Physician loans in Austin and San Antonio
Program and regulatory figures verified October 5, 2026. Details change; confirm your scenario with us.
These are the two slowest major markets in Texas, which for a physician arriving on a fixed date is a feature rather than a problem.
Two very different price points, one pace
| Austin | San Antonio | |
|---|---|---|
| Typical home value | $417,977 | $276,747 |
| Mean days to pending | 82 | 82 |
| Room under $832,750 | $414,773 | $556,003 |
Austin is the most expensive major metro in Texas; San Antonio is the least. They sell at exactly the same pace, and both are well under the conforming limit.
★ 82 days, against a national 53
That is 29 days more than the benchmark — roughly a month of additional room. For most of the country a slow market is a seller's complaint. For a physician relocating on a fixed start date it is the opposite: time to see the city properly, compare neighbourhoods, and get the financing right before committing.
It also reframes the 150-day pre-start closing window. In a fast market that window is about winning a bid. Here it is about sequencing a move — closing before you arrive so you move once. How it works.
Austin
Austin carries the highest prices in Texas and the state's fastest-growing metro economy, with a substantial and expanding medical and academic presence.
Even so, $417,977 is about half of $832,750. A physician buying a typical Austin home is nowhere near the conforming limit, so the case for a physician loan here is the deposit and the student debt. The debt arithmetic.
San Antonio
San Antonio is the most affordable of the four major Texas metros at $276,747, with a large military medical presence alongside its civilian systems.
★ Worth noting the proportion: a $300,000 training balance exceeds the typical San Antonio house price. On conventional financing that balance counts as $3,000 a month under Fannie Mae B3-6-05. Cheap housing does not fix an expensive debt ratio, which is the whole argument for the product in this market.
And the rest of the state
Texas's training density shortfall is concentrated outside the metros — 2.98 programmes per 100,000 against 4.01 nationally. THECB runs a Rural Resident Physician Program to establish and expand graduate medical education in non-metropolitan Texas, with emphasis on local training tracks.
For a physician considering a non-metro post, that programme is the reason more of those training positions exist than used to. Training and buying in Texas.
Frequently asked questions
What is a typical Austin home worth?
$417,977 as of 2026-08-31, the highest of the four major Texas metros and still roughly half the 2026 conforming loan limit of $832,750.How fast do Austin and San Antonio homes sell?
Both ran at 82 mean days to pending as of 2026-08-31, the slowest of the major Texas markets and 29 days more than the national benchmark of 53.Is San Antonio affordable for physicians?
It is the most affordable major Texas metro at a typical value of $276,747, with $556,003 of room under the conforming limit. The constraint there is the debt ratio rather than the price, since a $300,000 training balance exceeds the typical house price.What is the Texas Rural Resident Physician Program?
A Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board programme that seeks to establish new or expand existing graduate medical education programmes in non-metropolitan areas of Texas, with emphasis on creating local training tracks and community support.Mike Certo · NMLS #260555 · Cornerstone First Mortgage NMLS #173855 · Equal Housing Lender. Educational content, not a loan commitment and not legal, tax, or licensure advice. Physician-loan program terms, eligible degrees, and overlays are set by the lender and change; Texas loan-repayment program terms and award cycles change too. Confirm your scenario with us and your program administrator. All loans are subject to borrower and property qualification, including credit and income review.