What Credit Score Do You Need to Buy a House in Texas? 2026 Rules and the New Score Models

You’ve probably checked your score in a banking app or a credit card account. Here’s the part almost nobody mentions: the number a mortgage lender uses is very likely a different one. Lenders pull scores from all three credit bureaus, use a specific scoring model, and pick a particular one of the three. It’s common for buyers to be surprised in both directions.

The good news is that the rules are written down, and in Texas the down payment assistance programs spell out exactly where the floor is. This year also brought the biggest change to mortgage credit scoring in decades, with new score models arriving at Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, and FHA.

This guide covers the credit score you need to buy a house in Texas by loan type, the floors for TSAHC and TDHCA assistance, which score lenders actually use, and what the 2026 changes to VantageScore 4.0 and FICO 10T mean for you. If you’re comparing loan types, our guide to first-time home buyers in Texas is a good starting point.

Four credit score beliefs that hold Texas buyers back

• If you’ve heard “you need a 700 to buy a house,” that isn’t a rule in any of the major loan programs. FHA allows scores as low as 580 for its 3.5% down payment, and Texas’s statewide assistance programs start at 620.
• If you’ve heard “the score in my app is the one the lender sees,” it may not be. The CFPB’s explainer on credit scores puts it plainly: “You do not have just ‘one’ credit score.” Mortgage lenders use specific models and pull all three bureaus.
• If you’ve heard “rent doesn’t count toward credit,” that’s changing. The newer models arriving in mortgage lending can consider rent and, according to HUD, utility payments when they show up on your credit report.
• If you’ve heard “no credit score means no mortgage,” FHA allows borrowers with non-traditional or insufficient credit to qualify through manual underwriting. Texas’s assistance programs generally do require a credit score, though, and TDHCA doesn’t accept a sole borrower with no score.

The sections below show the actual numbers for each loan type and program.

What credit score do you need to buy a house in Texas?

There isn’t one Texas minimum. The score you need depends on the loan program and the lender, and it goes up if you want Texas down payment assistance.

Two caveats matter. First, “no minimum” doesn’t mean any score works: automated underwriting still weighs your credit, and many lenders add their own floors, often called overlays. Second, the VA’s own buyer’s guide says VA does not require a minimum credit score, while noting that lenders typically may want 620. If you’re looking at a conventional loan, our guide to the credit score for a conventional loan in Texas goes deeper on pricing tiers.

Credit score requirements for Texas down payment assistance

If you want help with your down payment and closing costs from Texas’s two statewide programs, run by TDHCA (a state agency) and TSAHC (a nonprofit created at the direction of the Texas Legislature), the score floor is firmer than for the loans themselves.

That 0.25% for scores of 620 to 639 can be real money if your lender passes it on to you, which TSAHC allows. On a $300,000 home bought with an FHA loan and 3.5% down, the loan comes to about $294,600 with the upfront mortgage insurance financed, so 0.25% is about $736. Getting your score to 640 or higher before you apply avoids it.

Only approved lenders can offer these programs, so the lender you choose needs to work with TSAHC, TDHCA, or both. Our TSAHC vs. TDHCA comparison walks through the other differences between the two agencies.

Which credit score do mortgage lenders use?

Mortgage lenders usually don’t use the score from your app. They order a merged credit report with scores from all three bureaus (Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion), then pick one score per borrower. Under the Fannie Mae Selling Guide (B3-5.1-02), when three scores come back the lender uses the middle one, and when two come back it uses the lower one. If you buy with someone else, the lender generally uses the lowest of those borrower scores for the loan.

Because lenders use your middle score, an error on one report usually can’t drag you all the way down, but it can pull your middle score down to your next-lowest bureau score. If only two scores come back, the lower one counts, and errors on two reports can do real damage. As the CFPB’s guide to getting your credit scores notes, lenders also use different credit scores for different types of loans, and some free scores are educational versions rather than the one a lender would use.

What’s changing in 2026: VantageScore 4.0 and FICO 10T

For decades, mortgage lending ran on older versions of the FICO score, usually called Classic FICO. That’s now changing, in steps.

A few details keep this in perspective:

• Classic FICO isn’t going away yet. FHFA says Classic FICO is expected to be retired at a future date, but no retirement date has been announced. Lenders can use either Classic FICO or VantageScore 4.0 for loans sold to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.
• FICO 10T is approved but not in use yet at Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. FHFA says the companies will provide guidance when it becomes available for loan deliveries.
• Same model for every borrower. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac require one model, Classic FICO or VantageScore 4.0, for all borrowers on a loan. Starting in 2027, FHA lets lenders submit more than one model as long as every borrower gets the same ones.
• Manual underwriting stays on Classic FICO for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac loans.
• Three-bureau reports continue. FHFA says adding VantageScore 4.0 doesn’t change current credit reporting requirements, and HUD’s mortgagee letter says FHA will continue to require a tri-merge report.
• FHA’s score thresholds don’t change. The 500 and 580 cutoffs apply to the new models too. If a lender submits more than one model, FHA uses the lowest of the selected scores for each borrower.

What the newer scores look at, including rent

The newer models can see more of your payment history. FHFA’s credit score page says the new models take into account additional sources of data, including rent payment history, and HUD’s Mortgagee Letter 2026-11 says they use trended data, which tracks how you handle credit over time, along with non-traditional credit like rent and utilities.

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac’s joint credit score playbook for lenders adds the key qualifier: the models consider rent “when available.” Rent and utility payments help only if they actually appear on your credit report. If your landlord doesn’t report your payments, the new models can’t see them.

There’s a separate rent benefit inside FHA’s own system. HUD Handbook 4000.1 lets a lender flag positive rental history in FHA’s automated underwriting on a purchase when at least one borrower is a first-time buyer, the score is 620 or higher, and at least one borrower has paid rent of $300 or more on time every month for the past 12 months. It’s a reason to keep your rent records handy.

Will VantageScore 4.0 help you qualify for Texas down payment assistance?

Possibly, but don’t count on it yet. TSAHC’s guidelines state their minimums as a “representative FICO credit score,” and neither TSAHC’s nor TDHCA’s current guide mentions VantageScore 4.0. The new models are optional for lenders, Fannie Mae requires Classic FICO on manually underwritten loans, and FHA’s acceptance doesn’t start until January 1, 2027.

So if your Classic FICO middle score sits just under 620, the practical path for now is to raise it rather than hope a different model clears you. When you talk to a participating lender, ask which score model they’ll use and whether the program accepts it.

Buying a house in Texas with a score under 620

An FHA loan can work with a score between 580 and 619, and with 10% down at scores from 500 to 579. What you give up below 620 is TSAHC and TDHCA assistance, since both set their floor there. On a $300,000 home, that’s the difference between a 3.5% FHA down payment of $10,500 that TSAHC or TDHCA assistance could help cover and finding that money another way, such as savings, an eligible gift, or a local program, or a $30,000 down payment at scores under 580. If you’re below 620 right now, our guide to buying a house in Texas with a credit score under 620 walks through FHA, VA, and USDA options and a plan to reach 620.

For many buyers, a few months of work on credit can be worth more than buying right away. Check your reports, fix errors, keep every account current, and bring revolving balances down before you apply.

How to check your credit before you apply

• Pull all three reports for free. The FTC says the three nationwide bureaus have permanently extended free weekly reports at AnnualCreditReport.com.
• Look for errors on each one. Because lenders use your middle score, a mistake on one report can matter.
• Dispute what’s wrong. The CFPB’s dispute guide recommends contacting both the credit reporting company and the company that supplied the information, and it notes the company that supplied the information generally must investigate and respond within 30 days.
• Remember that free scores may differ. The CFPB notes that some sources give an educational score rather than the score a lender would use.

Action step: pull all three reports this week, compare them side by side, and dispute anything inaccurate at least a month or two before you plan to apply.

Credit scores feel like a verdict, but for a mortgage they’re one input with clear, published thresholds. If you’re near 620, you’re close to Texas’s assistance programs, and if you’re at 640 or above, you’ve cleared the main credit score bars, though income limits and other program rules still apply. A participating lender can pull your actual mortgage scores and tell you exactly where you stand.

Credit score to buy a house in Texas: FAQ

Credit score to buy a house in Texas: FAQ

† ShopDPA is The Texas Down Payment Assistance Marketplace, a home loan and down payment assistance referral service. We are not a mortgage lender, mortgage broker, loan officer, or credit repair organization, and we do not originate, fund, or service loans. We connect Texas homebuyers with licensed mortgage professionals and with down payment assistance programs. We are not affiliated with FHFA, Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, HUD, FHA, the VA, USDA, the CFPB, the FTC, any credit bureau or credit score company, TSAHC, TDHCA, or any government agency. Credit score requirements summarized here are subject to change and lender overlays and are not a commitment to lend or a determination of your eligibility. Confirm current requirements with a participating licensed lender. Equal Housing Opportunity.