The parts nobody explains.

Practical answers, written out properly rather than left for you to work out on the phone. Everything here is in English and Spanish.

• What documents will I need?

  Nobody enjoys this part. But gathering it early is the single biggest thing you can do to keep a loan moving, and most of what holds files up is not a problem with the borrower — it is a missing page.

• Buying a house when you work for yourself

  Working for yourself is not a problem. It is a paperwork question with one awkward twist, and almost nobody explains the twist until it is too late to do anything about it.

• What happens after you apply

  Most of the worry in a mortgage is not the paperwork. It is not knowing what is happening, or whether silence means something is wrong. Here is the whole thing laid out, so none of it is a surprise.

• Buying your first home in Texas

  Most first-time buyer advice is written for anywhere. This is about the parts that are particular to here — including one that surprises almost everyone buying in a newer neighbourhood.

• Refinancing, and what Texas does differently

  Refinancing means replacing the loan you have with a different one. Whether it is worth doing depends on your situation — but how it works, and what Texas requires, is the same for everybody.

• What your credit score actually decides

  Almost everything written about credit scores and mortgages is a number with a program name attached. That is not wrong exactly, but it is the least useful part of the answer, and it is why people talk themselves out of buying a house.

• Down payment help, and what the strings are

  Down payment assistance is the most misunderstood thing in this business. People think it is free money, or they think it does not apply to them. Both are usually wrong, and the second one costs more.