Current down payment assistance guidelines, updated from one source.
One source feeds every down payment assistance page Lendmire publishes; the Fulshear, TX figures below refresh when the program sheets are updated.
Of the purchase price
The largest option is a repayable second lien that covers your down payment and can reach closing costs and prepaids too; the smaller options cover the 3.5% FHA minimum down payment, in whole or, on the lowest tier, in part.
Covers the FHA down payment, in whole or in part
Nothing to repay, ever: this option pays the 3.5% FHA minimum down payment in whole or, on its lower tier, in part, and leaves no lien behind, for buyers within the area income limit or in a qualifying category.
On the forgivable and repayable options
Most of the options carry no income limit, so a higher-earning household qualifies the same as anyone else; only the nothing-to-repay option looks at income, at 140% of the area median, or at a qualifying category.
Credit score to start
The score that opens the nothing-to-repay option; the forgivable options start a step higher and the repayable options higher still. Two-borrower files may use a blended score on the second-lien options.
| Option | Assistance | What you repay | Credit · mortgage · units |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grant-style assistance — nothing to repay | 2% or 3.5% of the price | Nothing — released at closing | 620+ · FHA 203(b), FHA repair escrow, FHA Limited 203(k), FHA Standard 203(k) · 1–4 units |
| Forgivable second lien — three-year | 3.5% of the price | Nothing after 36 on-time mortgage payments | 640+ · FHA 203(b), FHA Limited 203(k), HUD-184, USDA · 1–2 units |
| Forgivable second lien — five-year | 3.5% of the price | Nothing after 60 on-time mortgage payments | 640+ · FHA 203(b), FHA Limited 203(k), HUD-184, USDA · 1–2 units |
| Repayable second lien — thirty-year amortization, ten-year balloon | 3.5% or 5% of the price | Second lien, 30-year amortization, balloon in year 10 | 660+ · FHA 203(b), FHA Limited 203(k), HUD-184, USDA · 1–2 units |
| Closing-cost repayable second lien | 3.5% or 5% of the price | Second lien, 30-year amortization, balloon in year 10 | 660+ · FHA 203(b) · 1–2 units |
| Refinance-cost second lien (repayable) | 1% to 3.5% of the balance | Second lien, repaid | 660+ · FHA 203(b) · 1–4 units |
Current down payment assistance snapshot · updated September 7, 2026 · six options offered in Texas · no option requires a first-time buyer · no option combines with another assistance program · owner-occupied primary residences only.
This page describes down payment assistance at the program level. The option for any file comes from the credit tier, the first lien, the property, and the eligibility category; the first lien’s approval, the appraisal, and full underwriting decide the actual terms, subject to lender program eligibility. Nothing here is a quote, a fee, or a commitment to lend; the calculator’s rate is a market benchmark you can edit and its payment an estimate. Lendmire is never the lender and is not affiliated with FHA, USDA, HUD, or the federal government. Lendmire, LLC — NMLS #2371349. Equal Housing Opportunity.
What down payment assistance is — and how the options differ.
The first-time home buyer programs in Fulshear, TX answer the most common reason a qualified buyer does not close — the cash to close — with assistance measured on the price and shaped to the buyer’s situation.
For the program overview, see Lendmire’s down payment assistance program, or the statewide guide at Down Payment Assistance in Texas.
Assistance covers the FHA down payment
An FHA purchase asks for a minimum investment from the buyer; the assistance covers it, measured as a percentage of the lesser of price or value, and the largest option carries a further share for closing costs and prepaids.
Four shapes: grant, forgivable, repayable, refinance
Nothing to repay, forgiven over time, or repaid with a balloon: the three purchase shapes in Fulshear, TX cover the same minimum investment and differ in what the buyer owes afterward, and a fourth, the refinance-cost option, serves an existing FHA loan.
Credit floors, mortgage programs, and unit counts
Credit decides which options are open; the first lien decides which options attach; the property’s unit count and type decide which option carries it. The options table shows all three side by side.
Eligibility without a first-time-buyer rule
Eligibility is broader than most buyers expect: repeat buyers qualify, income limits apply only to the nothing-to-repay option, and the categories that open it include first responders, educators, medical personnel, civil servants, and military.
Enter a price, choose an option, and add your own cash. The calculator sizes the minimum investment, splits the assistance between the down payment and closing costs, and estimates the FHA payment with mortgage insurance, taxes, insurance, and dues.
Where Fulshear’s first-time and moderate-income buyers shop — and how the assistance fits.
The share of Fulshear, TX households that rent, the median home value, and the median household income together sketch the gap the assistance closes for a first purchase.
Read the figures as backdrop. The higher the median value, the larger the minimum investment in dollars; that is why the assistance is sized as a percentage of the price rather than a fixed sum, and why the larger option matters more in expensive markets.
Data sources: U.S. Census Bureau — ACS 5-Year (2024) housing and population estimates, including tenure, home values, gross rents, and household income.
Distinct Fulshear submarkets, distinct property rules.
Where a Fulshear home sits changes which option can attach and what the property review asks; the submarkets below are the map most assistance files are read against.
USDA-eligible areas
Where a property near Fulshear is USDA-eligible, the no-down-payment first lien pairs with the forgivable or ten-year repayable assistance, which can reach closing costs above the minimum investment. The median owner-occupied home value in Fulshear runs near $572,700 on the latest Census estimate.
Homes that need work
In Fulshear, a buyer can take on a fixer with the assistance attached to a limited renovation loan or, on the nothing-to-repay option, a standard one, so the down payment and the repair budget are settled in one transaction. Median household income in Fulshear sits near $187,035 on the latest Census estimate.
Established neighborhoods
The established neighborhoods of Fulshear carry a long history of government-backed purchases, which is where the assistance fits most naturally: the minimum investment covered on a first home. About 10.0% of Fulshear’s households rent — roughly 993 renter households, the pool the program exists for.
New construction
New construction in and around Fulshear works with the program; the appraisal and the builder’s timeline set the pace, and the assistance closes with the first lien. On a home at Fulshear’s median value, the FHA minimum investment comes to about $20,000 — the figure the assistance is built to cover.
Manufactured homes on owned land
Manufactured housing on owned land is common around Fulshear, and the program accepts it: the nothing-to-repay option takes single-width homes, the second-lien options double-width only, and the land must be owned rather than leased. Fulshear itself counts a population near 35K.
Small multi-unit homes, owner-occupied
A buyer who lives in one unit of a Fulshear duplex can use the program on the whole building; the nothing-to-repay option, which reaches four units, makes the purchase reachable with the minimum investment covered. Median gross rent in Fulshear is about $1,952 a month — the payment many renters already carry.
Read the submarkets as orientation. The file’s figures come from the first lien, the option, and the program’s rules.
Four ways Fulshear buyers put down payment assistance to work.
How Fulshear buyers put the program to work depends on the first lien, the property, and what the help needs to cover; these four paths cover most files.
Cover closing costs too on the larger option
The larger option exists for the Fulshear, TX closing where the down payment is only half the problem: it carries the minimum investment and a further share for costs.
Buy a first home with the down payment covered
The most common Fulshear, TX file: an FHA first lien, the assistance covering the minimum investment, and the buyer’s own funds reserved for moving costs and reserves.
Buy a small multi-unit home and live in one unit
House-hacking in Fulshear, TX pairs with the program when the buyer occupies a unit; the unit count decides which option applies, and the first lien carries the building.
Pair the assistance with a USDA or HUD-184 mortgage
A Fulshear, TX buyer on a USDA or HUD-184 first lien uses the second-lien options, forgivable or repayable; the nothing-to-repay option pairs only with FHA first liens.
Size the assistance on a Fulshear price before requesting a quote.
Enter a Fulshear purchase price, choose an assistance option offered in Texas, and add any cash of your own. The calculator sizes the FHA minimum investment, applies the assistance to the down payment and closing costs, builds the FHA loan with its upfront and monthly mortgage insurance, and estimates the payment at an editable market benchmark rate — with housing and total ratios when you enter income.
Fulshear FHA payment with assistance
A Fulshear scenario to start from — adjust the price, the option, your own cash, the term, and the rate to see the assistance and the payment.
Editable benchmark: 7.28% as of October 1, 2026 · Freddie Mac 30-year average via FRED®. A conventional market reference, not an FHA loan quote.
Illustrative starting assumptions: a $575,000 price near Fulshear’s median owner-occupied home value, the strongest assistance option offered in Texas applied against the FHA minimum investment, a thirty-year term at the current Freddie Mac benchmark, property taxes and insurance estimated for Texas (U.S. Census Bureau). Every field is editable.
Illustrative estimate only — not a Loan Estimate, approval, quote, or commitment to lend. The rate field carries the weekly Freddie Mac thirty-year conventional benchmark, a market reference and not an FHA loan quote; your rate is set by the lender at lock. FHA mortgage insurance follows HUD’s published schedule for the term, leverage and loan size entered; taxes, insurance and dues are editable estimates; closing costs are not included; a repayable second lien adds its own payment, which is not shown here. Consumer mortgage lending licensed in sixteen states. Lendmire is not affiliated with or acting on behalf of FHA, USDA, HUD, or the federal government.
Same buyer, three very different closings.
The right structure for a Fulshear, TX buyer depends on savings, credit, the first lien, and whether the help needs to reach closing costs.
Assistance on an FHA loan, your own down payment, or assistance on a USDA or HUD-184 loan.
Covers the FHA minimum investment as a percentage of the price in four shapes — the lightest a nothing-to-repay option released at closing, the largest a repayable second lien that reaches closing costs and prepaids — with credit floors in the low six hundreds and no first-time-buyer rule.
The buyer brings the minimum investment from savings, a retirement withdrawal, or seasoned funds; no second lien, no eligibility category, no homebuyer education requirement, and no assistance to carry. For the first lien itself, see Lendmire’s FHA loan program.
Where the property is USDA-eligible or the buyer qualifies for HUD-184, the forgivable options and the ten-year repayable option carry the Fulshear file; the separate closing-cost option is FHA only. For the USDA first lien, see the USDA loan program.
Assistance fits the buyer short of cash to close; the plain purchase fits the buyer with savings; the USDA and HUD-184 pairing fits eligible properties and borrowers — Lendmire places the Fulshear, TX file where it reads best.
What to prepare for a Fulshear scenario review.
A typical starting file for a first purchase with assistance.
This is a general preparation guide, not a universal checklist. The selected lender may request additional information based on the mortgage, the assistance option, the property, and the eligibility category. Nothing here is legal or tax advice.
Local details that can change the loan.
These are the points a lender reads on a Fulshear assistance file before the option is confirmed; each one can move the structure.
Use these checks to keep the Fulshear file clean and fundable.
A clean Fulshear file starts with the option chosen, the first lien matched to the property, and the homebuyer education course completed where it is required.
- Know the option: choose by cost to carry first, amount second.
- Confirm the category: settle which category applies before the application is signed.
- Confirm the property: confirm the property will be the primary residence.
The option decides what you owe afterward
Choose the shape before the amount: the forgivable options cover the minimum investment and cost nothing to carry when the first lien stays current; the repayable option covers more and is repaid; where it is offered, a nothing-to-repay option released at closing costs nothing at all.
The eligibility category for the nothing-to-repay option
For a Fulshear buyer, the category question is worth answering early: a buyer inside the income limit or in a qualifying occupation reaches the nothing-to-repay option; a buyer outside every category uses the forgivable or repayable second liens, which carry no income limit.
Property type and unit count select the option
The property itself can move a Fulshear, TX file: a fourplex, a single-width manufactured home, or an unapproved condominium project each changes which option can attach, so the address is read before the option is promised.
Blended scores for two-borrower files
On the second-lien options, two occupying borrowers can qualify on the average of their representative scores when the higher earner has the higher score; the loan must carry an automated approval, and every borrower still needs a score.
The mortgage and the county loan limit
In Fulshear, TX, the first-lien program is chosen with the property: USDA where the address is eligible, HUD-184 where the buyer qualifies, FHA everywhere. The county loan limit then decides whether a larger first lien can still carry an assistance option.
From a Fulshear pre-approval to keys with the assistance in place.
Four steps take a Fulshear, TX assistance file from a first read to funding; the first one is the one most buyers skip.
Pick the option
Lendmire reads the Fulshear scenario against the options offered in Texas: the credit tier, the first lien, the unit count, the category, and whether the help must reach closing costs.
Get the mortgage approved
Lendmire packages the Fulshear file for the first lien first, because the assistance follows its approval; the option’s floor and the first lien’s rules both have to clear.
Clear the property
The property side of a Fulshear, TX file is where the option can change: unit count, project approval, and the loan limit are confirmed before the closing is scheduled.
Close both loans together
Final underwriting reads the whole Fulshear, TX file against the first lien’s rules and the option’s; the loan funds with the assistance in place and the second lien, where there is one, recorded behind it.
A brokerage that pairs the assistance to the loan.
Pairing the right assistance to the right first lien for a Fulshear buyer means knowing which option the credit opens, which the property allows, and what each costs to carry — before the contract is signed.
The option, matched to the buyer
A Fulshear scenario is placed on the right option first — the credit tier, the first lien, and the category — and the rest of the file is then built to fit it, before anything is ordered.
The mortgage, matched to the property
USDA where the address is eligible, HUD-184 where the buyer qualifies, FHA everywhere; the Fulshear, TX first lien is the foundation the assistance stands on.
The right wholesale program
A Fulshear file is matched to the wholesale program whose option fits the buyer, and Lendmire manages the first lien and the assistance together through closing.
Trusted by first-time buyers & families alike.
Fulshear down payment assistance FAQs
The questions a Fulshear, TX buyer asks before requesting an assistance review, answered plainly.
Do I have to be a first-time homebuyer?
No — and that surprises most Fulshear buyers. The program has no first-time requirement; owning a home before does not close a single option, and being a first-time buyer is simply one of the doors into the nothing-to-repay option.
Is there an income limit?
For most of the options, no. The forgivable and repayable second liens carry no income limit at all. The nothing-to-repay option is the one that looks at income, and even there a qualifying occupation, a first purchase, or an underserved census tract opens it as an alternative to the income test.
What first-time home buyer programs are available in Fulshear?
Think of it as one program with several ways to receive the help: forgiven at closing, forgiven after a run of on-time payments, or repaid over time. The options table on this page shows exactly which ones are offered in Texas and what each costs to carry.
Do I have to pay the assistance back?
A nothing-to-repay option is released at closing with no lien and no payment. The forgivable second liens also cost nothing — no interest, no payment — as long as the mortgage stays current through the forgiveness period, and they pair with USDA and HUD-184 mortgages as well as FHA. The repayable options are loans, with a monthly payment and a balloon.
What credit score do I need?
It depends on the option. The lowest floor belongs to the nothing-to-repay option; the second-lien options start higher, and the mortgage’s own rules apply on top.
Do I need a homebuyer education course?
Only the nothing-to-repay option requires it; the certificate is part of that file.
Can I use the assistance on a second home or a rental?
Primary residences only. Investment properties and second homes are outside the program.
What property types are eligible?
Single-family homes, FHA-approved condominiums, townhomes and planned developments, owner-occupied two-to-four-unit homes within each option’s limit, and manufactured homes on owned land — single-width on the nothing-to-repay option, double-width on the second-lien options. Unique property types are outside the second-lien options.
Which mortgages can the assistance be used with?
FHA on every option, with the repair-escrow and renovation programs where the options table allows them and the standard FHA loan alone on the closing-cost and refinance options; USDA and HUD-184 on the forgivable and repayable second liens (the closing-cost repayable option, the one that also reaches prepaid items, is FHA only). Conventional first liens are outside the program.
Can I buy a duplex or a fourplex with assistance?
Owner-occupied small multi-unit homes qualify, with the unit count deciding the option; a Fulshear, TX buyer living in one unit of a fourplex uses the nothing-to-repay option, the one purchase option that reaches four units; the second-lien options stop at two.
The down payment is the hurdle. Let us clear it.
Start with the price, the first lien you expect, and your credit tier. No credit pull or commitment is required to request an initial scenario review.
This guide covers Fulshear — for the statewide options, categories, and property rules, see Down Payment Assistance in Texas, part of Lendmire’s down payment assistance program.
Nearby markets in Texas: Sugar Land · Missouri City · Houston · Pearland · The Woodlands · Pasadena · League City · Conroe
Related programs: FHA Loans · USDA Loans · FHA 203(k) Rehab Loans