THINKWING RADIO MOVED TO MONDAYS @ 9-10 PM, BEGINNING 4/13/2015.

KPFT is your community radio station, and community is about where you live. With housing prices remaining strong in many cities and neighborhoods, it’s often a seller’s market, and interest rates may start ticking up soon for the first time in years.

Tonight’s program is for those folks who want to own a stake in their community in the form of their own home, but may not know where to begin, what assistance exists for them, or how to navigate the process.

SHOW AUDIO: 

Link is usually posted within about 72 hours of show broadcast.

Listen live on the radio or on the internet from anywhere in the world! When the show is live, we take calls at 713-526-5738. (Long distance charges may apply.)

Welcome to Thinkwing Radio with Mike Honig (@ThinkwingRadio), a listener call-in show (every Monday night from 9-10PM CT) on KPFT-FM 90.1 (Houston). My engineer and discussion partner is Egberto Willies (@EgbertoWillies).

For the purposes of this show, I operate on two mottoes:

• You’re entitled to your own opinion, but not your own facts;
• An educated electorate is a prerequisite for a democracy.

GUESTS: (More complete biographical info on my guests are below Source links.)

Brad Stevens, REALTOR^® and Licensed Real Estate Broker, has been a Landlord, property manager, listing agent, buyer’s agent and rehabber, but he started his career with a focus on first-time homebuyers. Clients he guided through the home-buying process may not have been able to purchase their dream home without first learning about some of the lesser-known advantages – yes, advantages – of being a first-time homebuyer.

POSSIBLE TOPICS:

• Who is considered a first-time homebuyer? ANYONE WHO HAS NOT OWNED REAL ESTATE OF ANY KIND FOR AT LEAST 3 YEARS.
• What types of loans are available for any buyer?
  • What are the general criteria for loans?
• How does credit play into the process?
  • What if I don’t have bad credit but have NO credit history?
  • How much cash (of varying types) do I need in the bank?
  • What is my credit score and how do I find out?
  • How do I improve (or hurt) my credit score, and how can I make it more appealing to a lender?
• Where do I get started with a lender (your bank may not be the best at home lending!!).
• How much can I afford?
• What are the advantages of being a first-time buyer in respect to special LEGITIMATE homebuyer programs?
  • Tax credits and deductions, etc.
• Am I interested in a New or Existing home?
  • As a first-time homebuyer, does it matter to me?
  • New or used, know what you’re getting: Have your home inspected before you buy it.
• What is the process of purchasing a home?
  • Pre-approval
  • Search (geography)
  • Offer
  • Executing Contract
  • Inspection
  • Appraisal
  • Closing
• What mistakes to avoid?
  • Being hasty before your credit is sufficient.
  • Not selecting the right lender for your needs
  • Listening to your peanut gallery (friends, family, co-workers)

SOURCES WHICH MAY BE RELEVANT TO OTHER DISCUSSION:

=======================================================

These links are provided for information only. No endorsements are expressed or implied.

• Houston Area Realtors
• IRS.gov

  • Credits & Deductions for Individuals

  • Deductions for Individuals

• National Association of Realtors
• HAREI – Houston Association of Real Estate Inspectors
• SOUTHEAST TEXAS HOUSING FINANCE CORPORATION: “SETH has many programs available to help Texas Homebuyers. Our SETH 5 Star Texas Advantage Program provides a Grant of up to 6% for homebuyers. You do not need to be a First Time Homebuyer to use this program. This program is available for the entire State of Texas with the exception of El Paso, Grand Prairie, McKinney and Travis County.”
  • “Mortgage Credit Certificate (MCC) Programs provide a refundable tax credit of up to $2,000 for the life of the mortgage loan. Each MCC Program listed on our website has requirements for the location of the home and family income limits. This program is available only to first time homebuyers. A first time homebuyer is someone that has not owned a home in the past 3 years.”
• FICO.com: Learn about how credit is scored.
• CREDIT BUREAUS:
  • EXPERIAN.com
  • TRANSUNION.com
  • EQUIFAX.com
• AnnualCreditReport.com:

  FREE Credit Reports. Federal law allows you to:

  • Get a free copy of your credit report every 12 months from each credit reporting company.
  • Ensure that the information on all of your credit reports is correct and up to date.
• CreditKarma.com: “Your Credit Scores Should Be Free. And Now They Are.”
  • View your scores and reports anytime.
  • See offers tailored to your credit profile.

    Get credit alerts to help you spot fraud.
• RentalKharma.com: “Buil
• Newhomeprograms.com (Brad Stevens’ company)

KPFT is a 501(c)3 non-profit, and it can always use your tax-deductible support.  Most of the folks who work and broadcast at KPFT are volunteers, but it still has fixed and variable expenses, and it still costs $150/hour, 24/7/365 to keep KPFT on the air.