Doctor and Physician Mortgage Loans in Houston

What Is a Physician Mortgage

A physician mortgage is a specialized loan product designed specifically for doctors, dentists, and advanced healthcare professionals. It recognizes that medical training creates unusual financial profiles.

Key differences from standard mortgages:

• No PMI required even with less than 20% down
• Student loans treated flexibly (often excluded from DTI or using income-driven payment rather than standard calculation)
• Higher loan limits than conventional (up to $2 million+)
• Can close on employment contract before first paycheck
• Less strict about months in current profession if you're newly licensed
• Streamlined underwriting for medical professionals

The point: lenders understand that physicians have high incomes but high debt, and can underwrite accordingly.

Who Qualifies

Direct eligibility:

• MDs (allopathic doctors)
• DOs (osteopathic doctors)
• DDS/DMD (dentists)
• OD (optometrists)
• DPM (podiatrists)
• PharmD (pharmacists)

Training status:

• Residents and fellows actively in training (with employment contract for post-residency)
• Newly attending physicians (first 1-2 years)
• Established physicians

Physician assistants and nurse practitioners: Some lenders include them; others don't. Check with your lender if you're in an advanced practice role.

Timeline requirement: Typically must have completed (or be completing) training within the last 10 years. Residents and fellows are fine. Established physicians are clearly fine.

International medical graduates: If you trained outside the US and hold an active medical license in Texas, most physician lenders will work with you. Documentation requirements are stricter but these loans are available.

Key Benefits

No PMI with less than 20% down. Standard mortgages require mortgage insurance if you put down less than 20%. On a $400,000 loan at 10% down, PMI costs $200-$400/month. Physician mortgages skip this. Put down 10% and avoid PMI entirely.

Student loans treated favorably. This is the biggest win. Standard mortgages count your student loan payment from your credit report, even if you're on an income-driven repayment (IDR) plan with a $0 or low payment. Physician mortgages often use the IDR payment ($0 or $200) instead of a standard 10-year repayment payment ($1,200+).

Example: $150,000 in student loans. Standard payment (10-year): $1,545/month. IDR payment: $0 (income-driven). On a $120,000 income, the difference between counting $1,545/month vs $0/month in DTI is huge. Standard mortgage: can't qualify. Physician mortgage: can easily qualify.

Higher loan limits. Conventional loans cap at $832,750 (2026 limit). Physician mortgages go to $2 million+ depending on income. If you're buying a $1.2 million home, physician programs work. Standard loans don't.

Can close on contract. If you're graduating from residency this summer and your contract starts then, you can close on your new home before your first attending paycheck. Most lenders require 2-3 months of paystubs. Physician lenders accept the employment contract.

Houston's Medical Ecosystem

Houston is a medical powerhouse. Texas Medical Center is the largest medical complex in the world, with 106,000+ employees, 60+ institutions, and 330+ buildings. Your hospital employer is probably one of the biggest companies in the city.

Major employers:

• Memorial Hermann Hospital System
• Houston Methodist Hospital
• MD Anderson Cancer Center
• University of Texas Health Science Center
• Baylor College of Medicine
• Ben Taub Hospital (Harris Health)
• CHI St. Luke's Health
• Hospitals in Galveston (UTMB)

Neighborhoods where physicians buy:

• Rice Village: Close to Medical Center, walkable, upscale, good restaurants and shops, $400K-$700K range
• West University Place: Near Rice University, excellent schools, quiet, established, $500K-$1.5M+
• Bellaire: Southwest of Medical Center, highly rated schools, $450K-$1.2M+
• Museum District: Close to downtown and Medical Center, cultural institutions, walkable, $350K-$800K+
• Montrose: Urban, walkable, eclectic, younger physician demographic, $350K-$600K

Physicians cluster around the Medical Center but have a range of neighborhood options from urban Montrose to suburban Sugar Land.

Buying During Residency

This is where physician mortgages shine. You're making resident salary (~$60,000-$80,000/year), you have substantial debt, but your attending income will be $200,000-$400,000+ very soon.

Strategy: Close on your home in your final residency year using your post-residency employment contract. Your attending income gets counted for qualification even though you haven't earned it yet.

Common scenario: July 2026, you finish residency. You have a contract to start as an attending in July 2026 at $280,000/year. You apply for a physician mortgage in May 2026 using the contract (not your resident income). You close in June 2026. In July 2026, you start your new job and start making the income that supports the mortgage.

Why this matters: If you waited until August 2026 to buy, you'd have 2-3 months of attending paystubs. That's fine. But you'd have to rent for 2 months or find temporary housing. Closing during residency lets you move directly from resident housing to your own home.

Requirement: The employment contract must be signed, specific about salary and start date, from a creditworthy employer (which a major hospital is).

Physician vs Conventional vs FHA Comparison

Here's the side-by-side for a resident buying at attending income:

For most physicians: Physician mortgage > Conventional > FHA. The no-PMI feature combined with student loan flexibility is worth switching to a physician lender.

Houston's Physician Programs

Brandon works with several lenders specializing in physician mortgages. These include:

• Loan officers at banks who dedicate themselves to medical professionals
• Non-bank lenders specializing in physician programs
• Credit unions with physician lending divisions

The programs have slightly different names and structures, but the core is similar: no PMI, flexible student loan handling, higher limits, contract-based closing.

FAQs

Close Before Your Attending Year Begins

Physician mortgages exist because lenders understand your training timeline and your income trajectory. You don't have to wait until you're an attending with 2 years of paystubs to buy. You can buy during residency on your contract. You can avoid PMI despite putting down 10%. Your student loans won't sink your DTI. You can access higher loan limits if needed.

Brandon works with residents, fellows, and newly attending physicians across Houston's medical ecosystem. He positions your contract correctly, structures your student loan handling for maximum advantage, and coordinates your closing so you can move directly from residency into your attending home. Medical training is hard. Your mortgage shouldn't be.

Call Brandon at 832-997-1527 or visit brandonhuynh.net.

Related Resources

• Conventional Loans Houston - For physicians with 20% down and minimal student debt
• Jumbo Loans Houston - For high-value properties above conforming limits
• First-Time Homebuyer Houston - Additional programs for first-time buyers
• Mortgage Pre-Approval Houston - Start the pre-approval process
• Houston Mortgage Rates - Current rate information