FHA Loans in Garland, TX: 2026 Dallas County Limits, City MCC Help and Tax Rules

By iQRATE Mortgages · Mortgage broker: David Ghazaryan, NMLS 1486726 · Company NMLS 1862492 · Updated November 10, 2026

Quick answer

An FHA loan is a mortgage insured by the Federal Housing Administration, part of HUD. That insurance lets approved lenders accept a lower credit score and a smaller cash contribution than many conventional loans. For 2026, the FHA limit in Dallas County, which includes Garland, is $563,500 for a one-unit home (HUD FHA limits file; HUD Mortgagee Letter 2025-23). Conventional conforming loans in the same county can go to $832,750 (FHFA 2026 conforming loan limits). That gap is the local planning fact: FHA stops at $563,500, and a conventional loan can still be conforming above that figure. A credit score of 580 or higher is eligible for maximum financing of 96.5 percent of the price; 500 to 579 is limited to 90%. iQRATE Mortgages (NMLS 1862492) is a mortgage broker licensed in Texas. We compare FHA lenders for you, because each one adds its own rules on top of HUD's.

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Garland FHA loans at a glance

Program and public-record facts, not a quote. Lenders can add their own requirements. City of Dallas buyer programs apply only inside Dallas city limits, not in Garland.

Apply now if you already have a price range. Or contact us and we will walk through the FHA cap, the city MCC and a conventional backup.

What is an FHA loan, and why do Garland buyers use it?

FHA does not lend you the money. A participating lender makes the loan, and HUD insures it. That insurance is why many lenders will work with a credit score in the mid-500s to 600s, and why the cash needed at the start can be lower than a conventional loan at the same price. You still have to document income, assets and debts, and the home has to meet FHA's property rules.

In Garland that combination is practical for a simple reason: typical owner-occupied values sit comfortably under the FHA cap. The Census Bureau's QuickFacts value for owner-occupied homes in the city is $270,800 for 2020 to 2024. That is about $292,700 below the $563,500 one-unit FHA limit. About 61.6% of occupied homes are owner-occupied, the median household income is $76,320, and the July 1, 2025 population estimate is 249,625. Those are citywide figures, not a promise about your house. They do show why FHA is a common fit for Garland purchases that are not at the top of the local market.

In my work as a broker, I start every Garland FHA conversation with a different question than I start in a high-cost California county: does the loan fit under $563,500, or should we be pricing conventional up to $832,750 instead? That split is the local file plan.

What is the 2026 FHA loan limit in Dallas County?

HUD sets FHA limits by county. Garland is in Dallas County, in the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington metro. For 2026 the Dallas County limits are the same figures HUD lists for Collin, Denton and Tarrant counties:

Dallas County is not a high-cost conforming market. The one-unit conforming limit is the national baseline of $832,750, from the FHFA 2026 county list. That is $269,250 above the FHA cap. A $650,000 Garland purchase can be too large for a standard FHA loan and still be a conventional conforming loan, not a jumbo loan. Jumbo starts only after $832,750.

The loan amount, not the price, has to fit the FHA limit. If you buy a $590,000 home and bring enough cash that the base loan stays at or under $563,500, FHA can still be possible. If the loan itself is over the cap, it is not a standard FHA loan. The checker later on this page does that math without quoting a payment or an interest rate.

Who qualifies for an FHA loan in Garland?

HUD's national rules apply in Garland the same way they apply in any other licensed state. A minimum decision credit score of 580 or higher is eligible for maximum financing, which is 96.5 percent loan-to-value on a purchase. Scores from 500 to 579 are limited to 90% loan-to-value. Scores below 500 are not eligible under HUD's published bands (HUD Mortgagee Letter 2026-11; FDIC summary of HUD's 203(b) program). Many wholesale lenders set higher overlays than those floors. Comparing lenders is how we find out whether your file fits a 580 band or needs a higher score.

The home has to be your primary residence. FHA allows one to four units, and on a two-to-four unit property you can live in one unit and rent the others, subject to the higher unit-count limits above. Debt-to-income ratios are reviewed on every file. In Texas, the property tax bill is often the item that tightens that ratio, because there is no state income tax and local tax carries more of the public-finance load. Automated underwriting can approve some ratios that a manual review would not, and the reverse is also true. We do not quote a single qualifying ratio on this page because the figure depends on the rest of the file, including reserves, credit and the tax estimate.

Self-employed buyers, borrowers with gift funds and buyers who had a foreclosure or short sale can still use FHA when the waiting periods and documentation are met. Those are file-specific questions. Contact us or apply now and we will review them against current HUD and lender rules, not against a generic checklist.

How does FHA mortgage insurance work, and when does it end?

FHA charges an upfront mortgage insurance premium and an annual premium. We do not quote those percentages here, because fee figures can be triggering terms in advertising. What you need to plan for is the length of the annual premium. Under HUD Mortgagee Letter 2023-05, if the loan term is longer than 15 years and the starting loan-to-value is 90% or less, the annual premium lasts 11 years. If the starting loan-to-value is above 90%, the annual premium lasts for the mortgage term.

That is a different design from conventional private mortgage insurance, which federal law allows you to cancel once you reach the required equity tests (12 U.S.C. § 4901). One way some owners later end a lifetime FHA premium is to refinance into a conventional loan once the equity, credit and income support it. That is a later decision, not a requirement of the purchase.

Two short iQRATE explainers on FHA mortgage insurance and FHA appraisals:

Is FHA or conventional the better fit in Dallas County?

It depends on your credit, cash and the loan size. The local detail that matters most is the cap gap. FHA stops at $563,500 for a one-unit loan. Conventional conforming in Dallas County goes to $832,750. Above $832,750 you are in jumbo territory, which is a different conversation and is not FHA.

We price both. A $280,000 purchase near the city median will often work as FHA or as conventional, and the better fit is about credit, cash, mortgage insurance and any city or state assistance, not about the cap. A $650,000 purchase is a conventional conversation unless a large cash contribution brings the loan back under $563,500. Apply now and we will put Loan Estimates side by side.

Can you buy a Garland condo or townhome with an FHA loan?

Yes, if the project meets FHA's rules. Start with HUD's FHA-approved condominium lookup. If the project is not on the list, ask us before you write an offer. Condo approval is often the item that decides whether FHA works at all. Townhomes may be treated as condos or as single-family homes depending on how the project is legally structured. We check that early, along with any HOA litigation, occupancy mix and insurance, because those facts show up on the FHA review.

HOA dues in a planned community are part of the monthly housing cost on an FHA file, just like the property tax bill. Enter them in the checker so the underwriting picture is not missing a piece.

What does the FHA appraisal check on a Garland home?

An FHA appraisal is an appraisal plus a property-condition review. The appraiser looks at value and at health and safety items: peeling paint on older homes, roof condition, heat, electrical hazards, and access. Older houses in established Garland neighborhoods can need small repairs before FHA will insure the loan. Newer houses usually have fewer condition flags, but they can carry HOA dues and, in some locations, special district charges that affect the monthly housing cost the underwriter uses.

If the appraisal comes in below the contract price, you can renegotiate, bring more cash, or walk away if your contract allows it. We do not invent a repair list in advance. We do tell you to budget time for re-inspection if the first report calls out work. Our 17-day closing goal for eligible purchases still depends on a clean appraisal path.

What down payment help can Garland FHA buyers use?

FHA lets the cash at the start come from your own funds, a family gift that meets HUD's gift rules, or an approved government or housing-finance program. Garland has a city-limits program through the Garland Housing Finance Corporation. Statewide, the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs runs My First Texas Home and My Choice Texas Home. City of Dallas assistance is for homes inside Dallas city limits and does not apply to a purchase in Garland.

Those figures come from the Garland HFC MCC with DPA page, the Garland HFC down payment assistance overview, and TDHCA's Texas Homebuyers Program page. Programs change, funds can run out, and income or price caps can move. Confirm the current terms before you count on the money. Tell us early if you want to use a program, so we can plan the file around its paperwork and the MCC application, which must be made before closing. You can apply now or contact us to schedule that review.

How do Garland property taxes affect an FHA purchase?

Texas has no state income tax and does not tax the transfer of real property. Local property tax carries a large share of the public bill, and on an FHA file that tax estimate is part of your monthly housing cost and your debt-to-income ratio. A tax estimate that is too low makes a file look stronger than it really is, and the gap tends to show up late, after you are under contract.

Your address sets the rate. Garland is served by its own taxing units, including the school district for that parcel, the city, the county and any special districts. Two houses at the same price can carry different bills. We do not publish a single combined rate for the city, because that figure is parcel-specific and changes with adopted rates and exemptions. Enter the rate from a tax bill or a preliminary estimate in the checker to see the annual and monthly tax math.

Year one may not include your homestead exemption. If the seller had an exemption, their bill can understate yours. We qualify FHA buyers on a realistic bill for the purchase price, not on a seller's discounted bill. Texas taxes are typically billed in arrears, and lenders usually collect several months of taxes into escrow at closing. FHA lets sellers contribute toward closing costs and prepaids within HUD's seller-contribution limits. Title insurance prices in Texas are set by the Texas Department of Insurance. Ask us to walk through the escrow estimate when you apply now or contact us.

What real FHA and other-market files has iQRATE closed?

These are real iQRATE loan files from our own records. We round the numbers and leave out names and addresses. We have not closed an FHA loan in Garland that we can verify, so we don't claim one.

• Spring, Texas (Harris County), 2024, FHA purchase. We first opened this buyer's file in December 2022. We closed the buyer's purchase in April 2024: a primary home of about $335,000 with an FHA loan. FHA rules are federal, so the HUD steps on that file are the same steps a Garland FHA buyer follows. The county limit in Harris County is not the Dallas County limit, and we do not treat that file as a Garland result.
• Southern California, late 2025, condo purchase. The price was about $1.1 million. That file was a high-balance conventional purchase, not FHA, and it is here only to show how we handle loan-size decisions when a cap is tight. Then the debt ratio improved as the file was reviewed, and we closed about two and a half weeks earlier than expected.

The local lesson from the first file is process, not price: an FHA purchase can take careful credit and contract timing, and we have closed that type of file in Texas. More Texas context is on our Texas mortgage broker page and our Dallas mortgage broker page. Past results do not guarantee future outcomes.

How does iQRATE work a Garland FHA file?

1. Start with your credit, cash and the cap. Your minimum decision credit score sets your FHA financing band. We also check whether the loan amount fits under $563,500 or should be priced as conventional up to $832,750.
2. Build a realistic tax and HOA picture early. We use the taxing units for the address, not a county-wide guess, and we add HOA dues and any special district charges. Those figures go into the debt-to-income ratio.
3. Price FHA across lenders. As a broker we compare wholesale lenders, more than 100 on complex files. FHA lender overlays vary, especially on credit scores, reserves and debt ratios. Some files also need a discussion of origination points versus a higher rate; that is a Loan Estimate comparison, not a rate quote on this page.
4. Put the options side by side. FHA, conventional, the Garland HFC MCC with optional DPA, and TDHCA programs when you qualify. You compare Loan Estimates, not sales pitches. If you want the MCC, the application has to be in before closing.
5. Close on time. Our goal for eligible FHA purchases is 17 calendar days from initial disclosures. We work with local title and escrow in Dallas County.

Want us to start that review? Apply now, call or text (702) 766-3744, or contact us to schedule a time.

Garland FHA limit checker

Enter a price, the number of units, the share you plan to finance, optional cash toward the price, a property-tax rate, and any monthly HOA, special district and insurance amounts. The tool does simple math only. It shows the loan amount and whether it fits Dallas County's 2026 FHA limit for that unit count. It also flags when a one-unit loan would still fit conventional conforming up to $832,750, or would be jumbo above that. It does not use interest rates, quote a loan payment or approve a loan. Leave the tax rate at 0 if you do not yet have a parcel rate; the tool will ask you to enter one rather than invent a city average.

What does iQRATE put in writing?

These are our standing written guarantees. Each one has its own page with the full terms; see all iQRATE guarantees.

• Rate Match: lock with us, and within 3 calendar days show a competitor's locked Loan Estimate for identical terms. We match it or pay you $1,000 after you close with them.
• Bare Bones Closing Costs: no processing, admin, doc-prep, lock or broker fees of our own; third-party fees at cost.
• 17-Day Closing Commitment: our goal for eligible conventional, FHA and VA purchases is 17 calendar days from initial disclosures. Most of our loans close in under 30 days.
• $5,000 Seller Guarantee and All Costs Covered: if a purchase backed by our verified approval fails only because of our error, we pay the seller $5,000. We also pay you back up to $1,000 of costs, plus lost earnest money up to $5,000.
• 12-Month Rate Drop and Lifetime Rate Monitoring: if rates fall at least 0.50% within a year, we cover typical lender fees on the refinance through premium pricing (when lenders offer it). And we watch rates for you for life.

What do clients say about iQRATE?

Real 5-star reviews, quoted word for word, with the reviewer's first name and last initial. They describe working with David Ghazaryan and the iQRATE team overall, not a Garland closing and not a promise about your loan.

“The best experience that I have ever had with mortgage company, David and his team are awesome and they always keep me updated on a daily basis about my mortgage process. They are professional, down to earth, helpful and they always available to answer all your questions. Thank you David and iQRate mortgages”

— Edmond Boghosian, 5-star review on Google

“My experience with the IQRATE team was phenomenal. I bought my first house and they helped me through the entire process. David , Andrei & Gayane were so helpful, communicative & patient with me as I had so many questions throughout the entire process. They made everything so simple & effortless & I will definitely be working with them for any mortgage needs I have.”

— Anthony Kingston, 5-star review on Google

“Great professional work! Because of exceptional coordination from Andrei and the team, our escrow was closed seamlessly several days earlier. All our questions and concerns were addressed promptly. My husband and I would highly recommend this team to whoever is looking for a new mortgage or refinancing.”

— Oksana Kozlova, 5-star review on Google

Our ratings: Google 5.0 from 77 reviews. Yelp 5.0 from 51 reviews. Zillow 5.00 from 9 reviews. Read our Google reviews.

Which questions should you ask any Garland FHA lender?

• Does this loan amount fit under the $563,500 FHA cap, or should we also price conventional up to $832,750?
• What credit-score overlay sits above HUD's 580 and 500 bands?
• What property-tax rate and exemptions will you use in my debt-to-income ratio?
• If I want the Garland HFC MCC or DPA, are you a participating lender, and can we apply before closing?
• What is the plan if the FHA appraisal comes in low or calls for repairs?
• Will you put FHA and conventional Loan Estimates side by side at the same price?

If you want those answers on your file, apply now or contact us to schedule a call.

Where do these Garland figures come from?

• FHA limits:HUD FHA forward mortgage limits for Dallas County, TX; HUD Mortgagee Letter 2025-23 (2026 floor and ceiling).
• Conforming limits:FHFA 2026 conforming loan limits and the FHFA 2026 county list.
• Credit score bands:HUD Mortgagee Letter 2026-11; FDIC summary of HUD's 203(b) program.
• Mortgage insurance:HUD Mortgagee Letter 2023-05; conventional PMI rules from 12 U.S.C. § 4901.
• Condo lookup:HUD FHA-approved condominiums.
• Assistance:Garland HFC MCC with DPA, Garland HFC down payment assistance overview, TDHCA Texas Homebuyers Program.
• Home values, income and households:U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts, Garland city, Texas (2020 to 2024 and July 1, 2025 population estimate).

Garland FHA loan FAQs

What is the 2026 FHA loan limit in Garland?

$563,500 for a one-unit home in Dallas County, which includes Garland. It is $721,400 for two units, $872,000 for three units and $1,083,650 for four units. Collin, Denton and Tarrant counties carry the same 2026 one-unit FHA cap.

What credit score do I need for an FHA loan in Garland?

Under HUD's rules, a minimum decision credit score of 580 or higher is eligible for maximum financing, which is 96.5 percent loan-to-value on a purchase. Scores from 500 to 579 are limited to 90% loan-to-value, and scores below 500 are not eligible. Lenders can set higher minimums of their own, which is one reason we compare lenders.

Does the typical Garland home fit under the FHA cap?

The Census Bureau's median value of owner-occupied homes in Garland is $270,800 for 2020 to 2024. That figure is well under the $563,500 one-unit FHA limit. Individual list prices vary, and a loan above $563,500 would need to be conventional (conforming up to $832,750) or a jumbo loan above that.

Why can a conventional loan go higher than FHA in Dallas County?

FHA limits and conforming limits are set by different rules. In Dallas County the 2026 FHA one-unit cap is $563,500, while the FHFA conforming cap is the national baseline of $832,750. In some high-cost California counties those two caps match. Here they do not, so conventional can finance a larger loan than FHA without becoming jumbo.

Can I buy a Garland condo with an FHA loan?

Yes, if the condo meets FHA's rules. Start by checking the project on HUD's FHA-approved condominium lookup. If the project is not on the list, ask us before you write an offer, because condo approval can decide whether an FHA loan works at all.

How long does FHA mortgage insurance last?

Under HUD Mortgagee Letter 2023-05, if your starting loan-to-value on a loan longer than 15 years is 90% or less, the annual premium lasts 11 years. Above 90%, it lasts for the mortgage term. There is also an upfront premium. One way to end a lifetime premium is to refinance into a conventional loan later, once you qualify.

Does Garland have down payment help for FHA buyers?

Yes, inside city limits. Garland Housing Finance Corporation offers a Mortgage Credit Certificate of 30% of annual mortgage interest, up to $2,000 a year, and an optional $10,000 non-forgivable second lien for down payment and closing costs, which must be used with the MCC. Income and purchase-price limits apply, and most buyers must be first-time buyers unless they purchase in a listed targeted census tract or are a qualified veteran. TDHCA's My First Texas Home and My Choice Texas Home are statewide options. Confirm current terms before you rely on a program.

Can I use the City of Dallas homebuyer program in Garland?

No. City of Dallas assistance is for homes inside Dallas city limits. A purchase in the City of Garland should be planned around Garland HFC programs and statewide TDHCA options, not around Dallas city programs.

How do Texas property taxes affect a Garland FHA loan?

The tax bill is part of your monthly housing cost and your debt-to-income ratio. The rate is set by the taxing units for the exact address, including the school district, and can differ from one street to the next. Year-one bills may not yet include your homestead exemption. We use a realistic estimate rather than a seller's discounted bill.

Has iQRATE closed FHA loans in Garland?

We have not closed a Garland FHA loan that we can verify, so we do not claim one. We have closed an FHA purchase in Spring, Texas, in 2024, and other purchase files in other markets. Those files are described above and are not local Garland results.

Ready to price a Garland FHA loan?

Call or text David Ghazaryan (NMLS 1486726) at (702) 766-3744. Tell him the price range, whether you are looking at a house, condo or small multi-unit, and how you earn your income. When you are ready, apply now or contact us to schedule a time to talk. More: Dallas mortgage broker · Texas mortgage broker · FHA loans · Jumbo loans

About this page. iQRATE Mortgages LLC · NMLS 1862492 · 6360 S Rainbow Blvd Ste 101, Las Vegas, NV 89118 · Licensed in Nevada, California, Texas and Florida. David Ghazaryan, Mortgage Broker, NMLS 1486726. Verify us on NMLS Consumer Access (nmlsconsumeraccess.org). Equal Housing Opportunity.

This page is general information, not an offer to lend and not a commitment to lend. We do not quote rates or payments on this page. Programs, limits and lender rules change, and every loan needs credit, income, asset, property and underwriting approval. Not all borrowers qualify. Past results do not guarantee future outcomes. Tax figures are estimates from public rate tables; your bill depends on the appraised value, the taxing units for the exact address and any exemptions. Nothing here is legal or tax advice.