Lender Guidelines: 2.1 Eligible Borrowers

A “Home Sweet Texas” eligible borrower is a person who at the time of loan application and loan closing has income no greater than the applicable maximum income for the Home Sweet Texas Program found on TSAHC’s website at www.tsahc.org or the Lender Portal at www.tsm-online.org.

 

A “Texas Hero” eligible borrower is a person who at the time of loan application and loan closing (i) has income no greater than the applicable maximum income for the Homes for Texas Heroes Program found on TSAHC’s website at www.tsahc.org or the Lender Portal at www.tsm-online.org, and (ii) is employed full-time as a(n):

 

Allied Health Faculty Member – a full-time member of the faculty of an undergraduate or graduate allied health program of a public or private institution of higher education in the state.

Corrections Officer – a full-time employee of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) who receives hazardous duty pay.

County Jailer – a person employed full-time as a county jail guard under Section 85.005, Local Government Code. County jailers are licensed through the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement (TCOLE).

Emergency Medical Services Personnel (EMS) – per Section 773.003, Health and Safety Code, emergency medical services personnel are full-time:

• emergency care attendants;

• emergency medical technicians;

• emergency medical technicians-intermediate;

• emergency medical technicians-paramedic; or

• licensed paramedics.

Fire Fighter – a member of a fire department who performs a function listed in Section 419.021(3)(c), Government Code. Permanent, full-time fire department employees who are not secretaries, stenographers, clerks, budget analysts, or similar support staff persons or other administrative employees and who are assigned duties in one or more of the following categories:

• fire suppression;

• fire inspection;

• fire and arson investigation;

• marine firefighting;

• aircraft rescue and firefighting;

• fire training;

• fire education;

• fire administration; and

• any other position necessarily or customarily related to fire prevention or suppression.

Juvenile Corrections Officer – a full-time employee of the Texas Juvenile Justice Department (TJJD) who receives hazardous duty pay. Juvenile corrections officers must have a VOE through TJJD.

Nursing Faculty Member (professor)– a full-time member of the faculty of either an undergraduate or graduate professional nursing program.

Peace Officer – a person elected, employed, or appointed as a full-time peace officer under Article 2.12, Code of Criminal Procedure; Section 51.212 or 51.214, Education Code; or other law. Peace officers are licensed through the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement (TCOLE).

Professional Educator – a full-time, public K-12:

• classroom teacher,

• teacher aide,

• school librarian,

• school counselor, or

• school nurse.

Public Security Officer - a person employed or appointed full-time as an armed security officer by this state or a political subdivision of this state. The term does not include a security officer employed by a private security company that contracts with this state or a political subdivision of this state to provide security services for the entity. Public security officers are licensed through the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement (TCOLE).

Veteran – a person who: (A) is serving on active duty, at the time of application, assigned to a military base or facility in Texas, and has officially designated Texas as the applicant’s home of record. (note: this definition of “Veteran” is different from the definition of “Qualified Veteran” (see section 2.3 below) used to determine if the first-time home buyer requirement can be waived for Bond DPA or an MCC); or (B) meets each of the following 3 requirements:

(1) meets at least one of the following:

 

(i) served not less than 90 days, unless sooner discharged by reason of a service-connected disability, on active duty in the Army, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard, United States Public Health Service (as constituted under 42 U.S.C. Section 201 et seq.), or Marine Corps of the United States after September 16, 1940, and who on the date of filing an application under the program has not been dishonorably discharged from the branch of the service in which the person served; or

 

(ii) has at least 20 years of active or reserve military service as computed when determining the person's eligibility to receive retired pay under applicable federal law; or

 

(iii) has enlisted or received an appointment in the Texas National Guard, who has completed all initial active duty training required as a condition of the enlistment or appointment, and who on the date of filing the person's application has not been dishonorably discharged from the Texas National Guard; or

 

(iv) served in the armed forces of the Republic of Vietnam between February 28, 1961 and May 7, 1975; (2) at the time of the person's enlistment, induction, commissioning, appointment, or drafting was a bona fide resident of this state or has resided in this state at least one year immediately before the date of filing an application under this chapter; and (3) at the time of the person's application under this chapter is a bona fide resident of this state. The term includes the unmarried surviving spouse of a veteran who died or who is identified as missing in action if the deceased or missing veteran meets the requirements of this section, with the exception that the deceased or missing veteran need not have served 90 days under Paragraph (A)(i) of this subdivision, and if the deceased or missing veteran was a bona fide resident of this state at the time of enlistment, induction, commissioning, appointment, or drafting.

 

For access to the full TSAHC DPA & MCC Guidelines, please click here.