Why Getting Your Act Together Before You Buy a Home Matters More Than Ever.
Why Preparation Matters More Than Ever
I’ve been thinking about a topic that’s more relevant than ever — why having a coach like me matters when you’re preparing to buy a home.
Back When Mortgages Had a Human Touch
Way back — and yes, I mean typewriters, not computers — people could actually tell their story when applying for a mortgage.
If someone had fallen into debt or hit a rough patch, they could write a “letter of explanation.” Even when automated underwriting (an early form of AI) appeared, underwriters still read those letters and made human judgment calls. I spent quite a few years as an underwriter making those calls.
But those days are fading fast. Lenders are turning to automation because it’s cheaper, faster, and more profitable — and that means less room for individual stories.
So here’s the key: don’t have a story to explain.
Get your act together before you even start looking for a home.
That’s where Home Loan Teacher comes in — helping people prepare before they apply. When your credit is solid, your savings are built, and your payment is realistic, the process becomes smoother. You’ll sleep better at night, knowing your mortgage is affordable and your bills are covered.
What We Learned from 2008
The 2008 mortgage meltdown is a perfect example of why preparation matters.
There was plenty of blame to go around — regulators who looked the other way, greedy investors, banks, mortgage companies, realtors, and yes, buyers and sellers too.
It was a wild time. I worked with many clients through it, and I’ll never forget one loan program often promoted by many lenders: if your credit score was high enough and you had a decent down payment, we didn’t even have to verify your job or funds.
It was literally, “If you can fog a mirror, you get a mortgage.”
When it all collapsed, it hurt everyone — families, neighborhoods, and the entire economy. Hopefully, we’ve all learned from that.
Education Protects People
One of the biggest lessons I took away was this: education protects people.
Too many homebuyers believed that if a lender approved them, they must be able to afford it. In a hot market — with prices rising and rates low — it’s easy to ignore that little knot of anxiety in your stomach that says, “Something’s not right.”
Financial education isn’t part of most school curriculums, and that’s a shame. People aren’t taught how to ask the right questions or how to evaluate what they can truly afford.*
If more buyers had known how to analyze affordability for themselves, far fewer would have risked everything they worked for.
The Market Will Recover — It Always Does
Yes, housing feels out of reach for many right now. But here’s the truth from someone who’s been in this business since 1976: I’ve seen it all.
Housing always comes back. It has to. It’s too important to the health of the economy.
The government knows this — and they’ve stepped in before. Builders know it too — they’ll adapt, innovate, and find ways to make homes more affordable.
And don’t underestimate AI — artificial intelligence is going to accelerate all of it. It’s already streamlining permitting, zoning, and lending. Faster, smarter systems mean lower costs, and that’s good news for future homebuyers.
A Home Isn’t a Car
Buying a home is not like buying a car.
A car is a depreciating asset — it loses value the moment you drive it off the lot and has a short life span.
A home, on the other hand, is an appreciating asset — one that can build wealth, stability, and generational opportunity.
Handled wisely, homeownership can be one of the strongest tools for financial independence.
Handled carelessly, it can destroy wealth just as fast.
That’s why preparation — before you buy — makes all the difference.
My Two Cents
The housing tide will turn. And when it does, the people who’ve already done the work — improved their credit, built savings, and created a solid plan — will be ready to ride that wave, not chase it.
Trust me — it sneaks up faster than you think.
✅ Ready to Get Started?
If you’re ready to start getting your act together, head over to my Free Resources Page — it’s where you can get instant access to practical tools that help you get financially ready for your first home.
👉 Visit the Free Resources Page
You’ll find not only helpful guides like the Homebuyer Prep Checklist but also custom ChatGPTs I build to help you decide if buying a home is even the right move for you. — simple, no-fluff tools designed to make your path to homeownership smoother and smarter.