I am Ben Helstein, Houston's only dual-licensed real estate broker and mortgage loan originator. I negotiate the contract, compare 50+ lenders against the builder's preferred option, and handle every piece from model home to closing day. One point of contact, no handoffs, nothing falling through the cracks.
Live pull from our Houston builder tracker. The headline rate buydowns and credit packages being offered right now. Updated weekly.
| Builder | Price Range | Rate Buydown | Closing / Design Credits |
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Three steps from your first model home tour to closing day, all handled by one person.
I pull a full pre-approval through my lender network and build you a rate-and-payment scenario for the price ranges you are considering. You walk into the model home already knowing exactly what you can afford and what the payment looks like at different rates.
I walk the communities with you. I pull the effective total tax rate, run the blended rate on any buydown, and tell you which incentive actually applies versus which is marketing. Then I negotiate the contract, push back on arbitrary fees, and make sure you do not waive protections the sales rep forgot to mention.
I compare the builder's preferred lender against 50 plus outside lenders in real time. In many cases the outside loan wins even after the builder's incentive. Because I am handling both the purchase and the financing, there are no handoffs, no mismatched timelines, and no finger-pointing when something needs to get done.
Every major Houston builder with current incentives, the 10 trap questions to ask the sales rep, which communities are in MUD districts that add $500+ a month to your payment, and how to tell a real rate buydown from a marketing gimmick. Plus a side-by-side of the builder's preferred lender versus outside lender rates for the last 30 days.
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Most buyers have a separate real estate agent and a separate lender who barely talk to each other. When something needs to happen fast, both point at the other. I handle both, so nothing falls through the cracks. One point of contact from the model home tour to closing, one person accountable for the whole deal.
It is real but it only lasts the first year. A 2/1 or 3/2/1 buydown drops the rate 2 or 3 points for the first year and less in years 2 and 3. I run the blended rate across the full term so you see what the loan actually costs, not just the number on the flyer.
Often yes, even after the builder's headline incentive. I compare 50+ lenders on every deal. When the outside loan wins, you keep more money over the full term of the loan. When it does not, I tell you and we use the preferred option. Either way, you get the math, not the sales pitch.
For most Houston buyers: Conventional with a builder rate buydown, FHA on inventory homes under the FHA loan limit, or VA if you qualify. Jumbo for luxury builds. Construction loans if you are building from scratch on your own lot. I run scenarios across all of these so you pick the one that costs you least over the life of the loan.
Most master-planned communities are in Municipal Utility Districts. MUD tax rates can add $500 to $800 a month to your payment. The builder's sales rep quotes the base tax rate and leaves the MUD out, and the lender uses the MUD rate in the DTI calculation which can actually disqualify you. I pull the effective total rate on every home we tour so there are no surprises at closing.
Inventory homes have the best incentives because builders want them off the books. Build-from-scratch gives you more customization but rarely qualifies for the headline rate buydowns. If your timeline is under 90 days, inventory is the move. If you have 6 months or more, custom may be worth it for the right community. I run the cost and timeline trade-off for both options before you decide.
Let me pre-approve you first. Fifteen minutes on the phone and you walk into the model home knowing exactly what you can afford, what the payment looks like at different rates, and what the builder's sales rep is not telling you.
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