Your home owners insurance is based on the cost to replace the house – what it would cost to rebuild the house if it burnt down. There is no way to figure that out based on the purchase price of the house and it has nothing to do with what you put down or finance. You will need to name the mortgage holder as a co-insured – so you get to choose the insurance broker/company, but the policy will need to meet the mortgage holder’s approval as well. Insurance companies these days are also basing rates on your credit score, so keep that in mind.

I have no idea what the taxes might be since I am no where near Houston, however, I would recommend you sit down with a good real estate agent in the area and ask these questions. If you have looked at a few houses, you can also contact the taxing municipality (city,county, whichever it might be) and they should be able to answer the tax question if you give them an address.

Your best bet would be to find a reputable, experienced real estate agent to help you with this process. They should be able to give you some information regarding taxes on listed homes. Once you have looked at a house, before you consider making an offer, you can contact an insurance agent as well and get an estimate on the home owners insurance.

Home owner Insurance has gone up so much for the past few years in Houston especially due to Hurricane Ike.All state, state farm and farmer insurance have increased their prices upto 10% in many counties. It is the next highest expense of home ownership.

The best place for you to compare is the state website which has lot of information like comparison tool, compliant index and so forth.

Check it out at http://www.tdi.state.tx.us/home/index.html and you will surely find your answers. This state website is really bipartisian and no bias. All the best