Total monthly cost of ownership
Cost to Own a Home in Poetry, Texas
A $408,000 home here costs
$3,354per month, all in — with 20% down at today's 6.66% 30-year fixed rate.
A standard mortgage calculator would have told you $2,098. The real number is $1,257 higher every month — 60% more than the payment most buyers budget for.
Where every dollar goes
Only the first line is a mortgage payment. Change any assumption above and every figure below recalculates.
Poetry against Kaufman County and Texas
| Measure | Poetry | Kaufman County |
|---|---|---|
| Median home value | $408,300 | $290,800 |
| Median property tax | $5,175 | $5,036 |
| Effective tax rate | 1.267% | 1.732% |
| Median gross rent | — | $1,408 |
| Population | 1,352 | 160,718 |
Poetry extends across 2 counties. Figures here use Kaufman County, where most of its housing sits.
The weather behind that power bill
Poetry sits in Kaufman County, which averages a high of 96.3°F in its hottest month and a low of 35.7°F in its coldest, with 38.42" of precipitation a year and 30% of it in a single three-month stretch. That climate drives 2,738 cooling and 2,211 heating degree days, which is what sets the $148 electricity line above.
See the full climate breakdown for Kaufman County — month by month temperatures, rainy season timing, snowfall and heating and cooling costs.
Other cities in Kaufman County
Common questions
How much does it cost to own a home in Poetry?
A $408,000 home in Poetry, Texas costs approximately $3,354 per month with 20% down at 6.66%. That is $2,098 principal and interest, $431 property tax, $270 homeowners insurance, $216 utilities and $340 set aside for maintenance.
What is the property tax rate in Poetry?
Poetry has an effective property tax rate of 1.267%, based on a median home value of $408,300 and median real estate taxes of $5,175. That is lower than the Kaufman County average of 1.732%.
What is the average home price in Poetry?
The median owner-occupied home value in Poetry, Texas is $408,300, against $290,800 across Kaufman County.
Is it cheaper to rent or buy in Poetry?
Rent data is not published for Poetry at this level of detail.
Sources & methodology
- Median home value, real estate taxes, gross rent and population for Poetry — US Census Bureau, American Community Survey ACS 2023 5-Year, place-level tables.
- Homeowners insurance — NAIC average premium for Texas.
- Electricity price — EIA Electric Power Monthly Table 5.6.A.
- Mortgage rate — Freddie Mac PMMS, refreshed weekly.
- Maintenance (1%/yr) and water and sewer ($68/mo) are national estimates. Every assumption above is editable.