Buyer's Guide

Your lender's maximum is a ceiling, not a target. The real question is what you can carry comfortably once everything is counted, and in Texas there is more to count than the mortgage. We have no state income tax, which means property taxes do the heavy lifting, and in central Austin they are substantial. Add homeowner's insurance, HOA dues where they apply, and the closing costs that arrive at the end: lender fees, title insurance, escrow, survey, inspections. None of this should be a surprise in week eight. Before we write any offer, we will have built the full monthly and upfront picture, so the number you agree to is the number you actually pay to live there.

This is the part of the process that changed in 2024. Before an agent shows you homes, you will sign a written buyer representation agreement; since January 2026, that is Texas state law, not just industry rules. It is a real contract, and you should read it like one. It states what your agent charges, how that compensation can be paid, how long you are committed, and how the agreement can be ended, and under the current rules your agent cannot collect more than it says, from anyone. My rate is three percent. Every fee in this business is negotiable, and my position in that negotiation is that I do not discount it. In practice, we ask the seller to cover that compensation as part of your offer, and I will walk you through every line of the agreement before you sign anything.

When we find the right house, we move with intent. I will pull recent comparable sales, read the seller's situation, and shape an offer that is credible on price and considered on terms. In Austin, terms and timing often do more work than the headline number: the option period, the closing date, how clean your contingencies are. We will decide in advance what we hold firm on and where we can flex, so we are negotiating from a plan rather than reacting under pressure.

At higher price points, the mechanics shift. Earnest money and option fees are meaningful sums at three or four million, proof of funds gets read closely, and sellers at this level weigh certainty of closing as heavily as the number itself. Discretion matters more too, since a good portion of these homes trade quietly, before or without a public listing. And if you also have a home to sell, we plan both moves together from the start, because the sequencing matters as much as either transaction on its own.

Your lender leads this conversation, but you will not sit through it alone. At central Austin price points, most of my buyers are financing in jumbo territory, which means more documentation, deeper reserve requirements, and more room than people expect to negotiate the terms, because lenders compete for this business. Fixed versus adjustable, term length, points, specialty programs: each suits a different situation, and the cheapest rate is not automatically the right answer. My job here is to make sure you are asking the questions that connect the loan to your actual plans, including the honest one about how long you really expect to own this house.

Signatures, the title company, and a long series of documents. I will prepare you beforehand so nothing at the table is a surprise, including the final cash-to-close figure, which you will have seen and understood days earlier. One serious note: wire fraud targeting homebuyers is real. Verify wiring instructions by phone with your title company before sending anything, every time, no exceptions.

Then the keys are yours.

Thinking about buying in central Austin? Get in touch, and I will give you a straight answer to any of this before you commit to anything.

If you are moving from out of state or overseas, start with my relocation guide. If you want to see how I work from the other side of the table, the seller pages cover it, and you can read what past clients say as well.