Blake Cretsinger

08/10/2026

Parker County Market Update - heading into August 2026

Here's where things stand for Parker County, per the latest Greater Fort Worth Association of Realtors data:

- Median home price: $469,900 - essentially flat, down just 0.3% from a year ago
- Closed sales: up 16.6% year-over-year - one of the strongest sales gains in the whole DFW region right now
- Active listings: down 8.8%, tightening things up
- Months of inventory: 5.4 - a much more balanced market than the frantic pace of a couple years ago

The bigger picture: after climbing above $475K in early 2024, Parker County prices cooled through most of 2025 before leveling out and climbing back into the high $460s/$480s range through 2026. Prices have essentially plateaued - but buyer activity has picked up in a big way, which tells me confidence is coming back into the market.

For sellers: pricing right still matters, but well-priced homes are moving.
For buyers: you've got more selection and more negotiating room than you did a year or two ago.

Curious about your position? Happy to run numbers specific to your neighborhood, just send me a message.

08/04/2026

Closest thing to a real wealth hack?

I’m not one for click bait, but this one seemed appropriate.

In my last post, I talked about how powerful real estate is. It’s easy to conceptualize: loan pay down + appreciation + maybe some cash flow + over a long period of time = at least some form of wealth growth. But in today’s world, how do you even get started?

Hate to be the bearer of bad news – but it is NOT getting easier for young adults to purchase their homes, especially in DFW. There are plenty of reasons for this, but I won’t launch down that rabbit hole.

Let’s look at some basic numbers:

2016 median salary in DFW: ~62,000. Median home price: ~231k. That price to income ratio is 3.75x.

2026 median salary in DFW: ~93,000. Median home price: ~390k. That price to income ratio is x4.21.

Bummer.

BUT, we can sit around and cry about wishing we bought our house when we were 13 and the market was just right, or we can adapt and overcome.

Here’s a tip: HOUSE HACKING.

What is house hacking? You purchase a home and rent out a portion of it to offset your mortgage payment.

The goal isn't to make money on your primary residence. The goal is to dramatically reduce your housing expense while building equity.

You are taking the average Americans largest expense and decreasing it substantially. How do we do this?

1. Buy a house and rent a room or two to a friend. Your mortgage is $3000 (to some of my followers, this sounds wild, but this is reality nowadays.) You rent 2 rooms out for 600 each. Bang, your payment is now 1800 bucks a month.
2. Not a fan of roommates or don’t have the space? Purchase a duplex. Live in one side while you rent out the other side. Duplex mortgage is $4500? Rent the other side for $2000. Now you owe 2500/mo.
3. The Additional Dwelling Unit or ADU – a single family home with some sort of mother in law suite on the property as well. These are a little less common on the west side of the Metroplex, but they're out there. And here’s something that’s interesting: starting in 2026, some borrowers may be able to use documented rental income from an existing ADU to help qualify for a mortgage. So, if an ADU is expected to rent for around $1,000/month, that income could help increase your borrowing power, assuming the loan meets Fannie Mae's guidelines.

Imagine reducing your housing expenses from $3000/mo to $1800! That is $14,400 in savings per year. Or 144,000 over 10 years. And this isn’t even factoring in the loan pay down and appreciation.

But, just like anything else, house hacking comes with risk. If you are counting on that rental income to be able to afford your mortgage, you may find yourself strapped if you have vacancies. You’re also signing up to be a landlord, be ready for those 2 AM wake ups when the toilet is stopped up. House hacking isn’t for everyone – that’s ok. House hacking isn't glamorous. It won't look like the dream home on HGTV. But if you're willing to be uncomfortable for a few years, it has the potential to change your financial trajectory for decades.

The key here is to make sure you run your numbers and that they add up.

If you’re interested at diving into the numbers, holler at me. It may be perfect for you, or I may be able to help you dodge a bullet.

07/30/2026

The home debate – is it an asset or a liability?

Your mom and dad probably told you your greatest asset is a home. They encourage you to buy your first home, after all.. they did it (ha)

Your bro finance advice from TikTok is saying your house is actually a LIABILITY because it doesn’t cash flow! It locks you down, it costs money to maintain. The taxes! They encourage you to invest in their crypto coin or tell you how to become TikTok famous.

What’s the truth? Well, in my opinion, they’re both right. Real estate isn’t inherently good or bad, real estate is POWERFUL. But that goes both ways. If you do things right, your home (or real estate investments) can be your ticket to wealth. Do it wrong, and it could become one of the biggest financial burdens you’ll ever carry. It all depends on how you do it. Let's talk about why.

I mentioned that owning real estate is powerful. What do I mean by that? Several things:
1. You can utilize leverage – Borrow money to purchase an asset you otherwise could not afford with cash.
2. In most cases (not all), real estate appreciates in value – You bought it for $300k and in 20 years its worth $400k (an example)
3. Forced savings – A portion of your mortgage payment goes towards your principle, which increases your equity, which increases your net worth.
4. Potential tax advantages – Don’t ask me, ask a tax expert.
5. Ability to force appreciation through value adds – Renovate your home in a way that increases value.
6. A hedge against inflation – Your rate on a fixed mortgage never changes – rents do.
7. Cash-Flow – This mainly applies to investors but could also apply to an owner-occupied, but I will get into that in another post.

This stuff sounds great right? Well, it's not all sunshine and rainbows with owning real estate. Just like any concept of “power” there is a downside. Here are some of the risks of owning real estate:

1. Buying what you are approved for, not what you can afford – The old “house broke” argument.
2. Buying a house as soon as you save up the down payment – Something is going to break. Something will go wrong. HVAC, roof repairs, plumbing issues, you name it. Problems happen. Downpayment AND an emergency fund is necessary. Don’t underestimate the cost of homeownership.
3. Not planning for the future – Buying that big, beautiful home with you and your spouse's salary, only to realize after your first kiddo your wife wants to stay home. Job loss, career change, etc. Think 10 years down the road, not 10 months.
4. Overpaying and being stuck in a home with no equity and/or being forced to sell before you’ve had time to build any meaningful equity.
5. Lack of liquidity – Your stock portfolio can be sold tomorrow but your home may take weeks or months. There are inspections required, negotiation, transaction costs. Real estate is an illiquid asset.

None of these things make real estate a poor investment. But they do reinforce that buying real estate takes careful planning. How do we go about mitigating these risks?

1. Don’t pay attention to what those around you are doing. Buy for you, not for your friends, i.e., “Keeping Up with the Jones’s”
2. Wait until you have a comfortable amount for an emergency fund. Don’t leave the closing table with 47 dollars in your bank account.
3. Think 5, 10, 15 years down the road.
4. Be willing to wait. The thoughts of homeownership are exciting, but don’t get distracted. Identify your long term goals and stick to them, even if it means waiting on that dream home.

Well, you may be saying “Great, thanks Blake. Easier said than done.”

I hear ya, which brings me to my next point:

5. Whether it be a trusted agent, lender, financial planner, or a mentor in life, surround yourself with people who care more about your long term success than they do closing a deal. Interview multiple agents. Don’t just ask how many homes they’ve sold, ask about how they’d advise a client who may not be financially ready to buy. If they encourage a decision that leaves you without adequate reserves, or paying a monthly that will stretch you thin, proceed with caution. Find an agent that asks more than if you are pre-approved and for how much. Your agent should generally understand your financial priorities, your lifestyle and your long-term goals – not just what the bank pre-approved you for.

A home should strengthen your financial future, not become a burden that holds it back.

Thoughts? Questions? Leave a comment, lets hash it out.

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07/25/2026

Hey everyone, I’m Blake.

I’m a husband, father, a proud Marine Corps Veteran, a firefighter, Realtor®, and a self-proclaimed amateur real estate investor.

While I’m new to the profession as a realtor, my passion for real estate didn’t start with the license. It started years ago when I, as a young Marine, picked up my first Bigger Pockets book on rental properties. That book sparked up an obsession. I consumed every book, podcast, audiobook, and YouTube video I could find on real estate, investing, and personal finance. This Lance Corporal did not want to be broke anymore.

After returning from my first deployment, I decided it was time to put my money where my mouth was. I purchased my first rental property. From that point on I was hooked.

Throughout my time in the Corps, and later at the firehouse, I found myself having similar conversations over and over with my fellow Marines and firefighters. Talking through mortgages, investing, budgeting, VA loans, and whether buying a home was even a good idea in some financial situations. I realized I genuinely enjoyed helping people work out some of these financial situations, whether it be as small as cutting back on spending or as big as whether or not they should sell their house and upgrade.

After years of learning, saving, investing, having some success, and my fair share of failures, I decided it was time to make that passion my profession. I figured if I could bring value to my limited area of influence, I’d be able to bring that same value to clients trying to sift their way through these difficult questions.

I’m no textbook salesman, but I take my fiduciary responsibility as an agent very seriously. Not just meeting deadlines or filling out paperwork, but educating my clients, giving honest advice (even if it means holding off on buying/selling), and helping them make decisions they’ll feel good about years from now. Not making decisions that feel good now, but will leave them financially stretched or full of regret down the road.

My goal with this page is to share practical and honest information about homeownership, VA loans, the personal finance element, and to shed light on the ins-and-outs of the buying and selling process, so you can make informed decisions – whether it be now or 5 years from now.



If you have questions about real estate, investing or homeownership, I’d love to be considered as a resource!

07/24/2026