Welcome to Mortgage Talk with Mark Harriston, the program that not only talks about mortgages, taxes, and interest rates, but Mark and his guest talk real estate trends and your home. He also answers your mortgage questions to help you make the right financing for refinancing decisions. Now here's Mark Hairston. Hey, y'all, welcome to a mortgage Talk with Mark Harriston. As you might notice, this is not Mark Harriston on the air today. I'm actually Leona Borslino.
I am his marketing director, and Mark is actually on a little vacation right now, little R and R in Colorado. So today I am on air and actually have brought onto the air with me a special guest. Her name is Kaitlyn Balderis. She's actually my broker at Haven Homes. So say hello, Hello, thank you for having me, and thank you Mark for this opportunity. Yes, I'm very excited to have Kate on here. She's
actually been a guest before with Mark. But like I said, now that Mark's out of town, we're just kind of take over and have two female voices on the air today, So I'm sure Mark doesn't mind too much. But anyway, I know Mark is actually going to be listening in, So what's up, Mark, And I hope you have an awesome time in Colorado, safe flight and enjoy that UT game. So so, yeah, I
really love working with Mark. What stands out to me the most is I love to tell him he's been doing this longer than I've been alive, so since nineteen eighty six, And I think that's important to know because he knows everything. He's been through market cycles, He's been through every kind of situation you can think of, and he knows how to look at someone's file and
find solutions for potential problems with getting qualified. He can look at all the different loan programs, and he's very easy to work with and communicate with. So I really enjoy working with him, and I'm really thankful for the opportunity to discuss this today. Yeah. So, actually Kaylin is actually the one introduced me to Mark. So I actually just got into real estate a little over a year ago. So I am also a realtor and I joined Haven
Holmes with Kaitlin. Actually met her through a Bible study and I had a prayer request, and my prayer request was that I remembered everything on the test because I was really nervous, and I heard it was like a fifty one percent pass rate, and I wanted to pass on the first time, and so I just asked, you know, for prayer from everybody to you know, help me pass on the very first time. And Caitlyn pulled me aside afterwards and she's like, I don't know if you know this or not,
but I have my own brokerage. I got to Haven Holmes and I was like, oh, I didn't actually answer to prayer, right, you can pass the test and then you can work with me. And yes, it's been wonderful ever since. And I'm super proud of you for how much you have achieved. This young lady is a rock star. She's just totally killed it her first year. And I'm very, very thankful to have you at Hey even Holmes, thank you. It's exciting time to get into the industry,
that's for sure. So I actually am grateful I got in after everything was awesome and amazing. Apparently, like the dream years for realtors, I missed it all. Dream in a nightmare a little bit, a little bit, but I missed it all. So I missed the height of all that, but I think that it might actually be good because I wasn't, like I guess, disillusioned of what it's supposed to be like, and so I've had to work a little bit. Yeah, I think harder. Right now,
I would say we're back into a normal kind of market. We call those years the unicorn years. I think it's important for homeowners and potential buyers to understand that was an outlier that is not likely to happen again. We
are back into a normal flow of business. We have a normal cycle in the Austin area that kind of goes when school starts, things slow down and then things pick up right around this time between Labor Day and the holiday day, slows down over the holidays, and then picks back up usually around February, and then goes until school starts again. So we didn't have that during the unicorn years of the COVID market, but we do. Everything's kind of
gone back into normal, so it is still a really good market. I know that a lot of media is negative about it, but I do think that it is a more balanced market. It's more fair for both the buyers and the sellers. I'm seeing a lot of really good deals for buyers out there. Sellers are still you know, making good money. It's really a good market. So I get that question a lot. Should I buy? Should I wait? I think, especially if you're renting, it really is
good to start investing in yourself as soon as possible. The rates have been a big topic. My favorite phrase right now is Mary the house date the rate, you can refinance the rate later with Mark and so yes, but I do think that once the rates start to go down, it's going to be a trigger for people to think it's a good deal again, and then it's going to be crazy again. And there's going to be a lot of
competition in this market. So if you can secure the lower home price now, you can refinance the rate later and still have a better deal on your house. Right Absolutely, I would actually completely agree with this. I was yesterday, I think I was on social media and I was watching some videos and someone said that they thought that the airbnb market was gonna crash everything and cause it all to burn. And I thought about that for a minute because
I've actually been working with quite a few clients and Airbnb's right now. One particular pair of clients are my parents, so which by the way, today is their forty second anniversary, So happy anniversaries to my parents, Dan and Cynthia Borcelino. But anyway, they bought an airbnb last year in Waco, and this was, you know, the first deal that I had done,
and they broke even within ten months. It's amazing. I I am a really big proponent of actually not even consuming media except for from trusted sources because their goal is just to drive fear and so I definitely say look at the people you know and real people and get information that right, because they're still
tons of success in the airbnb market. Absolutely. I actually think it's kind of ridiculous to even hear that, and they're trying to put a lot of regulations on it because people are being so successful in the AIRB and B market, So you really need to look at that, like follow the money. The hotel industry doesn't want people in the airbnb business anymore. They're kind of trying to monopolize that stop from stopping people from being able to do airbnb's.
So that's really what people should be paying attention to. So I try to share a lot of data because data doesn't lie and you know, as long as it's from a trusted source, and so I try to share a lot of long term data. So when you look at rates over decades, seven six is actually pretty low. I mean, if you ask anyone who bought a house in the eighties, like, they are like twelve percent, seventeen
percent, and people still bought houses. So we just got accustomed to a three percent four percent rate because the government was buying the mortgage bonds for fifteen years to get us out of the Great Recession of two thousand and eight. And they're not doing that anymore. So I would say it's probably expected to stay in the fives for a long time at least, but that is still a really good deal when you look at historical data. So data over media
and fear is my motto. Yes, I completely agree with that. Okay, So right now, how would you say you're doing currently with clients and how is business within the Haven Homes? I mean, I kind of know how everything's going with our listeners, don't, So what's going on with Haven Homes right now? Well, I would say it's going really well. You know those couple of years that were really crazy, it has continued to be very successful for myself and the agents at Haven Homes. There's five agents,
and I'm very proud of every single one of them. When I hear a lot of chatter on some of the real term message boards that they're slow, that they can't find enough business, that's not true. With my agents, I've seen them be very busy and very successful, and so I'm proud of them. And for me personally, I follow all the trends, I keep up with all of the market data, and I believe in pricing things really
well so that they don't sit on the market for a long time. So kind of had a good sample this summer where I put up five listings within a month and they all four out of the five sold within a week. One sold within the month, And that really is a great sign of our market that when you price things as actually they sell well. And so all my clients were very happy they were able to move on to their next chapters. And so that's what I'm seeing on the listing side. I'm seeing that
if you are appropriately pricing things, they're selling quickly. For the buyers, I'm seeing them being able to get their closing costs covered. Sometimes again, we had none of that during the unicorn years, but during this market, you know, it can be part of the negotiation, and especially in new construction, they are buying down the rates sometimes and then they're also covering a
lot of the closing costs. So at the end of the day, my goal is to help my clients invest in their future, whether it is their primary residence or an investment property. If you invest in property that over decades is the best long term investment you can make. So we're not talking about short game. We're talking about long game. So if you have to live
somewhere anyway, you might as well be paying yourself, right. If you have extra money to invest, it would be wise to invest into a property, have someone else pay the mortgage for you, and build equity over time.
So I'm very passionate about that. Actually, our tagline for Haven Homes is investing in dreams through real estate, because once you have that equity, you can buy the dream house, or you can get a home equity line of credit, or sell the house and use that equity to start a business, or help your children with college, or pay for weddings or whatever it is that you want to do. You can achieve those dreams through the equity
that you're earning. And I just think as believers, you know, we are to be responsible in the money that God gives us, and so investing it is a wise thing for your legacy, for your future homeowners. I don't know the stats off the top of my head, but homeowners have a very very high level of wealth compared to renters because of their home and the
equity in their homes. So I'm very passionate about that and also teaching the agents that work with me to impart that wisdom to their clients as well. Right, So Haven Holmes is actually located in Round Rock, Texas. So there's any agents out there who are Christians are looking for a brokerage to join that's a little bit smaller. Maybe, you know, you don't really want to go to like Keller Williams, which not thrown shade at Keller Williams or
anything. I was at Keller Williams. It's a great brokerage as well, but it is a different feel. So we are a boutique brokerage. So I started this company. God gave me the idea. I actually asked God
if he was crazy, but obviously it's not. So he showed me how to start this brokerage completely on my own, so I'm not affiliated with any other kind of corporate structure, And he just put these things in my heart of wanting to have a company that helped other people be successful, that had affordable splits and caps, which is a real estate term for how we, you know, get paid and how much we pay into the brokerage, and
just really wanted to provide one on one training, support, coaching, trainings. Just wanted to provide what I felt like were some of the things that made me successful. I started at a small boutique Christian company. I actually started with the realtor that sold me my house and shout out to Jason and Frank. Wouldn't view here without y'all. So I just really appreciated how they trained me and I wanted to take that into my company. And so that's
the goal. The goal is for all of the agents who work for me to be successful. A lot of brokerages will just hire anybody and some you might do a deal or two a year. My goal is for all of my agents to be doing this full time and at the level that they want to be doing it, but they can provide a life for their family that
they wouldn't have been able to otherwise. Right. I'll actually say that I'm now in my second year of real estate, but within the first eight months of working and having my license, I capped, yes, And I think I Kate a little bit there. She wasn't prepared for me to cap so quickly, but I was all about it pleasantly. But we went out and celebrated and we had we went to Jack Allens and had a really awesome dinner
and it was just a lot of fun. And so I also think that Kate does a great job at just making sure that all of the agents that are working there know that they're appreciated. You. I'm like a little mama. I'm like really proud of all of you, and every time you have a success, that just makes me happy. And just want to support all of the agents in whatever ways they need. And I think too, like
when I started this, I have four children. My youngest was one, I mean he was a baby, and so I appreciated that Jason would work around my schedule for training. So you know, sometimes the only time to write the contract or do the training is after the kids go to bed, and I'm happy to accommodate that because I know how hard it is to be a working mom and for you know you, real estate doesn't sleep and it doesn't have normal hours and so right, oh my god, So you just
have to accommodate everybody. But I'm happy to do it. Okay. So if there's anybody out there that's listening that is interested in either listing their home or are wanting to buy, or maybe there's a realtort out there, an agent that's kind of not wanting to be at the brokers that they're working at anymore and might like to join Haven Holmes and be with around people that will pray for you and you know, are you know connected to the Holy Spirit
as I'd like to say, But how can people get ahold of you and Haven Homes and you know, website, phone number and email all that stuff. Yes, So the easiest way is usually through social media. So our name on social media is at Haven Holmes Austin on everything, so Instagram and Facebook primarily. Our website is Haven Holmes Austin dot com. My phone number is five one two nine nine nine seven three three. All of those ways, I'm completely accessible and then you can also check us out and see you
know what we do. I try to make real estate as fun and peaceful as possible. It is listed in the top five most stressful things that people ever go through in their life right behind I think it's death and divorce, divorce and then it's moving and so I part of what God has given me and my personality is just I really want everyone to be as calm and peaceful as possible. So I try to provide that through just expertise and guidance and taking the fear out of it, but then also trying to make it a
little funny because then it just takes away the pressure. But I really do try to impart that to every single client, every single agent, and I work with for There's also on the website if you click buy or sell, that will take you to a page that gives us a little more information about what you're looking for and send it straight to us so we can reach out to you. And then if you're an agent that's thinking about coming over making
a change for your brokerage, you can contact me through there. We can get coffee, we can have a phone call and talk about what it would be like to work together. And I'm always looking for agents that even if you're not an agent yet, if you're wanting to become an agent, I'm happy to have that conversation with you on what it looks like and I'll be
honest and realistic with you. And then for agents that are already experienced, just people with high integrity, you know, biblical principles, just treating others how you want to be treated, always putting the client's needs before your own, having a really hard work ethic because at the end of the day,
we're working for the Lord. So you know, we need, especially if we're going to advertise that we're a Christian company and we're Christian agents, we need to really take that seriously because we don't want to dishonor the Lord. So we need to listen to the Holy Spirit and how we run our business. And so I'm definitely always open to having more agents that fit that profile. Awesome. Also, if you do reach out, please make sure to
mention that you heard us here on the radio at the Bridge. So and if you're looking to get pre approved first, because that's always like the first step is to get pre approved. Mark is a great lender. So reach out to Mark and you can email him Mark at Mark Kirston dot com and
he will take care of you. Yes, And I have a company policy actually that I don't let any of the agents show properties without a pre qualification, mainly because we don't want to get anyone's hopes up on something that they can't have. I don't think that's nice. Thank you for that, Kia, You're welcome. So definitely, if you reach out to us, that's going to be our first question, and it's not for any reason other than we want to serve you well. So then we would connect you with Mark,
who has a super easy process to get pre qualified. And some people get a little afraid of getting pre qualified and I want to take all the fear out of that. It is never a no, it's either a yes or yes if you do these things. So if Mark says, hey, I can't qualify you right now, but if you do this, this, and this, then you're good to go. Then we know how the price range to show you in houses, We know that you can actually have something
if you find something you want. So it is just all around best practice to do that, and Mark makes it very very easy for you. Absolutely. Actually, I was kind of curious if you could tell one of I mean, I don't know, if you've worked on several deals, with many deals with Mark, let's reflect or have some nostalgia here one of your awesome deals that you've had before, talk about a little bit since Mark. I hope you're listening. Yes, I mean, they're they're all they've all been
very smooth for the most part. If they're not smooth, it's never it's never Mark's fault. So I had some clients they're actually my friend's parents, and they wanted to move here to be closer to them, and it was a little complicated. They had a house to sell in California, and then we were going to be contingent on their purchase here, and there was just a lot of moving parts on it, and it was all being handled remotely as well, because they were still in California. So he just really came
in and handled everything so smoothly. We had a couple bumps in the road on the sales side of their house in California, and he was able to navigate everything really easily, communicate really well. And you know, it's kind of funny because I have a lot of relocation clients and sometimes we don't meet each other until closing, or if they closed remotely, I don't meet them
in person till later. And so I was visiting those clients and Dan and Coco Graham and they said, you know what, we never met Mark and he was so great and I'd love to meet him. And I said, oh, let's do this. So we just recently here. We went out to lunch together, the four of us, and we went to Papados Yes, and it was lovely and Mark treated us, which was very very generous
and kind. None of us were expecting that. And Mark is a very generous, a very very generous person, and so we really enjoyed ourselves and connected and got to put faces to voices. And I just think that speaks a lot to who Mark is as a person and as a businessman that he know he owns the company, he is the owner of Texas Mortgage Source, but he's still willing to go out and men meet his clients face to face, and I just really enjoy working with him. Yeah, I would absolutely
say that. I I don't know if I've met anybody that goes to the links that he does to make sure that his clients feel appreciated. Yeah. So, and that's not just clients for buyers, it's also agents, Yes, definitely. Well. I think another thing that stood out to me working with Mark is he doesn't really advertise like he does stuff like this where people can hear about him, but it's he's providing a service and education through this program. But then on top of it, he just treats his rultures very
well. He does trainings for them, you know, gifts and lunches and and I think that's the smartest way to be in business. My son actually is thinking about being a mortgage lender. I told him, you need to train with Mark. You need to see how he does it, because he's kept this business going through all of these ups and downs of the real estate cycle. And I think he has an excellent business model. Are you talking about your son, Tucker? My son, Tucker. He's seventeen, And
yes, he's thinking about being a mortgage lender. We'll have to mention that to Mark. Yes, so very cool. He's met Mark. Actually he went out to lunch with him and shared with him some stuff about being a lender. Really, we'll see there you go like exactly, that's exactly what
we're talking about with Mark's character. So that's really awesome. Well, let's see what else we mentioned just a little bit of the market going on right now actually have let's see, I just I'm trying to think, Oh, we actually now work in Waco, So I've been having a lot of business in Waco, which is kind of interesting that I've had so many yeas going on in Waco. Yeah, So for Haven Homes, we have a very large market area, so we do all of the Austin area, but we
are now extending, like Leanna said, into Temple Belton Waco. We joined the Waco Board so that we can serve clients up there, so if you have anyone interested up there, we can help them. And then going south, I mean we really can go to San Marcos, we can go out to Dripping Springs, we can go pretty far east and west. Like, we have a very large market area, so if you are interested in any of those more outlying areas, we definitely have people that can help you.
So if you have any questions at all about the areas we work, or how we work, or just getting started, I think that's seems to be a barrier for some people. It's like, how I don't even know where to start, and that's where we come in. We would love to guide you through the process and hold your hand through it. So you know, for buyers, like we discuss, it starts with getting prequalified and then we go over the whole process with you. With sellers, it starts with preparing
your home for listing. You know, usually decluttering a little bit. Maybe I'm just doing some touch ups around the house, and we will guide you through that process all the way. Come in, check in, help you in any way we can, and then you know, list the home and get it sold hopefully quickly. Right. I actually have some clients we're going to probably hopefully be going live in the next two weeks here, and I
just went to their house and they're still in the decluttering process phase. And I also recommended that they powerwashed the outside and their front of their house because it's all white brick, and I mean a simple power awah should really clean that up, make it look sharp. Yeah, it's not as much as people usually think it is to get their house ready, but there's these small things that you can do that are very affordable that like a huge difference difference.
And just I always tell people, we don't call it decluttering, and we call it pre packing because you're moving anyway, so let's just go ahead and put some of it in boxes. Yeah. Absolutely, Also, real quick, a little perk for myself. I'm just going to throw this out here, which, by way, my email is Leanna L. E A N n A at Haven Holmes Austin dot com if you'd like to reach out
to me. But my background is actually in filmmaking. I've been a filmmaker for fifteen years and I've won awards all over the world, a little over forty awards, so for some a documentary that I made called Another Child. But I do offer extra services of making reels. I have a drone, so I can do drone video and I don't charge anything extra for any of that. So I do think that's a little bit of a perk and just
a little shameless plug for myself. Yeah, definitely. And I actually think that if you contact us and you say that you heard us on this program, we'd be willing to give you a credit at closing. So just make sure you mentioned that if you are interested in working with us, a little perk for our friends on the radio. So I'm just so thankful that you had me on today that we could talk about real estate and talk about Jesus. And I just think it's really really cool how God weaves all of our
stories together and that we get to work together so real quick. If you need to get pre approved, that's the first step. Contact Mark Mark at Mark Kirstin dot com. And if you would like to reach out to us because you need an agent, how could make contact UK through the website Haven Holmes Austin dot com. And what's a good phone number to reach you in? Five one two nine, nine nine three seven three three And my phone number, by the way three one zero, five zero, two eight four
or five two. And again I work for Haven Holmes and Kate is my proker and Mark is a really awesome lender that we enjoy working with. So thank you all for tuning in today. Have a blast week. Mark. We hope that you have a safe flight back and when you get back, we're ready to hit the ground filming again. So and uh yeah, I guess that's about it. Thank you so much for tuning on. Last day
by this has been mortgage Talk with Mark Hairston. Mark is a mortgage advocate with Texas Mortgage Source LLC, offering personalized mortgage solutions, fast customized quotes, great rates, and service with integrity. Contact Mark at Mark Hairston dot com Marc Hairston dot com. You can call our text Mark at five one two seven eight nine sixty nine sixty seven. That's five one two seven eight nine sixty nine sixty seven and come back next week for more mortgage talk.