Depending on where you're buying in Texas, and the age of the home, I would spring extra to pay a plumber to inspect the drainage/pipes under the home. Much of Texas has clay soil, and older homes from the 50's to late 70's often had the original pipes made of orangeburg or cast iron, which eventually fail and are very costly to replace (when tunneling under the home). It's almost impossible to tell the shape of the pipes in a typical inspection. I live in TX and buy rental properties in TX, and scoping the pipes is something I do during the inspection period if the home age warrants it.
Also depending on your final destination, the homestead exemption is helpful, but will not necessarily make property taxes reasonable. In most HCOL areas (for TX), the homestead exemption just keeps the taxes from rising more than 10%/year.
Definitely over-estimate the amount you will spend at Home Depot or Lowes in the first 6 months of homeownership. Even if you decide to DIY as much as possible, the hardware store inexplicable becomes your BFF when you first buy a home. Everything from organizing closets to hanging photos and getting basic home maintenance supplies seems to add up. You could look to buy used, of course, but even then expect to get parts/supplies. Things like: lawn equipment, cleaning supplies, basic tools, air filters, appliances, paint supplies, organizing supplies, shelves for the garage, etc. Obviously space out big renovations, but even the little stuff seems to accumulate at the beginning. For us, this finally evened out after the first year or so in the home.
