How much house can you afford out here?
National calculators miss the thing that matters most in Texas: property taxes. At this corridor's 1.9–2.7% rates, taxes claim $475–675 monthly on a $300K home — which changes the price your income supports far more than the interest rate debate does. This calculator uses the real local rates.
Uses the standard 28/36 debt-to-income guidelines at today's market rate; lenders' actual qualification differs (credit, loan program, reserves). Educational math, not a prequalification — a lender's number is the real one.
Reading your number honestly
The 28% figure is the budget; the 36% figure is the ceiling — living at the ceiling in a state with rising assessments is how people become house-poor. Down payment moves the range more than rate shopping: every $10K down adds roughly $10K of price at the same payment, and under 20% down adds mortgage insurance the estimate above doesn't include. If your range lands below the corridor's entry prices, that's information too: down-payment assistance programs exist precisely for that gap, and renting cheaply while saving — this corridor's concession market is genuinely good for it — beats stretching. Cross-check against the rent-vs-buy math before deciding the timing.
Keep reading
the buyer's guide · the Builder Incentive Index · the rent-vs-buy engine · the HOA guide
Get the West Fort Worth Buyer's Field Guide
The full corridor playbook by email — plus the monthly Buyer Report with the Builder Incentive Index, so you know what builders are actually giving away before you tour.