Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Speaker A: Welcome to the Human Factor. I'm Kimberly diamond and today we're talking about real challenges and real wins behind building strong teams. You're watching NOW Media Television.
[00:00:13] Speaker B: Welcome to the Human Factor. I'm Kimberly Dimon. Today we're talking with a gentleman who has an extensive experience in the real estate industry. We want to discuss some of the challenges that people face when buying real estate. The fears that go with that. It's a huge purchase, can be a long term purchase.
Ricky Chavez is the team lead of Ricky Chavez team at Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate. Gary Green, he is retired US army veteran and the host of Battle Ready on Now Media Television.
With over 30 years of leadership experience in the military and corporate HR, he brings discipline, his strategy and integrity to real estate and storytelling. Through trust and communication, Ricky empowers clients to make life changing decisions with clarity and courage.
Ricky, thanks for coming on today. Appreciate it.
[00:00:58] Speaker C: Hey, thanks for having me today, Kimberly. Thanks.
[00:01:01] Speaker B: Okay, so today we're talking about some of the fears behind buying a home. I think we've all been there a time or two.
So why do you think that people are often so overwhelmed when buying a home?
[00:01:15] Speaker C: Well, number one, it's the biggest, most expensive purchase they'll ever make. You know, it's an emotional attachment that they have to their money and not being poor. So, you know, what am I going to do now? I want to buy a home.
They fall in love with homes that they lose. So there's a lot of things going on to when it comes to real estate and making a purchase.
[00:01:40] Speaker B: Absolutely. I mean, like I said, we think we've all been there a time or two, at least most of us anyway. Okay, what's the very first thing someone should do to feel more confident when stepping into the home buying process?
[00:01:54] Speaker C: So, you know, the number one thing is they need to know through their looking through their finances what they feel is a comfortable monthly payment.
And then they need to talk to a lender and explain that to them so that they can get pre qualified or pre approved. So that's the biggest thing. You know, you want to know what can you comfortably afford?
[00:02:18] Speaker B: And then do you have those relationships that you can share with people so that they can have a trusted advisor.
[00:02:24] Speaker C: So you know, it's, it's really cool. So I have partnership with various lenders and you know, just like the people that are buying a house, you go with somebody you trust and somebody that you feel comfortable with. And I have the same conversations with some of my lenders. So I put them with a Lender and I make sure that the lender understands their goals, but I help them coach the person through the situation.
A lot of times people want to buy a house, but they're not sure what they want. And then some lenders will say, oh yeah, you qualify for $500,000. Person's all happy. But then they see that $500,000 payment structure and it's like, oh, no, this is just too much.
[00:03:07] Speaker B: Yes, it does scare them. And I think as you and I talked about earlier, in my past life, I was in that industry as well. I used to reverse engineer that. I used to say, what do you want to pay them? Love. And then we'll talk about what you can afford.
It helps people understand that.
[00:03:22] Speaker C: Well, that's an amazing, that's, that's the way it should be. But nowadays, you know, they'll plug in the numbers, they'll plug in the credit. They're like, okay, based on, you know, what's going on, you can qualify for X. But all the other factors don't come into place, like what your cell phone bill look like, what your utility is going to look like, all those other things that are outside factors that people still have to pay.
[00:03:45] Speaker B: Right. And taxes and insurance, and those things can go up at any, they, they go up on a regular basis. So just, you know, when you start here, that may not be what it is a year from now, right? So your payment's going to go up from there too, so. Yeah, exactly. Okay, well, how do you help people make smart decisions without second guessing everything? Because I'm sure you deal with people constantly questioning their purchase or, you know, so how do you, how do you help them think about that and make that smarter decision?
[00:04:14] Speaker C: Well, you know the interesting thing, everybody has a degree in Google now, right? They see it on Google, so they believe it's true. And everybody's friends, uncles, brothers, cousin knows something about buying a house or selling a house or leasing a house or whatever. But the reality is each individual's journey is different.
What their goals are, are different.
So I think the big thing is to sit down and listen to them, find out what's important to them and then kind of strategically put something in place for that journey, right?
[00:04:46] Speaker B: Because you're right, they do. They listen to other people or they listen to the media, various things like that that can make things very confusing for people. So. Well, what, what are some common mistakes that you help your clients avoid?
[00:05:00] Speaker C: I think is, is before they start to search, make them understand what's going on with themselves financially, all right. And I know you talked earlier, you had a more. So my first license out of the military was I got a mortgage license, you know, and, and so I, I, I, I know enough to be dangerous, but I don't discuss mortgage now because that was 2003, this is 2025. Everything's changed, all things going on, but the general knowledge is still there. Right. So I basically say, listen, you need to get with a professional that understands the mortgage. The second piece is don't make any financial decisions with anything of your money until you talk to that lender. Because in the past I've had individuals get a good chunk of money and then pay off the wrong thing because they're thinking, oh my gosh, I got this bill off. But the other bill has a higher monthly payment in which it affects their debt to income. So the big conversation with them is let's baby step it through, let's talk to the lender, let's, let's do a, let's do a check where are you at right now?
And then let them walk you through what needs to happen for you to start looking at homes.
[00:06:18] Speaker B: And I remember people that get pre qualified, they think that everything was wonderful and then they would go buy a car.
[00:06:25] Speaker C: Oh my gosh, had that happened too.
And you know, so crazy nowadays. Yeah. Venmo Zelle all these different bank accounts I just recently had, I was on the seller side, but the buyer decided to move money from one account to another account into the bank and you know, right before closing they check the bank's accounts again and now they have money that's not accounted for not. Or not, what is it called? Sourced.
Yeah, they had to figure out where it came from.
So yeah, don't make, don't make any money decisions without talking to your lender.
[00:07:00] Speaker B: Or making or any big purchases. And then once you, I think some people get concerned, they go, well I'm already pre approved, it's all good. So I can, now I'm clear. And I'm like, no, if anything gets, you know, they check things again. So just stay status quo until you close and then you can determine what financially makes sense at that point. So. Exactly.
Had a lot of those different scenarios happen to me back in the day.
So can you share a time when someone made, when, when someone made a brave choice and paid off like for, for you, how you did, how you helped them make that choice and, and it paid off for them?
[00:07:37] Speaker C: Well, so I think now is a perfect time to think about that. So I work with a lot of veterans.
And I had a veteran reach out to me, and he was hundreds in service, connected, disabled in the state of Texas, a veteran that's 100% doesn't pay taxes on his primary resident. All right, so the, the best idea for them was instead of going to a resale home, we went to a new construction home for reasons. You know, at the new construction, the interest rates they have, they buy interest rates in blocks.
So, you know, instead of the 6.5 that the lender gave them, which was still a good interest rate at this time, they got a 2.9 first year, 3.9 second year, 4.9 for the rest of the, the rest of their loan. But the big thing was because they went with the lender of the builder, they were, they received incentives.
So they got their closing costs taken care of. They got other things. So when it was all said and done, they got some. A brand new home in the price range where they wanted.
It's funny, they paid $2400 a month rent. Now they paid 2250 on a brand new home bigger than the home they're living in. And they're so excited. We did the inspection yesterday.
[00:09:00] Speaker B: Wow, that's awesome. That's, that's exciting. I'm glad to hear that there are some programs still out there that they're trying to massage because of, obviously the increase that we saw, you know, these last several years, people were, you know, buying like crazy at 3%, and now we're at, you know, 6, 7, whatever that it is. I don't even know at this point.
But that's wonderful. And I'm glad, like I said, I'm glad to hear that there's people offering different programs to help with some of that, offsetting some of that, so people can afford it. Yeah.
[00:09:30] Speaker C: The big thing is to go with somebody or work with a realtor that understands what's going on out in the public. Right.
Had I not visited the builders, found out, kept up with their programs, find out, you know, what fits the needs of the buyer, I wouldn't be able to show it to them. Ultimately, they make the decision because, you know, I want to make sure and tell them, look, I just want you to be happy where you live. It's not my, my opinion is is has nothing to do with anything. You know, I just want to show you what you want and that will help you long term.
[00:10:09] Speaker B: And that's what, that's the guidance that they need. They don't, you know, it is their choice, but sometimes they, you know, like you said they, they get confused and they don't know all the options, you know, that are available. So someone like yourself knowing that and having that information, obviously extremely helpful for this, this couple or family.
So that's, that's awesome. Okay, well, before we go to break, I would, you know, want to make sure you have the opportunity to share with everyone where they can reach you, whether it's through online social media. So if you want to spend a minute or two here, get sharing that with them, please let us know where we can find you.
[00:10:45] Speaker C: Sure. My phone number is 832-541-7545.
I'm located, my office is out of Cypress, Texas.
It's on Mason Road. But I'm also Ricky chavezarygreen.com I'm, I'm on social medias.
Lucky for me, I have somebody that knows social media because I'm not really great at it. But my office manager does an amazing job of putting this out there.
But my team speaks seven languages, so it's very good that we can help you.
[00:11:19] Speaker B: Right. Well, thank you. Thank you so much. So we will be back, so stay with us. Okay. We're going to talk with Ricky some more. And we're back.
[00:11:26] Speaker A: I'm Kimberly diamond and you're watching the Human Factor on NOW Media Television. Let's dive back into today's conversation.
[00:11:37] Speaker B: Welcome back. We're with Ricky Chavez. We're going to dive into the importance of trust in real estate and what to look for in someone who's really on your side, you know. So, Ricky, what are the signs of an agent that is truly has your back in the home buying process available?
[00:11:55] Speaker C: You know, I think one of the biggest challenges I hear from a lot of the clients and I've had clients come to me that have been with other or talked to others and there is just availability. You know, I'm going to answer the phone whenever. I mean, I manage expectations, but the real expectation is when they need to talk to me, they need to talk to me. So you need to have somebody available to them to help them because, you know, who knows what time they start thinking about something that they really need an answer to.
And, and if you, they can't get a hold of you, it's kind of, it's scary. It makes it even scarier for them.
So, you know, I think very, a very important thing is to be available.
[00:12:43] Speaker B: I agree with that. Again, my experience is if there was a question or a concern, you know, and you really needed an answer, you would get a little antsy. And a lot of these transactions are time sensitive to begin with. Right. If people have to get information back and forth in a certain window of time, solidify the contract. So. Yeah, absolutely. Availability. Because. And I've been very fortunate. I worked with some really great realtors, were always on, God bless them.
[00:13:10] Speaker C: Right.
I think the other piece is, I think the other piece is, is situation. You know, I, I had opportunity to work with people that have. Going through changes in their lives, you know, whether they're splitting up or they're divorcing. And then, you know, you have to be cognizant of their emotions, what's going on with them, and put them in a communication where everybody can communicate and maybe they can't talk to each other one on one, but they need to have visibility on what's going on.
So that's a big deal. And it's okay to tell them, I don't know, don't make up an answer. I think one of the things I'm avoid.
Yeah. So one of the things I'm proud of is I've had people tell me, ricky, the thing I like about you is you don't know everything, but you'll find it's the answer that's. Everything changes so much. You know, I get the information, I. If I know it, I know it. If I don't, it's okay to tell them, hey, listen, I'm going to check into it. I'll get you back. But then the timely response is also important.
[00:14:14] Speaker B: Yes, absolutely. Well, then how do you, how do you build trust with people who've had bad experiences?
[00:14:21] Speaker C: Well, I mean, one of the crazy things people say is, well, honestly, or just, you know, I just tell them, let's walk through this journey. I need to know what's important to you. I take notes and I make sure that they know that I'm on top of it with them.
And, and I want to make sure that they can give me feedback, good, bad or ugly. I don't take it personal. This is a very, very important part in time in their life. So they shouldn't feel like they can't say anything. So I want to make sure that that happens for them.
[00:14:59] Speaker B: And yeah, that's, you're right, because it's a different situation for, for pretty much everyone. You know, sometimes this is a very exciting time. Some at times it's just a life transition, so it can be different.
Well, what should, what kind of questions should someone ask when they decide to choose an agent? And I think this is very important because some people don't ask any questions.
And they just make assumptions and sometimes they don't end up with the best advice.
[00:15:26] Speaker C: Well, so I, I, I think I read a statistic recently where a high percentage of, of people go with the first realtor they speak with.
So maybe ask them, you know, how long they've been doing it, how long been a realtor. Are you doing it full time or part time?
Because.
[00:15:45] Speaker B: Right.
[00:15:46] Speaker C: I think the last number I saw in Houston, there's about 40,000 realtors in the Houston surrounding area.
And I also heard recently that real estate is the second most attained license in the state of Texas, other than driver's license.
So everybody's brothers, cousins, uncles, best friend are realtors.
So you know, and don't and ask them, hey, you mind if I talk to some of your clients?
You know, can you give me a referral?
Those are some of the things and definitely, if you go on to, you know, everything's in Google. Look up the reviews, see if they have reviews, you know, see what's going on with them, see what kind of homes they've been selling.
And those are some important things that, you know.
[00:16:33] Speaker B: Yeah, I, I agree. You have to ask how long they've been in business.
Is this their primary focus or is it a secondary source of income? Right. So you can kind of understand how much time they have available to them in their experience level. So I agree with that.
So trust matters more than anything in that, in your business. I mean, this is a huge, potentially very large purchase. It's a strong financial commitment, you know, sometimes for the next 30 years, depending on the person's, you know, agenda there. So how do you, how do you build that trust? It sounds like you, you know, communication sounds like it's top of the, top of the, the list for you, but what else do you do?
[00:17:16] Speaker C: Well, you know what, I, I check up on them, I call them, I, I make sure that they're doing all right. I give them weekly check, you know, status reports on if I have their house listed, what we've done to, you know, to market their home, things like that.
I think the big thing is provide them with resources. We need to be the resource for them. Because I sell homes, you know, I don't really stage them. I mean, it's, that would be a horrible thing because, I mean, if my wife didn't dress me, I'm not really sure what I would look like. And that's the joke, right? I was in the army for 20 years. I knew what I was wearing every day right then I went to corporate America and I was pretty much close to that. And now it's like, you know, I. I do kind of me. And sometimes it doesn't look right together, but so I get a stager. I don't take photograph. I don't take pictures. That's not what I do. So I have a photographer. I can't really fix anything. I can break stuff, but I really can't fix. I have a. I have a guy that can fix things. So you have to build. I build my team so that I could have had. The funny thing is, I have a guy, right? What do you need? I have a guy and make sure that they're available and that they're available to the clients so that they can make decisions.
And I provide them resources. That's a big thing.
Have resources available for them.
[00:18:43] Speaker B: And I'm sure you have those relationships with. I mean, it's, you know, obviously appraisers now. It's a little bit different than it used to be back in the day, but you still have trusted people, you know, survey people, you know, people that can, you know, if there's particular appliances that might be looking like, you know, they might need to be replaced and that sort of thing. So having those people, like you said, you know, shows, you know, the, Your trust and your commitment to helping them. So I think that's. That's great. And that's. That's nothing worse than a realtor saying, well, I don't know, you're just gonna have to find somebody.
Okay, well, thanks.
[00:19:17] Speaker C: Well, I mean, you know, I moved a lot in the military and corporate America also, so I understand this strain.
So mine is to relieve as much of that strain as much possible.
[00:19:33] Speaker B: Well, do you have a particular story where honesty made all the difference? You know, a particular family you worked with and it, you know, like I said, just made the difference. I think you kind of touched on it with one of the.
The family that you found the new home build for. But is there anybody else you can share a story about?
[00:19:51] Speaker C: Well, I think it's going to be another new build. And here again, it's going through the inspection spot. And a lot of people, okay, so builders, they build it and then they go through their third party, their inspectors also, so that they can move to each level.
And I always recommend that when you buy a house, you inspect it whether it's brand new or not, because homes are built by man.
Man has good days, man has bad days.
Okay, so in one situation, and it happened probably three or four months Ago, you know, my, my, they were on the fence about paying the extra cost because that's another 500, 600 out of your pocket that you're going to pay for this inspector and brand new house. What could really be wrong? Well, interesting enough, they, he found that one of the windows was not the right fire rating based on the closeness to the fence.
And, and when we did the inspection, he, he, he found that, and when we brought it to the builder, the builder was very apologetic. They said they made a mistake, they replaced the window.
But that was, that could have been a big deal. I mean, I don't know.
So had they not had the inspection, who, they may have never known or ever found out that that was a right or wrong window. But that's.
[00:21:21] Speaker B: But you're right, some people don't like, well, what's the per, it's new, it's a new build. Like you said, there are good days and bad days. You know, it's not, you know, it's not one person. It's a group that's building that home and some of those people can not be having the best day, as you mentioned. Yeah, well, thank you. That is great advice. It sounds like you really think long and hard about how you can support your clients and that's, you know, that's very important. Like I said, this is an emotional buy.
This is a huge expense for people. So it really needs to be looked at very closely and with integrity.
So before we go for go to break, for those who want to find someone they can really trust, like Ricky, what where can they follow you and your team or reach out?
[00:22:07] Speaker C: So I'm located in Cyprus, but I literally have houses listed from Willis, Texas to Galveston. I have a team of six. We speak seven languages.
You can locate me on Cypress. Realtor Gary Green and Ricky Chavez is 832-541-7545. I think they're pulling up the, my website on here. It's still serving.
So come, come give us a call. Let us, let us talk to you and maybe we can help you take that next step to your journey.
[00:22:43] Speaker B: Thank you.
All right, so we'll be right back after this break.
[00:22:50] Speaker C: Perfect.
[00:22:51] Speaker B: Stay with us.
[00:22:53] Speaker A: We'll be right back with more stories, insights and, and real world strategies for leading with purpose.
This is the Human Factor on NOW Media Television.
[00:23:02] Speaker B: We're back.
[00:23:03] Speaker A: I'm Kimberly diamond and you're watching the Human Factor on NOW Media Television. Let's dive back into today's conversation.
[00:23:13] Speaker B: Hello, we're still here with Ricky. Ricky's going to talk to us about bringing clarity to one of the most overlooked parts of real estate, the emotional weight and loneliness people feel during the process.
People can get very scared. And sometimes if they're not with a partner and they're doing this on their own, I'm sure it can be very lonely and scary. So why do you feel like people. Why do people feel so alone when they're buying or selling a home?
[00:23:37] Speaker C: I think the big thing here is that they're scared. It's just fear of the unknown. They don't know what's going to happen. Everybody has a war story about something, you know, and reality is a lot of the sales are kind of along the same line. You know, you get qualified, you do, you find something, you do the inspection, whatever. But along the line, there's always something's different about everyone.
So just because somebody had a bad experience doesn't mean you'll have one.
And I think you asked me something on the earlier segment that I wanted to come back to and is how you know how to build trust. And the realtor has to be able to tell you even things you don't want to hear.
You have to be truthful. Totally.
And I definitely had experience with that a while back where I had a conversation with one of my clients, and we didn't agree.
But ultimately I work for them, so I'm going to do what they want me to do because I work for them as long as it's legally, morally, and ethically good. But she was unhappy, and then so she left.
And just recently she called me. She's like, ricky, I made a mistake. I talked to somebody else, and now I know why I stick with you. You have to be able to tell them what's going on and be truthful, not belittling, not disrespectful, which I never would be because this honestly is their situation. But I want to be able to share that and let them know, hey, I got your back.
But you got to know the truth.
[00:25:20] Speaker B: And then it's up to them to make the. The decision they need to make. But like you said, without that honesty.
Yeah, you don't. I wouldn't want you not to tell me something and then learn about something I needed to know at a later date.
[00:25:32] Speaker C: No, that's true.
[00:25:34] Speaker B: That would not be.
[00:25:35] Speaker C: The other piece is having so many agents out here. I had a situation, probably an October, November time frame. I was working with a couple that were splitting. Now, I know the. The one partner very well. The other one I knew also, but because they were splitting. It was a little craziness going on. I mean it was like they were. They were very unhappy with each other. So it was very hard for them to communicate.
So the. One of the partners had another realtor and I went out to talk to them about the price of the house. That's one of the biggest challenges right now. Everything's flat in the market right now and everybody has emotional connection to their home. Even I did before I became a realtor. My wife was a realtor. She was selling our house. And I'm like, why are you giving our house away? I think it's worth more. I mean I didn't know where to go now, but I wanted more for my house.
But anyway, so I met. I met with a couple and, and we talked about what the market says, the house was valued and I just did it on the comps. But somebody had told the partner, well no, the house is worth much more. So basically I give you numbers. I told them there was worth about 850ish.
The other person said 995.
Do you see what a big disparity there is? That numbers.
[00:26:58] Speaker B: That's huge.
[00:26:58] Speaker C: So there's. So at that point there was a lot of emotional things going on. So coming back to something you said on the earlier show, I have a person that I use for appraisals all the time. So what we agreed, we do an appraisal and I will pay half of the appraisal at closing. But I want them to manage expectations. I want them to understand the value of their home.
Because if somebody comes and buys it and they finance it, that's the number. Now somebody comes with cash, it's going to be a little different. So the appraisal came in at 850.
We listed it because I do what my clients ask. Listed it for 9:30, which was still way above what the appraisal price was.
[00:27:43] Speaker B: Right.
[00:27:43] Speaker C: But that's my commitment to my clients. We managed to a plan to bring it closer. If we didn't get anybody to come out look at it. They got a cash offer for 920. We closed at 9:10. So they made $60,000 over. But the point is they understood the process at that point. But everybody was really emotional throughout the process.
And because I'm the third party, I was able to facilitate that journey. Were at. They were both happy at the end.
So I mean you just got to be able to talk to people and not always tell them what they want.
[00:28:21] Speaker B: That's right, exactly. Because you would be sitting There. And people wondering why their house wasn't selling.
And, you know, then. Yeah, there. That is. That is hard for some people to understand. You know, the difference between what people think their house is worth and what you. When it comes to the financing side of things. Right. This is all that can be financed. This is all the bank says it's worth. You might think it's worth more. Okay, great. We'll hope that somebody also feels the same way. But, you know. Yeah.
[00:28:47] Speaker C: So there's a buyer for every house.
[00:28:49] Speaker B: 100% there is. And you can wait. You can, you know, depends on your timeline there. So. So how do you walk with your client? So they never feel abandoned.
[00:28:59] Speaker C: I talk to them regularly. Either text them or I talk to them. I. I'm very fortunate. My office manager is my daughter. Okay. And. And we're involved in everything, you know, together. So she's catching my back. I'm catching this. We're always finding out what's going on, how they're doing, what questions they have, and we're just holding hands all the way through. It's because it's important, because it's emotional. You know what I mean? It's an emotional situation.
[00:29:30] Speaker B: Emotional situation.
[00:29:32] Speaker C: So.
And sometimes the other side are not as respondent. So you have to, you know, help them pad that, you know, so that they. They don't feel like it's all not going to happen. It's going to happen.
[00:29:49] Speaker B: Right. You're right.
Everybody manages their business differently. So like you said, you may be communicating very frequently, like you said, with them, but they're on the other side. There might be a different story which can create the fear of what are they thinking, what's happening, you know, and that.
[00:30:07] Speaker C: Is it going to work? Is it not going to work?
[00:30:10] Speaker B: Are they going to. Yeah, exactly. Exactly. Well, then, so what role does emotional support play in your work? I mean, I mean, you know, you talked about that, but you know what, what's that role for you as far as emotionally supporting your clients?
[00:30:24] Speaker C: Well, that's kind of weird because I'm. I tell you, being military, I moved a lot.
And, and so that means I packed and unpacked U Hauls and houses. And now people feel very overwhelmed.
You know, they, they're. They're. They put the house on the market, but they really have no place to go through that.
I always ask, what is your exit strategy? They're like, what do you mean? I'm like, you want to put your house on the market, but you. You haven't found anything you liked, What Happens if your house sells. What's those stuff look like?
You know, just recently helped somebody with the moving company so that they could get everything moved and moved to the other place so that they could set their house up to sell. So it's just.
We've sold quite a few homes and different situations. So we talk. We walk them through step A to step Z.
We know some letters will be out of place, and we talk them through what's going to happen, how we can fix it. And they always know that they have a question and they have a concern, and they're just upset.
Call me, work it out. We can figure it out.
So, I mean, this happens to everybody. And let them know that they're not the only one that feels this way, because sometimes they feel like they're on an island by themselves.
And you don't. You got to make sure that that's not the way you feel.
[00:31:59] Speaker B: Yeah. And then when you're. And I. I've had this experience with my realtors, which has been great, is how do you check in with your clients beyond just the business part? Do you stay in touch with them? You know, check in on them? What's your process after this? The transaction has, you know, been closed, and everybody's happy.
[00:32:15] Speaker C: You know, we. We.
No, that's a great question. We definitely check in. We have client appreciation events where we invite in everybody. We offer them the opportunity to do housewarming so that they can present the house to family. We sponsor that. You know, we just keep involved. Matter of fact, Saturday, I'm going to a crawfish at one of the families that they've been just. They just moved in. They're bringing all the neighbors in. So.
Well, barbecue is. They're from Louisiana, so it's going to be a Cajun surprise is what they told me. But, yeah, just stay really involved.
Having been military, we're always kind of by ourselves. We don't have no direct family around us. Right. So whoever we meet becomes our family. That's kind of the way we run our real estate. You know, you got new family members. Kind of, whether you like it or not, we're here.
And we still get calls from people all the time.
[00:33:08] Speaker B: I mean, and I know that military communities stay tight and that. That. I think that's a wonderful, you know, a wonderful group for people to rely on that you go through these. These same experiences as, you know, you all. So you can talk about it and. And you can get different resources and different communications through these groups that you, you know, that do Go through this on a regular basis. That's, that's, that's one of the great things about the military community is that they are, everybody shares like, you know, and they're very helpful.
Very helpful. I have a community here that I'm very good friends with of individuals. They all were in the military together and they're still, they still are together in a community, but none of them are any, are active military anymore, but they're all still together. Yeah.
[00:33:51] Speaker C: Right.
[00:33:52] Speaker B: Very, very helpful.
Well, we got into this party where we would love for you to share with us how they can find you, how your team can support them in this journey. And so if you wouldn't mind giving us a few minutes to share how we can find you on your website and so forth.
[00:34:11] Speaker C: Yeah, Again, my number's 832-541-7545.
You can find me in Cypress, Cypress area Realtor Ricky Chavez. The Ricky Chavez team definitely find me on Google, check out my reviews, you know, see what's going on.
We're, we're pretty active. We do a lot of stuff in the community. We work with the Miracle League here, which is kids 18 teams with kids with disabilities. Disabilities, which is amazing. So if you want to get involved in that, that'd be awesome.
[00:34:42] Speaker B: Wonderful. Well, thank you and stay right there. We'll be back with some more conversations with Ricky.
[00:34:52] Speaker A: We'll be right back with more stories, insights and real world strategies for leading with purpose.
This is the Human Factor on NOW Media Television.
[00:35:02] Speaker B: And we're back.
[00:35:03] Speaker A: I'm Kimberly diamond and you're watching the Human Factor on NOW Media Television. Let's dive back into today's conversation.
[00:35:13] Speaker B: Welcome back to close out our conversation with Ricky Chavez. He's joined us again to talk about hope and the possibility for those who think home ownership is out of reach. And I'm sure a lot of people felt that way from time to time, especially with the changes in the mortgage rates these days. Ricky, what do you say to someone who's afraid they'll never be able to afford a home?
[00:35:34] Speaker C: Well, I, I mean, I tell them it's always a possibility. I mean, you just, we need to sit out. What is it you want from, I mean, it, it depends on that. I had a conversation earlier today with a lady that called me. I talked to her two years ago. Somehow she called me out of the blue today. And their rent, their, their lease is up next week. I'm like, well, you know, where are you at? Well, I'm not really sure where my credit's at.
I Said, look, the first thing you need to do is know your numbers, right?
The next thing you need to do is talk to a lender, not Google, not anybody, talk to a professional, let them walk through the numbers, let them put a plan together for your journey, you know, so that that happens.
Make a want versus need list, what is it you want versus what is it you need? You know, I mean, and make sure that you have all the ones. But understand out of those wants, what is it you actually need so that, you know, your first house may not be this big thing that you envision, but it's going to be yours. Because, you know, we were talking about the interest rates, right? Well, if you're paying rent, that's 100% interest, that's going away, that's going to somebody else, Right?
[00:36:49] Speaker B: Right.
[00:36:51] Speaker C: Make sure that you help them understand the market. And for that you go with a trusted professional that knows the market, knows what's best going to fit you, you know, and they're not just there to sell a house.
Where do you work, where do you play, where do your kids hang out? And find someplace in that area to make it very comfortable for you and just build that plan for that journey.
[00:37:17] Speaker B: That kind of leads into some small steps. Is there any additional small steps they can take to get started outside of, you know, meeting with the, with the mortgage professional? I mean, I think maybe you hit on that maybe really understanding where they need to be.
[00:37:31] Speaker C: Understand your numbers, where are you at? You know, the one thing that people heard the word but don't understand is debt to income.
You know, that's it. I'm sure you dealt with that a lot as a mortgage professional. Right?
[00:37:44] Speaker B: It's a, it's an interest. Yes. It's trying to explain that to individuals. It can be trying at times.
[00:37:50] Speaker C: Yes, you can have a great, an amazing credit score, but your debt to income is very challenging.
So, you know, I'm going to go back to the mortgage professional. I know you say other, go to that person, put the, get the plan and follow the plan.
Know what the final, the end of the journey is. What? Have a house.
Right. And, and, and be okay with finding a house that's fits your needs, but maybe not the great house that you envision for the end, but start somewhere and then in a couple years move to the next house in the next house. I think the, the average is five to seven years is how long people stay in a home.
[00:38:37] Speaker B: That's right. So that's, that's another thing is how long are they going to Stay right. Like when they're looking at where they want to buy, how long do they plan on being there? I think it's like, especially with people who have children, like will their children do they want their children to go to school there for the next, you know, 12 years? You know, there's lots of different things. Yeah, you're right. And then the mortgage that, talking about the debt to income, people are just like, I don't understand. And I said it's called risk.
If you're too heavy weighted over here, you're, you're a risk for the lender. And they're, they're like, I'm going to make my payment.
But average says potentially there might be, you know, a challenge if things get tight. Yeah, but always understand.
[00:39:24] Speaker C: Yeah, but always understand.
No doesn't necessarily mean no. It means maybe not yet.
[00:39:31] Speaker B: Not yet. Right. Either massage the numbers or you know, you have a car and it's going to be paid off in six months from now, which is going to change your debt to income and you're going to keep the car. You know, so all of a sudden that's $500 a month, say just for an example, that now that they can look at, towards a house, it makes a difference and that's six months away. So yeah, those are, yeah, lots of those conversations right there with you.
[00:39:57] Speaker C: It's always possible.
[00:39:59] Speaker B: Yes, it's possible and like you said, it may, it just might not be right now.
And if I think if you give the people hope and you give them a plan of action, whether it's to do certain things to improve their credit score or to do certain things to, to alleviate that debt to income ratio and you give them that roadmap, then they have something to work towards. When they don't know, they don't know. So they just come into it blind. So, so I agree with you there. Well, are there particular tools or resources that can help people more than they realize?
[00:40:29] Speaker C: Well, yeah, sure. So if you're renting and you had a good history, your landlord can actually submit your rent to the, the credit bureaus and that helps build. There's what they call, I think it's called non traditional credit lines. Even your cell phones, you can, that's why the mortgage professional is so important.
And as I can tell you this, but I just know in passing, based on my conversations with the professional. But that person can sit down, look through everything and say, hey, do this, do this. And if you follow those, your credit scores will go up. Right.
And if that's the Challenge, that's that. And if you pay off the right bills at the right time, that'll change your debt to income. And before you know it you'll be calling me and I'll come help you find the place that you love and we'll get you a home. But it's just don't feel like it can't happen. It will happen. But you have to follow some steps, right?
[00:41:33] Speaker B: You do have to follow some steps. And it, like you said, it's great advice too. And I think in this day most people are no and people, professionals like yourself make sure people do get pre qualified and hopefully the person that they're talking with is walking them through those steps so that they don't have any of those surprises or confusion, you know, or panic.
[00:41:52] Speaker C: So I think one of the, one of the jokes we say is, you know, you marry the home, you date the rate, right?
[00:41:59] Speaker B: Yep, that's true.
[00:42:01] Speaker C: So rates change, you can refinance if you need to.
But I'm old enough to know once upon a time I think our first house was like 14 or 15%.
[00:42:13] Speaker B: You.
[00:42:14] Speaker C: Know, so I mean 6, 7% still good. We're never going to see 2 or 3%.
[00:42:19] Speaker B: I don't think I, I don't think we will either. I agree with you. I, I would like to see it settle around 5. I think 5 is a nice number. I think it's in a manageable number and the housing market settles a little bit as well. I think that you'll, People, you know, in all these things need to level out about the extremes to one side or the other. So I guess we'll see. Time will tell on that.
Well then how do you bring hope to people who have been told no?
[00:42:47] Speaker C: We sit down and talk to them and when they say no, you want to know where they're at. Talk them through it, find out what they're looking for, manage their expectations.
Right. That's the big thing. Find out what, what was, what were they said no to for, you know, I mean, right. And, and then, then come up with a plan to change that no to not yet and then to a yes.
But constant communication let them know that they're always welcome to call me whenever, whenever there's any changes. You can do temperature checks all the time and sometimes I just put in the car and tell them that we go look at some houses and, and some people say, well Ricky, that's.
That either is a waste of your time. It's never a waste of my time. I love it. That's What I do, I'm retired. This is fun for me. And seeing people get there, I mean, it's amazing, right?
And sometimes it, it rekindles the motivation for them to start following that plan again, you know?
[00:43:55] Speaker B: Yeah. I think that's wonderful because you're right. They might get discouraged because they've talked to other people and it's just not the time yet. But if you keep, keep, you keep them encouraged, then they will hopefully potentially stay on the path to get them where they want to be. Yeah, absolutely. That's great. That's very nice. Because there's a lot of people that would not do that. And we all know that the realtors will be like, unless you're buying, I'm not taking.
[00:44:19] Speaker C: And sometimes I can understand their mentality, but I don't agree with it. But this pays people's bills. This doesn't pay mine.
You know, my team, I, I. One of the things I tell my team is don't chase money. Take care of people.
You take care of people, the rest will work itself out, you know, And I know you've asked me before. I just helped a young lady, a single woman, just closed on a house two months ago.
She's been calling me for two years.
Two years we've been talking and we've been doing things. Her income really didn't change.
She made some changes to her spending habits because she's a shoeaholic, you know, but anyway, you know, she made some, some slight changes and, and she listened to the lender and we just, we just got into a brand new home.
[00:45:17] Speaker B: Oh, wow.
[00:45:19] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:45:19] Speaker B: See, I mean, like you said. But it's wonderful that you're offering that continued guidance. It's not just about the transaction, you know, it's not just about you selling them a home. It's, it's a huge step for any individual or, or couple or family. And so it's very important that they have someone they can trust, someone that they can confide in and ask questions of that will be there for them. Because it, it is, it's a huge undertaking in many ways. And there's things that can happen, derail the whole thing. And if they don't have the right person there with them through that derailing, then it's, it's, it can be very catastrophic for some people. You know, they just leaves them high and dry. They, you know, I've seen people come up in a, in a moving van and have nowhere to go because the transaction didn't fell apart.
[00:46:09] Speaker C: Yeah, well, I have kids that are at house, they're all buying houses, right. And I want somebody, I want to treat them like somebody treats my kids. I want my kids need to be taken care of sometimes. They don't always listen to the parents, you know how that goes. But anyway, I say that jokingly, but so that's why I treat everybody and, and I tell them, listen, you, I'm in my 60s. So you know, people at, at my kids age are buying houses now, you know, and they're in their 30s and 40s and it's, you know, I want them to go through the same thing. I don't want them to feel any different. So it's very important.
[00:46:42] Speaker B: Well, I think that's wonderful.
Well, Ricky, for someone out there who needs an extra push of hope and direction, where can they connect with you and learn more about working with you and your team?
[00:46:53] Speaker C: So in Google, the Ricky Chavez Team, Cypress, Texas, Better Homes and Gardens, Gary Green and My number is 832-541-7545. I'm very fortunate to be one of the the largest brokers in the city and they're very, very people centric. It's all about helping people.
[00:47:11] Speaker B: Wonderful. Well, thank you, Ricky Chavez, for joining us today on the Human Factor. Your journey integrity and heart centered approach to real estate are reminders that people matter more than just numbers or transactions to our viewers. If you've ever felt scared, stuck or unsure, remember, don't go through it alone. The right people can walk there with you. I'm Kimberly Diamond. This is the Human Factor where we explore the stories, struggles and strength behind every decision. See you next time.
