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As host of the new weekly radio show "Real Estate Today," award-winning broadcast journalist Gil Gross helps consumers make sense of the market.

What appealed to you about becoming host of "Real Estate Today"?

GROSS: I’m passionate about the subject. Later in life, I see a real difference in the lifestyle, security, and financial status of people who bought homes and people who rented. Those of us who purchased have equity to fall back on or use for retirement. My friends who didn’t buy are kind of stuck looking down the road, wondering how they’re going to keep that rent coming.

Tell us about the show’s mission.

GROSS: To give the public good, credible information about buying and selling a home. A lot has happened over the last couple of years. 

The information many people relied upon came in the mail from a mortgage broker or a bank saying, "You’ll pay 1.74 percent interest on a mortgage." But that rate would last 90 days; then they were screwed. The show makes the point that a REALTOR® is a fabulous source of information and you can run numbers with them reliably. A lot of first-time buyers don’t know the real costs of a home. They don’t figure in insurance, property taxes, and maintenance. So we try to cover these types of things. 

What issues are on the minds of callers?

GROSS: We hear from a lot of first-time buyers who don’t want to make the same mistakes that people did before. They’re a little scared, especially about short sales and foreclosures. They can’t ask dad or Uncle Ralph about those things because the expertise just isn’t there. 

Sellers want to know how they can get the most bang for the buck when they’re getting their home ready for the market because there’s so much competition out there. I think that it’s hard for the public to keep up with everything that’s going on. Real estate is a hot topic and a moving target. We’re holding peoples’ hands and guiding them through all the changes and opportunities. 

What was your first real estate experience like?

GROSS: I was looking for an apartment in Morris Plains, N.J., in 1975. I walked into a real estate office and asked about renting an apartment. The woman asked, "Why would you rent an apartment instead of buying a house?" I told her I had only a couple thousand dollars and she said, "You can get a starter house." I didn’t know what that was. I didn’t know anything about anything. But a couple weeks later, I had bought a $42,000 house. It was great. I lived there for five years. 

For me, the starter house was the best financial decision I ever made. I built up value and everything else came out of it, in terms of recouping my money and being able to live where I wanted for my next move to New York. After so many people have gotten into trouble buying "McMansions" or other houses they can’t afford, I remind people of the starter house. You don’t go shopping for your dream house the first time out.

What are some of the biggest misconceptions your listeners have about real estate?

GROSS: People are worried that their homes won’t regain value. I don’t think there’s any doubt that they will, though not at the crazy pace of a few years ago. We’re also trying to rid misconceptions about the purpose of a home. People were using their houses as banks.

The whole idea is to build equity, not strip it, so when you hit retirement, you’ve got a paid-off mortgage—or at least something close. Then when you sell, you can go into the sunset in really good shape.

Real Estate Today is produced by the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®. It airs Saturdays 5–7 p.m. EDT on XM channel 158 and Sundays 1–3 p.m. EDT on 630 WMAL-AM in Washington, D.C., and about 20 other stations from Portland, Maine, to Phoenix. Check www.retradio.com to listen to or download past shows.