Richmond, Texas
Richmond is three different markets wearing one name.
77406 ran a $440,000 median in July. 77469 ran $361,250. Same city on the envelope, about $79,000 apart. And parts of west Richmond still sit inside the USDA rural map, which can mean zero down. Knowing which Richmond you are buying in is most of the job.
- Three zip codes, three price points. We price the one you are actually in.
- Parts of west Richmond, including Candela, sit inside the USDA map. That can mean zero down.
- Harvest Green alone has three different tax bills depending on the section.
- Before your offer goes in, we call the listing agent and confirm your approval is real.
Steve and Stephanie Kyles, mortgage brokers serving Richmond and Greater Houston / NMLS #330894
Get your Richmond 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.
Preview build. Point this form at the GoHighLevel form used site wide.
The thing nobody tells Richmond buyers
Some of Richmond still qualifies for zero down. Almost nobody checks.
Two things that decide a Richmond payment
First, the zip. 77406 runs the Grand Parkway corridor and the newer master-planned product. 77407 is Aliana and Grand Mission. 77469 runs south and east toward Rosenberg. In July 2026 those medians were $440,000, $367,000 and $361,250. Same city name.
Second, the district. Waterside Estates sits at 2.05%. Harvest Green's newest section sits at 2.93%. Harvest Green alone has three different tax bills depending on which MUD the house falls in, and all three match the developer's published figures to the penny.
Then there is the one nobody runs. Candela, a brand new master-planned community, sits inside USDA's eligible map. A new build with a zero down financing option is an unusual combination. Eligibility also depends on household income and the exact address, so send it to me and I will check it in about two minutes.
Real Richmond tax rates, by community
- Waterside Estates2.05%
- Pecan Grove2.10%
- Grand Mission2.17%
- Long Meadow Farms2.20%
- Aliana2.53%
- Candela2.56%
- Veranda2.63%
- Harvest Green, oldest2.72%
- Harvest Green, newest2.93%
Every jurisdiction below was verified parcel by parcel in the Fort Bend appraisal district records, then summed against adopted 2025 rates. Worth knowing: Veranda's own website publishes a stale 2023 total, and Candela's FAQ still lists a MUD rate of $1.35 when the district actually dropped to $0.89 for 2025, a cut worth roughly $1,900 a year. 2026 rates are adopted through October.
Run your Richmond numbers
What would the payment be on a Richmond 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 Richmond
- 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 Richmond?
Every national calculator answers this with a property tax rate near 1.10%. Richmond is not 1.10%. A typical Richmond address runs about 2.53% 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 Richmond | What a national calculator tells you |
|---|---|---|---|
| $250,000 | $2,478 | $66,000 | $58,000 |
| $300,000 | $2,904 | $77,000 | $68,000 |
| $350,000 | $3,330 | $89,000 | $78,000 |
| $400,000 | $3,781 | $101,000 | $88,000 |
| $500,000 | $4,632 | $124,000 | $108,000 |
| $600,000 | $5,508 | $147,000 | $128,000 |
On a $400,000 house the national number is $88,000. The Richmond number is $101,000.
That $13,000 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
Richmond 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.
Candela
Fort Bend MUD 229 dropped from $1.35 to $0.89 for 2025, a cut worth roughly $1,900 a year on a typical taxable value. The developer's own FAQ still shows the old number. It also sits inside the USDA eligible map, so a brand new master-planned home here may be financeable with nothing down.
2.56% total / USDA eligibleHarvest Green
Three MUDs, three tax bills, 2.72% to 2.93%. The section decides. Our figures match the developer's published totals to the penny on all three, which is a good sign the method is right. Dues run $1,271 with gated sections adding $932.
2.72 to 2.93% totalAliana
Fort Bend ISD, Fort Bend MUD 134B or 134C at $0.95 to $0.965, plus ESD 5. Sits in 77407 where the July median was $367,000. Widely quoted MUD rates of 1.20 to 1.50 for Aliana are years out of date.
2.53% totalVeranda
Fort Bend MUD 215 at $0.73 plus Levee Improvement District 6. Lamar CISD. Dues $1,319 as of March 2026. Note the community's own tax page prints a 2023 total that is about 0.21 too high.
2.63% total / HOA $1,319Waterside Estates and Grand Mission
The value end of the Richmond tax table, 2.05% and 2.17%. Grand Mission MUD 1 at $0.547 is the lowest MUD rate in the city. Both Fort Bend ISD.
2.05 to 2.17% totalLong Meadow Farms and Pecan Grove
Established, lower MUD rates, mature trees. Pecan Grove straddles the Fort Bend ISD and Lamar CISD boundary, so never take the school district from the community name here.
2.10 to 2.20% 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 Richmond 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 Richmond 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 Richmond, on day one and every year after. Richmond spans 2.05% to 2.93%, which is about $367 a month on a $500,000 house. The community name never settles it. The parcel does.
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 Richmond 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
4 programs a Richmond 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 Richmond, with the real current numbers and the catch on each.
| Program | How much |
|---|---|
| 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 Richmond 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 Richmond 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. Candela is verified inside the eligible map, which surprises people for a community this new. Worth checking any Richmond address before you assume.
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.
Richmond questions
What Richmond 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 832-449-2915Why do Richmond home prices vary so much?
Can I get a zero down USDA loan in Richmond?
What is the property tax rate in Richmond?
Why does Harvest Green have three different tax rates?
Is Richmond cheaper than Sugar Land and Katy?
Which school district serves Richmond?
Should I use the builder's lender in Richmond?
What areas do you serve around Richmond?
Richmond, 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.