If you are thinking about buying in Crowley or anywhere around DFW next year, the best thing you can do is start now, while there is no pressure. I will be straight with you: nothing here guarantees a loan, a rate or a house. I cannot tell you what mortgage rates will do this spring, and neither can anyone else. What I can give you is the order. Six months of small, boring steps beat six weeks of panic.
Pull your credit reports. You can check all three bureaus for free once a week at AnnualCreditReport.com, and the FTC says that is the authorized site. Checking your own report does not hurt your score. Read every line. If something is wrong, dispute it now, because fixing it can take a while and you want time on your side.
Then get an honest picture of your monthly budget. Our calculators and rent versus own page can give you a starting point. Remember that a house payment also carries property taxes and insurance.
Next, learn which loan lanes might fit you. These are the current basics, and your lender has the final word.
One new wrinkle: starting with case numbers assigned on or after Jan. 1, 2027, FHA lets lenders use FICO 10T and VantageScore 4.0 alongside Classic FICO. The score thresholds stay the same, so ask your lender which model they use. The score on your banking app may not be the one that counts.
This is the month people accidentally hurt themselves. Before you buy anything big for the holidays, read this. The CFPB says to hold off on new cards, car loans and other new credit during the mortgage process, because they can lower your score.
Open a separate savings account for the house, and set up an automatic transfer. You are saving for more than a down payment. Depending on the loan and the home, your list may include:
Keep your paper trail clean from here on. I will explain why in February.
Your W-2s and tax forms start to arrive, so start a folder. Add recent pay stubs and bank statements, and talk to a lender before you look at a single house.
Plan to talk to more than one. The CFPB says multiple mortgage credit checks within a 45-day window count as a single inquiry, so comparing lenders does not multiply the hit to your score. Ask each lender for a Loan Estimate. The lender must give it to you within three business days of receiving your application, and it lets you compare the same loan side by side.
Federal law also tightened something annoying. Since March 4, 2026, credit bureaus can sell "trigger leads" tied to a mortgage application only in limited cases, so you should get fewer surprise calls. If someone contacts you out of nowhere, slow down and check who they are.
Take the lender's list seriously and work it. Pay down what they tell you to pay down. Do not move money around without asking first.
Here is why that paper trail matters. Lenders typically review your last two months of bank statements. Fannie Mae defines a large deposit as a single deposit over 50% of your monthly qualifying income. If you use that money for your purchase, the lender needs to document where it came from. Under that guide, anything unsourced gets subtracted from your verified funds. Cash from a side job or a sold car can turn into a real headache without paperwork.
If family is helping, a gift has rules too. Fannie Mae requires a signed gift letter stating that no repayment is expected, and the lender must verify the funds. A donor cannot be tied to the builder, the real estate agent or another interested party. Your lender will tell you which rules apply to your loan.
Under a 2025 Texas law, TREC says a license holder needs a written agreement with a prospective buyer before showing residential property. Read yours. It should tell you the services, the end date, whether it is exclusive and how compensation works, and it has to say that broker compensation is negotiable.
Now tour with your budget in hand. Know the downside: spring is busy. The National Association of Realtors' seasonal review shows sales peaking in the April to June stretch, so expect more competition. Texas A&M's research shows sales speeding up in March. If you can move fast and stay calm, that is fine. If you need less pressure, you do not have to buy at the peak.
Keep your finances frozen. No new jobs without calling your lender first, no new debt, and no large deposits without paperwork.
A financed Texas purchase often runs about 30 to 45 days from accepted offer to closing. You will have an option period for inspections, then appraisal, underwriting and title work. You must receive your Closing Disclosure at least three business days before closing. Compare it to your Loan Estimate, and ask about anything that changed.
After closing, look into your homestead exemption. Texas law sets a $140,000 exemption for school district taxes, but a buyer who closes after Jan. 1 can receive it for the rest of that year only if the previous owner did not receive it. If the seller had it, you generally wait until the following year. Your appraisal district can tell you which applies, and here is when your first payment comes due.
That is fine. A plan that takes nine months still beats no plan. Spring is not a deadline, and I would rather you buy later and stay comfortable than rush and carry a payment that scares you. If you are buying for the first time, start here.
Six months is a comfortable runway if your credit and savings need work, and it gives you time to fix errors and build a paper trail. If you are already in good shape, a lender can tell you how soon you could start.
It depends on the loan and the lender. FHA allows maximum financing at 580 and above and limited financing from 500 to 579. Fannie Mae has no set minimum for DU casefiles, but your lender may. Ask a lender about your own situation.
The CFPB says multiple mortgage credit checks within a 45-day window are recorded as a single inquiry. Comparing Loan Estimates from more than one lender is usually worth it.
Want a plan with your name on it? Book a time with me, and start with my first-time buyer guide if this is your first home.
REALTOR® · BHHS PenFed Realty Texas
I help buyers and sellers across the Dallas–Fort Worth Metroplex — Fort Worth, Burleson, Southlake, Crowley and Keller, and the surrounding Dallas area. I write these because they are the questions I answer on the phone every week, and most people never get a straight answer to them. If you have one I have not covered, ask me — I will probably turn it into the next post.
