Central Texas Mortgage Broker
Mortgage Broker in Driftwood, TX
Driftwood sits about 24 miles southwest of Austin, and most people who have heard of it know it for one reason: the original Salt Lick BBQ, open since 1967, with Salt Lick Cellars winery right next door. La Ventana and the Driftwood Golf and Ranch Club are the two communities that come up most, both built around acreage and privacy rather than a typical subdivision layout. Past the barbecue, it is a small, high-value market, and almost every file out here is a structuring conversation rather than a rate conversation. Larger loan amounts, acreage that complicates the appraisal, and buyers whose income lives in a business rather than a paycheck. This is the work I find most interesting, and it is where having sat on the real estate side of a deal pays off most.
Most purchases here start around $650,000 and run well past $950,000
Jennifer Ferrara
Loan Officer · NMLS #2781982
Fourteen years navigating real estate deals taught me to listen before I recommend anything. Tell me what you're working with, and let's talk it through.
What fits here
Loan options that come up most in Driftwood
Price points and buyer profiles differ market to market, so the financing conversation does too. These are the ones Driftwood raises most often.
Jumbo
A jumbo loan is a mortgage larger than the conforming loan limit set each year for your county, which means it cannot be sold to Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac. Underwriting is stricter, reserves matter more, and pricing varies a lot between lenders, which is exactly why shopping it matters.
Read moreSelf-Employed / Bank Statement
Yes. A bank statement loan qualifies you on deposits into your business or personal accounts, typically over 12 or 24 months, instead of the net income on your tax returns. It is built for self-employed and 1099 borrowers whose write-offs make their tax return income look far smaller than what they actually earn.
Read moreNon-QM
Non-QM stands for non-qualified mortgage. It covers every loan that sits outside the standard government-defined underwriting box, including bank statement, asset-based, DSCR, and profit-and-loss programs. Non-QM is not subprime. It is a category for borrowers whose income is real but does not document itself in the conventional way.
Read moreDSCR Investor
A DSCR loan qualifies an investment property on the rent it generates rather than on your personal income. DSCR stands for debt service coverage ratio, which is simply the property's rent divided by its total monthly payment. If the rent covers the payment, the deal generally works, and the lender does not need your tax returns or your debt-to-income ratio.
Read more
This is not a commitment to lend. All loans are subject to credit approval, income and property verification. Rates, terms, and programs are subject to change without notice. Nook Lending is powered by MPA Home Loans. Jennifer Ferrara, Loan Officer, NMLS #2781982. MPA Home Loans NMLS #2778343. Equal Housing Opportunity.
Reviewed by Jennifer Ferrara, NMLS #2781982 · Last updated 2026-08-11
Down payment help
Down payment assistance in Driftwood
Driftwood is unincorporated, so there is no city government to run a local program. The county and state level options still apply: TSAHC's statewide programs and BCL of Texas's NeighborhoodLIFT, which covers Hays County and offers up to $7,500 in forgivable assistance. I check what you qualify for on the full Texas Grants page.
See every Texas grant and down payment program I work withQuestions
Buying in Driftwood
Property taxes in Driftwood run about 1.4609% combined: Hays County at 0.3999% and Dripping Springs ISD at 1.0610%, the same district that covers Dripping Springs. Driftwood is unincorporated, so there is no city rate added on top. On the larger acreage properties typical here, that combined number is worth running against your specific address before you write an offer.
A few of my local favorites
Looking in Driftwood?
Tell me the price range and what you are working with. I will show you the real monthly number and the cash you would need, before you fill out anything.