EPISODE 5 of Homegrown Tales (formerly known as Homegrown): For first-time condo owners, even when you think you're familiar with the bylaws and Rules & Regulations, sometimes you run into one line of text that can make you re-evaluate your entire decision to buy that condo. That was the case for me, which led to a Small Claims lawsuit. I had to figure out a lot of legal information all at once, but I was determined to not go out without a fight. And if it wasn't for Attorney Mike Davis helping me as a legal coach, there's no way I would've been taken seriously in the first hearing or the other seven (hearings and in-person appearances).

That's not what this podcast episode is about though, but it is the reason I was introduced to him via another attorney. And we hit it off so well that we ended up working together on numerous other digital, marketing and blogging projects. If not for networking with another attorney, I'm not sure I would've ever found him on my own. I recommend him often.

In this episode, we talk about what first-time homeowners, new condo owners, new condo board members and even those who have debt issues should do to try to work on conflict-resolution productively and effectively. Join us for my fifth video interview of "Homegrown Tales: An Ode to Sugarbowl Sam."

EPISODE 4 of Homegrown Tales (formerly known as Homegrown): More than 7.9 million people were left unemployed between 2020 to 2021 due to the worldwide health outbreak of coronavirus. That left tenants without a way to pay rent, and property owners and landlords scrambling to pay the mortgage and utilities for both. In Shamontiel's fourth episode of “Homegrown: An Ode to Sugarbowl Sam,” Melvin Sims, a tenants-rights attorney I’d previously interviewed for CBS Chicago, had valuable insight on this issue.

Join us as we talk about the Cook County Residential Tenant Landlord Ordinance, the national eviction moratorium linked to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, what the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development has to say about tenant evictions, and how law firms like his are helping landlords and tenants. For more information on Melvin, check out Shamontiel's ⁠Substack series "Homegrown Tales."⁠

EPISODE 4: As a tenant, you may not know what exactly a property manager handles on a day-to-day basis. As a condo owner, you will undoubtedly learn more about property management, especially if you're on the Homeowners Association. I worked on magazine copy for realtor Jonathan Coleman of Go4Rent, who'd briefly chatted with me about real estate podcasting. Initially opposed to the idea during the magazine project, I eventually changed my mind (as you'll learn in Episodes 1-3). But my interviews with property managers for his magazine taught me even more than I knew as both a renter and an owner. Check out my interview with him where he talks about his start as a realtor, property manager, what landlords and condo associations need to know about property managers pre-hire, and real estate news related to Go4Rent in Texas.

EPISODE 3 of Homegrown Tales (formerly known as Homegrown): In comedian Ray Romano’s latest comedy special “Right Here, Around the Corner,” he said as people get older, they need to have certain kinds of friends: You start off with “the kid with the car,” then the hookup guy, and eventually work your way to lawyers and doctors. In my late 30s, I want all of the above with an attorney at the top of the list. Although not intentional, I was lucky enough to get the insider scoop on real estate law from a perspective that I may never have had as a onetime client.

However, the average homebuyer may not have an attorney who she can just chit-chat with, and bounce writing and legal ideas off of. While I became cool with Johnetta Paye, Esq. by accident, she would’ve been someone I wanted to hire for a business-to-client relationship regardless. So why should homebuyers keep a real estate attorney in their corner at all times? For more information on Johnetta, check out Shamontiel's ⁠Substack series "Homegrown Tales."⁠

Episode 2 of Homegrown Tales (formerly known as Homegrown): As a first-time homebuyer, I was a handful. But Karla Thomas, managing broker of Urb & Burb, was a matchmaker for people and homes. And boy, did we have a comedic time of my search. There was the sunflower seed condo, the nightmare condo with 11 inspection problems, the 25-day wait on a homeowners association (HOA) reserve decision and the HOA with no reserves at all, the yelling match on closing day, and her teasing me about “having a crush” on the inspector.

Join us for my second episode of "Homegrown: An Ode to Sugarbowl Sam." For more information on Karla Thomas, check out Shamontiel's ⁠Substack series "Homegrown Tales."⁠

Episode 1 of Homegrown Tales (formerly known as Homegrown): Although I wouldn’t consider myself fluent, I could speak Spanish better than I could speak English to my English-speaking mortgage loan officer. I knew no terms — amortization, closing costs, earnest money, equity, escrow, principle and interest (P&I). Just talking to him was so overwhelming that I almost bulked on buying. But once he suggested grant money to knock off a few thousand dollars — if I agreed to at least live in my property for five years — my interest was piqued.

But something had to give. I needed to talk to someone who knew the language and could make this process easier. A casual Google search led me to the Housing Opportunity Development Corporation (HODC) First Time Home Buyer Education program, where I met my first Homegrown: An Ode to Sugarbowl Sam podcast guest. After his three-part, two-hour workshop, even my loan officer admitted he was impressed (and a bit surprised) by our conversations after that. For more information on Christopher Meeks, check out Shamontiel's Substack series "Homegrown Tales."