Buying in Texas before the first paycheque
Program and regulatory figures verified October 5, 2026. Details change; confirm your scenario with us.
Texas is one of the easier states in the country to buy in as a trainee: affordable prices, unhurried markets, and a window that lets you close before you arrive.
The window
| Route | How far before income starts | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Physician programme | 150 days | Sequoia guide v1.1 |
| Conventional | 90 days | Fannie Mae B3-3.3-03 |
Both run from a signed employment contract. Neither works on an offer still under negotiation.
★ What that window is for in Texas
Something different than in a fast market. California metros clear in 37 to 48 days, so the extra sixty days there is about being ready to win a competitive bid. Texas metros run 61 to 82 days — all slower than the national 53.
So in Texas the window is about sequencing a relocation: closing before you arrive, so you move once instead of renting for a year and moving twice. That is a smaller drama and a larger saving.
How the window works · The market pace.
The training picture
Texas carries 931 ACGME-accredited programmes and 11,743 active residents and fellows — third in the country by programme count, behind New York and California.
Per head it is thinner than the national average on both measures: 2.98 programmes per 100,000 against 4.01, and 37.53 residents per 100,000 against 48.67. New York runs 102.56.
THECB's Rural Resident Physician Program exists to address that, establishing and expanding GME in non-metropolitan Texas with emphasis on local training tracks.
What your debt does meanwhile
It underwrites as it stands. A physician programme can use your documented income-driven payment; conventional counts 1% of the balance (Fannie Mae B3-6-05) and FHA 0.5% of a zero-payment balance (HUD 4000.1).
In Texas that is the whole game, because the house is affordable and the balance is not. A $300,000 balance exceeds the typical San Antonio home price. The arithmetic.
And if you are counting on loan repayment
Texas runs programmes for physicians and mental health professionals through THECB. Two things to know before you plan around one: an award not yet granted is not income a lender can use, and the July 2026 State Auditor report found the Board wrongly denied some applicants eligible for prorated awards.
Prorated awards matter most to exactly this group — trainees and early-career clinicians working less than 32 hours of direct patient care a week. What the audit found.
Frequently asked questions
Can a resident buy a house before starting in Texas?
A physician programme can allow closing up to 150 days before the attending start date on a signed employment contract, against the 90 days Fannie Mae allows at B3-3.3-03 for income that has not yet begun.How many residents train in Texas?
11,743 active residents and fellows across 931 ACGME-accredited programmes, third in the country by programme count. That is 37.53 residents per 100,000 population against 48.67 nationally.Is Texas a good market for a relocating physician?
The pace helps. Texas metros ran 61 to 82 mean days to pending as of 2026-08-31, all slower than the national benchmark of 53, which gives a relocating trainee time to search properly rather than bid blind.Do residents qualify for physician loans in Texas?
Yes. Residents and fellows are eligible under the Sequoia Medical Professionals Program guide alongside attending physicians, and the programme covers MD, DO, DDS, DMD, DPM, OD, PharmD, DVM and CRNA.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.