Plan on roughly $18,000 to $20,000 all-in, and we wouldn't wait for winter hoping for a deal. On timing: home-price appreciation tends to cluster in the spring and summer buying months, so waiting from one season to the next generally doesn't save you money unless that specific submarket isn't appreciating at all. Nobody can promise where prices go, but "buy in winter for a discount" isn't a pattern we'd count on. On savings, for a $250,000 to $270,000 purchase: - Down payment: 3% with a conventional 97 loan, or 3.5% with FHA. - Closing costs: somewhere around 3% of the price. Texas closing costs run relatively low, which helps. That's how you land in the $18,000 to $20,000 ballpark. Many buyers in this price range are also buying new construction, where builder incentives can meaningfully reduce what you need to bring. Those are rough figures to frame your savings goal; your actual numbers depend on the exact price, loan, and any incentives. We'll pin them down for you on the free Roadmap conversation, about 20 minutes where we run your real numbers.