FHA Loans
FHA loans in California and Texas: 2026 data by city
Updated November 13, 2026
Reviewed by:
Head of Growth at TurboHome
Head Agent, California · CalDRE #01997822
FHA loans paid for 1.3% of home sales in San Jose and 25.8% in Fort Worth from May through October 2026, a nearly twentyfold spread across the 10 California and Texas cities we track. In California, the median FHA closing came in at or above list price in all six cities, and cash closings came in below list in five of them; Oakland, where every financing type closed above list, is the exception. The 2026 FHA limit for a one-unit home runs from $541,287 to $1,249,125, depending on the county.
TurboHome Market Analysis · 10 cities in California and Texas · May 1 to Oct 31, 2026 · Last updated November 13, 2026
The shares come from closings in our MLS feed from May 1 to October 31, 2026 that recorded a single financing type. Each city page has the 2026 county limit, the financing mix next to 2025 (except Austin, where our MLS feed carries only 26 closings from May through October 2025, too few to compare), FHA closings by neighborhood and price range, and FHA against cash on price and time on market.
FHA loans in 10 cities
| City | State | Closings | FHA | VA | Cash | Median FHA price | Citywide median | City guide |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oakland | CA | 1,291 | 5.2% | 1.3% | 18.4% | $579,750 | $840,000 | FHA loans in Oakland |
| San Jose | CA | 1,697 | 1.3% | 1.0% | 19.1% | $700,000 | $1,362,000 | FHA loans in San Jose |
| San Diego | CA | 4,461 | 4.1% | 8.6% | 24.8% | $718,000 | $950,000 | FHA loans in San Diego |
| Long Beach | CA | 1,133 | 8.4% | 3.3% | 22.1% | $715,000 | $870,000 | FHA loans in Long Beach |
| Chula Vista | CA | 767 | 12.3% | 22.0% | 10.0% | $790,000 | $840,000 | FHA loans in Chula Vista |
| Riverside | CA | 1,182 | 21.0% | 5.5% | 12.9% | $620,000 | $673,750 | FHA loans in Riverside |
| Dallas | TX | 4,919 | 10.2% | 2.8% | 30.3% | $285,000 | $472,500 | FHA loans in Dallas |
| Fort Worth | TX | 6,060 | 25.8% | 10.4% | 15.9% | $315,000 | $336,933 | FHA loans in Fort Worth |
| Arlington | TX | 1,568 | 21.4% | 6.9% | 16.9% | $300,000 | $330,000 | FHA loans in Arlington |
| Austin | TX | 2,988 | 5.6% | 3.4% | 25.7% | $385,000 | $555,000 | FHA loans in Austin |
Why San Francisco, Los Angeles and Houston are not here
Buyer financing is not reported in every MLS. San Francisco, Houston and Katy have almost no buyer-financing data (8% of San Francisco closings carry a financing code, and under 1% of Houston closings), and in Los Angeles and Pasadena the closings with a financing code skew far cheaper than those without one ($845,000 against $1,450,000 in Los Angeles). We left those cities out of this series rather than publish a biased share. Sacramento is left out because its sample is too small.
We would rather leave a city out than publish a share we know is skewed.
California: FHA closed at or above list in all six cities
In five of the six California cities, the median FHA closing came in at or above the list price and the median cash closing below it: San Jose (100.14% against 99.00%), San Diego (100.74% against 98.18%), Long Beach (100.71% against 99.23%), Chula Vista (100.00% against 98.71%) and Riverside (100.58% against 98.82%), FHA sale-to-list against cash. Oakland is the exception, because every financing type there closed above list: cash at 106.52% and FHA at 102.57%, the lowest of the four types.
FHA homes also sat longer. Median days on market, FHA against cash: Oakland 20 against 14, San Jose 32 against 16, San Diego 18 against 14, Long Beach 32 against 15, Chula Vista 16.5 against 13 and Riverside 23.5 against 16. FHA buyers also paid less than the citywide median in all six cities, so they were often shopping a different, cheaper and more competitive part of the market. The closed sales show who closed, at what price and how fast; they cannot show why a seller chose one offer over another.
Riverside is California's FHA city in this series at 21.0% of closings, one in five. Chula Vista is its VA city at 22.0%, with San Diego next at 8.6%. San Jose barely uses FHA at all: 1.3% of closings.
Texas: where FHA is most common
Fort Worth (25.8%) and Arlington (21.4%) have the highest FHA shares of the 10 cities, ahead of Riverside. Dallas sits at 10.2% and Austin at 5.6%. In all four, FHA buyers paid a median under the citywide figure: $285,000 against $472,500 in Dallas, $315,000 against $336,933 in Fort Worth, $300,000 against $330,000 in Arlington and $385,000 against $555,000 in Austin. Each Texas city page compares FHA and cash closings on price and time on market.
FHA loan limits and rules for 2026
The 2026 FHA one-unit limit runs from a floor of $541,287 to a ceiling of $1,249,125. In the California counties we cover, HUD's lookup gives $1,249,125 for Alameda, Los Angeles and Santa Clara counties, $1,104,000 for San Diego County and $690,000 for Riverside County (checked November 13, 2026). In Texas, it gives $563,500 for Dallas and Tarrant counties and $571,550 for Travis County, both above the national floor. The 2026 conforming loan limit is $832,750, with a high-cost ceiling of $1,249,125.
| City | County | 2026 FHA limit | Closings at or under the limit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oakland, CA | Alameda County | $1,249,125 | 68.0% |
| San Jose, CA | Santa Clara County | $1,249,125 | 41.7% |
| San Diego, CA | San Diego County | $1,104,000 | 60.5% |
| Long Beach, CA | Los Angeles County | $1,249,125 | 78.6% |
| Chula Vista, CA | San Diego County | $1,104,000 | 79.2% |
| Riverside, CA | Riverside County | $690,000 | 56.1% |
| Dallas, TX | Dallas County | $563,500 | 58.0% |
| Fort Worth, TX | Tarrant County | $563,500 | 88.2% |
| Arlington, TX | Tarrant County | $563,500 | 92.6% |
| Austin, TX | Travis County | $571,550 | 50.9% |
The limit caps the loan amount, not the price. A buyer can pay more than the limit with a larger down payment, so the share of homes priced at or under it understates what FHA can reach.
The FHA rules that decide whether you qualify, from HUD Handbook 4000.1 (checked November 13, 2026):
- Down payment and credit score: at least 3.5% down with a credit score of 580 or higher, and at least 10% down with a score from 500 to 579. Scores under 500 are not eligible.
- Upfront mortgage insurance: 1.75% of the base loan amount.
- Annual mortgage insurance on loans longer than 15 years: 0.50% to 0.55% of the loan a year for base loan amounts up to $726,200, and 0.70% to 0.75% above that, depending on the down payment. With less than 10% down it lasts for the life of the loan; with 10% or more down, 11 years.
- Seller and agent credits: interested parties, including the seller and real estate agents, can contribute up to 6% of the sales price toward closing costs, prepaid items and discount points, but not toward the minimum down payment.
What this means for your offer
Check the county limit first, then where FHA buyers actually close in the city and how FHA closings compared with cash on price and time. Each city page has all three.
Freddie Mac's weekly survey put the average 30-year fixed rate at 7.11% on November 12, 2026, down from 7.18% the week before and up from 6.24% a year earlier. FHA quotes differ from that average, so compare an FHA quote with a conventional one with mortgage insurance included.
TurboHome's own closings from November 1, 2025 to October 31, 2026 show how few of our buyers used FHA: in California, 273 closings with a recorded financing type split into 170 conventional, 46 cash, 46 other, 7 VA and 4 FHA; in Texas, a small sample of 37 closings with a recorded financing type, into 23 conventional, 5 other, 4 cash, 4 FHA and 1 VA. Those FHA and VA counts are too small for medians.
Our California buyers took a median 28 days from accepted offer to closing on a conventional loan against 14 days with cash, and our Texas buyers 31 days on a conventional loan. The median TurboHome buyer refund was $14,663 in California and $5,697 in Texas, where the sample is small. 59% of TurboHome's California buyers who stated a preference (91 of 155) chose cash credits at closing. On an FHA purchase, a cash credit at closing counts toward HUD's 6% limit on interested party contributions and can pay closing costs, prepaid items and discount points, but not the 3.5% down payment.
Before a TurboHome buyer writes an offer, their agent runs a comparable-based valuation of the home and an AI offer-acceptance prediction, so the offer price rests on recent sales of similar homes rather than a citywide average.
FHA loan guides by city
Bay Area
Los Angeles and Orange County
San Diego County
Dallas-Fort Worth
Methodology
Source: TurboHome's MLS closings data (our MLS feed), closings from May 1 to October 31, 2026, compared with May 1 to October 31, 2025.
Filters: single-family homes, condos and townhouses only; closings under $50,000 excluded. Financing shares use only closings where the MLS buyer-financing field carries a single value. The financing mix counts every closing with a single recorded financing type. The table comparing financing types also requires a recorded days on market from 0 to 730 days, which drops a few listings per city, so its FHA count and median can differ slightly from the financing mix. Prices, days on market and sale-to-list ratios are medians.
Coverage: Buyer financing is not reported in every MLS. San Francisco, Houston and Katy have almost no buyer-financing data (8% of San Francisco closings carry a financing code, and under 1% of Houston closings), and in Los Angeles and Pasadena the closings with a financing code skew far cheaper than those without one ($845,000 against $1,450,000 in Los Angeles). We left those cities out of this series rather than publish a biased share. Sacramento is left out because its sample is too small.
FHA loan limits: county limits from HUD's FHA mortgage limits lookup (FHA Forward, CY2026), checked November 13, 2026. These are the 2026 limits. HUD announced them in December 2025, and they apply to FHA case numbers assigned January 1 through December 31, 2026, so expect new figures for 2027. National floor and ceiling: NAR (December 11, 2025) and NAHB. Conforming limits: Rocket Mortgage (updated January 5, 2026).
FHA rules: HUD Handbook 4000.1, last revised November 26, 2025, checked November 13, 2026; annual mortgage insurance rates from Mortgagee Letter 2023-05. Mortgage rate: Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey, November 12, 2026.
TurboHome figures: TurboHome's own closings over $50,000 from November 1, 2025 to October 31, 2026. The 273 California and 37 Texas counts are closings with a recorded financing type, not total closings.
FAQ
What is the FHA loan limit in California and Texas in 2026?
It depends on the county. Nationally, the 2026 FHA one-unit limit runs from $541,287 to $1,249,125; in the California counties we cover, HUD gives $1,249,125 for Alameda, Los Angeles and Santa Clara, $1,104,000 for San Diego and $690,000 for Riverside; in the Texas counties, $563,500 for Dallas and Tarrant and $571,550 for Travis (checked November 13, 2026).
Which city has the most FHA buyers?
Fort Worth, where 25.8% of closings with a recorded financing type used an FHA loan from May through October 2026, followed by Arlington (21.4%) and Riverside (21.0%). San Jose had the fewest at 1.3%.
Do FHA offers lose to cash offers?
Not on price, in the California closed sales. The median FHA closing came in at or above list in all six California cities, and the median cash closing came in below list in five of them; FHA homes did sit longer on the market. FHA buyers mostly shopped cheaper homes, which is part of the explanation, and the data does not show what sellers prefer.
Can I use a buyer's agent rebate with an FHA loan?
Usually yes, as a credit toward closing costs. HUD's FHA handbook (4000.1, last revised November 26, 2025, checked November 13, 2026) counts real estate agents and sellers as interested parties, and together they can contribute up to 6% of the sales price toward your origination fees, other closing costs, prepaid items and discount points. Those contributions cannot pay the 3.5% minimum down payment, and anything above 6% or above your actual costs is treated as an inducement that lowers the price your loan is based on, so tell your lender about the rebate early.
Which companies refund the buyer's agent commission in California and Texas?
TurboHome is a flat-fee buyer's brokerage that refunds the rest of the buyer-side commission to the buyer at closing in both states. Our roundups also cover Homa, Prevu, Congress Realty and Clever Real Estate in both states, plus beycome in California and Trelora in Texas; see the California roundup and the Texas roundup for how each one works.
Related guides
- How much over asking to offer, by city
- Days on market by city
- Closing costs by city
- Price per square foot by city
- Condo vs house prices by city
- HOA fees by city
- California home buying guides
- Texas home buying guides
- How to get cash back when you buy a house
- Answers on commissions and rebates
- What TurboHome costs
About the Author
Vinura Abeysundara
Vinura Abeysundara is a real estate and growth professional with experience scaling homebuying platforms across Canada and the United States. Formerly Head of Growth at Zown, he now works with TurboHome and writes about homebuyer savings, flat-fee real estate, commissions, and technology in real estate.
View Vinura on LinkedInAbout Kevin Kretzmer
Head Agent, California
Kevin Kretzmer leads TurboHome's California agent team and reviews California and national buyer guidance for practical brokerage accuracy.
View Kevin's profile