Harris County's 2026 FHA loan limit is $541,287 — the national floor, and actually lower than the limit in nearby Dallas, Collin, or Denton counties. That's not a mistake: HUD sets FHA limits by county median home price, not population, and Houston's median home price runs well under those DFW-area counties. Joe Pistone at CrossCountry Mortgage is licensed in Texas through the Texas Department of Savings and Mortgage Lending (SML) and works FHA files across Harris County.
Yes — most buyers can get an FHA loan in Houston, TX with as little as 3.5% down and a 580+ credit score (500–579 may qualify with 10% down). Harris County's 2026 FHA loan limit is $541,287 for a single-family home — the national floor, and comfortably above Houston's roughly $335,000 median home price, so FHA realistically covers a wide share of the local market. The loan is available for owner-occupied primary residences only.
Don't read Houston's lower loan limit as a sign the market here is weaker than Dallas's — it isn't. HUD calculates the number off Harris County's own median home price, and Houston homes cost meaningfully less on average than Dallas-Fort Worth homes. That actually works in your favor: $541,287 covers considerably more of the Houston market than the same number would in a pricier metro.
FHA remains one of the most accessible paths to homeownership across Harris County. For the full federal program rules, see HUD's FHA home loans overview.
Check My Eligibility →Most U.S. counties sit at HUD's national FHA floor, and Harris County — Houston's home county — is one of them, at $541,287 for a single-family home in 2026. What surprises people is the comparison: Dallas, Collin, and Denton counties, roughly 240 miles north, carry an elevated $563,500 limit. Harris County has nearly triple the population of any single one of those counties and is home to the nation's fourth-largest city — yet its FHA limit is lower. HUD sets these limits off each county's own median home price, not its population or its skyline, and Houston's housing costs simply run below the Dallas-Fort Worth corridor's. That's not a knock on Houston — a lower limit paired with a lower median price still leaves plenty of room for FHA's 3.5% down payment option to reach a wide slice of the market.
Houston anchors the nation's energy industry — the city is a longtime headquarters hub for oil and gas companies — and it's also home to the Texas Medical Center, widely recognized as the largest medical complex in the world by size and patient volume. Add a significant international population and one of the more diverse metro economies in the country, and you get a housing market with broad, steady demand across a wide range of price points, rather than concentrated demand at the very top of the market the way some coastal metros see.
Close-in, walkable neighborhoods like The Heights, Montrose, and Rice Military have seen substantial appreciation over the years, and larger single-family homes in those areas can run above what a 3.5%-down FHA buyer comfortably reaches — though smaller homes, townhomes, and properties on the edges of these areas can still work. FHA activity tends to be broader and steadier in Houston's suburban corridors — Katy, Sugar Land, and Spring — where a wide range of newer and existing single-family inventory sits comfortably under the $541,287 limit. Every property is different, so it's worth checking a specific address and price point rather than assuming based on the neighborhood alone.
To qualify for an FHA loan in Harris County, you'll generally need:
No income limits. No first-time buyer requirement. Joe Pistone works with borrowers across the credit spectrum on Houston files — call (941) 260-1894 and we'll walk through what applies to your specific situation.
Check your FHA eligibility in minutes — no credit pull, no obligation, no SSN required.
Check My Houston Eligibility →The 2026 FHA loan limit for Harris County — which includes Houston — is $541,287 for a single-family (1-unit) home. That's the national FHA floor, the same baseline that applies to most U.S. counties. It's a genuinely counterintuitive number: Harris County is Texas's most populous county and Houston is the fourth-largest city in the country, yet the loan limit here is actually lower than in nearby Dallas, Collin, or Denton counties, which carry an elevated $563,500 limit. HUD sets FHA limits by county-level median home price, not by population or metro size.
FHA guidelines require a minimum 580 credit score to qualify for the 3.5% down payment option. Scores between 500 and 579 may qualify with a 10% down payment. Joe Pistone works with borrowers across the credit spectrum to find the right path forward.
Yes — the entire 3.5% FHA down payment can come from a documented gift from a family member, employer, or approved charitable organization. On a $541,287 loan, that's roughly $18,945 in down payment, and gift funds are a common way Houston buyers cover it.
Only if the condo project is on HUD's approved list, or the specific unit qualifies under FHA's single-unit approval option. Houston's condo market is smaller and less centralized than a market like Los Angeles or San Francisco, but not every building or HOA qualifies — Joe can check a specific project's FHA status before you write an offer.
With CrossCountry Mortgage, most Houston borrowers receive a pre-approval decision within 24 to 48 hours of submitting complete documentation. Having pay stubs, bank statements, and any gift letters ready in advance is the biggest factor in speed.
For the full statewide FHA guide and other Texas markets:
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