Start Here: A Practical Home Buying Guide That Follows the Real Process

This page is the best place to begin if you’re thinking about buying a home and want a clear, realistic understanding of how the process actually works — not just the highlights, and not just the sales pitch.

This Home Buying Series was written to follow the real order buyers experience, not the order most blogs and checklists present. It’s designed to help you avoid costly mistakes, reduce stress, and make decisions you’ll still feel good about years later. If you’re looking for shortcuts or guarantees, this probably isn’t the right guide. If you want to understand the process well enough to make good decisions under pressure, you’re in the right place.

Who This Guide Is For

This series is especially useful if you:

• Are a first-time or returning buyer who wants clarity, not hype
• Have concerns about credit, budgeting, or underwriting
• Want to understand how lenders, REALTORS®, and title companies actually operate
• Prefer real-world explanations over “top 10 tips” articles

If you’re looking for shortcuts or guarantees, this probably isn’t the right guide. If you want to understand the process well enough to make good decisions under pressure, you’re in the right place.

How to Use This Series

The steps below are written to be read in order. Each step builds on the previous one, even when the tasks don’t feel urgent yet. Skipping ahead is possible, but most confusion buyers experience comes from jumping to the middle before the foundation is set.

If you’re already under contract, you can jump to the later steps — but I strongly recommend reviewing the earlier ones if anything feels unclear.

No guide can eliminate risk or uncertainty, but understanding the process reduces avoidable mistakes.

The Complete Home Buying Series

• Step 1: Know Your Credit
• Step 2: Build a Sustainable Budget
• Step 3: Choose a Lender Who Explains, Not Sells
• Step 4: Fixing Underwriting Issues (“Not Yet” Is Not “No”)
• Step 5: How to Choose a Realtor Who Works for You
• Step 6: Mortgage Types Explained for Buyers
• Step 7: Start Looking at Houses the Right Way
• Step 8: Narrowing the Field
• Step 9: Make an Offer on a House in Texas
• Step 10: Your Offer Is Accepted — What Happens Next in Texas
• Step 11: Closing on a House in Texas — The Final Stretch Before Funding
• Step 12: Closing Day in Texas — Signing, Funding, and Your First 30 Days
• Step 13: Life After Closing — Practical Ownership in Your First Year

What Makes This Series Different

Most home-buying content focuses on transactions. This series focuses on decisions.

It covers:

• Why deals fall apart late — and how to avoid that
• How lenders actually think about risk
• Why budgeting matters more after closing than before
• What buyers misunderstand about insurance, escrow, and maintenance
• Why the first year of ownership matters more than the closing day

The goal isn’t to rush you to the finish line. The goal is to help you arrive prepared.

About Me — Doug Berry, MBA, REALTOR®

The Bow Tie Agent

I’m a REALTOR® with Better Homes & Gardens Senter, REALTORS® who focuses on helping buyers understand the real-world side of homeownership — from lending and budgeting to navigating underwriting without surprises. With an MBA and experience as a lender with USDA Rural Development’s mortgage programs, I approach the process the same way I do with clients: clearly, calmly, and without sales pressure.

If you have questions, need help figuring out where you are in the process, or want a second set of eyes before making a move, feel free to reach out:

📧 Doug@senterrealtors.com
📞 325-338-9734
🌐 www.dougberry.realtor