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HVA sells young couple their dream home; gains a new employee
By Leah Templeton
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| Leah Templeton |
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In the military town of Norfolk, VA, lives a very happy home buyer. A young Navy sailor, his wife and their three-year-old son are now the proud owners of their first home, thanks to Patti and Troy Robertson of Tidewater Properties.
"We picked up a cute little house right next door to the Navy base in Norfolk," said Patti. "We closed on it on Friday, March 7 and spent two weeks sprucing it up with a new roof, fresh paint inside and out, and refinishing the hardwood floors."
A few weeks later the Robertsons put out a dozen signs in the neighborhood announcing a house for sale and “$500 moves you in.”
"We had eight calls within two hours," added Robertson. "The sixth call was from Andrew Warner. His wife had spotted our sign. They read it, but couldn't believe it was true."
Andrew, 20, and Nicki, 22, didn't think purchasing a new home was an option for such a young couple.
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| Nicki and Andrew Warner with son Jacob in front of their new home in Norfolk, Virginia. |
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"Andrew called the number on the sign and spoke with my husband Troy," continued Robertson. "He asked how the $500 move-in program worked and Troy explained the FHA/VA seller assisted down payment program we were offering. After Andrew shared some basic information, Troy took it to our mortgage office. This 20-year-old Navy Sailor qualified for his first mortgage in the amount of $175,000 through the VA!"
The couple, living in an apartment and facing the end of their lease, had been frantically trying to decide if they should remain month-to-month or find a new apartment complex. They didn't think buying a home was even a remote option.
"Andrew and Nicki were ecstatic to have a home to call their own and build their family in," said Robertson. "We let them move into the home before closing and even gave them a lawn mower so they could keep the lawn looking as good. They closed on their new home on Monday, April 14, and during the closing we learned that Andrew is the youngest homeowner ever to close a loan in our real estate attorney’s office."
The couple, still getting settled, appreciates the extra space now more than ever.
"I actually just found out I am pregnant again!" said Nicki. "We are in the process of redoing the attic and enlarging the space to create a new master bedroom. It's so wonderful to have a house of our own. The lawn is fenced so my son can play, and we have two dogs. And it's a better neighborhood than our apartment. We just love the house!"
But that's not quite the end of the story. At the closing Patti asked Nicki what she did for work. Nicki had only recently moved to Norfolk and was in the process of looking for a job.
"I told her that we had an opening for an administrative position in our office," said Robertson. "That night she e-mailed me her resume and completed our required profile. She met the profile we wanted and we met for an interview the next day. She's now working full-time in our office!"
The house appraised for $176,000, and Tidewater Properties sold it for $175,000 with $500 down and no additional funds needed at closing.
"Who says you can’t sell a house in this market?" Robertson added. "Our purchase-closing-date to sale-closing-date was only five weeks for a retail sale, and that's including mortgage qualification and funding!"
. . . Leah Templeton is an account executive with HomeVestors’ PR firm, BizCom Associates.
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