On the House

Our homes are one of the largest assets that most of us will ever have.  But if you don’t have a clear estate plan in place, your heirs could have difficulty documenting their ownership of the property.  In this episode, we interview Crystal Requejo with the Mexican American Unity Council to discuss the importance of estate planning and provide some estate planning tips for homeowners. 

When it comes to buying a home with student loan debt, many people believe that it's impossible to have your cake and eat it too. Well, we're here to let you know that, contrary to popular belief, you can! Join us as we sit down with our very own Frank Duplechain III and Aubrey Miller with the Q&A Mortgage Team at Cardinal Financial to break down everything you need to know about applying for a mortgage when you have student loan debt.

With historically-low interest rates, limited housing inventory, and bidding wars galore, today's housing market is chock-full of competition. So how do you outbid your competition? In our eighteenth episode, we meet with Gracie Perez, a loan officer with Town Square Mortgage, and Alicia Mendoza, a REALTOR® with JP & Associates to gain some insight on the best ways to win the bid and land the home of your dreams.

Down payment assistance programs allow many home buyers to purchase the home of their dreams. Yet despite the fact that the demand for these programs is at an all-time-high, there can still be some misconceptions about how DPA works. In honor of National Homeownership Month, we sit down with Sean Moss, Down Payment Resource’s Senior Vice President and Director of Operations, to debunk some common myths that home buyers hear about down payment assistance.

April is National Fair Housing Month, but do you know your housing rights and what's required of housing providers? Join us as Frank Duplechain III and Michael Wilt, our newest guest host, visit with Ellena E. Rodriguez, Manager of Outreach, Compliance & Resolutions with the Texas Workforce Commission's Civil Rights Division to break down what the Fair Housing Act is and the protections it provides.

When buying a home, it's important to consider all the costs that are involved in the process. But equally important are the taxes that come after the home buying process. This week, we sit down with James Matias, a TSAHC team member who has been a licensed REALTOR® for more than 15 years, to discuss what property taxes are, how they work, and what you can do to save money in the long run.

Is it better to buy or rent a home? The answer often depends on your goals and your particular financial circumstances! In this episode, we sit down with Courtney Johnson Rose, a real estate developer and broker for George E. Johnson Properties in Houston, to break down the pros and cons of both options.

With more Texans working from home than ever, it's no shock that home improvements are on the rise. But as with any major investment, it's important to know what to expect. In this installment of On The House, we meet Lali Shipley with Weiss Architecture and learn how to maximize the value you get out of your home improvement projects.

We've previously covered how to buy a home, but what resources are available for current homeowners that are struggling to make mortgage payments during a financial crisis? We meet with Joyce McDonald, a HUD certified housing counselor and Executive Director of FrameWorks Community Development Corporation, to discuss trustworthy assistance options, as well as how to recognize scams.

Please note: As of June 24, 2021, the foreclosure moratorium referenced in this podcast segment has been extended until July 31, 2021

Brought to you by popular demand! With mortgage rates at an all-time low, many homeowners have been wondering how to refinance their homes. Kim Lewis with Guild Mortgage Company joins our very own Joniel LeVecque to walk you through the process of refinancing your home and how to tell whether or not it's the right option for you.