You serve Texas.Texas pays back.
Teachers, officers, firefighters, EMS, corrections, nursing faculty and veterans get up to 5% of the loan in down payment help. This page shows which version is truly free, which one gets repaid, and what each one costs in rate.
Our comparative assessment: cash saved 40%, ease 25%, speed 15%, fewer strings 20%. Full rankings
Homes for Texas Heroes is run by the Texas State Affordable Housing Corporation (TSAHC). It pairs a 30-year fixed mortgage with down payment assistance of 2%, 3%, 4% or 5% of the loan amount, for full-time workers in specific public service jobs and for veterans. The help comes in three forms: a grant, a second lien forgiven after 3 years, or a second lien repaid at year 30 or on sale. More assistance usually comes with a higher interest rate, and that tradeoff is where most buyers win or lose.
Who qualifies.
- Full-time public K-12 classroom teachers, teacher aides, school librarians, certified school counselors and school nurses.
- Peace officers and county jailers licensed by TCOLE, plus armed public security officers employed by the state or a political subdivision. Private security does not count.
- Firefighters: permanent full-time fire department employees in suppression, inspection, arson investigation, rescue, training, education or administration (clerical roles excluded). EMS personnel: ECA, EMT, EMT-I and paramedics.
- Corrections officers with TDCJ and juvenile corrections officers with TJJD who receive hazardous duty pay.
- Nursing faculty and allied health faculty.
- Veterans (for example 90+ days of active service, 20 years active or reserve, active duty at a Texas base with a Texas home of record, Texas National Guard after initial training, and others) and unmarried surviving spouses of veterans who died or are MIA.
- Household income at or below the current TSAHC Heroes limit as of October 2026: $205,870 in Collin, Dallas and Denton counties, $187,510 in Tarrant County.
How it works.
Confirm the hero role
Eligibility is tied to full-time employment in a listed profession or to veteran status. The lender verifies it with the file.
Choose a participating lender
TSAHC does not take applications directly. Only TSAHC participating lenders can originate the loan and reserve the assistance.
Pick the assistance form
Grant (FHA, VA, USDA), 3-year forgivable second (all loan types), 30-year repayable Bond DPA (FHA, VA, USDA), or no assistance at the lowest rate. Each one prices differently.
Complete homebuyer education
At least one borrower finishes a homebuyer education course before closing.
Add the MCC if eligible
First-time buyers (and qualified veterans) can pair the No DPA option or non-bond assistance with a Mortgage Credit Certificate. Heroes using non-bond DPA plus the MCC do not pay the $400 MCC issuance fee.
Close and occupy
The home must be the primary residence: single-family, condo, townhome or eligible manufactured home. Purchases only.
Example: what the help really costs
Example only. Rates are from the TSAHC government rate sheet effective October 9, 2026 (No DPA 7.250%, 3-year forgivable 7.375% at 2% and 7.625% at 3%, Bond 30-year 7.250% at 5%); rates change daily. Payments are principal and interest on a $337,750 base loan, 30-year fixed, standard amortization, excluding taxes, insurance and FHA mortgage insurance, which vary. The 5% Bond DPA is repaid on sale, refinance, payoff or at year 30, and requires a first-time buyer and the lower Bond income limit ($96,880 in Collin, Dallas and Denton). The 3% forgivable second is repaid in full if the buyer sells or refinances before year 3.
The packet includes the official TSAHC links, the hero profession checklist with documents to gather, and a match with a vetted TSAHC participating lender.
What works
- Up to 5% of the loan amount toward the purchase.
- Heroes income limit is higher than Home Sweet Texas: $205,870 vs $181,650 in Collin, Dallas and Denton.
- Not limited to first-time buyers, except for Bond DPA or the MCC.
- Works with FHA, VA, USDA and conventional (Fannie Mae HFA Preferred, Freddie Mac HFA Advantage).
- No purchase price limit when using non-bond assistance alone.
- $400 MCC issuance fee waived for Heroes using non-bond DPA plus the MCC.
What it costs you
- More assistance usually means a higher rate. On the October 9, 2026 sheet, 3% forgivable priced at 7.625% vs 7.250% with no assistance.
- The forgivable second is repaid in full on a sale, refinance, payoff or move-out before year 3.
- Bond DPA is a real debt due at year 30 or on sale, refinance or payoff.
- Fees: $250 funding, $85 tax service, $200 compliance review, and the lender may charge a 1% origination.
- 30-year fixed purchase loans only. No refinances.
The part nobody explains.
The grant, the forgivable second and the Bond second are three different deals. Only the grant is never repaid (after the first 6 months). The forgivable second becomes free only at year 3. The Bond second is repaid on sale or refinance, whenever that happens.
The rate is the hidden price. In the example, 3% help ($10,132.50) at 7.625% adds $86.52 a month in principal and interest vs the no-assistance rate. Over the first 3 years that is about $3,115, and it keeps going for as long as the loan stays in place.
A refinance in year 1 or 2 when rates drop cancels the forgiveness: the full second becomes due. Buyers planning an early refinance face a different math than buyers planning to hold.
Scores from 620 to 639 carry a 0.25% origination charge, and conventional requires 640. A small score gain before applying can change the price.
Heroes who are first-time buyers can stack non-bond assistance with the MCC and skip the $400 MCC fee, a combination Home Sweet Texas buyers pay for.
Get the packet.
The official links are not on this page on purpose. They come in one email, organized, with what to do with each one and in what order.
- The packet includes the official TSAHC links, the hero profession checklist with documents to gather, and a match with a vetted TSAHC participating lender.
- Every official link for this program, plus the links for every guide you explored here
- A match with a Texava-vetted lender who closes this program
- A direct reply from Albert in English or Spanish
Where should I send it?
Your packet is on its way.
Every guide you explore before you leave gets added to the next packet. Keep reading below.
Programs stack.
A 15% federal tax credit on mortgage interest, with the $400 fee waived for Heroes using non-bond DPA.
Federal / HUD6.9FHA home loanThe most common first lien under the grant and Bond options, with 3.5% down at 580+.
Federal / Veterans8.4VA home loanVeterans can pair the grant with a VA loan.
Side by side.
The Texava Score weighs what matters to a buyer: cash saved 40%, ease to qualify 25%, speed and paperwork 15%, fewer strings 20%.
Asked most.
Is the Heroes assistance free money?+
Only the grant is never repaid (after the first 6 months). The 3-year second is forgiven at year 3 and repaid in full before then on a sale, refinance, payoff or move-out. The 30-year Bond second is repaid on sale, refinance, payoff or at year 30. All forms usually carry a higher rate than no assistance.
Do Heroes have to be first-time buyers?+
No, except for Bond DPA and the MCC, which require a first-time buyer. The MCC waives that requirement for qualified veterans (not active duty) and targeted areas.
What credit score is required?+
620 for FHA, VA and USDA, and 640 for conventional. Scores from 620 to 639 pay a 0.25% origination charge. There is no maximum DTI with an automated underwriting approval; FHA manual underwrites are capped at 45%.
Is there a price limit?+
Not for non-bond assistance used alone. Bond DPA and the MCC carry their own rules.
Can I apply directly with TSAHC?+
No. Applications go through a TSAHC participating lender.
The value compounds.
15% of interest back as a tax credit
Read nextHome Sweet TexasUp to 5% help, any profession