She never set out to be a realtor. She wanted to be an artist. Art was her first language. English was her second. But life had other plans, and six years into real estate in Indianapolis, Indiana, Stacey Brown has built something real one client at a time.

On this episode of Troy Talks Money, Stacey gets honest about what the job actually looks like behind the scenes. She talks about the creativity behind negotiation and why contracts are so much more than pushing papers. She shares the money mistake she sees buyers make over and over that kills deals at the last minute. She talks about the deal that almost made her walk away from real estate entirely and what she did instead. And she explains why the renter mindset is one of the most dangerous things a new homeowner can carry into their first year of ownership.

She also said something about home insurance versus home warranties that every homeowner needs to hear. Insurance is for things that could happen. A home warranty is for things that will happen.

This conversation is for first-time buyers, current homeowners, real estate investors, and anyone who has ever thought that buying a home is the finish line when it is really just the beginning.

Connect with Stacey Brown:
Instagram: @staceysolditmeforme
Facebook: Stacey Brown
Email: brown.stacey@kw.com
Phone: 317-732-1001
Keller Williams Realty Indy Metro Northeast

Troy Holt is a Certified Financial Education Instructor, Navy veteran, and debt elimination specialist.

He helps families pay off their mortgage and all debt in five to seven years without refinancing.

Visit TroyHolt.com to book a free consultation.

No pressure.

No pitch.

Just a real conversation about where you are and where you want to be.

She was a military spouse who had done every job under the sun. GS9 manpower analyst. Air Force marketing office. Burger Barn. You name it. When her husband retired early at 15 years, and they found themselves carrying more debt than they planned for, she made a decision.

She got her real estate license, burned the ships, and went all in.

Ten years later, Jacqui Luberto has been named the best real estate professional in Destin six years running. Her brokerage, Realty One Group Emerald Coast, has won Best Real Estate Company five years straight. Her property management company has taken home Best Property Management Company four years in a row. And in 2025, her peers named her Broker of the Year by Emerald Coast Real Producers.

On this episode of Troy Talks Money, Jacqui gets real about what it actually took to build that track record. She talks about the sphere of influence and why most people misunderstand what it means. She addresses the VA loan myths that are costing military buyers money at the closing table. She explains why interest rates should not be stopping anyone from buying right now. And she shares the mindset shift that changed everything for her and for the agents she coaches.

She also built a property management company from scratch that now manages 450 doors, and she did it in a way that most companies in this space are not willing to do. She gave up the listing when owners are ready to sell instead of locking them in.

This conversation is for military families, real estate professionals, aspiring entrepreneurs, and anyone who has ever been told their passion is not practical.

Connect with Jacqui Luberto:
Website: thinkactlead.com
Licensed in Florida and Alabama

Troy Holt is a Certified Financial Education Instructor, Navy veteran, and debt elimination specialist.

He helps families pay off their mortgage and all debt in five to seven years without refinancing.

Visit TroyHolt.com to book a free consultation.

No pressure. No pitch.

Just a real conversation about where you are and where you want to be.

She applied to Navy Federal three times. Got denied three times. Then she showed up to a job fair, sold herself in a last-minute interview, and built a career that took her from collections to teller to mortgage loan officer across multiple states.

Today Shantay Mbu is back in her hometown of Pensacola, Florida, running her own growing property management company. And she is doing something most property management companies in this market are not doing. She is offering owners up to 11 months of upfront rent deposited into their account in three to five days as long as a 12-month lease is in place.

On this episode of Troy Talks Money we got into what property managers actually do that most owners never know about, why self-managing your rental property could be costing you more than you realize, what it really takes to screen a tenant the right way, how her mortgage loan officer background makes her better at property management than most people in this space, and why getting denied is not the end of anything.

This conversation is for real estate investors, homeowners with rental properties, anyone thinking about getting into property management, and anyone who has ever been told no and kept going anyway.

Connect with Shantay Mbu:
Phone: 850-912-9991
Business line: 448-228-7719
Website: www.rpmoceanfront.com

Troy Holt is a Certified Financial Education Instructor, Navy veteran, and debt elimination specialist. He helps families pay off their mortgage and all debt in five to seven years without refinancing. Visit TroyHolt.com to book a free consultation. No pressure. No pitch. Just a real conversation about where you are and where you want to be.

Episode Summary

Nina Hart did not plan to be a loan officer. She was 18, looking for a job, and ended up at a mortgage company because she spoke Spanish. That was the beginning of a career that has taken her deep into one of the toughest housing markets in the country. In this episode of Troy Talks Money, Nina breaks down what it really takes to get a mortgage approved, why credit reports break hearts, and what families in today's market actually need to know before they ever walk into an open house.

• How Nina Hart entered the mortgage industry
  Nina Hart describes her journey starting as a telemarketer at 18, leveraging her Spanish language skills, and advancing to a top loan officer role 00:00:59.

• Skills learned from telemarketing
  The importance of mindset and customer relations: “Always smile first, then dial” 00:01:26.

• What it takes to become a loan officer
  Preparation, structuring deals like a “Jenga game,” and the significance of honesty in client disclosures 00:03:38.

• Understanding debt-to-income (DTI) ratios
  Simplified explanation of DTI, real-world vs. textbook lending ratios, and why full financial disclosure is crucial 00:04:39 and 00:05:26.

• Challenges of the California market
  Discussion around how rising home prices are outpacing incomes and impacting families’ ability to buy or move within the state 00:09:11.

• COVID’s impact on real estate
  How the pandemic affected home buying behaviors, including bidding wars, waived appraisals, and historically low interest rates 00:10:13.

• Manual vs. Automated Underwriting
  The pros and cons, and how certain debts or credit issues can require manual review 00:06:09.

• Emotional challenges in lending
  The heartbreak of denying clients due to credit issues, often beyond their control, and the realities of how U.S. credit systems penalize people for “life happens” moments 00:15:12 and 00:16:08.

• Down Payment Assistance Programs
  Details about California-specific programs (e.g. CalHFA’s silent second mortgage) and how these can be a lifeline for qualifying buyers 00:24:02.

• The mortgage qualification process
  The logic behind seeing a lender before a realtor, preparing financials, and “payment shock” 00:12:09.

• Current mortgage industry challenges
  The increasing necessity for dual incomes, the risks of cosigning, and why credit discipline is more important than ever 00:28:43.

• “Always smile first, then dial. They can hear your mood on the phone.” – Nina Hart 00:01:26

• “Structuring a mortgage deal is like a Jenga game—miss one piece and it can all fall apart.” – Nina Hart 00:03:38

• “A credit report tells you everything from about eight years ago. You can see when ‘life happened.’” – Nina Hart 00:15:12

• “We’re supposed to have equal housing opportunities, but we discriminate all the time based on FICO scores.” – Nina Hart 00:18:14

• “Fifty-year mortgages aren’t a solution—they’re just to create more wealth for the banks.” – Nina Hart 00:22:19

• “Take care of your credit report. Don’t co-sign for anybody, no matter how nice they are.” – Nina Hart 00:29:07

• CalHFA – California Housing Finance Agency

  • Down payment assistance and “silent second” mortgages: 00:24:02

• Nina Hart on Social Media

  • Facebook, Instagram, TikTok: Search “Nina Hart” for mortgage tips and client stories 00:29:34

• TroyHolt.com

  • Book a free consultation with Troy Holt: 00:30:32

• Nina Hart: Loan officer, mortgage guide, and social media educator—active on TikTok, Facebook, and Instagram (search “Nina Hart”).

• Troy Holt: Certified financial educator, debt elimination specialist, podcast host.

Missed something from the show?
Subscribe for new episodes every other week and revisit the episode for more thoughtful insights into mortgages, homebuying, and building real wealth.

If you'd like show notes for additional episodes or have a specific focus, let me know!

Black homeownership in America is down 45 percent. And most families who want to buy a home are being stopped by information that is simply not true.

RaySean Reaves is a Nashville realtor and president of NAREB Nashville, also my cousin.

He joined me on this week's episode of Troy Talks Money to have a real conversation about what is actually keeping Black families out of homeownership and what you can do about it right now.

We covered why home prices are rising faster than wages.

Why is credit being used as a barrier when it does not have to be?

Why the two percent interest rates are never coming back, and why that should not stop you.

And why the people on the internet telling you buying a home is a bad investment are the same people collecting your rent check every month.

RaySean also shared a story from a deal he closed the same day we recorded. A young woman veteran. VA loan. Zero down.

He negotiated forty thousand dollars in concessions on her behalf, and she walked away from the closing table with a check in her hand.

This conversation is for every family that has been sitting on the sidelines waiting for the perfect moment. The perfect moment is not coming. The game plan is.

Connect with RaySean Reaves:Phone: 615-586-0542Email: raysean.reaves@compass.comWebsite: raysean.comNAREB Nashville: narabnashville.comInstagram and Facebook: RaySean Grindhard

Troy Holt is a Certified Financial Education Instructor, Navy veteran, and debt elimination specialist. He helps families pay off their mortgage and all debt in five to seven years without refinancing. Visit TroyHolt.com to book a free consultation.

Most buyers think having a pre-approval means they are ready to buy a home. Rickeshia Odell says not so fast.

Rickeshia is a REALTOR with eXp Realty licensed in Minnesota and Wisconsin. She has been walking buyers and sellers through one of the biggest financial decisions of their lives for over 12 years. In this conversation she breaks down what most people get wrong before they ever make an offer, why you should call your realtor before your loan officer, what upfront costs most buyers never see coming, and how knowing your why makes the difference between someone who closes and someone who stalls.

She also gets into what sellers misunderstand about their own home value, what really happens when a deal falls through, and why her approach has always been about walking with people hand in hand instead of just pushing papers across a table.

If you are thinking about buying or selling a home, this conversation is for you.

Connect with Rickeshia Odell:Phone: 612-839-9509Email: rickeshia.odell@exprealty.com

Troy Holt is a Certified Financial Education Instructor, Navy veteran, and debt elimination specialist.

He helps families pay off their mortgage and all debt in five to seven years without refinancing.

Visit TroyHolt.com to book a free consultation.

More Than a Rate: What a 20-Year Mortgage Banker Wants You to Know.

Most people think getting a mortgage is simple. Find the lowest rate, sign the papers, and move in. But there's a whole lot more going on behind the scenes, and today's guest has been navigating it for over two decades.

Jennifer Ceballos has been a full-time loan officer since 2006. She works with all types of borrowers and specializes in self-employed borrowers, investors, and first-time homebuyers. She is solutions-oriented, well-versed in non-QM loan products, and customer service is at the top of everything she does.

In this conversation, we get into why rate shopping can cost you more than you think, what AI actually can and cannot do in the lending world, and why some of the best loan officers out there are part therapist, part financial coach.

We also break down loan types most people have never heard of. DSCR loans. Bank statement loans. Fix and flip financing. A 0% interest bridge loan. Asset-based loans. No FICO score loans. If you think you can't qualify, you need to hear this episode before you give up.

And if you don't qualify today, Jennifer is going to tell you exactly what to do until you do.

Connect with Jennifer:📞 646-210-5287 (call or text)

Ready to eliminate your mortgage in 5 to 7 years without refinancing?

Visit TroyHolt.com and book your free consultation.

No pressure.

No pitch.

Just a real conversation about where you are and where you want to be.

New episodes drop every other week. Subscribe so you never miss one.

Timestamps:

00:04 -- Welcome and introduction

01:15 -- How Jennifer got into the mortgage industry

05:13 -- The biggest challenges as a loan officer

06:16 -- Rate shopping and what it really costs you

14:08 -- The 50-year mortgage conversation

18:09 -- Will AI replace loan officers?

21:07 -- How Jennifer serves clients nationwide

23:07 -- DSCR, bank statement, and no-doc loans explained

28:44 -- Fix and flip, bridge loans, and more

33:04 -- Final thoughts and how to reach Jennifer

#MortgageTips #HomeLoans #DebtElimination #RealEstate #FinancialEducation #TroyTalksMoney #MortgageBanker #DSCRLoan #FirstTimeHomeBuyer #WealthBuilding

Something changed. And it was time to talk about it.

In this episode of Troy Talks Money, I sit down solo and walk you through the story behind the rebrand, where the old show went, what shifted, and exactly where this podcast is going from here.

I also break down the three things you can expect from this show going forward: real interviews with homeowners and financial professionals, solo teaching episodes on mortgage strategy and debt elimination, and vault episodes from conversations I recorded under the old brand that were too good to leave on a hard drive.

What you will take away from this episode:

• Why The Financial GPS name means exactly what it says
• What this show is and who it is built for
• How to pay off your mortgage in 5 to 7 years without refinancing

Connect with Troy:Website: thetroytalks.comNewsletter: The Financial GPS on SubstackBook a Free GPS Consultation: Book HereInstagram: @Troy_Talks_MoneyTikTok: @TroyHolt67