Jumbo Loans, for Katy homes financed above the $832,750 conforming limit.

A jumbo loan is simply a mortgage larger than the conforming limit set each year by the Federal Housing Finance Agency. For 2026 that baseline is $832,750 for a one-unit property, up from $806,500, and it's the figure that applies in Katy: Harris, Fort Bend and Waller counties all price at the national baseline rather than as high-cost areas. Cross that number on a single-family purchase here and the loan is jumbo. The practical consequence isn't the size but the buyer of the loan - anything above the limit cannot be sold to Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac, so it's either held on a lender's own books or packaged into a private securitization.

Why Guidelines Vary So Widely

That's why jumbo guidelines feel so inconsistent from one quote to the next. With no agency rulebook, every investor writes its own: one wants 20% down and 12 months of reserves, the next will do 10% down with stronger credit, a third prices a self-employed borrower far better than either. Credit expectations generally start around 700 to 720, documentation is the heaviest of the standard programs, and a second appraisal is common above certain balances. None of that is fixed, and the spread between the best and the worst jumbo quote on the same file is routinely wider than on any agency loan. A bank can only show you its own jumbo product. Shopping several investors is the entire value of using a broker at this loan size, and it's the one program where that difference is most likely to be measured in real money.

If you would like to explore whether a jumbo loan matches your purchase price, credit profile and long-term budget, reach out to 3E Lending to speak with our licensed Texas mortgage team in Katy.