Elena Garrett, Realtor in Dallas Texas - My Blog

Residential and Investment Properties in Dallas - Fort Worth

Elena Garrett, Realtor in Dallas Texas - My Blog

The North Texas Homebuyer Decision System

A Free Resource Package for DFW Homebuyers by Elena Garrett, Realtor and KW Relocations Member Buying a home is one of the largest financial decisions most people will ever make. Yet many buyers spend months deciding whether they want quartz or granite for the bathroom countertops while never stopping to Read more…


Contract to Close: From Start of Underwriting to Closing

By Elena Garrett, Realtor INTRODUCTION AND THINGS TO REMEMBER Congratulations! If you’re reading this article, you’ve already completed one of the most stressful parts of the home-buying process. You’ve completed inspections, reviewed the inspection report, negotiated repairs or credits, and decided to move forward with the purchase. For many Texas Read more…


The First Step in Rent-to-Own (That Most Buyers Avoid)

By Elena Garrett, April 2026 When people start thinking about rent-to-own, they usually jump straight into the search—scrolling listings, asking Elena to find them homes to visit, and imagining how they would love to be in a bigger, better home. But the CORRECT first step that they SHOULD BE taking Read more…


Top Home Buyer Mistakes (2026 – North Texas Edition)

by Elena Garrett, February 2026 1️⃣ Starting the Home Search Without Understanding True Monthly Costs Some buyers begin touring homes very enthusiastically before knowing (or even being interested in knowing about): • their loan type options and the minimum down payment and any loan points (additional lender fees) they would Read more…


A Guide to Rent-to-Own Options in North Texas (2026)

by Elena Garrett, Realtor, Feb 2026 What Actually Exists in 2026 — and How to Start the Right Way If you’ve been trying to find rent-to-own homes in the Dallas–Fort Worth area and keep hitting dead ends, you’re not imagining things. Most people start the same way: Google searches, Zillow, Read more…


The $130,000 Bling Spot Or The Dog That Did Not Bark

by Elena Garrett, Realtor, Feb 2026 Why Smart People Lose Big Money by Over-Optimizing Small Fragile Things You are about to read one of the stories I repeat a lot, because this story really illustrates several inter-connected logical blind spots that home buyers whom I would call ANALYTICAL or CAUTIOUS Read more…


Buying a Home in Texas: A Clear, Low-Pressure Step-by-Step Guide (2026)

By Elena Garrett, Feb 2026 Buying a home in Texas doesn’t have to feel overwhelming, rushed, or intimidating. In reality, the process works best when you start with clarity, goal-setting, and strategy selection, not paperwork. This guide walks you through the Texas home-buying process in logical phases — from early Read more…


The Emotional Hangover From the COVID Economy — And What it Means for Real Estate Decisions in 2026

By Elena Garrett, December 2025 Across the DFW real estate market — buyers, sellers, landlords, builders, and flippers alike — many people are still mentally anchored and longing for to the COVID-era market of 2021–2022. Not just the memories, but the expectations that those conditions were somehow “normal” — while Read more…


TX Home Buyer Year End Update – 2025

Have home prices reached their lowest point at the end of the 2025? Maybe. Most buyers these days are asking themselves: “If I buy now, am I going to overpay?” We looked at real sales prices in Dallas–Fort Worth area (Collin, Dallas, Denton, Tarrant counties) over the last three years, Read more…


Budget and Credit Conscious Homebuyer Guide 2026 – Dallas Fort Worth And Beyond

by Elena Garrett, Nov 2025 1. Renting Isn’t the Problem — Staying Stuck In a Rental Rat Race Is If you’re renting because life threw you a curveball — income interruption, medical bills, credit dings, divorce, job change, self-employment, immigration status, whatever — you’re not alone. But you are losing Read more…