Katy, Texas
Two identical Katy houses can be $533 a month apart. The listing photo will not tell you which is which.
Cinco MUD 2 charges $0.22 because it has spent thirty years paying down bonds. Fort Bend MUD 198 out at Cross Creek West charges $1.50 because it just built everything. Every online calculator misses it. We have been financing homes in these districts for 24 years.
- We know the actual tax rate in Cinco Ranch, Elyson, Firethorne and every district between.
- Katy spans three counties. Harris, Fort Bend and Waller each price differently.
- Before your offer goes in, we call the listing agent and confirm your approval is real. Most lenders never do this.
- When rates drop, we refinance you at no lender cost.
Steve and Stephanie Kyles, mortgage brokers serving Katy and Greater Houston / NMLS #330894
Get your Katy numbers
Three questions. Then we call and build your Clear Move Plan around the neighborhood you are actually looking in.
No cost, no obligation, and no credit application to get your numbers.
The thing nobody tells Katy buyers
A MUD tax can add hundreds of dollars to your monthly payment.
Why your online payment estimate was wrong
National calculators assume a property tax rate near 1.1%, because that is roughly the American average. Texas has no state income tax, so property taxes carry more of the load here. Add a MUD and a Katy bill can pass 3%.
Here is the part almost nobody quotes correctly. MUD rates in the Katy area run from $0.22 to $1.50 per $100. Cinco MUD 2 is at $0.22 after thirty years of paying down bonds. Fort Bend MUD 198 at Cross Creek West is at $1.50, the practical ceiling, because it just built everything.
Same $500,000 house. That spread is $533 a month. A bigger swing than a full point of interest rate, and it never shows up in a listing photo.
Real Katy tax rates, by community
- Older Katy, outside a MUD1.64%
- Cinco Ranch1.97%
- Grand Lakes2.23%
- Firethorne2.32%
- Cross Creek Ranch2.70%
- Jordan Ranch2.79%
- Tamarron2.84%
- Cross Creek West3.16%
- Elyson3.19%
Total of every taxing entity: county, school district, emergency services, drainage and MUD. Built from the county appraisal district rolls, Katy ISD's published rate of $1.1171, and the developers' own rate sheets. Rates change annually and vary by section, so we pull the exact number for your address before you write an offer. Filing your homestead exemption after closing reduces the taxable value. 2026 rates are adopted through October.
Run your Katy numbers
What would the payment be on a Katy house?
Pick your neighborhood and it loads that district's real total tax rate and typical HOA dues. Mortgage insurance comes off the published rate card, including the discount for having two borrowers on the loan.
Best when your credit is 620 or higher. Mortgage insurance drops off at 20% equity.
Two borrowers lowers the mortgage insurance rate on the published card. Most lenders never mention it.
$22,500 down
An example rate, not a quote.
Edit this if you know the district's actual rate.
Estimated from your credit and down payment. If we have quoted you a real MI figure, type it here and everything recalculates.
Starting estimate by price. Edit it if you have a real quote.
Loads from the neighborhood you pick.
Estimated monthly payment in Katy
- Principal and interest$0
- Property taxes$0
- Homeowners insurance$0
- Mortgage insurance$0
- HOA$0
Estimates for planning only. Not a loan commitment, a rate lock, or an offer to extend credit. Actual payment and cash to close depend on your credit, the property, the district's real tax rate, final insurance figures, and your loan terms. Rates change daily. Steve Kyles NMLS #330894, ProLending Mortgage NMLS #262563. Equal Housing Opportunity.
Tax rates are 2025 adopted totals built from the county appraisal district and Truth in Taxation records, school district tax pages and developer rate sheets. 2026 rates are adopted through October 2026. Mortgage insurance uses the published national rate card effective February 2026. Example rate is the Freddie Mac 30-year average, week of September 3, 2026.
The question everyone asks first
What do you need to make to buy a house in Katy?
Every national calculator answers this with a property tax rate near 1.10%. Katy is not 1.10%. A typical Katy address runs about 2.7% once every taxing entity is added up. That gap is why buyers get approved online for a number they cannot close on here.
| Home price | Monthly payment with taxes, insurance and MI | Income needed in Katy | What a national calculator tells you |
|---|---|---|---|
| $250,000 | $2,509 | $67,000 | $58,000 |
| $300,000 | $2,942 | $78,000 | $68,000 |
| $350,000 | $3,374 | $90,000 | $78,000 |
| $400,000 | $3,832 | $102,000 | $88,000 |
| $500,000 | $4,698 | $125,000 | $107,000 |
| $600,000 | $5,588 | $149,000 | $128,000 |
On a $400,000 house the national number is $88,000. The Katy number is $102,000.
That $14,000 gap is property tax. It is the most common reason a buyer gets approved online, writes an offer, and then finds out the payment does not work. Nobody lied to them. The calculator did not know where they were buying.
Pick your neighborhood in the calculator above and the real rate loads. Then call us and we will tell you the income and the credit it actually takes for that address.
In their words
What families say after they close.
Where people are buying
Katy communities we finance in every month.
Each of these prices differently, taxes differently, and appraises differently. Tell us which one you are looking at and we will tell you what it actually costs to live there.
Cinco Ranch
Established, mature trees, Katy ISD. Cinco MUD 2 sits at $0.22 because the district has been paying down bonds for thirty years, which is why the total here is about 1.97% and among the lowest in Katy.
1.97% total / HOA about $113Cross Creek Ranch
Fulshear side, Lamar CISD, heavy new construction with real builder incentives on the table.
2.70% total / HOA about $117Firethorne
Fort Bend MUD 151 at $0.72. Split between Katy ISD and Lamar CISD depending on which side of FM 1463 the house sits, so two homes on the same street can feed different high schools. Gated sections run about $1,250 a year instead of $850.
2.32% total / HOA $71 to $104Elyson
North Katy off the Grand Parkway, Harris County MUD 534, Katy ISD and Paetow High School. Highest total rate of the major Katy communities. Bring us the builder's incentive sheet and we will tell you honestly whether theirs beats ours.
3.19% total / HOA about $115Cross Creek West
Fort Bend MUD 198 at $1.50, the practical ceiling in this market. Lamar CISD. Dues are $1,500 plus a $50 streetlight assessment.
3.16% total / HOA about $129Jordan Ranch and Tamarron
Both Lamar CISD, both new-growth districts. Jordan Ranch sits on Fulshear MUD 3A at $1.12 and the developer publishes the whole stack line by line, which is rare and useful.
2.79% and 2.84% totalAlso looking nearby?
We finance homes across Greater Houston.
What working with us looks like
Five things happen on every file. Same way every time.
Five standards, in this order, on every Katy file. Whether the market is calm or the market is a mess.
1. The Welcome Call
Someone actually calls you back. We answer your first questions, get you started, and put the next call on the calendar.
Usually within minutes
2. The Clarity Call
Thirty minutes on the phone where we build your Clear Move Plan. Your sales price, your monthly payment, your cash to close, with the real Katy tax rate for the neighborhood you are looking at. Every question answered before you hang up.
Scheduled around you
3. The Predictable Payment
One page with your full payment, principal, interest, taxes, insurance and any HOA, plus what you need at the closing table. In your hands before you start touring homes.
Before you shop
4. The Predictable Close Calendar
Every milestone from contract to keys, with a date on it. You and your agent both know what happens next, so nobody has to chase an update.
Within 24 hours of contract
5. The Predictable Annual Review
Every year on the anniversary of your closing we check the rate, the mortgage insurance and your district's tax rate, because MUD rates move and so does what you owe.
Every year you own the home
What this saves you
Two things that put real money back in your pocket.
Most lenders compete on a rate they quote you once. We compete on what you actually pay in Katy, on day one and every year after. On a $500,000 Katy house the gap between the lowest MUD and the highest is about $533 a month. Getting the district right is worth more than shaving an eighth off the rate.
More than 35 wholesale lenders, shopped for you
We are not a bank with one rate sheet and one set of rules. We take your file to the lenders that fit your situation. Self-employed, commission income, a credit event a few years back, a tight closing window. Somebody prices that well, and finding them is our job, not yours.
The Sure-Fi Advantage, $2,244 waived
Buy your Katy home with us, and when rates come down we refinance you with no lender cost. Underwriting $999, processing $995, credit report $250. Not a coupon with a deadline. Every time, for as long as you have the loan. Third-party costs like appraisal and title are set by outside companies and no lender controls those.
Help with the down payment
5 programs a Katy buyer can actually use.
Most articles about this list every program in Texas and never tell you which ones your address qualifies for. These are the ones that reach Katy, with the real current numbers and the catch on each.
| Program | How much |
|---|---|
| Harris County Downpayment AssistanceStandard award runs to $27,100 before incentives. Unincorporated Harris County only, so an address inside any city's limits does not qualify. First-time buyer or no ownership in three years. Forgiven in five years under $25,000, ten years above it. | Up to $40,000 |
| Fort Bend County Housing Finance CorporationFirst-time buyers purchasing in Fort Bend County. Open for 2026 on a first come, first served basis with limited funds, so timing matters more than it does on the state programs. | $10,000 |
| SETH 5 Star Texas AdvantageForgiven after 3 years, or deferred with no payments and no interest. 640 score. No first-time buyer requirement and no maximum sales price, which is unusual and is why this one works on higher-priced homes when the others do not. | Up to 5% of the loan |
| TSAHCGrant that is never repaid, or a second lien forgiven in 3 years. 620 score on FHA, VA and USDA, 640 on conventional. No first-time buyer requirement. Pairs with a Mortgage Credit Certificate if you are a first-time buyer. | 2% to 5% of the loan |
| TDHCA My First Texas HomeState program for first-time buyers and veterans, with income and purchase price limits that vary by county. | Up to 5% of the loan |
The City of Houston program pays up to $75,000. A Katy address cannot use it.
It only covers homes that pay City of Houston taxes, and it is paused right now anyway because the funds ran out. Most sites still list it as a Houston-area option without saying either of those things. It is worth knowing about for later. It is not worth waiting on.
Assistance changes what you qualify for, not just what you bring. A second lien affects your ratios, some programs carry a slightly higher rate, and a few cannot be combined. The right question is never which program pays the most. It is which one leaves you with the lowest payment and a file that closes.
Which loan fits you
Every program, explained without the jargon.
The right program in Katy depends on your credit, your down payment, how your income is documented, and sometimes on the exact address. We tell you which one puts you in the best position, not just which one you qualify for.
FHA loans
3.5% down and built for lower credit scores. Mortgage insurance stays for the life of most FHA loans, which is the part nobody mentions.
Conventional loans
3% down is possible. Mortgage insurance comes off at 20% equity, and two borrowers usually price it lower than one.
VA loans
Zero down, no monthly mortgage insurance, and the best rates on the board if you have served.
USDA loans
Zero down, and it is decided entirely by the map. Katy itself is mostly outside the map now, but the Waller County side west of town still has eligible pockets. It is decided by the parcel, not the city.
Self-employed and 1099
Write-offs make your income look smaller than it is. Bank statement and P&L options read it the way it deserves to be read.
Investor and DSCR
Qualify on the property's rent instead of your tax returns.
Tools and guides
Free, and none of it asks for your credit.
Start with the calculator above. When you want the detail behind a number, these go deeper.
Get pre-approved
What lenders actually look at, and what makes a pre-approval hold up when you write an offer.
How much cash you really need
Down payment, closing costs and prepaids, separated out so the number is not a surprise.
FHA or conventional
Which one fits, and what the mortgage insurance actually costs on each.
VA loans
Zero down, no monthly mortgage insurance, and the parts of the benefit most people never use.
Self-employed and 1099
Write-offs make your income look smaller than it is. There is more than one way to document it.
First step for a first-time buyer
What to do first, before you look at a single house.
Katy questions
What Katy buyers ask us most.
If yours is not here, call or text. We would rather answer it now than have you guess at it.
Looking at a specific address?
Send it over. We will pull the actual tax rate, the HOA, and tell you the real monthly payment, usually the same day.
Text the address to 832-449-2915What is a MUD tax in Katy and how much is it?
Which counties is Katy in?
Should I use the builder's lender in a Katy new construction community?
How does the homestead exemption work in Katy?
Is now a good time to buy in Katy?
How much does homeowners insurance run in Katy?
How much do I need to put down on a house in Katy?
Do you work with Katy real estate agents?
Katy, Texas
Know the real number before you fall in love with the house.
Thirty minutes with a Houston mortgage broker who knows these districts. You will hang up knowing your price range, your monthly payment, and what you need at closing.