Can you really buy a house with little—or even $0—out of pocket in 2026?
In this episode of How to Get the Keys Podcast, Raayshawn Jeter sits down with real estate investor and mortgage professional Andrew Postell to break down what first-time home buyers and new real estate investors need to know before buying their first property.
Andrew went from buying his first $50,000 house with no real long-term plan to building wealth through real estate and reaching a point where financial independence has given him something even more valuable than money: choices.
In this conversation, we break down:
🔑 How some buyers may be able to purchase with very little or $0 out of pocket using eligible down-payment assistance and seller concessions
🔑 What credit score you may actually need to buy a house
🔑 Why a low credit score doesn't automatically mean homeownership is impossible
🔑 The 3 things lenders look at: income, credit and assets
🔑 How first-time home buyer and down-payment assistance programs work
🔑 How to use house hacking to start building a real estate portfolio
🔑 How Andrew bought his first property
🔑 His worst real estate deal—and what it taught him
🔑 His best real estate deal and how the pieces finally came together
🔑 What he would do if he lost everything and had to start over
🔑 How to find off-market real estate deals
🔑 Why new investors get misled by social media gurus
🔑 Why investors have to remove emotion from the numbers
🔑 The habits that eventually create financial independence
🔑 Real estate vs. the S&P 500 and why wealth is ultimately about creating choices
🔑 Why looking wealthy and actually BEING wealthy are completely different things
Whether you're trying to buy your first home, repair your credit, become mortgage-ready or start investing in real estate, this conversation will help you understand what your next move should be.
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ABOUT THE GUEST:
Andrew Postell is an experienced real estate investor and mortgage professional who has spent more than two decades learning, buying, financing and building wealth through real estate.
🔗 CONNECT WITH ANDREW:
📱 Instagram: @drewp4vp
🏠 Website & Mortgage Services: https://crosscountrymortgage.com/bedford-tx-4797/andrew-postell/
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ABOUT HOW TO GET THE KEYS PODCAST:
How to Get the Keys is about more than buying a house. We have real conversations about credit, homeownership, real estate, money, business and building wealth so everyday people can put themselves in position to get the keys.
Subscribe for more conversations with real estate professionals, investors, business owners and people who have actually done it.
⚠️ DISCLAIMER:
This podcast is for educational and informational purposes only and is not individualized financial, legal, tax, credit or mortgage advice. Loan programs, credit requirements, down-payment assistance, seller concessions and eligibility vary by lender, program, borrower and location. Speak with qualified professionals about your individual situation.
#FirstTimeHomeBuyer #RealEstateInvesting #HomeBuying