 HMDA data.
- Military markets have dedicated VA pages for Fort Hood, JBSA, Fort Bliss, NAS Fort Worth and NAS Corpus Christi.
- Property tax rates change the answer in every metro. Each city guide addresses the local rate picture.
Jump to your metro
Houston home loans
Harris County and the surrounding metro
Houston is the largest housing market in Texas and the one where an FHA loan reaches the most homes: Harris County sits at the FHA national floor of $541,287, and in 2024 FHA financed 26.9% of the county home purchases at an average loan of $294,390. The metro spreads across Harris, Fort Bend, Montgomery, Brazoria and Galveston counties, and the suburbs below carry their own pages because the tax rates, MUD districts and housing ages differ enough to change your payment.
Houston loan guides
Houston suburbs and nearby cities
Dallas–Fort Worth home loans
Dallas and Tarrant counties and the northern suburbs
Dallas–Fort Worth is really two markets sharing one FHA tier. Dallas County runs the widest gap in Texas between average FHA and conventional loans, about $142,000, which means FHA buyers there compete in a distinctly different price band. Tarrant County is the opposite: it closes more FHA loans than Dallas County and the two loan types shop the same houses. Both share the $563,500 FHA limit along with Collin, Denton and Rockwall counties, so the north Dallas suburbs below carry the same ceiling as the city.
Dallas-Fort Worth loan guides
Dallas-Fort Worth suburbs and nearby cities
San Antonio home loans
Bexar County and the eight-county metro
San Antonio is the FHA capital of Texas. In 2024, 32.8% of Bexar County home purchases used FHA financing, the highest share of any major metro in the state, with an average FHA loan of $273,270 against a $557,750 county limit. Joint Base San Antonio also makes this a deep VA market, with nearly a quarter of purchases financed through VA. The same $557,750 FHA limit covers Comal and Guadalupe counties, so Schertz, Cibolo, New Braunfels and Seguin carry identical buying power to the city.
San Antonio loan guides
San Antonio suburbs and nearby cities
Austin home loans
Travis County and the Williamson and Hays corridors
Austin has the highest FHA limit in Texas, $571,550, and the lowest FHA usage of any major metro, 13.1% of Travis County purchases in 2024. The two facts sit together because Austin prices press against the ceiling: the average conventional loan was $541,460. The practical result is that FHA and low-down-payment buyers do best north and south of the city, in Williamson and Hays counties, which share the same $571,550 limit at lower price points. VA construction is active here too, particularly along the Cedar Park, Leander and Liberty Hill corridor.
Austin loan guides
Austin suburbs and nearby cities
Killeen & Temple home loans
Bell County
Bell County plays by different rules than any other Texas market. Fort Hood drives it: VA financing took 47.6% of home purchases in 2024, and it is the only Texas county where the average FHA loan is larger than the average conventional loan, because VA absorbs the top of the market and pulls the strongest buyers out of both pools. The FHA limit here is the state floor of $541,287, which is never the constraint. PCS timing is the constraint, and starting the file before you arrive is the single most useful thing a service member can do.
Killeen & Temple loan guides
El Paso home loans
El Paso County
El Paso is a Fort Bliss market with its own rhythm: steady military demand, a large civilian base, and housing prices that leave most buyers well under the $541,287 FHA floor. VA and FHA both work here, and the choice between them usually comes down to entitlement rather than price.
El Paso loan guides
Corpus Christi home loans
Nueces County and the Coastal Bend
Corpus Christi combines NAS Corpus Christi and NAS Kingsville with a coastal housing market that carries its own insurance considerations. Windstorm coverage is a real line item in your payment here, and it is worth pricing before you fall for a house near the water.
Corpus Christi loan guides
How the Texas metros compare for FHA buyers
The single most useful way to compare Texas markets is the gap between what FHA buyers borrow and what conventional buyers borrow. A wide gap means FHA buyers shop a different price band and face less competition. A narrow gap means both loan types compete for the same houses.
| Metro (county) | FHA share | Avg FHA loan | Avg conventional | 2026 FHA limit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Antonio (Bexar) | 32.8% | $273,270 | $321,405 | $557,750 |
| Fort Worth (Tarrant) | 27.2% | $322,021 | $366,544 | $563,500 |
| Houston (Harris) | 26.9% | $294,390 | $363,789 | $541,287 |
| Dallas (Dallas) | 22.3% | $318,405 | $460,781 | $563,500 |
| Killeen (Bell) | 19.2% | $260,127 | $243,991 | $541,287 |
| Austin (Travis) | 13.1% | $371,829 | $541,460 | $571,550 |
Sources: CFPB HMDA Data Browser, 2024 home-purchase originations by county. FHA limits from HUD Mortgagee Letter 2025-23 (CY2026). This page does not publish closed-sale medians; Texas MLS data is licensed and cannot be republished.
Statewide loan guides
Every city guide links back to these. If your city is not on this page, start here; the programs, limits and Texas rules apply statewide.
Texas service area questions
Do you serve all of Texas or just these cities? +
Why do the FHA limits differ between Texas cities? +
Which Texas city is best for a first-time buyer with limited savings? +
Are property taxes really that different between Texas cities? +
Do you handle VA loans near the military installations? +
Can I get a construction loan in any of these cities? +
Do I need to meet in person? +
Which loan programs are available in every city? +
Do you check my credit before we talk? +
Adam Bartling
Texas Mortgage Broker · Loan Officer NMLS# 2213358
Retired U.S. Army Captain and a licensed Texas mortgage broker working exclusively in Texas. I shop multiple lenders so they compete for your business, take an education-first approach, and keep the same dedicated processor on your file from application to closing. Verify my license at NMLS Consumer Access.
Adam Bartling | Texas Mortgage Broker · Loan Officer NMLS# 2213358 · Serving Texas · Equal Housing Lender