My Story

Katie and I became instant friends. I met Katie when I arrived to show her boyfriend, Collin, houses one Saturday. Collin had just been stationed here and was planning to buy his first home. We looked at a lot of houses that day, put an offer in on one, and found out that evening that we didn’t get it in a multiple offer situation. Although we were bummed, it ended up working out for the best! A few weeks later Collin found out he would be getting deployed soon so we put his house search on pause.

Then, entered Katie.

Katie got word of the declining interest rates and jumped in right before COVID started. Why not buy a house while your boyfriend is deployed?! :) She knew she wanted to be in a condo close to the beach. We saw a few as they popped up in her search radius, but when one in particular popped up off Birdneck we knew this was the one.

It was a beautifully flipped condo- the classic 2 bd, 2 bth Dragas model found throughout Hampton Roads. Our favorite part was the vertical drawer in the dead space behind the refrigerator that pulled out for spices!

We wrote an offer that night and were under contract the next day! Woo!

At the home inspection a few days later I remember Katie telling our home inspector, “Treat this inspection like you would if you were doing it for your own daughter.” We all laughed and David, our inspector, replied, “No pressure or anything!”

Katie’s closing day was a mix of emotions. It was Valentine’s Day and she was of course excited about buying her first home, but that morning she received a call that a military friend from San Diego had passed away. A few minutes after, Collin was able to call her for the first time in 2 months. Katie, unfortunately, had to deliver the news about their friend to him. All of this happened before her 9AM closing and Katie still showed up with a huge smile on her face and beaming with joy!! That is what I love about Katie- she brings so much joy, fun, and intentionality to every situation and conversation.

Collin got home mid-July and needless to say, I think he approved of Katie’s choice! ;)

Katie’s Story

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

I listen and follow a lot of Dave Ramsey’s teachings so I was slightly familiar with the real estate process. My parents had also taught me things along the way. Since I’m not from Virginia, there were a few differences than what I had learned and experienced from my parents home buying process in South Carolina. However, Perrin was fantastic at explaining the real estate jargon to me and answering any questions. My boyfriend had also started the home buying process with Perrin about 6 months before me so I was able to learn a lot through his experience as well.

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

I was nervous about the inspection process because my heart was already set on the house. I knew if the inspection didn’t turn out well then I would need to walk away and I would have been crushed. Thankfully Perrin pointed me to an amazing inspector who did a thorough job and explained everything to me. He was worth every penny!

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

I work in medical sales and a portion of my income is based on my commission. I knew I wanted to feel comfortable with a mortgage that I could handle if my commission wasn’t great. Lisa at Atlantic Bay ran all types of numbers for me and explained all the different options available. My advice would be to ask tons of questions to your lender and your agent so that you are prepared for all the payments and fees before you write an offer. Also, It’s free to get pre-approved and this will help narrow down your search process so you aren’t looking at listings outside of your financial comfort zone.

What are important questions to ask during the process?

It was important to me to see the comps in the area. I wanted to make sure that my offer was acceptable but also smart. I also think it’s important to get a little history on your seller if appropriate. This helps to see how motivated they are to sell, if they have loose ends that need to be tied up before the closing, who lived there before you, etc. Since I was buying a condo, it was also really important to ask what the condo fee covered and be able to see all the condo association documents.

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

This may sound silly but I wish I knew that sometimes you have to schedule showings days in advance. When I was buying, the market was slim on options that fit my needs so when something would pop up I would want to see it ASAP! Perrin would request the viewing right away but sometimes the seller might not have it ready to see for a couple days due to their schedule, my schedule, and Perrin’s schedule all working out. I kind of thought I could just pop in whenever I wanted... haha oops!

What was the most surprising part of the process?

I was surprised at how fast it all went! I had a motivated seller and I was a motivated buyer so we had the ball moving quick. So much so that we even moved up the closing date a week! Don’t get me wrong, it took a village but I have to shout out Olivia at Stephanie Clark and Team because she always kept me on a timeline and I knew that nothing would fall through the cracks. It truly was an enjoyable and smooth process!