Frequently Asked Questions



What is Houston Advisors?

Houston Advisors is a source of news, information and other useful resources for people investing their money, insuring themselves, and purchasing and selling real estate. The aim is to provide you with the most up-to-date, relevant resources so you can make informed decisions.

We provide tools for both the client and the advisor.


How does Houston Advisors work for clients?

Clients can easily review resources available here, including the latest news and subject-matter specific glossaries. And understanding that the first step to getting good advice is opening the lines of communication with those who are knowledgeable, we provide a way for clients to anonymously refer relevant questions to advisors, with no obligation.


How does Houston Advisors work for professionals?

Advisor resources include being listed in one or more of our professional directories. Advisors in a directory also receive inquiries from Houston Advisors visitors. A quality answer to everyday questions about finance, real estate, or insurance gives advisors an open channel with those who need help, and without the burden of constantly seeking potential clients on their own.


What is a Houston Advisors inquiry?

An inquiry is a simple request for professional advice, made by a client. Those inquiries are analyzed by the Houston Advisors system, and then distributed to advisors based on industry and professional specialities.


If I make an inquiry, are you going to use the information I provide for some alternative means?

Absolutely not. We will not, under any circumstances whatsoever, release your information to anyone. We will not use your personal information in any way (other than described in our Privacy Policy or Terms of Service). Your personal information is yours to keep, and you decide how much you want to disclose at Houston Advisors.


How do I make an inquiry?

If you are a consumer or business that has a problem that needs a professional's opinion, just click "Ask An Advisor" under the "For Clients" menu and we'll walk you through the process from there.


How many inquiries can I make?

You can make as many inquiries as you like, but we suggest you use the feature sparingly. We actively monitor all inquiries, and do limit the number we will deliver from each user. This prevents both abuse of the system while also enhancing the quality (and sincerity) of the inquiries that are delivered. Please note that if you make too many inquiries, we reserve the right to discontinue delivering them altogether.


How soon should I expect an answer to my inquiry?

How long it takes to get an answer to your inquiry depends on several things: 1) how many advisors are available to answer your inquiry; 2) how many want to answer your inquiry; 3) how well your inquiry was worded; and 4) how accurate the information you provided is.

That said, submitting an inquiry similar to..

"I need life insurance..please help!"

..is not going to generate a response as efficiently as..

"I am a part-time working parent in an otherwise single income, four person household. I am looking for additional insurance protection for both myself and my spouse in the way of income replacement and supplemental funding of our childrens' college education. What type of information would you, as the advisor, need to evaluate my choices in a life insurance plan?"

Likewise, an inquiry that states..

"I want to sell my house now. Can you do that?"

..may not work as well as..

"I have a 3 bedroom 2 bath townhome in the Beautified subdivision of Anytown, which I have owned for seven years and have now grown out of. Based on the present market, should I consider selling the property, or leasing it out?"


I did not receive an answer to my inquiry. What happened?

There are several reasons why you might not have received a response to your inquiry, and some of them may be listed in the FAQ directly above. The most common reasons why an inquiry goes unanswered are providing an invalid email address or zip code and/or not providing a clear and concise message. Also, if you provide personal details, including but not limited to direct contact information, in the body of your inquiry, we may have discarded the inquiry in order to comply with our own Privacy Policy.

Nevertheless, Advisors decide what inquiries they will answer - we have no control over that decision. All we can say is that a clearly worded inquiry accompanied by valid information is the best way to get an answer.


How much does a directory listing cost?

A base directory listing costs $12.00 per year (i.e. less than the cost one cup of coffee per month, and less than the cost of one paid web link for about a week). But despite the nominal cost, discounts are made available for organizations with multiple advisors. If you are part of a larger organization and are interested in obtaining a bulk listing discount, contact us.


I created a directory listing and paid through Paypal, but my listing is not active. What went wrong?

The most common reason why your listing reason did not get activated is your payment has not yet cleared. Chance are, if you wait a few minutes, the payment processor will verify the payment and you'll be good to go. If you paid via electronic check, it may several working days the check to clear and your directory to become active. If you've used instant payment and after waiting a while still don't see your active directory listing, please feel free to contact us. Make sure to include your username and estimated payment date and time with your correspondence.


Why can't advisors put their photos in the directory?

Because advisors disclose detailed work information in their directory listings, and because that information is available to the general public, we thought it was prudent not to include photos in their biographies. If we receive enough feedback from advisors to include photos in directory profiles, we will certainly re-visit that decision.


I'm stuck. What do I do?

Don't understand what a "specialty" is? What to do with a coupon code? How to release your contact information to an advisor who answered your inquiry? Just click the little next to fields and messages to find out more. Still can't figure something out? Then just ask, and we'll get back to you as quickly as possible - use this contact form.


Why is everything so new here? And what is a beta test?

So much looks new at Houston Advisors because it is. Several new features, including directories and listings, as well as client inquiries, were only recently released for testing. And that is what we are doing...testing (along with getting advisors signed up). We believe our directory and inquiry systems are working fine, but if you happen to find something amiss please feel free to let us know using this contact form. Thank you for your patience during this transition period.