Free Tool · Built by Patrick, a Loan Officer and Realtor

How Much Cash Will You Need at Closing?

Estimate your cash to close in about 60 seconds

Fill in the boxes. Every number below is an estimate, and every line is labeled as one. Type in a percent or a dollar amount; whichever you change drives the other.

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Estimate
The Purchase

Type either one, the other updates. 3.5% is the classic FHA starting point; VA and USDA can go to zero for qualified buyers.

The Loan Costs

Lender fees, title work, appraisal and recording, typically 2% to 5% of the price in Texas. The 3% default is a starting estimate you can override.

Escrowed property taxes, homeowners insurance, prepaid interest and similar items. Type your lender's real number to replace the $6,000 starting place.

Cash Before Closing (Texas)

The option fee is a Texas contract item. It is a negotiated payment (commonly $100 to $500) that buys the right to end the contract for any reason during the option period. It is due within three days of the effective date, it is separate from earnest money, and most national calculators miss it. Source: Texas Real Estate Commission

Earnest money (commonly about 1% of the price in San Antonio) is held by the title company and credited back to you at closing. We still count it here, along with the option fee, because it is cash you must have on hand before the closing table.

Credits That Reduce Your Total

Money the seller agrees to pay toward your costs. FHA allows up to 6% of the price, most conventional programs around 3%, as guidelines.

Texas programs like TDHCA and TSAHC can cover part of your down payment and closing costs as a grant or a deferred second lien, based on income, credit, price and county.

Your Estimated Cash to Close

Estimates Only

Every figure updates as you type. Nothing here is a quote or a guarantee.

Cash Before Closing

Option fee Est. $100
Earnest money Est. $3,500
Inspection Est. $350
Appraisal Est. $500
Subtotal $4,450

Cash At The Table

Down payment Est. $12,250
Closing costs Est. $10,500
Prepaids / escrow Est. $6,000
Subtotal $28,750

Estimated Cash to Close

$33,200

Total cash you will need on hand, from the day you make an offer through closing: cash before closing plus cash at the table, minus seller concessions and down payment assistance.

Educational estimate only, not a Loan Estimate and not a guarantee. Your real number depends on the property, lender, insurance, taxes, loan program, title costs and final contract terms, and appears on the Loan Estimate your lender provides.

Cash to close is the upfront money you bring to closing: your down payment, closing costs and prepaids, reduced by any seller credits or down payment assistance you qualify for. In Texas it also includes the option fee, a contract item most national calculators miss. This tool estimates your total in about a minute, then the free webinar shows you how buyers cut it.

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Dual Licensed: Loan Officer, NMLS #877741 Texas REALTOR, Sales Agent #454749 23+ Years in Loan Origination · 19 in Real Estate Sales

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Concessions, assistance stacking, rate buydowns and timing. That is what the free live webinar teaches, start to finish.

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Texas Realities

Three Texas realities that move your number

National calculators are built for the whole country. These three things are Texas, and Patrick sees all of them in real transactions.

Texas has an option fee. Most national calculators miss it.

The option fee is a negotiated payment that buys you the right to end the contract for any reason during the option period, and it is separate from your earnest money. In Texas it is typically $100 to $500, it is due within three days of the contract's effective date, and it is delivered to the title company in escrow, under the TREC residential contract. It is not a fee, it is a negotiated term, which is exactly why most national calculators never show it.

Source: Texas Real Estate Commission

Seller concessions are a Texas-sized lever.

Seller concessions are money the seller agrees to pay toward your closing costs, and they come straight off the cash you bring to closing. FHA allows seller contributions up to 6% of the price, and most conventional programs allow around 3%, as guidelines. On a $350,000 home, a 6% concession is $21,000. The winning number depends on the market, the seller and the contract, and that is where the negotiation happens.

Source: CFPB, Owning a Home

Texas down payment assistance is real, and often unused.

Texas down payment assistance can cover part or all of your down payment and closing costs through state and local programs, usually as a grant or a deferred second lien with no monthly payment. State programs including TDHCA's My First Texas Home and TSAHC's Home Sweet Texas Home set eligibility by income, credit score, purchase price and county. Plenty of Texas buyers qualify and never check, which is exactly why Patrick runs the numbers with buyers before they assume. Use the Texas Down Payment Assistance Checker to screen your county, income, household size, occupation and first-time buyer status against the main Texas programs in about a minute.

Sources: TDHCA · TSAHC

The Full Strategy

The category is the what. The strategy is the how.

This calculator proves the what: the categories and roughly what each one costs. The how, the exact ways buyers actually cut cash to close, is taught live in the free webinar, because a number on a screen never saved anyone money by itself.

Teased in the webinar

Seller concessions

How a well-timed concession request fits inside FHA and conventional limits, and why it is a negotiation, not a discount.

Teased in the webinar

Assistance stacking

How down payment assistance and seller credits can work together, and where the limits actually are.

Teased in the webinar

Rate buydowns and lender credits

How a higher rate today can mean less cash tomorrow, and the math Patrick shows before anyone decides.

Teased in the webinar

Timing your closing

How the day you close changes prepaid interest and tax prorations, sometimes by thousands.

Patrick teaches each of these with real Texas examples in the live webinar, along with the Patriot Pro Tips and the mistakes to avoid. Bring your calculator number with you.

Straight Answers

Questions buyers ask about cash to close

What is cash to close?

Cash to close is the upfront money you bring to closing: down payment, closing costs and prepaids, reduced by any seller credits or down payment assistance you qualify for. In Texas, it also includes the cash you lay out before closing, like the option fee, earnest money, the inspection and the appraisal. It is not a single mystery number, it is a list, and this calculator shows you every line.

What is the option fee in Texas?

The option fee is a negotiated payment, commonly $100 to $500 in Texas, that buys your right to terminate the contract for any reason during the option period. Under the TREC residential contract it is due within three days of the effective date, it is delivered to the title company in escrow, and it is separate from your earnest money. If you walk during the option period you get your earnest money back, but not the option fee. If the deal closes, it is usually credited back to you at closing.

Source: Texas Real Estate Commission

Can seller concessions really lower my cash to close?

Yes, and by real amounts. Seller concessions are money the seller pays toward your closing costs, and they reduce the cash you bring, dollar for dollar, within program limits. FHA allows seller contributions up to 6% of the price and most conventional programs allow around 3% as guidelines. On a $350,000 home that is $10,500 at the conventional guideline and $21,000 at the FHA ceiling. Whether you can get the seller to agree depends on the market and the negotiation, which is exactly the part Patrick teaches live.

Is this calculator the same as a Loan Estimate?

No. This is an educational estimate to help you plan, not a Loan Estimate and not a guarantee. A real Loan Estimate is a standardized three-page document your lender provides within three business days of your application, with your actual rates, fees and costs. Your real number depends on the property, lender, insurance, taxes, loan program, title costs and final terms. Compare your estimate here against your actual Loan Estimate, and ask your lender about anything that does not match.

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“He is very responsive, professional and will clearly explain every step of your buying process, and best of all he was able to keep some money in my pocket. I highly recommend him.”

Vince White · Google review, 5.0 stars from 50 five-star reviews

Keeping money in buyers' pockets is a recurring theme in Patrick's reviews and results. Want the dollar proof? See the results in dollars.

This Is an Estimate, Not a Loan Estimate

The numbers on this page are built for education, so you can see the categories and roughly what each one costs. They are not a quote, not a loan approval, and not a guarantee of what you will pay.

Your actual cash to close depends on the property, your lender, homeowners insurance, property taxes, the loan program, title costs, the final terms of your contract, and the exact day you close. The figure that matters is the one on the official Loan Estimate your lender provides after you apply, which you should always review and compare against anything you see online.

Want help reading your numbers or comparing a Loan Estimate? Call Patrick at 210-317-6514, or book a no-pressure conversation.

Know the number. Then learn the play.

The calculator gives you the what. The free live webinar teaches the how: concessions, assistance stacking, buydowns and timing, the way Patrick works them with real Texas buyers.

Next Live Webinar · October 15 · 7 PM CT

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