My Story

Casey and I met through a mutual friend from when I was on staff with Young Life (shout out to Abby for referring me!). At the time, Casey was working as a meteorologist up in Johnstown, PA and had just received a new job offer to work here at Wavy TV 10 starting in November.

She came down the first weekend in October with her boyfriend, Erick, and her dad. We saw lots of homes that weekend but none of them were “the one.” So we continued the search via lots of FaceTime calls and when Casey officially moved here (shout out to Melissa and Dillon’s adorable Airbnb), we continued to see many more.

Late in November, after many showings, an offer that didn’t come together, lots of FaceTime calls, we finally found “the one.” I had heard about this Kempsville Greens townhome through my mom who had just shown it to her client who didn’t like it and thought it would be perfect for Casey (perks of being on a team!). We went the next day to see it and another agent was there writing an offer after their showing.

We knew our offer needed to be strong and in quick.

We moved quick and that afternoon Casey had secured a house!!

She closed about a month later, and recently, she shared some pictures of her adorable townhome (see below). Casey has become a past client turned dear friend. She spends Thanksgiving with us, we go to church together, and I even got to be in PA this summer for her wedding! Casey, I’m hoping Wavy will keep you around here forever! ;)

Casey’s Story

You’ve heard my side of the story…now hear from Casey! She has some really great insight about the home buying process whether you’re a first-time homebuyer or a veteran….

What was your knowledge of buying a home going into the home buying process?

I really didn't know much about buying a house! I had rented for years prior to deciding to buy and it seemed like a daunting task. I knew there would be a lot of paperwork and research into places but friends/ family told me it would be a great investment to buy something now! Perrin answered SO many questions that I had and walked me through each step of the process. It never felt overwhelming because it was just one step at a time!

What were the things you were most nervous about that turned out not to be so bad?

I was mainly worried about finding a house that I was really in love with and then not getting it! Houses were going so quickly so it was a fast paced search but with patience the right house came up and I couldn't be more happy!

How did you budget and know what you could budget for?

I knew what I would be paying if I was going to rent in this area, so I took that amount and went a little higher since I would be owning it. Lisa from Atlantic Bay was really great in helping me figure out what I could afford with my income and telling me what the monthly payment would be for each house I was considering!

What are important questions to ask during the process?

There are no dumb questions when it comes to home buying! But here are some important ones that I found helpful:

What areas are the most sought after? I was moving into the area without knowing anything about Hampton Roads so I needed help on what places to look at.
What's included in the house? Every house/ seller is different whether the washer/dryer or other appliances convey with the house.
How old is the roof/ HVAC/ water heater/ etc.? These might need updated shortly after move-in so it's good to factor that in!
What are comps in the area selling for? It's good to compare to other houses around the neighborhood to make sure you're getting a good deal.
How would I set up my furniture in this space? Perrin is the best at visualizing a space so get her input while you're walking around a house!

What’s something you wish you knew before buying a house?

I wish I would've looked more at the home inspection after buying and been more proactive about fixing the things that needed fixing. Our house was sold as-is and since there weren’t any MAJOR problems I wasn’t worried, but there were still some small things that needed attention. Don't let the rush of buying a house get ahead of you! Take your time and make sure to look over everything and fix anything before the moving process takes over the rest of your time.

What was the most surprising part of the process?

The most surprising part of buying a house was how many people it takes to make this happen! You get so much help along the way that it really is a team effort. Between the realtor, lender, closing attorney, insurance agent, etc. there are a lot of people that you have to talk to but when you take it one step at a time it all gets done!