Example cash needed

$30,326

Example payment

$3,765

Texas Buyer Closing Cost Calculator

Estimate your down payment, closing costs, prepaid expenses, monthly payment, and Total Cash Needed before you make an offer. Compare loan programs, adjust your assumptions, and see how seller credits or down payment assistance could affect your cash to close.

Your purchase

Start with the basics. Everything else uses smart defaults you can adjust.

Already found a home? Enter the address to pull in property details. Still shopping? No problem — skip this and enter your own numbers below.

Property Address

Start typing to search, or enter manually — used to personalize your PDF estimate. Doesn't affect any calculation.

Purchase price

Down payment

Down payment %

Loan amount: $380,000 — calculated automatically from purchase price and down payment.

Loan program

The most common loan type. Requires mortgage insurance with less than 20% down.

Interest rate

A planning default, not a rate quote — edit this to match your own scenario. Your actual rate depends on the market, your credit, loan program, and pricing at the time you lock.

Loan term

yrs

Expected closing date

Your closing date affects prepaid interest, property-tax credits, HOA prorations and escrow estimates.

Taxes, insurance, HOA & flood

Enter the amounts that apply to your scenario — smart defaults are pre-filled.

Property tax rate

The total combined rate — county, school, city, MUD, and any other taxing units together. Entered as a percent of price so it stays put when the price changes.

Annual property taxes

Calculated from the rate above. Know the actual amount from a listing, tax bill, or your agent? Enter it here instead.

Effective tax rate: 2.5% — the actual rate your annual taxes work out to, based on the amount above and your purchase price.

This will be my primary residence (homestead)Texas requires school districts to provide a $140,000 general homestead exemption for primary residences. Other taxing units — including cities, counties, and special districts like MUDs — may adopt their own additional local-option exemption of up to 20% of appraised value, but this is never automatic and varies by taxing jurisdiction; this calculator doesn't know whether a specific one applies here. Applying the school exemption against your full combined rate here is a simplified approximation. If part of your rate is a Municipal Utility District (MUD) tax, this can meaningfully overstate your savings if that MUD hasn't adopted its own exemption — which is common, but not universal. Know your MUD rate? Enter it below for a more accurate estimate. Because this calculator doesn't calculate each taxing unit separately, the homestead adjustment is an estimate — it also doesn't account for the extra exemption available to buyers 65+ or disabled. Confirm your actual eligibility and savings with your county appraisal district.

Home insurance rate

≈ $4,000/yr

HOA dues (mo)

Billed separately from your mortgage payment.

Flood insurance (mo)

Optional — only required in certain flood zones. $0 default. When required, it's typically escrowed as part of your mortgage payment.

Texas title & settlement

Texas title insurance rates are regulated by the state — this uses the official 2026 TDI basic premium schedule.

Owner's title policy paid by

An owner's title policy protects you against certain past ownership problems with the property's title — liens, forged documents, or other claims that could affect your ownership.

Estimated owner's title policy: $2,262 — paid by seller — informational only, not included in your closing costs.

Your Estimate

Example estimate — based on a $400,000 purchase with typical assumptions

Total Cash You'll Need Available

$30,326

Enter a purchase price and your financing details below — your numbers will update here as you go

Paid Before Closing

$5,425

Already Paid & Applied to Purchase

$4,325

Earnest money$4,000

Option fee$325

Paid Outside Closing

$1,100

Appraisal$650

Inspection$450

Estimated Cash to Close

$24,901

The portion of the total above due at the closing table itself

Earnest money and the option fee are typically paid within the first few days of your contract. They're credited back toward your purchase at closing, so they don't add to your closing costs — but you'll need that cash available earlier in the process, which is why they're counted here. Appraisal and inspection fees are also usually paid before closing, but unlike earnest money and the option fee, they aren't credited back — they're simply paid earlier instead of at the closing table, which is why Estimated Cash to Close above no longer includes them.

Loan amount

$380,000

Estimated Monthly Payment

$3,765/mo

Scotty Gifford

REALTOR® | Mortgage Loan Originator

NMLS #2357310

979-571-9067

Want help with your numbers?

These estimates are a great starting point. If you'd like, we can look at your actual income, debts, credit and loan options and help you understand what you may qualify for.

Apply for a Loan

Call or Text Scotty: 979-571-9067

Scotty Gifford, Licensed Mortgage Loan Originator, NMLS# 2357310. Gifford Home Loans is a marketing brand used for informational and promotional purposes only and is not a separate mortgage lender or financial institution. Mortgage loans are originated and funded through Everett Financial, Inc. dba Supreme Lending, NMLS# 2129. Equal Housing Opportunity Lender.

Estimate Details

Optional — personalize your PDF estimate and, if you choose, share it with your agent.

Buyer Name

Optional — appears as "Prepared For" on your PDF estimate.

Scenario Name

Optional — helps you tell scenarios apart. Defaults to "Closing Cost Estimate."

Are you currently working with a real estate agent?

Get Your Personalized Estimate

Download a professional PDF to save, print, or share with your agent.

How Much Income Might Be Needed?

Your estimated housing payment is only part of the qualification picture. Your other monthly debts, credit profile, down payment, loan program, and other factors can significantly affect how much you may qualify for.

Estimated Housing Payment

$3,765/mo

28% housing guideline

~$161,336

estimated income/year

36% total-debt guideline

~$125,484

estimated income/year

These are housing-only ratios. 28% and 36% are common lender benchmarks for the share of gross monthly income going toward housing — but 36% is typically the guideline for total debt (housing plus car payments, student loans, credit cards, etc.), not housing alone. Both figures above are calculated using only the housing payment shown, so the 36% number assumes little or no other monthly debt — a buyer with significant other debt would need more income than shown here to stay within that same total-debt guideline.

This is a planning illustration, not a pre-approval or determination of eligibility. Actual qualifying income and maximum loan amount depend on your debts, credit profile, assets, loan program, property, lender guidelines, and other underwriting factors.

Your other monthly debts matter. A buyer with a $600 car payment and other recurring debt may qualify differently from a buyer with the same income and little or no monthly debt.

Want to know what YOU actually qualify for?

Your actual buying power depends on your income, monthly debts, credit profile, assets, and loan options. Get a personalized review from Scotty Gifford.

Apply for a Loan Talk to Scotty

What would you like to do next?

Apply for a Loan

Get started with a mortgage application and personalized pre-approval.

Apply for a Loan

Compare Another Scenario

Change the purchase price, down payment, rate, or loan program.

Talk to Scotty

Questions about this estimate? Schedule a call or reach out any time.

979-571-9067

Looking for ways to reduce your upfront cash?

Depending on your situation, there may be ways to reduce the amount of cash you need upfront. A few common options:

Down payment assistance

Programs that help cover part of the down payment, subject to eligibility requirements and funding limits.

Seller credits

The seller may agree to cover some closing costs as part of the purchase negotiation.

Lender credits

Trading a slightly higher rate for a credit that offsets closing costs.

Lower down payment options

Some loan programs allow a smaller down payment than you might expect.

Different loan programs

Conventional, FHA, VA, and USDA loans each work differently — one may fit your situation better.

Talk to Scotty About Your Options

What is included in cash to close?

"Cash to close" is the total amount a buyer needs at the closing table to complete the purchase — beyond the purchase price itself. This calculator estimates that figure using your down payment plus the costs below, minus any credits.

Down payment
Closing costs
Prepaid interest
Property tax escrow
Homeowners insurance escrow
Seller credits (reduce what you owe)
Earnest money & option fee (already paid, credited back)

This is a planning estimate, not a Loan Estimate or Closing Disclosure — see the full disclosures below.

Buying a Home in Texas?

A few things make Texas closings a little different from other states:

Property tax prorations

Texas taxes accrue through the year, so the seller may credit you for their share at closing.

Escrows

Your lender typically collects a few months of taxes and insurance upfront to start your escrow account.

Texas title insurance

Rates are set by the state, not the title company — everyone charges the same regulated amount.

Owner's title policy

In many Texas contracts the seller pays this, but it's negotiable and depends on your contract.

Survey

A new survey may be required if there isn't an acceptable existing one for the property.

Earnest money & option fee

Paid early in the process, then credited back toward what you owe at closing.

Seller credits

Can help offset costs, but they're limited by your loan program and can't fund your down payment.

Closing date

Even a small change in timing can shift the tax proration and prepaid interest numbers.

What can change your actual cash to close?

This estimate is a planning tool. Your actual cash to close can change based on:

Final property taxes
Insurance quote
Credit score and PMI
Loan program
Seller concessions
Lender fees
Title/settlement charges
Survey
HOA charges
Flood insurance
Closing date
Interest rate and points

See the full disclosures below.

Not sure what you can afford? Watch this first.

Most Buyers Get This Wrong: What You Can Actually Afford — Amber & Scotty Gifford explain why shopping for homes before understanding your budget can lead to expensive mistakes, and how pre-approval, credit, debt, savings, and seller concessions can affect what you can realistically afford.

Ready to run your numbers? ↓