180+ loan programs.
One call that closes.
Every neighborhood has the one person who can actually get it done. In Austin, that's been a Steakley for 40 years. Stephen has spent 25 years in mortgages — Conventional, FHA, VA, USDA and Jumbo done better, 180+ programs deep, with the weight of 5 Texas branches and a 50+ person organization behind him. And when you call, you work with Stephen — personally, start to close. Yes: the hard ones too, closed anyway.
Most of what we close is beautifully boring.
Conventional, FHA, VA, USDA, Jumbo — the loans everyone advertises. The difference is execution: same-day pre-approvals, Stephen personally on your file from first call to closing, the depth of a 5-branch Texas operation behind him — and pricing that beats the benchmark.
Conventional
As little as 3% down for first-time buyers, terms from 8 to 30 years, and appraisal waivers when the data supports one. The workhorse of American home buying — and where our pricing edge shows up most.
Ask us howFHA
3.5% down, credit scores most banks turn away, and the part people miss: the entire down payment can be a gift. If a lender told you "not yet," FHA is often the honest answer to "then when?" — usually sooner than you think.
Ask us howVA
Zero down, no monthly mortgage insurance, and seller-paid costs on the table. If you served, this is usually the strongest offer you can write — and we make sure listing agents read it that way.
Ask us howUSDA
True zero-down for homes outside the urban core — and far more of Central Texas qualifies than people assume. We check the eligibility map before you fall in love with the house.
Ask us howJumbo, up to ~$10 million
Big loans handled in-house, quietly, without a committee of strangers re-underwriting your life. Full-doc or asset-based paths, second homes included. High-end Austin is our backyard.
Ask us howBuy Before You Sell
Buy the next house before you list this one. Unlock the equity in your current home, write a non-contingent offer that wins, move once — then sell on your timeline, not under pressure. One of our most-used programs in this market.
Ask us howThe deals other lenders hand back.
The specialty work — about a third of what we do, and the part that built the reputation. We won't publish the playbook, but here's what's actually on the table.
Keep the rate. Tap the equity.
Sitting on a rate you'll never see again and a pile of equity you can't touch? There's a way to use one without losing the other — as a fixed lump sum or a line you draw when you need it, in Texas up to roughly 80% of your home's value. Common uses: retiring 20%+ card debt, funding a build, buying the next property. The how is a phone call.
Ask us howInvestor deals, no ceiling.
One rental or forty — no cap on financed doors. The property's rent can carry the qualifying, so your W-2 doesn't have to; close in an LLC if that's how you hold. Our investor clients come back deal after deal — that's the tell.
Ask us howBuild it with one closing.
New construction with a single close — one approval, one set of closing costs, rate protected from day one, no requalifying when the house is done. Works across conventional, FHA and VA. Most lenders can't do that. We can.
Ask us howTurned down late in the game?
Bounced by another lender days before closing? Bring the file. We re-underwrite fast, we know which of our 180+ programs actually fits, and saving a closing date is our favorite sport.
Ask us howSelf-employed? Finally.
If your tax return doesn't tell the real story of what you earn, you're who these were built for. Bank statements or a P&L can stand in for returns; 1099s, founders and business owners qualify on the business you actually run.
Ask us howEquity lines, all 50 states.
Texas is home, but the equity line isn't fenced in. Wherever the house is, we can usually get at the equity — the application is online, the process takes days not months, and you draw only what you use.
Ask us how40 years of Steakley in Austin real estate.
Builders, title, closings, handshakes — the Steakley name has been part of how Austin buys and sells homes for four decades. Stephen carries it into mortgages: 25 years in the business, now Regional Branch Manager at CrossCountry Mortgage, leading five branches across Texas.
He and Julie run it the way you'd want your neighbor to: pick up the phone, tell you the truth, and if the math doesn't help you — say so. That honesty is the whole brand.
THE STEAKLEY TEAM
You work with Stephen. Start to close.
The 50+ people and five branches carry the Steakley name because they produce their own business — they're the depth of the operation, not who handles your loan. Your file never gets passed around. Here's the whole journey:
You call. Stephen answers.
Not a call center, not "someone from the team." Stephen hears your scenario, structures it, and prices it himself — 25 years of judgment on your file from minute one.
Ask us howStephen runs your file.
Same person through pre-approval, program selection, and every decision that matters. When you have a question at 7pm, you text the same number you started with.
Ask us howThe only hand-off there is.
A loan processor preps your file for underwriting — that's it, and Stephen stays on it the whole way. Then he walks you to the closing table. That's the entire chain of custody.
Ask us howDon't take our word for it.
Real clients, real closings — straight from our public reviews: 4.56★ across 51 reviews on Experience.com →
Stephen Steakley set the standard on our Romeria transaction... we closed with a Clear to Close in hand several days ahead of schedule. His team matched his energy the entire way through.
Justyn L. — listing agent · June 2026
Stephen was a godsend when it came to helping us buy our first home! He listened and gave advice, especially to any questions that I had, even the small ones.
Kristiana L. — first-time buyer · May 2026
The best team to work with — great customer service, answered all your questions and got to help us save lots of money. Y'all are the best.
Reynaldo C. · April 2026
The questions Texans actually ask.
Plain answers, no jargon. The how behind each one is a phone call — that part we don't publish.
Can I use my home's equity in Texas without refinancing my current mortgage?
Can I buy a new home before selling my current one?
Can I get a mortgage in Texas if I'm self-employed?
Is there a new-construction loan with only one closing?
What does it cost to find out what I qualify for?
What areas does the Steakley Team serve?
Got a "no" somewhere else?
Bring it here.
Finding out where you stand is zero cost — and getting started requires no hard credit check. About ten minutes on CrossCountry Mortgage's secure site, or book a call first. Either way, you'll know your real options before anything touches your credit.