The Penland Team NMLS #216357

09/21/2026

5.0 star review received on Experience.com for Josh Penland by Melanie R - The process was so easy and the communication was top notch! My cash to Close and my mortgage was way less than others! The team was great and I have support after everything has been signed!

Read more: https://experience.com/reviews/josh-penland-256361/b363b2f5-c13b-43de-abd0-14127c38d89d?V=1789949605&utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=autopost&utm_content=13661091

09/20/2026

5.0 star review received on Experience.com for Josh Penland by David S - Josh and his team were attentive, considerate, and experts at navigating us through this process. I truly felt like Josh cared about getting us the best deal.

Read more: https://experience.com/reviews/josh-penland-256361/e67174c4-7448-4147-8b42-5d6c72c5a2a3?V=1789913732&utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=autopost&utm_content=13661042

09/15/2026

Your mortgage pre-approval letter DOES have an expiration date.

Our approval letters are good for 90 days, but that doesn't mean you have to start over if you haven't found the right home yet.

We make updating it easy.

After 90 days, we'll have a quick 5–10 minute call, make sure nothing has changed, and issue an updated approval letter.

A few other things that make our process different:

• We use a soft credit pull, so there's no hard inquiry until you have a home under contract
• Your application stays active with us for 12 months
• You don't need to reapply every time your approval letter needs to be updated

One important thing: keep us informed while you're shopping.

Changed jobs? New car payment or other debt? Significant change in your assets?

Tell us ASAP. Those changes could affect your approval, and we'd much rather address them before you find the perfect house.

Buying a home can take time. We make it easy to keep your financing ready when the right one comes along.
https://myoc.io/undn7

09/11/2026

If a seller gives your buyer $10,000, should you reduce the price by $10,000 or ask for a $10,000 seller credit?

On a $400,000 home with 5% down, a $10,000 price reduction may lower the mortgage payment by only about $50 per month. But that doesn't mean the price reduction is a bad choice. The buyer starts with a lower loan balance and pays less interest over time.

A seller credit accomplishes something different. It could potentially reduce cash needed at closing, pay discount points for a permanent rate reduction, or fund a temporary 2-1 buydown.

The right answer depends on the buyer.

I put together a new guide comparing the options, including actual examples, seller contribution limits, rate buydowns, and why Realtors should involve the lender before deciding how to structure a seller concession.

Read the full Seller Credits vs. Price Reductions guide -
https://voce.com//seller-credits-price-reductions-saves-homebuyers-aezr52

Seller-paid closing costs can save homebuyers thousands. Learn when a seller credit may make more sense than lowering the sales price.

09/09/2026

5.0 star review received on Experience.com for Josh Penland by Ronald S - Responsiveness, guidance, ease of everything from start to finish.

Read more: https://experience.com/reviews/josh-penland-256361/7c1e2c75-bb51-4b44-9a1e-f82caab3d5ce?V=1788962338&utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=autopost&utm_content=13613134

09/08/2026

42% LOWER taxable value and more than $750 A MONTH in property tax savings.

I just received my property tax savings invoice from Home Tax Shield, and I was thrilled with the results.

On one of my properties, they were able to reduce the taxable value by more than 42% compared to last year.

That means:

• $750+ per month in property tax savings
• A significantly lower taxable value
• A lower base going forward for my Homestead appraisal cap

And here's something Texas homeowners should remember:

Don't wait until tax protest season. Sign up by March.

I personally use Home Tax Shield's Tax Protest Plus service. It's $60 per property and includes property tax protest services, exemption and title monitoring, plus an arbitration review. I've personally gone through arbitration with them before and was successful.

Your final 2026 property tax bill isn't out yet because taxing entities are still setting their rates, but you can start checking what it may look like.

Most Texas counties have a Truth-in-Taxation website or tax estimator where you can review your taxable value, exemptions, proposed tax rates and estimated property tax bill.

Want to learn more? Click the Linktree in my bio → Property Tax Guide or send me a message.

https://myoc.io/undn7

09/01/2026

Your Credit Karma score and your mortgage credit score may be two very different numbers.

I see this surprise homebuyers all the time.

Someone may be monitoring a 740 credit score and feel great about where they stand. Then we check their mortgage credit and the score comes back lower.

That doesn’t necessarily mean anything is wrong.

There are multiple credit-scoring models, and mortgage lending can use different models than the consumer scores you may be monitoring.

In my experience, I’ve seen differences of 20–50 points many times. Every borrower is different, but those points can potentially affect your interest rate, mortgage insurance, loan options, and overall cost of financing.

The good news is you don't have to wait until you find a house to find out.

The Penland Team starts with a soft credit pull, and our Credit Analyzer can help identify specific factors that may be affecting your mortgage credit scores.

My new article covers:

• Why your scores can be different
• How mortgage lenders determine your qualifying score
• Why even 20 points can matter
• What our Credit Analyzer can help identify
• How Rapid Rescore works
• Why checking your mortgage credit early matters

Read the full article here:
https://voce.com//mortgage-credit-scores-explained-score-different-925544

If you’re planning to buy in the next 6–12 months, let's look at your mortgage credit before you find the perfect house.

Your Credit Karma score and your mortgage score can differ by 20–50 points or more.

08/29/2026

5.0 star review received on Experience.com for Josh Penland by Cassandra R - Very communicative and available for all questions. Explained things clearly, organized process and emails every step of the way. I felt taken care of and assured we knew what was happening at all times.

Read more: https://experience.com/reviews/josh-penland-256361/07fccaf3-2754-46f5-aadf-f4234cc94dcf?V=1788018912&utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=autopost&utm_content=13473029

08/27/2026

5.0 star review received on Experience.com for Josh Penland by Tara M - Above all else, problem solving getting approval for non-typical self employment! And of course proactive communication, expectation setting, and ability to distill complicated topics into easy to understand explanations.

Read more: https://experience.com/reviews/josh-penland-256361/13e2b31a-4ad6-4693-b493-7cc346ee09b7?V=1787866509&utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=autopost&utm_content=13467593