Your Path to Homeownership May Be Closer Than You Think.

On November 5, 2026, NACA’s home page listed a below-market fixed rate of 6.25 percent for 30 years, 5.75 percent for 20 years and 5.875 percent for 15 years. That page did not say which income group those rates were for.

NACA’s purchase-product page, which does not show a date, lists 6.25 percent APR for 30 years and 5.875 percent APR for 15 years for low-to-moderate income people and communities, and 7.25 percent APR for 30 years and 6.875 percent APR for 15 years for higher-income people. It says the APR is subject to change and may not be available at lock-in or commitment.

The same purchase-product page describes the optional buy-down as 1.5 percent of the mortgage amount reducing a 30-year rate by 0.25 percent, and 1 percent of the mortgage amount reducing a 15-year rate by 0.25 percent. Qualification workbook 26.6 describes a different buy-down: 1.5 percent of the loan reduces a 30-year or 20-year rate by 0.25 percent, and a 15-year rate by 0.375 percent. Because those formulas conflict, confirm the current buy-down with NACA before you plan around it.

Sources: naca.com home page · Purchase product · Workbook 26.6

NACA does not publish one Houston dollar income cutoff on the pages reviewed for this guide. Status depends on combined borrower income compared with the median family income of the metropolitan area where the house is, and then on the census tract. Use NACA’s ZIP code tool for a general estimate, then confirm the address in the FFIEC geocoder before a contract. NACA says the ZIP tool is not specific to one property.

For context only, HUD’s FY 2025 median family income for the Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land HUD Metro FMR Area was $101,100. That figure is HUD’s, not NACA’s eligibility line, and a later HUD year may already be in effect. This page did not retrieve a HUD FY 2026 Houston summary.

NACA’s loan-limits page lists a maximum acquisition cost of $766,550 for a one-unit home in most areas and $1,149,825 in high-cost areas, with higher caps for two-, three- and four-unit homes. The price plus any repair escrow cannot exceed the member’s approved maximum mortgage or that cap, and NACA says you cannot get around the cap by bringing cash to reduce the loan. Older FAQ answers on the same site still show lower figures, including a 2023 single-family figure of $548,250 and another answer at $484,350. Use NACA’s county tool for the property. This page does not state whether Harris County or a particular Houston suburb is in the high-cost column, because that row was not in the portion of the tool reviewed here.

No down payment and no closing costs do not mean zero cash. NACA’s mortgage FAQ says members still need minimum required funds: earnest money, which is returned at closing; a home inspection; prepaid property insurance and taxes; and reserves. NACA describes those reserves as one month if payment shock is under $300, two months if it is greater, and four to six months for a multi-family purchase. The typical amount depends on the area, the budget and the property.

Sources: Area eligibility · HUD FY 2025 Houston median · Loan limits · Mortgage FAQ, funds still required · 2023 limit still on the eligibility FAQ · Older limit still on the real estate FAQ

NACA’s eligibility FAQ says the homebuyer workshop and basic counseling are free. Membership is required for the NACA mortgage, additional counseling and other services. That FAQ says the current annual membership fee is $36 per household, prorated at $3 a month, for as long as the member is in the purchase program and has a loan through NACA. The same site’s overview FAQ also contains a sentence that says the fee is $25. Confirm the amount NACA will charge you before you pay. A counselor will not work a file if the current year’s dues are unpaid.

NACA also says there is a nominal fee for credit-report pulls, refunded at closing by the lender. The dollar amount of that fee was not stated on the FAQ reviewed here.

NACA says it records a $25,000 soft-second lien so the member lives in the home for as long as they have the NACA mortgage, and so any payment assistance can be repaid if required. NACA says it can subordinate that lien in some cases, at its discretion. Members do not pay PMI. A former $50 monthly fee does not apply to new NACA mortgages. NACA says it can still apply to certain loans that closed with Bank of America before January 1, 2014, or with CitiMortgage before March 1, 2012.

Sources: Fees, lien and PMI · Overview FAQ, $36 dues and the older $25 sentence

At closing, the house must be the member’s only home. After closing, it must stay the primary residence the member occupies for as long as the NACA mortgage is in place. Selling, refinancing, or buying another property later is allowed only if that occupancy rule is still met. Paying off or refinancing away from the NACA mortgage ends the occupancy requirement.

Membership includes a participation pledge. NACA’s eligibility FAQ requires five actions or activities a year, at least one before NACA qualification and one before closing, in support of NACA’s economic-justice mission. The qualification workbook says the same five voluntary activities a year, with at least one before qualification, continuing for as long as you have a mortgage through NACA. NACA says members participate in whatever way they feel comfortable. Examples it gives include an advocacy campaign, volunteering at an event, helping bring others into the program, and helping others register to vote through NACA. If you are legally eligible to vote, NACA says you must be a registered voter before housing counseling.

Sources: Eligibility FAQ · Purchase product, occupancy · Overview, participation and voter registration · Qualification workbook 24.1, participation pledge

NACA’s counselors provide free housing counseling and help with credit readiness. NACA says that work includes budgeting, document preparation and financial management, and that a counselor helps identify which items need to be resolved before a member is mortgage-ready. NACA says it evaluates payment history and does not consider a credit score. No one is turned away for bad credit or no credit if they will work on the roadblocks the counselor identifies. That help is housing counseling through NACA. It is separate from a paid credit-repair company. Nothing on this page promises a credit score, a deleted account, or an approval.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau describes credit-repair companies as businesses that charge fees and often promise to raise scores or remove negative items, including items you can dispute yourself for free. A HUD-approved housing counselor, which is how NACA describes its counselors, helps you look at income, credit and whether buying now makes sense. Our separate credit help page explains report errors and how to avoid credit-repair schemes. That page is not NACA, and it is not a credit-repair service.

Sources: NACA counseling department · Workbook 24.1, credit and counseling · Purchase product, credit history · CFPB, credit repair compared with counseling · CFPB, HUD-approved housing counselors

NACA’s offices page lists a Houston office at 14425 Torrey Chase Blvd, Suite 200, Houston, TX 77014, phone 713-706-3400. The same page lists Dallas and San Antonio offices and prints Texas mortgage broker license number 378153 with the Texas listings. NACA also offers remote video counseling through its counseling center for members who are not near an office or who prefer it. Member services: 425-602-6222.

An office in Houston does not mean every Kingwood, Humble, Atascocita or Lake Houston address is eligible. Priority and non-priority rules depend on income and the census tract of the house. Confirm the address with NACA before you write an offer.

Michael’s brokerage office is Keller Williams Realty Northeast, 20665 W. Lake Houston Pkwy, Humble, TX 77346. That is not a NACA office.

Source: NACA offices · Remote counseling

Michael O’Neal works with buyers using the NACA program. He can help you look at homes in Kingwood, Lake Houston, Humble, Atascocita and the rest of Houston, and he can help you time a search so you are not under contract before NACA qualification if that is still your situation. He can also help you keep a list of what your NACA counselor asked you to do. He does not replace the counselor, pull your credit, or decide whether NACA will qualify you.

NACA tells outside agents who want to refer a buyer to register in its Real Estate Agent Portal and to upload a buyer representation agreement. NACA says it does not charge the agent a fee and does not reduce the commission. It also says it will not accept an agreement that charges the member broker fees, transaction fees, retainer fees, nonprofit process fees, or commission above what the seller is paying. Portal registration is an account NACA describes for outside agents. It is not a certification, a partnership, or an endorsement. This page does not describe Michael as a NACA in-house agent.

If you want a conventional, FHA, VA or other loan instead of NACA, that is a different conversation. Home Front Mortgage is an affiliated business. You do not have to use Home Front to work with Michael, and this page does not say Home Front originates NACA loans. See the Home Front page and the affiliated business disclosure.

Neighborhood reading while you wait on counseling: Kingwood, Lake Houston, Humble, Atascocita, the first-time buyer guide, and buying with Michael. Search current listings on the home search.