Can I Even Buy?

Buying Your First Home in the Houston Area

Most of what stops first-time buyers isn't money. It's not knowing what order things happen in, and being too embarrassed to ask a question that feels like it should have an obvious answer. Nothing here assumes you already speak the vocabulary. And two Houston-specific things wreck more first budgets than the down payment does — the property tax rate, which a MUD can push well above a neighborhood a few miles away, and flood risk, which a perfectly dry house can still carry. Both get checked before you're attached to anything.

Browse homes for sale

Is this right for you?

The honest fit

Best for

  • You've never bought before, or you haven't owned in the last three years
  • You're renting and paying more than you think a mortgage would cost
  • You have questions you feel like you should already know the answers to

Maybe not if…

  • You'll likely move again within a couple of years — that's usually too short a window for buying to pay off
  • You'd have nothing left in savings after closing; something always breaks in the first year
  • Your job or your income changed in the last few months — let it settle first, then buy

The process

How it works

  1. 01

    We talk before you look at a single house — about budget, about what you actually want, and about what you're afraid of.

  2. 02

    You get a real pre-approval, so you're shopping with a number instead of a hope.

  3. 03

    We look at homes, and I tell you what's wrong with them as well as what's right.

  4. 04

    We write an offer, negotiate, inspect, and close — and I explain each step as it arrives, not after.

The trade

What you get — and what to weigh

What you get

  • Somebody who explains things the first time you ask and again the third time
  • A straight answer on what you'll need at closing, beyond the down payment
  • Access to assistance programs most first-time buyers never hear about
  • A read on flood risk, taxes, MUDs, and HOA costs before they surprise you — Houston-specific things that wreck budgets

The trade-offs (straight talk)

  • Owning costs more monthly than the mortgage payment — taxes, insurance, and maintenance are real
  • In Texas the tax bill is a significant part of the payment and it can change after you buy
  • Buying is a poor financial move if you'll move again within a couple of years

“The two things that blindside first-time buyers here aren't down payments — they're property taxes and flood. Texas has no state income tax and it makes it up on property, and a Houston-area home can be perfectly dry and still sit in a flood zone that costs real money every year. I check both before you're emotionally attached to a house.”

Homes sold
175+Homes sold
In closed sales
$54M+In closed sales
Texas markets served
2Texas markets served
Counties served today
6Counties served today

Career totals across two Texas markets — DFW, then Greater Houston.

Questions, answered

Frequently asked questions

Less than most people assume — the twenty-percent figure is a myth for most buyers, and it exists mainly because that's the point where mortgage insurance drops off. There are loan programs with far lower requirements and assistance programs that help with the rest. The number that actually matters is your total cash to close, which includes closing costs and prepaid taxes and insurance, and a lender can give you that figure precisely.

Start with a conversation, not a house

No pressure and no sign-up required.Tell me where you are and I'll tell you what the next step actually is.

Call (832) 709-2540

Not sure this is the right path? Let's figure it out together.

A quick, no-pressure conversation is all it takes.

Browse homes for sale

Want to talk it through first? Pick a time.

Schedule time with Allen

Allen Markel, REALTOR® · Texas Premier Realty · TREC #0658294