For first-time buyers
Buying Your First Home
A first home in Hampton Roads comes with new words, new forms and firm deadlines. I explain each step in plain English, help you know which programs to ask a lender about, and stay with you from pre-approval to keys.
Working with me
What I Do for You
A first purchase is a lot of firsts at once. My job is to make each one clear before you have to decide.
- I explain every step and every form in plain English, before you sign it.
- I introduce you to a local lender in the way that suits you: a group email, a group text, or a call from the lender after a heads-up text from me.
- I set up MLS alerts for the homes you want, and we tour in person or over video.
- I look up the recent sales near each home, so we base your offer price on facts.
- I write and negotiate your offer, including any help with closing costs that we ask the seller for.
- I keep your lender, your inspector and the settlement agent on one timeline, and I track every deadline.
- When you move, I give you a moving to-do sheet and the utility numbers and websites for your new city.
From first-time buyers
“She made things easy to understand as a first time home buyer!”
— Penny Brooks
Google review
“Sadie has been absolutely amazing and CRUCIAL in finding our first home.”
— Laura Hildebrandt
Google review
“She connected us with an incredible lender and negotiated for the seller to pay a sizeable amount of closing costs”
— Jacqueline Thomas
View review on Zillow(opens in a new tab)From first call to keys
The Steps, in Order
Here is how a first purchase runs in Hampton Roads. You can text me at any step.
- 01
Talk to a Lender
Get pre-approved before we tour, so you know your price range. Ask about loan types and the programs below. After you apply, your lender must send you a Loan Estimate within three business days, with the estimated rate, payment and closing costs.
- 02
Sign a Buyer Agreement
Virginia requires a written brokerage agreement before an agent can represent you as a buyer, including for showings. We read it together first, including how I’m paid.
- 03
Set Your Search
We agree on the areas, the price range and your must-haves. Then I set up MLS alerts, so you hear about matching homes as they list.
- 04
Tour Homes
We tour in person or over video. At each home I point out the condition, the major systems, any HOA rules and fees, and what to ask about insurance and taxes.
- 05
Write the Offer
We set the price from recent sales and choose the terms: earnest money, financing, appraisal, inspection, settlement date, and any help with closing costs we ask the seller for.
- 06
Inspect the Home
The inspection period starts the day after the contract is ratified. You hire a DPOR-licensed inspector and we go through the reports together. Then, inside the inspection period, you decide how to go ahead.
- 07
Loan and Appraisal
Your lender orders the appraisal and finishes underwriting. Answer document requests fast, set up homeowners insurance, and don’t open new credit. Your lender must send your Closing Disclosure at least three business days before closing.
- 08
Walkthrough and Settlement
We walk through the home one last time to check its condition. A settlement agent or closing attorney runs the closing. Before you wire money, call them on a number you trust to confirm the instructions. Then the keys are yours.
For your lender conversation
Programs to Ask About
Ask your lender which of these fit you. Each program sets its own rules for income, credit, price and the home, and the rules change. I don’t decide who qualifies, and none of this is lending or tax advice.
Virginia Housing
Virginia Housing Loans
Home loans from Virginia’s housing finance agency, offered through approved lenders.
Virginia Housing
Down Payment Assistance Grant
A grant toward the down payment for qualified first-time buyers, used with an eligible Virginia Housing loan.
Virginia Housing
Closing Cost Assistance Grant
A grant toward closing costs for qualified first-time buyers, with certain loan types.
Virginia Housing
Free Homebuyer Classes
Free classes, online and in person, on how a purchase works. Some programs require a class, so ask your lender which one counts.
HUD
FHA Loans
Loans insured by the Federal Housing Administration, part of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
VA.gov
VA Home Loans
For eligible service members, veterans and some surviving spouses. The VA sets who is eligible.
USDA Rural Development
USDA Home Loans
Loans for buyers within income limits, on homes in eligible areas. You can check an address on the USDA map.
Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac
Low-Down-Payment Conventional Loans
Fannie Mae HomeReady and Freddie Mac Home Possible are conventional loans with low down payment options for buyers within income limits.
Cities, counties and nonprofits
Local Down Payment Help
Some local programs help with the down payment, and some require approval before you sign a purchase contract, so ask early. A HUD-approved housing counselor can tell you what is offered where you’re buying.
Program names and links checked on October 21, 2026, on each program’s own website. Programs change, so your lender has the current rules. See the lenders I work with.
On the Hampton Roads contract
Earnest Money and Inspections
In Hampton Roads, I write offers on the REIN Standard Purchase Agreement, the form from our local MLS. These are the basics. The contract’s exact words control, and I go through them with you before you sign.
Earnest Money
- Earnest money is a deposit you make once the seller accepts your offer. It shows the seller you’re serious.
- The contract sets the amount and who holds it, usually a title company or a brokerage. The amount is part of what we negotiate.
- The holder has 5 business banking days to collect the deposit and 3 business banking days to deposit it. Day 1 is the day after the contract is ratified.
- At settlement, the deposit goes toward your down payment and closing costs.
- If you end the contract inside one of your contingencies, you get the deposit back in most cases. It depends on the contract, any addendums and who ended it, and a seller can dispute it. I track every deadline with you.
- Before you send it, call the escrow agent on a number you trust to confirm the payment instructions.
The Home Inspection
- Virginia puts the burden on the buyer. The seller’s disclosure statement says the owner makes no representations about the home’s condition, and it tells you to do your own due diligence, such as a home inspection.
- With an inspection contingency, you get a set number of days to inspect. We choose the number of days in the offer. Day 1 is the day after the contract is ratified.
- You choose the inspector, who must be licensed by DPOR. Depending on the home, you can add termite and moisture, sewer scope, well and septic, chimney, pool or structural inspections.
- After the reports, you pick one of three paths. Go ahead as is: you remove the contingency with no repairs. If you’re financing, you then have 3 days to order the appraisal.
- Ask for repairs or a credit: the seller has 5 days to respond.
- End the contract: inside the inspection period, you don’t have to give a reason or share the report, as long as a DPOR-licensed inspector inspected the home.
- Ask your lender whether your loan needs its own inspection or repairs.
Good to know
First-Time Buyer Questions
Short answers in plain words. If yours isn’t here, a quick call or text is usually the fastest answer.
Who counts as a first-time home buyer?
Each program sets its own rule. Virginia Housing, for example, counts you as a first-time buyer if you haven’t owned and lived in a home as your primary residence in the last three years.
Ask your lender which rule applies to the program you want.
How much money do I need to buy my first home?
It depends on the loan and the home. Plan for the down payment, the earnest money deposit, the inspection, the appraisal and closing costs.
Some loans allow a low down payment, or none for eligible buyers, and some programs help with the down payment or closing costs. In the offer, we can also ask the seller to pay part of your closing costs. Your lender gives you the numbers in writing.
What is earnest money, and do I get it back?
Earnest money is the deposit you make after the seller accepts your offer. The title company or brokerage that holds it has 5 business banking days to collect it, counting from the day after the contract is ratified. At settlement, it goes toward your down payment and closing costs.
If you end the contract inside one of your contingencies, you get it back in most cases. It depends on the contract, any addendums and who ended it, and a seller can dispute it. That’s why I track every deadline with you.
Do I need a home inspection in Virginia?
Virginia’s seller disclosure says the owner makes no representations about the home’s condition, and it tells buyers to do their own due diligence, such as a home inspection. I never recommend skipping the home inspection. We go without one only if you tell me so in writing. We set the inspection period in the offer.
Virginia’s disclosure rules on DPOR ↗(opens in a new tab)Do I need a written agreement before we tour homes?
Yes. Virginia requires a written brokerage agreement before an agent can represent you as a buyer, including for showings. We’ll go through it together, in plain English, before we tour.
How do you get paid when I buy?
We agree on my pay in writing, in the buyer agreement, before we tour. In some sales the seller pays part or all of it, and we can ask for that in the offer.
If a seller offers to pay less than our agreement says, we either change the agreement with an addendum, or you pay the difference. I go through it with you first.
Who runs the closing?
A settlement agent or closing attorney. Your lender must send your Closing Disclosure at least three business days before closing, so you can compare it with your Loan Estimate.
Before you wire any money, call the settlement company on a number you trust to confirm the instructions.
Start here
Tell Me About Your Search
Takes about two minutes. Under “Your situation,” choose “Buying my first home” so I know where to start. I’ll follow up personally, and I can connect you with a lender if you need one.