Mortgage rules, state by state

Your mortgage, finally clear.

The programs named, the limits worked, the state law cited — for the home you are actually buying, in the state you are actually in. No sales pitch behind the page.

Every number in the estimate changes with it. Then download the printable guide for that state — free.

Printable workbooks from $12 Qualification, shopping and closing, with fill-in worksheets.

  • 50states covered, sources listed
  • 307pages, 204 printable guides
  • 24–48 hto a written answer, by a person
  • Sources cited and dated
  • Sources: CFPB, HUD, FHFA
  • Not a lender, no sales calls
State estimateTexas
TX
David Daniel Turner, CC BY 4.0
Median home (approx.)
$300,000
Cash down, 5%
$15,000
Monthly, incl. PMI & tax*
$2,399
PMI can end after
10 years and 4 months
Conforming limit 2026
$832,750
Property tax
1.68%
Foreclosure
non-judicial
Time to sale
2 to 3 months
Closing
Title company closing
Housing agency
Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs

*Illustrative 6.5% 30-year rate on the state median, 5% down, typical PMI, state effective tax. Not an offer.

Download the Texas guide (PDF) — free
307 pages50 states × 5 topics121 guides16 federal rules × 13 borrower profiles204 printable guidesupdated 2026-09-14sources: CFPB, HUD, FHFA, Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, state statutes
Watch the overview · 42 s

How it works

Your state’s rules in three steps

  1. Pick your statePrograms, limits and law for all 50 states.
  2. See programs, limits and costsFreddie Mac rates and FHFA limits, from the source.
  3. Download your free state guideNot a lender. No sales calls. Sources listed.
Get your free state guideWhat the video shows

Start with the data

Numbers taken from the source, not rewritten

People, not a call center

A real person reads your question.

Ask anything in the form — a loan you do not understand, a notice you just received, a number that does not add up. A person at Tech-Bharat reads it, checks the rules for your state, and replies in plain English within 24 to 48 hours. Free, and nobody is trying to sell you a loan.

  • 24–48 hto a written, plain-English answer
  • 50states covered, official sources listed
  • 0sales calls — we are not a lender or broker

When a question needs a licensed professional, we say so and point you to free HUD-approved counselors.

Five things every state decides

Federal law sets the floor. Fifty states set the rest — and they disagree on almost everything.

PROGRAMS Who helps you buyEvery state runs a housing finance agency with a first mortgage, down payment help and, in about half the states, a tax credit worth up to $2,000 a year.First-time buyer programs → LIMITS & PMI What a conventional loan costs hereThe conforming limit, the monthly payment at 3, 5, 10 and 20 percent down on the state median — and the exact month mortgage insurance can end.Conventional loans by state → USURY & SPEED How investors are lent toInterest caps, licensing, and how fast a lender gets the property back after a default: from two months in Texas to two years in New Jersey.Hard money rules by state → DEFAULT What happens if you fall behindJudicial or not, the timeline, redemption, mediation, the free counselors servicers take seriously, and whether the lender can chase the difference.Foreclosure law by state → STATE LAW Who sits at the closing tableAttorney, escrow or title company; spousal signatures and homestead; recording taxes; prepayment penalties; who licenses the lender.Mortgage law by state →

Read it for who you are

The same rule lands differently on a veteran, a freelancer or an investor. One page per profile — then all 16 federal rules, reread for that profile.

First-time home buyers Conventional loan borrowers Veterans and service members Self-employed borrowers Real estate investors Retirees and senior borrowers Buyers with bad credit Foreign nationals and ITIN borrowers Physicians and licensed professionals Teachers, first responders and “hero” buyers Rural and USDA buyers Condo and second-home buyers Refinancing homeowners

Who is behind the answers

Claude Loan is written and published by Clément Lacaille, founder of Tech-Bharat, a small studio that builds and runs information websites. No invented experts, no call center.

What we do

Read the rules and the data (eCFR, CFPB, FHFA, Freddie Mac, state agencies), put them on one page with the source linked, and answer the questions sent through the form within 24 to 48 hours.

What we are not

Not a lender, broker, law firm or licensed counselor, and no NMLS license. We never promise a rate or an approval, and the guides and answers are free. How we research.

Built on the rules, from the people who write them

Every figure and every statute on this site comes from the agencies and guidelines that govern U.S. mortgages. We read them, cite them and link to them — they do not endorse this site.

  • CFPB
  • HUD, FHA
  • FHFA
  • Fannie Mae
  • Freddie Mac
  • VA
  • USDA
  • Federal Reserve
  • FTC
  • NMLS
  • 50 state housing finance agencies
  • HUD-approved counselors
  • State statutes & courts

The kind of question the form is for

Examples we wrote to show what you can ask. They are not quotes from readers.

The federal rules, in plain English

What each law requires, whom it covers, what it does not do — and how to use it when a lender gets it wrong.

TILA / Reg ZRESPATRID disclosuresECOAFair Housing ActHMDASAFE Act / NMLSATR / QMHOEPAHPA / PMIServicing rulesFCRAFlood insuranceMARS ruleSCRALO compensation

Most read

The guides readers use most, revised by hand with the official sources linked. 121 guides in all, each with its sources and a FAQ.

All guides, Mortgage rates this week, Mortgage calculator, Payment tables, Editorial reviews

Printable mortgage workbooks

The guides explain the rules for free. The workbooks turn them into worksheets you fill in for your own loan: qualify, compare offers, check every form, close.

Qualification workbook

The Conventional Loan Qualification Workbook (2026)

Run the Fannie Mae checks on your own file: 2026 loan limit, qualifying income, self-employed cash flow, DTI, cash to close, seller credit and PMI exit dates.

$14 10 chapters, instant online access, printable

Buy, $14 See the contents

Shopping & closing workbook

The Mortgage Shopping & Closing Workbook (2026)

Every deadline, document, lender question and closing check from application to keys: TRID calendar, Loan Estimate comparison, tolerance check, wire-fraud list.

$12 10 chapters, instant online access, printable

Buy, $12 See the contents

Both workbooks for $19 ($26 bought separately). All workbooks.

Take the guide with you

Four printable guides per state — first home, conventional loan, hard money, mortgage trouble — with the programs, the statutes, the numbers and a checklist. Pick yours above; it is already filled in below.

Get your free state mortgage guide (PDF)

Get the PDF edition for your state: key facts, the rules that apply, the numbers worked on the state median, and a step-by-step checklist. It downloads the moment you submit, and the link lands in your email too.

The guide and answers are free, no fees. Claude Loan is an information site — not a lender, broker or advisor. Have a specific question? Add it below — a real person answers in plain English within 24 to 48 hours, free.

All fifty states

Prefer to talk to a licensed lender?

Our guides explain the rules; a loan officer can quote you an actual rate and tell you what you qualify for. Pick your situation and we will pass your request to up to three partner lenders or brokers licensed in your state (check any of them on NMLS Consumer Access). Free, no obligation.

1. Your situation