Talk to the Lender
Program and regulatory figures verified October 10, 2026. Details change; confirm your scenario with us.
Four documents answer almost every question on this site, and in Texas there is a fifth step that comes before all of them.
How to reach us
Call or text Mike at (480) 296-6513. Email mcerto@cfmtg.com. You reach the person who originates the loan, and the conversation is confidential.
★★★ The Texas step that comes first
Before the loan is priced, your attorney and the title company need to settle which subsection of Tex. Const. art. XVI § 50 the lien falls under, ordinarily the owelty at § 50(a)(3).
★★★ That is not us being cautious. Texas homestead protection is constitutional, and a lien that was not properly created is a serious problem for everyone in the transaction. We do not advise on it and we will not pretend to. What the two subsections require.
★★ Then the four documents
- ★★ The deed. It gives the date you both went on title, which decides the agency twelve-month condition. Measured to disbursement
- ★★★ The current property tax bill. Not an estimate. On a Texas file the escrowed tax is a large share of the payment, and whether the $140,000 homestead exemption is in place matters to what one income can carry. The amounts
- ★★★ The draft decree or agreement, while it is still a draft. What the financing needs it to say
- ★★ Any support order, with its end date. Support must be documented to continue at least three years from application to count as income.
★★★ Why "before signature" is the whole message
Two financing requirements need your former spouse's cooperation: the agreement must be signed by all parties, and it must cover the disposition of the refinance proceeds.
★★★ While terms are being negotiated, the other side is engaged, represented and signing anyway. Once the decree is entered and both people have moved on, going back for one more signature can take weeks, and the leverage to ask is gone. ★★ That is the entire argument for calling early, and it costs nothing.
★★ What we will say that a brochure would not
- ★★★ When it does not work. A one-income buyout of a two-income house sometimes does not qualify at any price. We would rather say so early than let a decree be built around a number that cannot be financed.
- ★★ That the division may not be half. Texas divides "just and right", so do not plan the financing on an assumed fifty-fifty. The statute
- ★★ That the market moved against you. All four big Texas metros fell over the year to August 2026, which affects the appraisal your buyout will be measured by. The figures
What we will not quote over email
Rates or payment figures. They depend on your file and on the day, and a number sent on Tuesday is wrong by Friday. Current terms against your actual position, on a call.
★★ Outside our lane, strictly
We are a lender. We are not a law firm. We do not draft or review decrees or settlement agreements as counsel, do not represent you or your former spouse, do not advise on how an owelty should be created or closed, take no position on how property should be divided, and give no tax advice. We make no attorney referrals and receive nothing for introductions. We are not affiliated with any Texas court, appraisal district or government agency.
Useful pages first
- ★★★ The owelty lien, read this one first.
- Texas does not split 50/50.
- The agency buyout rule.
- Qualifying on one income.
Mike Certo, NMLS #260555. Cornerstone First Mortgage, NMLS #173855. Equal Housing Lender. This is not a commitment to lend. Loans are subject to borrower, property and program qualification.
Frequently asked questions
What should I send a lender for a Texas divorce buyout?
Four documents: the deed, which establishes the joint-ownership date; the current property tax bill, which gives the real escrow; the draft decree or settlement agreement, while it is still a draft; and any support order with its end date. Mike Certo, NMLS #260555, at Cornerstone First Mortgage NMLS #173855, on (480) 296-6513 or mcerto@cfmtg.com.What comes before the loan in a Texas divorce buyout?
The lien structure. Your attorney and title company need to settle which subsection of Texas Constitution article XVI section 50 the debt falls under, ordinarily the owelty at section 50(a)(3). Texas homestead protection is constitutional and a lien that was not properly created is a serious problem, so that question precedes pricing the loan.Why should I talk to a lender before the decree is entered?
Because two financing requirements need your former spouse's cooperation: the written agreement must be signed by all parties and must cover the disposition of the refinance proceeds. That is straightforward while terms are being negotiated and difficult once the decree is entered.Will you tell me if the Texas buyout will not work?
Yes. A one-income buyout of a two-income house sometimes does not qualify at any price on any product. We would rather say so early than let a decree be built around a figure that cannot be financed.Mike Certo · NMLS #260555 · Cornerstone First Mortgage NMLS #173855 · Equal Housing Lender. Educational content about mortgage financing during and after a divorce. Not a loan commitment, and not legal, tax or financial advice. Cornerstone First Mortgage is a lender; it is not a law firm, does not represent any party to a dissolution, does not make attorney referrals, takes no position on how property should be divided, and does not advise on how an owelty of partition should be documented or closed. Texas homestead and property-division rules are set by the Texas Constitution and the Family Code and applied by the courts; homestead tax exemptions are administered by county appraisal districts. Agency requirements described here are Fannie Mae Selling Guide provisions current as of the date shown and are subject to change and to lender overlays. Housing market figures describe the twelve months to August 2026 and are not a forecast. All loans are subject to borrower, property and program qualification.