Quick Tips for First Time Homebuyers

Trying to navigate the world of home loans as a first time homebuyer can seem complicated. To try and make it simpler for you and to make the process a bit smoother, we’ve put together a quick selection of tips for buying your first home and choosing the right home loan.

Things You Should Know If You Are a First Time Homebuyer

While you should save for a down payment as early as possible, you do not need to panic if you cannot afford a large down payment. You only need to put 3.5% down with an FHA loan, and some conventional mortgages only require 3% down. It is also possible to put zero down with a USDA or VA mortgage.
When calculating how much home you can afford, do not forget to account for property taxes and other maintenance costs. The cost of owning a home goes far beyond the mortgage principal and interest.
If you are selecting a long loan term (which is common among first time homebuyers), try not to let that tempt you into purchasing more home than you can reasonably afford. Even though the monthly mortgage payments may be within your range, other associated costs (such as the maintenance costs discussed above) may not be.
Get pre-approved. Doing this will help you shop for homes that you can actually afford, and also may assist you with getting a buyer to accept your offer.
Before you apply for a mortgage, check your credit score so you know what types of rates you can expect.
If you haven’t, order your credit report as well so that you can understand the data which is used to calculate your score and check it over for accuracy. If you need to make corrections, you can contest erroneous entries and improve your score.
Know your own timetable for purchasing a home, but also familiarize yourself with how long it typically takes to close.
Pick a mortgage company in Virginia to work with which always puts your best interests first and offers you top-notch customer service and communication.

Buy a Home in Blacksburg, VA

We hope that you found these first time homebuyer tips helpful. If you are looking for further guidance as you shop for your first home, please give us a call today at (540) 838-5868. We work with customers in the Blacksburg area and throughout Virginia, and would love to connect you with the ideal loan for purchasing your first home.

Christi Schroader

19:37 12 Jul 23

Absolutely wonderful experience. Ryan Hall (and team) have gone above and beyond at every point. He's responded quickly, explained clearly, and even managed to get us pre-approved when a competing lender couldn't. Ryan is easy to talk to and a joy to work with. Definitely will recommend this office any chance I get.

Mo Rzv

15:19 03 Mar 22

You don't even feel the mortgage process up&down if you work with Ryan and his team, the best experience. Thanks so much Ryan for your support and help cause that made the home buying so smooth. Highly highly recommend them.5 out 5 for sure.

Katherine Poseno

17:08 01 Mar 22

We worked with Brian Hall to get our mortgage and it was beyond my expectations! We originally had gotten a preapproval amount and interest rate quote from another lender; our realtor Brian Mchone had recommended First Residential Mortgage to us, but I didn't think we would get a lower interest offer. Ryan reached out to me with an interest offer a whole percent lower than we were quoted from the other company! That difference was enough that when we found our dream home, we were able to get our offer in and keep our monthly payment within our budget!A LOT of paperwork was required to be submitted, but it was well worth it! Ryan was available every step of the way if I had questions or clarifications. He and my realtor communicated flawlessly and the whole experience felt well handled.We were able to submit all of this online and it was very easy to use the online submissions. My husband is a veteran and we used the VA Home Loan, Ryan was well versed in working with the VA Home Loan service.All and all, I can not say enough good things about First Residential Mortgage and Ryan Hall made the stressful experience of buying a home a much easier one!

Chase Brenchley

18:57 01 Sep 21

Ryan did a great job getting us the best rate he could. He made sure we understood everything every step of the way and was very quick to answer any questions we had, be that via email or calling.

Mark Jay

14:55 01 Sep 21

Excellent customer service from start to finish. Ryan did a great job of explaining the whole process and keeping us up to date at every step of the way. Would not hesitate to recommend him to family and friends.

Tori Zimbardi

11:59 16 Aug 21

My husband and I worked with Ryan on securing a mortgage as we bought our first home. Ryan was helpful and would answer our questions promptly and used videos and screen sharing to make sure everything was clear. We had shopped around at a few different mortgage and First Residential Mortgage offered the best rate to us. I would definitely recommend using First Residential Mortgage.

Brandon Taylor

22:57 05 Aug 21

Ryan and the folks at First Residential Mortgage made the process of refinancing our home seamless and quick. Took less than 30 days from the time someone recommended me to Ryan’s team to closing. The application process was easy, Ryan looked out for us all along the way and got us a great interest rate, and we were able to pay off a $30k car while maintaining almost the exact same monthly mortgage payment we had been making previously. Can’t say enough good things about them!

Cirillo- Decatur

15:03 05 Aug 21

Great to work with, wonderful staff and a very rate.

Maaz Gardezi

11:49 04 Aug 21

Ryan Hall and his team are absolutely fantastic to work with. We were first time home buyers. Thanks guys!

Mike Bowers

20:45 25 Jul 21

Great experience. Easy to work with. Answered all my questions.

Tommy Barnett

13:42 01 Jul 21

Ryan was great to work with. We ran in to several issues along the way with the sellers and our income but he did everything in his power to make the process as smooth as possible and to make sure we were able to get the loan we wanted.

John Bellows

13:22 11 Jun 21

Ryan was very professional, yet very responsive to our questions as we moved forward through the process of signing documents. Ryan makes these video where he explains what is happening and what to expect that made it easy the home loan understand.Ryan's insight on how to approach the sellers with our offer and make it more attractive were invaluable.I highly recommend Ryan for all Veterans and others seeking a loan professional's help. You won't be disappointed. Thanks again Ryan.

Barrett Iroler

17:33 28 May 21

Ryan Hall is great to work with. He is very knowledgeable and was always available for any questions that we had throughout our refinance. I highly recommend his services.

Sloop Sr.

17:40 27 Apr 21

Robin Lo

15:55 22 Apr 21

I had a great experience with Ryan and team at First Residential. The communication through the entire process was excellent. I will definitely be working with Ryan again in the future.

Andrew Dunlap

14:45 22 Apr 21

The folks at First Residential are exactly what you're looking for. They are professional, patient, fast, and thorough on every front. It felt like I had good friends walking me through the process, who always had time to answer any questions I had, fight for good rates for me, and to be excited for my family.I HIGHLY recommend you use them. I know I will be for every mortgage need I ever have again.

Payne Bowen

14:55 15 Apr 21

I purchased a duplex investment property with the help of First Residential Mortgage. The process was quick and easy and if I had any questions the team in Blacksburg was quick to help. When I was searching for the best interest rate Ryan was by far the lowest even in a very competitive/busy market.I will be using First Residential Mortgage again on future investment properties as well as personal residence. I highly recommend giving them a call!

Stephan Corbin

17:48 08 Apr 21

We used this business to assist us in finding a mortgage. Ryan made sure to keep us informed in all aspects of this process. He was very professional and knowledgeable.

Kaylee Rose

14:17 25 Mar 21

Mark Carney

20:44 18 Mar 21

Ryan is a great wonderful person that seamlessly works with you to achieve your mortgage goals. He and his team are professional, through, and really make the experience very easy. They do a great job at First Residental Mortgage

Kaitlyn Morgan

16:02 08 Mar 21

Great experience. We are now first time home owners! They answered all of our questions and explained the whole process very thoroughly. Really cannot recommend Ryan and his team enough, it was really an enjoyable process working with them

El Amigo

19:20 04 Mar 21

Great people, they helped me every step of the process and kept me up to date on any changes. Would definitely recommend!

Dietrich Linde

18:56 04 Mar 21

It was awesome working with Ryan and his team, super knowledgeable, walked me through the whole process, weighed the pros and cons of different options, easy all-digital process, answered questions insightfully, and gave me the best rate I could find. Thanks Ryan!

Elora Kelly

21:00 28 Feb 21

Do yourself a favor and refinance with First Residential Mortgage, and with Ryan’s help! My fiancé and I had so many questions, concerns, and last minute changes and Ryan was adaptive and helpful with quite literally every single thing. This whole process seemed grueling at first and I was worried to even start, but everything went so smoothly and we are saving a substantial amount of money! We are so thankful we did this.

Don Wriston

19:17 25 Feb 21

First Residential Mortgage, specifically, Ryan Hall has been absolutely great to work with. I worked with him to purchase using my VA benefits and again to refinance while rates were low and both times it was seamless. Great communication and follow up from this team. I not only recommend them but I will continue to go through them for any future property purchase.

John Spicer

17:33 25 Feb 21

Ryan and his team were great t work with. Very responsive, professional and friendly.

Maryam Shakiba

17:15 25 Feb 21

Isaac Rasnick

16:47 25 Feb 21

A Strickler

21:36 20 Feb 21

My husband and I initially worked with Ryan Hall when trying to purchase our first home a couple years ago. Honestly, we were a bit clueless to the process and had a ton (honestly a ton) of questions throughout the process. Ryan routinely ran numbers for us to give us an estimate on how much our payment would be for different houses. Ryan was ALWAYS kind and quickly responsive. We ended up searching for a home much more distant from our initial area of interest, but Ryan was still able to work with us, which was great. As we went through the buying process, he kept us and our realtor with updates on where we were in the process. He did so well with it that even our well-experienced realtor was impressed by his great communication. Our buying process was really easy (after finding the right house), and we attribute most of that to Ryan and his team. In the process, Ryan sends videos that explain your documentation to make sure you understand everything. Again, super helpful for a first time buyer that didn’t know much. He even reached out to us recently to discuss the option of refinancing due to a huge decrease in mortgage rates. It always felt like Ryan had our best interest in the process and was so patient with us. We would highly recommend Ryan!

Chloe Krafft

16:10 04 Feb 21

Great to work with and he gets things done quick!

Evan Lally

15:51 04 Feb 21

Ryan was friendly, knowledgeable, and responsive, and we were happy with the deal we got through 1st Residential.

Emily Williams

18:27 02 Feb 21

Our experience with Ryan Hall was back in March with the purchase of our first home. Ryan made the process easy and painless. Most of our communication was via phone/email, which was conducive to our work schedules. A portion of our experience occurred while Ryan was on vacation. However, this didn't prevent him from staying in touch with us and even making phone calls and sending texts throughout the day. Ryan was overall very accommodating and always willing and able to answer all of our questions. He was continuously supportive and knowledgeable.UPDATE: 2nd time using Ryan. Always helpful and super responsive!

SARAH FRAZIER

16:27 21 Jan 21

Ryan is thorough, professional, knowledgeable and attentive. We have used him to purchase a home and do a refinance. He sends very detailed video email correspondence and breakdowns and makes all of the numbers make sense. I highly recommend him to anyone looking to buy or refinance.

Michael Madigan

14:16 18 Dec 20

Blair Allen

22:21 10 Dec 20

After purchasing our house a year ago and working with Ryan and his team at First Residential Mortgage, the time came to refinance with the drop in interest rates. Ryan quickly answered my questions and provided advice on the best route for me to take based on my goals. Ryan and his team made the process simple and kept me well informed for each step. I especially liked the ease of uploading documents and the video emails from Ryan explaining the loan financials step by step. The process from start to finish was extremely fast and I was kept updated each step of the way. I have recommended Ryan and his team to others and would continue to do so for anyone looking to buy or refinance a home right now.

20:55 03 Dec 20

06:28 29 Nov 20

16:57 19 Oct 20

16:12 09 Oct 20

Ryan and Barrett's communication, promptness and professionalism was strong from start to finish. Thanks for helping us navigate all sides of the refinancing process.

Edson Horta

03:17 26 Sep 20

Ryan and his team were perfect! Nothing at all to complain about. Thanks Ryan for all your support!

Slynn McMinn

21:21 04 Sep 20

Excellent to work with. Highly recommend. Worked to get us the best rate possible and close as fast as possible. Impressive!

Phil Parker (Phil)

17:39 13 Aug 20

Ryan did a great job getting the rate that we wanted and communicating every step of the way. I highly recommend First Residential Mortgage and my wife and I had a great experience with this place.

Savannah Leeman

11:20 24 Jul 20

First Residential was so great to work with when purchasing our first home! The team there was responsive to all of our questions and very friendly and professional!

Reza mirzaeifar

17:18 04 Jun 20

Everything was perfect. A great experience working with them. Everything was on time, and they are very responsive. In the current situation of COVID-19, they manage everything by considering safety as a priority and most of the process was handled online or on the phone. I strongly recommend working with them,

Laura Strawn

19:28 27 May 20

Super responsive, loved the explanation videos by Ryan (but all the staff was terrific), reliable and made sure we closed on time! Highly recommend First Residential Mortgage - whether a first timer or seasoned pro they were FABULOUS!

Steve Hale

13:27 16 May 20

K L

15:03 16 Apr 20

We just completed our home loan with First Residential Mortgage, and the entire process was excellent! Ryan Hall went above and beyond to keep us informed every step of the way, providing detailed and pertinent answers to all our questions, regular status updates, and easily completed electronic documentation. Additionally, Mr. Hall was available via email and phone when we needed him - which was not always during normal business hours. We would highly recommend First Residential to anyone looking for financing to purchase a home, and would not hesitate to use them again in the future.Update - 16 April 2020Once again we went with First Residential Mortgage, this time for a ReFi. The process was painless, and as before Ryan was extremely helpful - making the whole effort a piece of cake! From start to finish roughly 30 days to cut our interest significantly. A hearty Thank You to Ryan and the whole team at First Residential! I highly recommend them!

Calvin Graham

20:30 20 Mar 20

jonas hauptman

01:59 13 Mar 20

Staci Brown

20:12 12 Mar 20

We loved working with Ryan! He was able to give us a clear outline of everything we needed to get our loan process rolling. Ryan was quick to respond to all of our questions and concerns. He worked hard to make sure we were at ease and comfortable with everything.

Jonathan Bennett

20:09 12 Mar 20

Ryan and his team were very helpful, they waked me through all the steps and helped me understand everything that was going on.

J0sh shua

03:06 23 Feb 20

Chao Yi Zhang

00:16 10 Feb 20

Ryan was very knowledgable and explained the house buying process every step of the way. I highly recommend his team!

Daniel Wheeler

20:05 07 Feb 20

David Martin

17:00 22 Dec 19

Everything went smoothly and Ryan was easy to work with !

Jen Kittle

15:52 19 Dec 19

Working w/ Ryan/FRM and doing the majority of the refi online was quick and relatively painless. Ryan was always quick to respond w/ any questions I had and I really liked the videos he sent explaining the docs and what he needed from me...it made the interaction more personal. Overall I have to say the experience was much better than going through a large mortgage company.

Katie Wells

21:37 05 Dec 19

Ryan and his team are the best! We have had nothing but great experiences in all of our interactions. They make everything so quick and easy! Thanks for all of your help.

Noah Coyle

18:38 05 Dec 19

Ryan and team were outstanding! From initial call through closing...I have purchased 12+ homes and this was by far the easiest. I also learned a valuable lesson...always give the "local guy" a chance. Saved me over $2000 in closing...real money.Would recommend every time!Thanks!

Cantley Krafft

14:34 22 Nov 19

Ryan and his team are absolutely incredible! They helped my wife and I close on our first home, and from start to finished we closed in just 15 days!! 🤯 Crazy fast!Great customer service & great knowledge - cannot recommend enough!

Megha Shyam Reddy Kudumala

17:47 07 Nov 19

As first time home buyers, we had several questions through out the home buying process. Ryan was very helpful with his timely responses to our questions and any updates along the way. His team at First Residential Mortgage is very knowledgable and helped us understand different terms and documents used in the process. He even made and sent out a video explaining the steps in the process specifically for our application, which says more about their dedication to help. Would highly recommend Ryan and his team at First Residential Mortgage.

Matt Thompson

19:15 06 Nov 19

Ryan and his team did a great job with our mortgage.

Benjamin Hemingway

19:14 06 Nov 19

I worked with Ryan on my new home purchase. He was very patient and always willing to explain something I didn't understand or re-run different scenarios to work out the best mortgage plan to fit my budget. Thanks for all your help!

Ashley Canter

03:12 10 Oct 19

My husband and I can't thank Ryan and his team enough for going above and beyond to help us with our loan. Everyone that worked with us were very nice and never hesitated to answer any questions we had. They acted with integrity and honesty and were always willing to help. They made the loan process easy for us.

Miranda Hayes

22:46 09 Oct 19

Look no further than First Residential Mortgage for all your mortgage needs. The staff here is dedicated to making the home loan process a positive experience for you! My loan was handled completely through online channels but yet they still made the process very personable and kept me informed every step of the way. My loan closed sooner than anticipated and the process was a breeze!

Shuo Geng

15:48 09 Oct 19

Ryan and his team is extremely professional and efficient. We are the first time home buyer, so we have many naive questions. Ryan is very patient and responsive. He often send us videos explaining all the details and address our concerns. Especially, he helps us to get the best rate. It was a great experience to work with First Residential Mortgage. Highly recommend!

Corey Haines

15:34 16 Sep 19

Ryan was great to work with during the entire process of purchasing my first home. Ryan always had updates for me throughout the entire process and answered every phone call and question I had. He provided great video explanations of documents that would be otherwise confusing. I would highly recommend Ryan at First Residential Mortgage for any future home purchases.

Leslie Fitzpatrick

21:16 14 Sep 19

Ryan and his team were exceptional throughout my home buying process. Ryan was always accessible for any questions or concerns I had and was proactive in giving me all the information I needed pre and post closing. He is tremendously knowledgeable in the field and found the best option for me when purchasing my home.

fighting Irish

01:52 12 Aug 19

Dakota Dolgos

19:56 03 Aug 19

Ryan and his group are extremely knowledgeable! They answered every question we had with no hesitation and made the process as easy as possible! I have no doubts I will be doing more business with them very soon. Thanks for all your help guys!

Jeffrey Revin

17:41 16 Jul 19

Ryan and his team made our home buying process go seamlessly. Everyone was so helpful in making sure everything happened on time and ultimately made our dreams come true. We couldn’t have done it without First Residential Mortgage and would highly recommend them. Thank you guys!!Brooke & Jeff Revin

Jacob Mills

12:15 14 Jun 19

Ryan was quick, efficient, and very responsive. He answered all of my questions early on, and worked through multiple obstacles to get us the product we wanted. Once we were decided, he guided the process smoothly and efficiently, providing timely updates, and any support we needed along the way. If you are looking for efficiency without the frills, look no further.

Zach Williams

22:11 13 Jun 19

Eric Hudgins

21:51 13 Jun 19

Have dealt with Ryan (First Residential Mortgage) for more all of my mortgages and refinancing for 14 years. I cannot suggest anyone more capable and amazing to work with!

Dan Peets

19:39 14 Apr 19

My wife and I had a tremendous home-buying experience with First Residential Mortgage. Ryan and his team were extremely professional, helpful, and responsive. Highly recommend!

Eric Paulz

12:47 12 Apr 19

Ryan and the rest of the team at First Residential are extremely knowledgeable and experienced. As a first time home buyer, I appreciated the way they walked me through the process and made sure I understood everything. They were always available and quick to answer any questions I had. I never felt like I was out of the loop or uncomfortable about what was going on. I am happy I chose First Residential to help me take this step, and I would highly recommend them to anyone looking to buy a home in the area.

Mario Jones

13:02 01 Apr 19

Ryan was very easy to work with while we purchased our first home! He made the whole process smooth and was available any time to answer any questions that we had.

Cozette Comer

11:47 18 Mar 19

We just bought our first home through First Residential Mortgage and had an excellent experience! Ryan Hall guided us through the process and answered all of my (many) questions about loan structure options and down-the-line benefits and consequences. He spent time making sure we were knowledgeable about our options, and happy with our final decisions.Everything was completed on time (no extensions to our closing date were necessary) and he always responded to questions or document submissions within 24 hours! During the process, he kept us updated by sending out a table with each task completed and required. This allowed us to feel like we were in the loop, even throughout the complex loan acquiring process. We will highly recommend Ryan, and First Residential Mortgage to our friends in the future.

Jeff Akers

01:22 10 Mar 19

My experience and recent home purchase with First Residential Mortgage and Ryan Hall as my mortgage advisor was exceptional. The mortgage process was very easy, simplified and painless. The majority of the process was via email using programs such as Borrower Portal and DocuSign. Virtually no need to visit the office. Ryan is very easy to talk and work with, friendly always smiling with an outstanding attitude. He's very knowledgeable and an expert at what he does. He always returns your phone calls and email messages with all the right answers. If your looking for a mortgage company with a top notch mortgage advisor look no further than First Residential Mortgage and Ryan Hall. Hands down -- 5-stars plus.

Sue Hossack

21:53 04 Mar 19

We had a very good experience with Ryan- My husband was eligible for a Veterans Mortage, but we ran into problems going through Navy Federal Credit Union even though he had banked with them for years. We wasted 2 weeks trying to get it settled, then were referred to Ryan (thanks to James Nolen of ReMax) . Ryan got it sorted out in less than hour and we still closed on the due date. We were very happy with his service, and he answered all our questions, no matter what time we called.

Michele Di Blasi

22:23 01 Mar 19

Ryan Hall is outstanding! We live 3.5 hours from Blacksburg where he helped us obtain a mortgage for a rental property. Ryan was the only one of 4 mortgage brokers we asked who would take the time to review our finances and make it all happen. Great communicator, patient, very organized and on the ball. Will definitely use him again in the future. I highly recommend you take advantage of his superior customer service.

Kate Pennington

01:33 01 Mar 19

We just bought our first home and we couldn’t have had a better experience because of Ryan and First Residential Mortgage! Ryan was able to give us the absolute best rates and he made the entire process incredibly easy (especially for two people who had no idea what they were doing)! We can’t thank Ryan and First Residential Mortgage enough. We would recommend him to anyone and everyone looking to buy a home!

Katherine Webb

21:35 28 Feb 19

Joseph Montgomery

18:48 01 Jan 19

Ryan, at First Residential Mortgage, did a great job with handling our recent real estate transaction. He was very responsive to every question and took the time to explain everything in great detail. If you’re looking for someone to handle your next real estate transaction... I highly recommend Ryan at “First Residential Mortgage”. Ryan, thank you for making our transition to Blacksburg, VA easy and stress free.

Robyn Berg

19:42 18 Dec 18

Ryan is GREAT! Knowledgable and friendly!

Stefanie DeMonaco

15:08 11 Dec 18

Ryan was very helpful in getting us the best loan options available. We were updated regularly with items that required our attention to get things taken care of in time for closing. We were very pleased with the service.

Nicholas Olinger

23:49 24 Nov 18

I had an amazing experience working with Ryan and this company to buy my first house. He was very easy to communicate with and helped me in anyway he could. I would definitely work with him again in future. He helped my sister buy her first house as well

Stacey Freeman

16:11 24 Nov 18

Ryan at First Residential Mortgage has been very thorough and easy to work with. He has been very friendly and informative and always available for questions. I enjoyed working with him very much.

Mallory Miller

14:59 21 Nov 18

My husband and I had a great experience with Ryan at First Residential Mortgage. He made getting a mortgage super simple. Ryan was very attentive, even contacting us while he was on vacation, and made sure all our questions were answered throughout the process. We highly recommend reaching out to Ryan!

Charles Blauth

04:36 11 Nov 18

Ryan makes getting a mortgage very simple. He was very responsive and answered all of our questions . He explained everything to us so we knew what to expect. There was no pressure on us at anytime and we are very happy with the choices we made.

Raja Siva

15:02 08 Nov 18

Thanks a lot Ryan for helping me to bring my dream alive.

13:08 08 Nov 18

Ryan was very generous with his time, helping to explain the details and all our options throughout the process. Highly recommended.

andrew keen

10:50 17 Aug 18

We just purchased our second home through Ryan and Firat residential Mortgage. Ryan is always accessible, patient, and incredibly knowledgeable through the home buying process. He has access to the best rates and is incredibly helpful when trying to decide what type of loan to get, etc. We would recommend FRM over and over again.

brianmchone

19:45 27 Jul 18

Ryan Hall has been an outstanding resource for me in the lending world. He has done several mortgages for me; both residential and investment. If you want a lender who will answer the phone every time you call, then look no further. His company does an outstanding job of keeping you apprised of where things are throughout the process. It's nice not to have to wonder what's going on!I would and do recommend him to anyone who needs a home or investment loan. Top notch service and professionalism at it's finest..

Things You Should Know If You Are a First Time Homebuyer

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