Should I talk to a lender before we look at homes?

Yes, and I would like to be part of it. Your lender decides how fast you can close and how strong your offer looks to a seller. I can introduce you to lenders who can close in ten days to three weeks and who understand a self-employed borrower.

I am buying from out of state. How does that work?

I have closed purchases for buyers who never walked the house before contract. You get video walkthroughs, same-day photos of anything you ask about, and I attend the inspection in person and report room by room.

Do I need an inspection on new construction?

It is in your best interest, and I highly recommend it. A builder finishes homes on a schedule, and the punch list an inspector finds before closing is the builder’s to fix. After closing it is yours.

What if I owe more on my current home than it is worth?

It rules out the standard playbook. It does not rule out the move. I have brought in an investor so a client could break even on the old house and still buy the one they wanted. The first step is a look at the numbers on both sides.

Mediterranean style one story home on a wooded lot with a wide lawn, Riverwalk, Porter, Texas

The Lake Houston area and Montgomery County

Buying a home in the Lake Houston area or Montgomery County

The house is the easy part. The loan, the timeline and the offer are where a purchase is won or lost, and those are parts of my fifty plus years in the financial industry and municipal government. I work across Kingwood, Humble, Porter, Conroe and Magnolia.

Step one
The first call
Twenty minutes on the phone. What you are trying to do, when, and what you can comfortably spend. I tell you what is realistic in the part of the market you want and what I would do first.
Step two
Financing first
Your lender decides how fast you can close and how your offer reads to a seller. I introduce you to lenders who can close in ten days to three weeks, so you are approved before we open a door.
Step three
The search
I will not waste your time on homes that do not fit. When you want one neighborhood and one floor plan, we watch that neighborhood, including what is about to list, and move the day it appears.
Step four
The offer
Price is one lever. The close date, the contingencies, the earnest money and a lender the listing agent trusts are the others. I have won bidding wars on how tight the contract was written.
Step five
Inspection to closing
I stay personally involved from inspection through closing. I attend the inspection, even on new construction, and provide a same-day update with photos.
Because in real estate, communication isn’t just important. It’s essential.

Buyers I am built for

Four situations where the financial background does the work

Some purchases are won on the numbers, a self-employed borrower, an appraisal that comes in short, a seller who needs certainty more than price: those are the ones I am built for.

Self-employed and business owners: A tax return that shows every deduction you are entitled to can look thin to the wrong underwriter. I know which lenders read it correctly, because for thirty-six years in banking and financial planning I sat on the other side of that conversation.
Relocating from out of state: Video walkthroughs of what the listing photos leave out, same-day answers across time zones, and an inspection I attend in person and report room by room. I have closed homes for buyers who first walked in on closing day.
Corporate relocation and new construction: I work with relocation companies and with builders, and I treat a new build the way I treat a resale: a full inspection before closing, a punch list the builder fixes, and a price checked against what the same plan sold for nearby.
Buying and selling at the same time: One project with two closings, sequenced so you are never between homes. If you owe more than your current home is worth, we talk about that first. I have brought in an investor so a client could break even and still buy the home they wanted.

Buyer stories

Purchases I have handled

Front exterior of a two story brick home in Kingwood, Texas

August 2026Buyer story · Kingwood

$100,000 in built-in equity: how patience won a foreclosure in Kingwood

A buyer who knew exactly which Kingwood neighborhood and floor plan he wanted. We waited for a foreclosure to list, watched the price come down, moved the day it hit his range, and won the bid with roughly $100,000 of equity on closing day.

Deborah Rose Miller

Deborah Rose Real Estate Group 4 min read

Aerial view of a one story home on a wooded acreage lot in the Riverwalk community, Porter, Texas

August 2026Sale and purchase · Porter

When life changes fast: a first home in Porter, sold a year later, under contract in one week

A young couple bought their first home in a riverside community in Porter, Texas. A year later a baby, a job move and a pull toward family changed everything. In a heavy buyer's market we went under contract in a week and they broke even.

Deborah Rose Miller

Deborah Rose Real Estate Group 3 min read

Front exterior of a two story home in Bear Branch Village, Kingwood, Texas

June 2026Buyer story · Kingwood

A two-week close in Kingwood: relocating from Dallas on a school-year deadline

A family moving from the Dallas area needed to be in Kingwood before school started. Several offers fell apart at inspection. The one that held closed in two weeks, at their price, with an appraisal at full value and zero repairs.

Deborah Rose Miller

Deborah Rose Real Estate Group 4 min read

Questions buyers ask

Have a different question? Call or text (281) 380-0332.

Should I talk to a lender before we look at homes?: Yes, and I would like to be part of it. Your lender decides how fast you can close and how strong your offer looks to a seller. I can introduce you to lenders who can close in ten days to three weeks and who understand a self-employed borrower.
I am buying from out of state. How does that work?: I have closed purchases for buyers who never walked the house before contract. You get video walkthroughs, same-day photos of anything you ask about, and I attend the inspection in person and report room by room.
Do I need an inspection on new construction?: It is in your best interest, and I highly recommend it. A builder finishes homes on a schedule, and the punch list an inspector finds before closing is the builder’s to fix. After closing it is yours.
What if I owe more on my current home than it is worth?: It rules out the standard playbook. It does not rule out the move. I have brought in an investor so a client could break even on the old house and still buy the one they wanted. The first step is a look at the numbers on both sides.

In a perfect world, what are you wanting?

Since we know the world’s not perfect, then I’ll know where the tradeoffs need to be.

Contact Deborah Read the stories first