Assumable Mortgages in DFW: How to Find the Homes With a 3% Loan Already Attached

This week's 30-year fixed rate is 7.49% (the FFIEC average prime offer rate, week of Oct 12, 2026). Meanwhile 71,462 homes across Dallas–Fort Worth carry an FHA, VA or USDA loan at a median estimated 4.12%, about 3.37 points under today's rate. Those loans are assumable: a qualified buyer can take one over, rate and all.

That makes it the cheapest mortgage money in North Texas, and almost nobody markets it. Listings rarely say "assumable", and owners usually don't know their loan is an asset. This post covers how to find these homes and what to do once you have them. As of October 23, 2026.

What "assumable" actually means

When a buyer assumes a mortgage, they step into the seller's loan with the same interest rate, the same remaining balance and the same remaining term. The lender has to approve the buyer, and the buyer pays the seller's equity (the difference between the price and the loan balance) in cash or with a second loan.

• FHA, VA and USDA loans are assumable. It's written into the loan programs.
• Most conventional loans are not. A due-on-sale clause lets the lender call the loan when the house sells.

So the question isn't "which homes have a low rate". It's "which homes have a low-rate government loan the owner still carries". That's what we track.

The math that makes buyers call back

Take a typical 2021 FHA purchase: a $350,000 house bought with 3.5% down, a $337,750 loan at 3.00%. Five years in:

	Assume the seller's loan	New loan at today's rates
Loan balance	about $300,000 at 3.00%	$360,000 at 6.50% (10% down on $400,000)
Monthly principal & interest	$1,424	$2,275
Cash from the buyer	about $100,000 (the equity gap)	$40,000 down

That's about $850 a month on the same house. The catch is the equity gap, which is why the lead list shows each owner's estimated balance and equity. The best assumption deals are the low-equity ones: recent buyers with a big loan and a small gap.

Where they are: assumable loans by county

County	Assumable loans	Median estimated rate
Tarrant	25,325	3.98%
Dallas	16,524	3.97%
Collin	9,389	4.25%
Denton	6,527	4.88%
Kaufman	3,774	4.5%
Ellis	2,121	4.02%
Parker	—	—%
Johnson	2,010	4.75%
Grayson	1,345	4.31%
Rockwall	—	—%
Wise	1,210	4%
Hunt	1,420	3.69%
Fannin	357	4.06%

33,900 of them are under 4%, and 50,495 are under 5%.

How we find the loan behind each house

No public database lists "assumable mortgages", so we estimate each one from public records. County deed records show who borrowed, from which lender and when, and we follow each owner's loans forward so a refinance replaces the old loan. Federal mortgage disclosure data (HMDA), which lenders file for every loan, gives the loan type and a rate for loans like it. Every lead shows how confident the estimate is.

A loan is flagged assumable when it's FHA, VA or USDA and sits at least 1.5 points under this week's 30-year average prime offer rate (APOR), published by the FFIEC. The test re-runs every week, so the list moves with the market.

Four ways people are working these leads

Listing agents: sell the loan, not just the house. An owner with a 3% FHA loan has a feature no other listing on the street can match. Pull the assumable owners in your farm, lead with the payment comparison above, and list the home as assumable. It widens the buyer pool to everyone priced out at 6–7%.

Buyer's agents: find the payment your buyer can afford. Filter by county, price range and estimated rate, then reach out to owners directly. A buyer who can't qualify for $2,275 a month may be fine at $1,424 plus a second lien for the gap.

Investors: acquire with financing that's already in place. A formal assumption gets you a rental with a payment a new loan can't beat. Some investors buy "subject to" the existing loan instead, without lender approval. That leaves the due-on-sale clause in force and the seller's name on the loan, so have a Texas real estate attorney structure it.

ARM owners: work the reset date. The same data flags 11,281 adjustable-rate loans. 3,248 of them reset in the next three years, and the reset date is on every lead. Those owners face a known payment jump and are weighing whether to refinance, sell or rent out. See adjustable-rate mortgage leads.

Before you promise anyone an assumption

• Lender approval takes time. FHA and USDA assumptions need a creditworthy buyer and the servicer's sign-off. Plan on 45–90 days.
• VA entitlement stays tied up. A non-veteran can assume a VA loan, but the seller's VA entitlement stays in it unless the buyer is a veteran who substitutes their own.
• Our rate is an estimate. It's strongest where the HMDA match is exact, and every lead shows the source. Confirm the loan with the owner, or with a payoff statement, before you write an offer.
• Some refinances slip through. We catch a refinance when both the new deed of trust and the old loan's release are recorded. One we couldn't match to the parcel can leave a loan on the list that's already gone.

Frequently asked questions

Can anyone assume an FHA or VA loan? Anyone who qualifies with the loan servicer. FHA and USDA require a standard credit and income review. VA loans can be assumed by non-veterans, but the seller's entitlement stays tied up unless a veteran buyer substitutes theirs.

How much cash does a buyer need to assume a mortgage? The difference between the price and the remaining loan balance, plus closing costs. Many buyers cover part of it with a second loan. That's why each lead shows the estimated balance and equity.

How do I know a home's loan is assumable? Its loan type. FHA, VA and USDA loans are assumable, and conventional loans generally are not. We estimate each owner's loan type and rate from county deed records and federal HMDA mortgage data, then flag the government loans well under today's rate.

Is this list updated? Weekly. The rate test is re-run against the new weekly 30-year rate, so a loan joins or leaves the list as rates move, and new counties and closed-sale history are added as we load them.

Where do I get the list? Assumable-loan leads are a lead type in the search, filterable by county, estimated rate, equity and loan type. The weekly assumable & ARM tracker follows the totals week to week.