5 Star Texas Advantage Program
5 Star Texas Advantage Program is a forgivable loan for homebuyers in Statewide, Texas.
The program asks for
- The home is occupied as a primary residence
- On credit: 640 minimum FICO for all loan products
- A completed homebuyer education course, through HUD-approved homebuyer education required (online or in-person)
- Residency: Property must be in Texas (excluding HFC-restricted areas) and occupied as primary residence
- Citizenship or immigration status: U.S. citizen or qualified non-citizen per agency loan-product guidelines
- 640 minimum FICO. Borrower must occupy as primary residence. 50% maximum DTI. No FTHB requirement. The 3-year forgiveness is contingent on continued owner occupancy: balance forgiven after 3 years; if home is sold/refinanced earlier, DPA must be repaid. Program is available across most of Texas but is excluded in certain HFC-restricted areas (City of El Paso, Grand Prairie, Travis County).
- A home in Texas
It doesn’t cover
- Households above $181,950
These are the program's own published rules, not a decision about any individual — the administering agency and a lender determine who actually qualifies.
Income limit
$181,950 household income limit, as the program publishes it
The program states this limit itself. Its official site says how household size changes it.
Where it applies
Texas’s homesTexas’s homes, and the ones this program accepts
- 64.4% single-familysingle-family
- 2.9% townhousetownhouse
- 5.3% 2–4 units2–4 units
- 20.8% 5+ unitscondo & apartment buildings (5+ units)
- 6.7% mobile & othermobile home & other
A tick marks a kind of home the program’s record lists. The agency confirms it for the home you choose.
$283,800
Texas median home value
33.2%
built before 1980
U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 2024 5-year.
How to apply
How to applyThree steps, in this order
Take a homebuyer education course
Required by the program, through HUD-approved homebuyer education required (online or in-person).
Contact the administering agency to reserve funds
Funds are reserved through Lenders reserve via SETH online portal on first-come, first-served basis, and are subject to availability.
Work with a lender who handles the program
Hey Prescott is not a lender and does not accept applications; this page describes the program so a homebuyer can take it to a lender or housing counselor.
Questions about this program
What is 5 Star Texas Advantage Program?
5 Star Texas Advantage Program is a forgivable loan for homebuyers in Statewide, Texas. 5 Star Texas Advantage is SETH's flagship statewide DPA program. Available across most of Texas (excluding HFC-restricted areas). Provides a 30-year fixed-rate first mortgage with up to 5% DPA as a 3-year forgivable second lien. SETH is a public, non-profit Housing Finance Corporation serving member jurisdictions in southeast Texas but offering this product statewide. Southeast Texas Housing Finance Corporation's (SETH) 5 Star Texas Advantage program provides a 30-year fixed-rate first mortgage paired with down payment and closing-cost assistance of up to 5% of the loan amount. The DPA is structured as a 3-year forgivable second lien (0% interest, no monthly payments, fully forgiven after 3 years of owner occupancy). Available statewide except in the City of El Paso, Grand Prairie, Travis County, and a few HFC-restricted areas. Stackable with MCC when offered. Funding comes from SETH TBA execution / capital markets.
Do you have to pay it back?
5 Star Texas Advantage Program is forgiven after 3 years, so a homebuyer who stays that long does not repay it. Repayment is triggered by Forgiven after 3 years of continuous owner occupancy and due upon sale, refinance, payoff, or non-occupancy within the 3-year period. The assistance is recorded in 2nd Lien position. Forgiveness and repayment terms are set by the program and can change — confirm them on the official program page before applying.
Who qualifies?
5 Star Texas Advantage Program is open to homebuyers who will live in the home as their primary residence. On credit, the program states: 640 minimum FICO for all loan products. A homebuyer education course is required, through HUD-approved homebuyer education required (online or in-person). Residency requirement: Property must be in Texas (excluding HFC-restricted areas) and occupied as primary residence. Citizenship or immigration status: U.S. citizen or qualified non-citizen per agency loan-product guidelines. 640 minimum FICO. Borrower must occupy as primary residence. 50% maximum DTI. No FTHB requirement. The 3-year forgiveness is contingent on continued owner occupancy: balance forgiven after 3 years; if home is sold/refinanced earlier, DPA must be repaid. Program is available across most of Texas but is excluded in certain HFC-restricted areas (City of El Paso, Grand Prairie, Travis County).
What are the income limits?
5 Star Texas Advantage Program limits household income to $181,950. The limit applies to total household income, not only the borrower’s. Area median income figures are published by HUD and updated annually, so check the current table for the county before relying on a number.
What kind of home can it be used for?
5 Star Texas Advantage Program caps the purchase price as follows: No SETH-imposed sales-price cap (subject to FHA/VA/USDA county loan limits and conforming conventional limits). Eligible property types include Single-family detached, townhomes, condos meeting agency approval, eligible PUDs, eligible manufactured homes. New construction is eligible. Manufactured homes are eligible.
Is there eligibility for specific groups?
5 Star Texas Advantage Program names veterans, active-duty service members, reservists and National Guard members, surviving spouses, American Indian and Alaska Native homebuyers, educators, law enforcement officers, firefighters, healthcare workers, and homebuyers with disabilities among the groups it serves. Being named here means the program mentions the group, not that membership alone qualifies an applicant — the rest of the eligibility rules still apply.
Where does it apply?
5 Star Texas Advantage Program serves homebuyers purchasing in Statewide, Texas.
How do you apply?
Applications for 5 Star Texas Advantage Program go through the administering agency, which publishes the current terms and the application steps on its own site. Funds are reserved through Lenders reserve via SETH online portal on first-come, first-served basis. Hey Prescott is not a lender and does not accept applications; this page describes the program so a homebuyer can take it to a lender or housing counselor.
Also for Texas homebuyersOther programs open to Texas homebuyers
- FHLBank Dallas HAVEN ProgramUp to $25,000
- FHLBank Dallas HELP ProgramUp to $25,000
- NeighborhoodLIFT ProgramUp to $15,000
Whether two programs can be combined is up to each agency. Ask before you apply.
All 112 programs for TexasProgram terms are set by the administering agency and can change; confirm on the official site before you apply.