On the House

Texas' 89th Legislative session kicked off January 14th, and tackling Texas’ housing affordability challenges will likely be a high priority. To keep our listeners informed, Michael Wilt sat down with Meredyth Fowler with Texas Mortgage Bankers Association and Tray Bates with Texas REALTORS® to preview the session and analyze the issues, policies, and potential bills that impact homeownership in Texas.

Please note: This episode was recorded in December 2024, prior to the start of the legislative session. 

Texas' 89th Legislative session kicked off January 14th, and tackling Texas’ housing affordability challenges will likely be a high priority. To keep our listeners informed, Michael Wilt sat down with Roger Arriaga with the Texas Affiliation of Affordable Housing Providers and Todd Kercheval with Kercheval & Associates to preview the session and analyze the issues, policies, and potential bills that impact rental housing.
 
Please note: This episode was recorded in December 2024, prior to the start of the legislative session. 

 Local housing authorities provide critical housing resources to their communities, but do you know what kind of services they provide? In this episode, we sit down with David A. Northern Sr., President and CEO of the Houston Housing Authority (one of the largest housing authorities in the country) to talk about their work and how it might be relevant to our listeners. 

Hispanic Heritage Month began on September 15th and one of the ways we're celebrating is by highlighting the needs of Hispanic home buyers. Join us as we sit down with Clarissa Hernandez, a loan officer with Waterstone Mortgage, to discuss how programs like TSAHC's can support Texans with Hispanic roots as they journey through the homebuying process. 

If you've been looking into the homebuying process, you'll probably have seen a discussion or two about title insurance. But what is title insurance, and is it really worth the price? This week, Joniel LeVecque is pairing up with John Fleming, General Counsel with the Texas Mortgage Bankers Association, to bring you the facts about title insurance and the ways it could benefit Texas homeowners.

Interest rates are playing a pivotal role in the housing market these days sparking curiosity from home buyers and sellers as to how mortgage interest rates are determined and if there is hope on the horizon for when they may come down. Tune in as we sit down with Erin Dee from LoanPeople to learn all about the role of the Federal Reserve Bank, how its actions impact interest rates, and how home buyers can be best prepared to get the best interest rate possible.

Loan officers and REALTORS®  -- Want to take a closer look at what might be in store for the housing market and the economy in general? Join us as we sit down with Jed Guenther with Lakeview Loan Servicing, LLC to discuss the state of the economy and how that might influence future housing trends.

Please note that this episode was recorded in late January 2024, so economic commentary will be current to that point in time. 

This week, we're focusing on spotlighting the great work one of our nonprofit partners is doing in the Houston area. Join us as we sit down with Kathy Flanagan-Payton from Fifth Ward Community Redevelopment Corporation (Fifth Ward CRC) to discuss the history of Houston's historic Fifth Ward, the services that Fifth Ward CRC offers, the work they're doing as part of the Harris County Homeownership Collaborative, and more! 

As much as we LOVE talking about everything about homeownership, we know how intimidating the homebuying process can be, especially for first-time home buyers. That's why our very own Frank Duplechain sat down with Angela Guerrero and Victoria Garcia with Avenue to discuss how to combat higher interest rates, become better educated on the homebuying process, and finally break into homeownership!

This podcast episode was originally recorded as part of a webinar hosted by Avenue in late October 2023. 

Housing voucher programs are well known for their successes in helping households across the country secure affordable rental housing. But did you know that housing vouchers can be used towards a mortgage payment on a home? Join us as we sit down with Alyson Griffin, Branch Manager with Cross Country Mortgage, to discuss how housing vouchers can help families build generational wealth through homeownership.

www.housingvoucher.com