Allen Markel, REALTOR® · Texas Premier Realty

Free Home Guides

The Resource Library

77 plain-language guides on buying, selling, and owning a home — researched, written for the greater Houston area, and free to read. No sign-up, no gate. Pick a topic and open it.

77 guides, grouped by topic. Pick a topic below and only that topic’s guides show — nothing to scroll past. Every guide is a free PDF that opens in a new tab. No email required.

Read one and still have questions?

These cover the general case. Your house, your street and your timing are the specific one — that part is a conversation, and it is free.

(832) 709-2540 [email protected]

Or pick a time and we'll go through your guide together.

Schedule time with Allen

Allen Markel, REALTOR® · Texas Premier Realty

Questions about Library

The library

  • What topics are in the library?

    Plain-language guides on buying, selling, owning a home, loans, and market and timing. They cover the general case in our area, not your specific situation. Use them to learn the vocabulary and the questions to ask, then talk to the right specialist, and to us for the real estate side.

  • Who writes the guides?

    Allen Markel, a REALTOR and consultant with Texas Premier Realty. They are educational and written in plain language, not legal, tax or lending advice. Where a guide touches law, tax or loans, it points you to the right specialist.

What it is

  • What is in the Resource Library?

    It is a collection of 77 plain-language guides on buying, selling and owning a home, written for the greater Houston area and free to read. They are grouped by topic, including getting ready, loans and financing, the buying process, pricing and home value, the selling process and owning your home. Pick a topic and only that topic's guides show.

  • Do I have to pay or register to read the guides?

    No. The guides are free to read, with no sign-up and no gate. Each one is a PDF that opens in a new tab, and no email is required. If you read one and want to talk it through, that conversation is free too.

  • How long are the guides?

    They are short PDFs, usually around eight or nine pages, so you can read one in a sitting. They are written in plain language for homeowners and buyers rather than as technical manuals. If a guide raises a question about your own situation, bring it to us.

First home and getting ready

  • Which guides should I read if I am buying my first home?

    Start with the getting-ready topic, which covers how to know you are ready and what the whole journey looks like, including guides on questions to ask and things to check before buying. Then move to the loans and buying process topics. Reading in that order tends to make conversations with lenders and agents more useful.

Getting ready to sell

  • Do the guides help if I am getting ready to sell?

    Yes. There are topics for getting ready to sell, pricing and home value, the selling process and seller situations. They are a good way to learn the general steps before you decide how to sell. Your own timeline and goals will shape the right path, so talk to us when you are ready to compare options.

Owning your home

  • Are there guides for people who already own a home?

    Yes. There is a topic for owning your home, and others for market and timing. They cover the general case for homeowners in our area. For questions tied to your own property, your lender, your insurance agent or your appraisal district may be the right source, and we can point you the right way.

Situations

  • Are there guides for specific situations, like a move or a sale with complications?

    There are topics called buyer situations and seller situations, with a number of guides each, for circumstances that do not fit the standard path. Look in those topics first. Situations vary widely, so use the guide for the general picture and then talk to us about your particular facts.

Loans and financing

  • Can the loan guides tell me what I qualify for?

    No. They explain the general options in plain language, but only a lender can review your credit, pay records and loan terms and tell you what you qualify for. Use the guides to learn the vocabulary and the questions to ask, then speak with a lender for a real answer.

Market and timing

  • Do the market and timing guides give today's numbers?

    They cover the general case, so treat them as background reading rather than a live market report. For current figures in a specific neighborhood, use the data on our community pages and tools, which refresh from our listing data. We can also walk you through what current numbers mean for your timing.

Limits

  • Are the guides legal or financial advice?

    No. They are plain-language education for the general case. Your house, your street and your timing are the specific one, and decisions about law, taxes or lending belong with the right adviser for your situation. Use the guides to get oriented, then talk to us about the next step.

Next steps

  • I read a guide and still have questions. What next?

    That is normal, because guides cover the general case and your situation is specific. You can schedule time with us and we will go through your guide together. The conversation is free, and starting sooner usually helps more than putting it off.

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