Blog - Debbie Marett

Residential Owner Information

Preserve and Protect your Homestead Exemption

By Roland Love, Independence Title Vice President and Attorney If you own a home in Texas, your residential homestead exemption is one of the most important tools for reducing your property taxes. But did you know that exemptions aren’t automatic and require monitoring? With Appraisal District Notices arriving soon, now is the perfect time to check your exemption status […]
Market Info

Here’s What a Recession Could Mean for the Housing Market

Recession talk is all over the news, and the odds of a recession are rising this year. And that leaves people wondering what would happen to the housing market if we do go into a recession. Let’s take a look at some historical data to show what’s happened in housing for each recession going all […]
Buying

What’s a Good Debt-To-Income Ratio?

You’ll see the term debt-to-income ratio a fair amount if you’re applying for a mortgage. Debt-to-income ratio is also known as DTI. This is a measure of your monthly debt payments divided by your gross monthly income. Lenders use DTI and your credit history to determine whether or not you can repay a loan. Every […]
Selling

What to Know About Selling a Home to a Family Member

It’s not uncommon to want to sell a home to a family member, but it can become a tricky situation. You have to be mindful of not only the personal elements that can come with doing this type of transaction with a relative, but the IRS may also scrutinize the transaction if you don’t avoid […]

Residential Owner Information Preserve and Protect your Homestead Exemption By Roland Love, Independence Title Vice President and Attorney If you own a home in Texas, your residential homestead exemption is one of the most important tools for reducing your property taxes. But did you know that exemptions aren’t automatic and require monitoring? With Appraisal District Notices arriving soon, now is the perfect time to check your exemption status […]

Market Info Here’s What a Recession Could Mean for the Housing Market Recession talk is all over the news, and the odds of a recession are rising this year. And that leaves people wondering what would happen to the housing market if we do go into a recession. Let’s take a look at some historical data to show what’s happened in housing for each recession going all […]

Buying What’s a Good Debt-To-Income Ratio? You’ll see the term debt-to-income ratio a fair amount if you’re applying for a mortgage. Debt-to-income ratio is also known as DTI. This is a measure of your monthly debt payments divided by your gross monthly income. Lenders use DTI and your credit history to determine whether or not you can repay a loan. Every […]

Selling What to Know About Selling a Home to a Family Member It’s not uncommon to want to sell a home to a family member, but it can become a tricky situation. You have to be mindful of not only the personal elements that can come with doing this type of transaction with a relative, but the IRS may also scrutinize the transaction if you don’t avoid […]

Selling Consumer Guide: Seller Disclosures When selling your property it is most important to disclose, disclose and disclose! Sellers must disclose certain characteristics of the property to potential buyers. An agent who is a REALTOR® can help you understand why and what you need to disclose, but here are the basics: What are seller disclosures? Seller disclosures are certain material defects—elements […]

Info about HOA's and CCR's HOA Covenants: What to Know About CC&Rs HOA covenants can shape neighborhoods and the lives of residents significantly. Here’s what you should know about HOA CC&Rs. With 75.5 million Americans living in communities governed by homeowners associations (or HOAs) and 3,000 new HOAs expected to form in 2025, community associations are quickly becoming an important aspect of real estate transactions. An HOA […]

Buying Too Many Homes for Sale, or Not Enough? Making Sense of Recent Headlines for Home Buyers If you’ve been thinking about buying a house, you’ve probably heard that there aren’t that many homes for sale. And if you’ve been actively looking, chances are you can confirm that firsthand. Browsing listings often feels like looking for a needle in a haystack. You find a home you like, and before you can even […]

Selling What To Do If Your House Didn’t Sell Last year, as many as 1 in 3 sellers took their home off the market because it wasn’t selling. If this happened to you too, you don’t need to be embarrassed. The market was very challenging in 2024! What you need are answers. As your local real estate agent, I can help with that by […]

Buying Home Appreciation: Your Best Protection Against Inflation Home Appreciation: Your Best Protection Against Inflation Authored By: The MBS Highway Team The Mortgage Bond market continues to pay close attention to inflation, which is a key driver of mortgage rates. Remember, inflation is the arch enemy of fixed investments like Mortgage Bonds because it erodes the buying power of a Bond’s fixed rate […]

Market Info Why Online Valuation’s like Zestimate’s Miss the Mark – Your Net Worth Deserves Better than Guesswork Why Online Valuation’s like Zestimate’s Miss the Mark – and Why a Real Estate Agent Offers More Accuracy Before the early 2000’s, you may have had a general idea about how much your house was worth at any given moment. But to get an accurate sense of it, you would’ve needed to ask a real […]

Market Info Answers to the Top 5 Questions Everyone’s Asking This Holiday Season When Will Mortgage Rates Come Down? Unfortunately, when it comes to mortgage rates, there’s no crystal ball. But there are key factors that will influence which way rates will go from here: the labor market, inflation, and the geopolitical landscape – just to name a few. While mortgage rates have been volatile over the past several months, […]

Buying What Does It Mean to Make a Principal-Only Payment? You’ll hear the terms principal and interest when you get a home loan. Your principal is the amount you borrow for your home loan, and your interest is what you pay monthly to use the loan. To calculate the principal of a mortgage, you would subtract your down payment from the final sales price of […]

Buying Avoid These Top Homebuyer Mistakes in Today’s Market No one likes making mistakes, especially when they happen in what’s likely the biggest transaction of your life – buying a home. That’s why partnering with a trusted agent is so important. Here’s a sneak peek at the most common missteps buyers are making in today’s market and how a great agent will help you steer clear […]

Building a Home Why Having Your Own Agent Matters When Buying a New Construction Home Finding the right home is one of the biggest challenges for potential buyers today. Right now, the supply of homes for sale is still low. But there is a bright spot. Newly built homes make up a larger percent of the total homes available for sale than normal. That’s why, if you’re craving more options, it makes sense to see if […]

Uncategorized Common Things that Homeowner’s Get Wrong about their Homeowner’s Insurance Policy Home insurance is designed to cover you in the event that your home is damaged. You pay a monthly fee so that if and when you need to use your policy, you don’t have to spend your entire savings trying to cover the damages, or worry that you won’t have enough money to even cover […]

Market Info What To Expect from Mortgage Rates and Home Prices in 2025 What To Expect from Mortgage Rates and Home Prices in 2025 Curious about where the housing market is headed in 2025? The good news is that experts are offering some promising forecasts, especially when it comes to two key factors that directly affect your decisions: mortgage rates and home prices. Whether you’re thinking of buying or selling, here’s […]

Uncategorized Why Did More People Decide To Sell Their Homes Recently? Why Did More People Decide To Sell Their Homes Recently? Homeowners typically slow down their moving plans as the summer months wrap up, and as a result, fewer homes are listed for sale in the fall. It’s a predictable, seasonal trend in real estate. But this year, mortgage rates came down at the same time […]

Uncategorized Home Values Rise Even as Median Prices Fall Recent headlines have been buzzing about the median asking price of homes dropping compared to last year, and that’s sparked plenty of confusion. And as a buyer or seller, it’s easy to assume that means prices are coming down. But here’s the catch: those numbers don’t tell the full story. Nationally, home values are actually rising, even if the […]

In the News Beyond the Headlines: Understanding How Proposed Changes in Real Estate Commissions Will Actually Impact You as a Buyer or Seller You’ve probably heard the news that there are changes coming in terms of how real estate commissions are paid. This might sound exciting and like a potential game-changer for you as a home seller or buyer, with headlines proclaiming things like: “Real estate commissions are being slashed!” “Selling your house will now be less expensive!” […]

Selling Why Fixing Up Your House Can Help It Sell Faster If you’re thinking about selling your house, you should know there are buyers who are ready and able to pay today’s high prices. But they want a home that’s move-in ready. A recent press release from Redfin explains: “Buyers are still out there and they’re willing to pay today’s high prices, but only if the house is in […]