The House Nextdoor - Where Real Estate and Real Life Meet

Send us Fan Mail Ghost a showing, send 27 Zillow links at 2:30 a.m., or “test the market” with no real plan and you might be the reason your Realtor needs therapy. We’re Anthony Harris and Barbara Giglio, and we get candid about the real relationship behind a successful home sale or home purchase: mutual respect, clear communication, and basic human decency. We start with some light chaos, includi...

Send us Fan Mail We sit down with Noah Gowen from Orchard Title to pull back the curtain on what title and escrow really do and why the “mystery fees” can protect you from major legal and money problems. We trade wild real-world stories about heirs, liens, lender delays, and wire fraud, plus the habits that make closings smoother for buyers, sellers, and agents.  • how a title company acts as a ne...

Send us Fan Mail We trade a couple real estate life stories, then get blunt about what HOAs really do, from keeping neighborhoods tidy to handing out fines and surprise bills. We lay out the risks buyers miss most, including special assessments, lawsuits that stop sales, and the real power an HOA can have over your home.  • why HOAs exist and what they enforce  • benefits like amenities, symmetry,...

Send us Fan Mail A lot of people think real estate is about confidence, image, and always having the perfect thing to say. We think it’s about something tougher and more useful: staying human while the stakes are high. Our first guest, Austin real estate broker Christina Mugno, is Barbara’s real estate mentor and one of the most grounded pros we know. She walks us through her path from apartment m...

Send us Fan Mail Open houses, staging, new construction, and Zillow have all become lightning-rod topics, and we’re done pretending the answers are simple. Recording from a comedy club, we bring the same energy we see in the market: a little chaotic, occasionally funny, and very real about what actually moves a home and what just creates noise. We go head-to-head on the claim that open houses don’...

Send us Fan Mail “Who is stupid enough to buy a house right now?” We keep hearing that line in public, and honestly, we get why. Higher interest rates, scary headlines, and the whiplash from the COVID-era housing boom can make the real estate market feel like a trap. So we slow it down and answer the real question behind the noise: when does buying a home make sense for your life, and when is it s...

Send us Fan Mail Falling in love with a historic home is easy. Living with one is where reality shows up. We start with some studio catch-up, including Anthony’s new responsibility, Maple the dog, plus a very Austin moment: spotting a Jetsons-style autonomous flying taxi at a reggae festival. Then we get into what we really came to talk about: buying unique homes and historic houses, and why the “...

Send us Fan Mail Real estate gets sold as a lifestyle: flexible hours, quick closings, big commission checks, and beautiful houses on repeat. We’ve lived the version that doesn’t fit in a highlight reel, and we’re laying it out straight for anyone asking, “Should I get my real estate license?” From the first costs of becoming a realtor to the emotional whiplash of deals that fall apart, we talk ab...

Send us Fan Mail Real estate doesn’t get unhinged on the closing table. It gets unhinged at the front door, mid-showing, when you least expect it. We’re Barbara Giglio and Anthony Harris, and we’re back with the kind of real estate stories that never make it into listing descriptions. We talk about the wild buyer and seller behavior we’ve seen firsthand: the showing where a goat charges a client,...

Send us Fan Mail Zillow and Instagram can make you feel like the perfect house is one scroll away, but then you show up and reality hits: the “mid-century modern” dream is dark and chopped up, the skylight is leaking, and the smell is doing most of the talking. We unpack the growing gap between online home shopping and what buyers actually get when they tour properties, especially in and around Au...

Send us Fan Mail We talk through why the market suddenly feels confusing again and how war-driven uncertainty can ripple into inflation, oil prices, and mortgage rates. We break down what smart buyers and sellers can do right now to avoid costly timing mistakes and still come out ahead.  • why global uncertainty can push mortgage rates higher even when the Fed holds steady  • what a “payment-sensi...

Send us Fan Mail Cookie-cutter is losing its grip, and we are honestly relieved. We’re catching up the only way we know how with rodeo stories, a mechanical bull detour, and some unfiltered truth about what’s been going on in real life lately, including Barbara’s brief and intense run-in with GLP-1 weight loss injections and what it taught us about side effects, appetite, muscle, and the mental ga...

Send us Fan Mail You can wear green and still lose the house if you don’t understand the rules of the game. We keep the St Patrick’s Day energy going while we walk through a practical, start-to-finish home buying process that helps buyers stay calm, protected, and prepared, whether you’re a first-time home buyer or you haven’t moved in years. We start where every smart purchase begins: mortgage pr...

Send us Fan Mail We’re kicking off season two with the kind of update that changes everything behind the scenes: we officially formed a team and switched brokerages. That decision wasn’t about shiny branding or chasing trends. It was about protecting the way we serve clients when a company’s priorities start drifting toward fees, mergers, and corporate muscle over real support. We talk candidly ab...

Send us Fan Mail The year tried to knock everyone off balance, but the savviest clients found their footing. We close the season by pulling back the curtain on a chaotic, very human year in Central Texas real estate—two big personal moves, a few dogs, a swing install mid-recording—and the market lessons that mattered most. If 2025 felt like a recession to you, you’re not alone. We unpack why the h...

Send us Fan Mail Ever felt a deal slip through your fingers because someone’s ego bulldozed the process? We open the door on two unforgettable real estate Grinches: a luxury buyer who confessed to huffing refrigerant, bought a Rolex on credit mid-escrow, and picked fights over lender fees and the three-day Closing Disclosure; and a short sale that spiraled when a bank rep tried to force illegal ch...

Send us Fan Mail Ever notice how a crowded city can make you crave a quieter home? After a loop through New England—from Boston’s buzz to Vermont’s hush—we realized our travel preferences mirror the spaces we design and sell. That shift toward small-town calm sets the tone for a full tour of 2026 home trends: cozy over minimal, texture over gloss, and lighting that flatters your life instead of wa...

Send us Fan Mail Small town Texas has a way of sneaking up on you. One minute you’re ordering deer corn on Amazon, the next you’re swapping a BMW for a Bronco and timing showings around dirt roads and sunset traffic on two-lane highways. We pull back the curtain on life and real estate just beyond Austin, where Smithville, Bastrop, Lockhart, La Grange, and Taylor each offer a different blend of hi...

Send us Fan Mail What if your biggest struggle could become your sharpest edge? We open the door to a raw, practical conversation about confidence, luxury strategy, and mental health—and how those threads weave into better client outcomes. From a $12M Starbucks story to the quiet work of broker support and contract review, we unpack what it really takes to serve people well when their largest asse...

Send us Fan Mail Deals don’t fall apart because a contract is impossible; they fall apart because egos get louder than outcomes. We dig into the real craft of real estate—diplomacy, restraint, and collaboration—and why treating other agents as colleagues, not enemies, makes clients happier and closings smoother. The mantra that drives our approach is simple: economics over ego. We unpack what that...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, the hosts share their experiences with spooky transactions in real estate, discussing personal stories that highlight the challenges and unexpected situations that can arise during property deals. From dealing with incompetent sellers to navigating bizarre incidents, they provide insights into the complexities of the real estate market while maintaining a light-he...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of the spooky series, the hosts share personal anecdotes and experiences related to spooky homes and showings. They discuss the eerie feelings associated with certain houses, recounting stories of clients who sensed spirits and their own encounters with unsettling energies. The conversation flows from light-hearted banter to serious reflections on the nature of hom...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, the hosts delve into spooky themes related to real estate, sharing humorous and eerie client stories, including a seance and feng shui consultations. They explore the challenges and quirks of working with clients who have unique needs and beliefs, all while maintaining a light-hearted tone. The conversation sets the stage for a spooky series in October, promising...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, the hosts discuss the various factors that keep realtors awake at night, from the demands of the job to the emotional toll of client interactions and market pressures. They explore the challenges of maintaining a work-life balance in a profession that often blurs the lines between personal and professional life. The conversation highlights the mental load that com...

Send us Fan Mail In this engaging conversation, the hosts share humorous and relatable stories from their experiences in real estate, focusing on the challenges and unexpected events that occur during property showings. From encounters with wildlife and mishaps with clients to the trials of managing keys and lock boxes, the discussion highlights the lighter side of being a realtor. The hosts also...