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Ten years on the money side. Then I sold a house.
For about a decade I worked on the lending and technology side of this business. Underwriting, deal structure, the documents most people sign without reading. I was good at it, and I still hold the license. Branch manager title and all. That means I'm allowed to write the mortgage on a house I sell you.
I don't. I refer it out.
Not because there's anything wrong with doing both. Somewhere along the way I fell in love with this side of it. The property, the negotiation, the moment a deal comes together. It speaks to me in a way a loan file never did.
What the license is still good for is reading the file. I read the loan estimate before I read the listing. I check whether the buydown a seller is offering actually pencils, and whether the points on a loan make sense if you're going to refinance in three years. I just don't get paid on the answer. That's the whole point.
How I work
Real estate is a strategy business. Every decision gets weighed for leverage, risk, timing, and opportunity cost, not just what sounds good today. If something is weak, I'll say it's weak and why. I'd rather lose a deal than push you into the wrong one.
I work from Dallas, Highland Park and the Park Cities to Southlake, Flower Mound, Westlake and everywhere in between, across land development, new construction, investors and luxury.
Dallas Collective Group
DCG is my own brand, brokered by REAL Broker, LLC. It's also a space for a small number of like-minded, high-performing agents who want to build their own businesses under one unified brand, share what works, and hold a high standard together. It isn't for everyone, and that's the point. If you're an agent in DFW and that sounds like the way you want to work, I'd be glad to have a conversation.
Off the clock
Home is Flower Mound. My wife Sarah and I have known each other since second grade. We were friends for years, then got together at our ten-year high school reunion, and we've been building a life together ever since.
We are a real estate family completely. Sarah works for First American Title and spent years coaching agents, so most dinner conversations end up somewhere around a closing. We have three kids, and between them we get plenty of practice at negotiating.
Sarah and I are foodies. We'd rather find a hidden gem than a hot spot, and a few of our favorites are The Saint, Delilah's and Oishii. As a family, we'll take an escape room at Escapology, a long walk on the Katy Trail, or anything outdoors that ends with everyone laughing. Our guilty pleasure is Boggle on the family room TV. We are extremely competitive. Nobody lets anybody win.
And there's one thing on the calendar that doesn't move. Wednesday night is Music Bingo at The Brass Tap in Highland Village. It's our tradition, hands down. If you're there, come say hello.
Credentials
Josh Waters, REALTOR and Real Estate Advisor
Dallas Collective Group, brokered by REAL Broker, LLC
TREC License #0833485
NMLS #1795919
Over a decade in real estate, lending and technology