About This Site and Who Runs It
Program and regulatory figures verified September 17, 2026. Details change; confirm your scenario with us.
A lender's site about a problem most lender sites skip: how to buy the next Texas house before the current one sells.
Why the site is shaped this way
Most writing about buying before selling is produced by people in the real estate side of the transaction, and it focuses on the offer. That is reasonable, and it is their expertise. The part that usually decides whether a move-up buyer can act is the financing, and it gets much less attention.
Texas deserves its own treatment because Texas is genuinely different. The 80 percent homestead ceiling in Article XVI, Section 50(a)(6) of the state constitution, the prohibition on subordinate HELOC financing behind a Section 50(a)(6) loan, the twelve-day floor before closing, the one-per-year limit. National articles about bridge financing simply do not account for any of it, and Texans acting on that advice run into a wall.
What we deliberately do not do here
We do not advise on purchase contracts, contingencies, or how to structure an offer. We are lenders, not licensed real estate agents or attorneys, and that work belongs to people who are. If a page here ever reads like contract advice, it is a mistake and we want to know.
How the figures are sourced
Constitutional provisions come from the text of the Texas Constitution. Lending rules come from the Fannie Mae Selling Guide with the section cited. Loan limits come from FHFA. Where a figure changes annually, the page says so.
Reach us through the contact page, or start with the Texas guide or the three structures.
Frequently asked questions
Are you a real estate agent?
No. Mike Certo is a mortgage loan originator, NMLS #260555, with Cornerstone First Mortgage, NMLS #173855. We finance the purchase. Your agent represents you in it, writes the offer and handles the contract, and those are different jobs held by different licences.
Do you lend across all of Texas?
Yes, Texas statewide. The homestead rules discussed throughout this site are constitutional and apply identically in every Texas county, though property tax rates and local market conditions vary considerably.
Mike Certo · NMLS #260555 · Cornerstone First Mortgage NMLS #173855 · Equal Housing Lender. Educational content about financing, not a loan commitment and not legal, tax, or real estate advice. Texas homestead lending rules, property tax treatment, and loan limits change and depend on your facts; your real estate agent handles the purchase paperwork and your CPA or a Texas attorney handles legal and tax questions. Loans are subject to borrower and property qualification.