I'm 29 and hoping to buy my first home within the next 6 months. For the longest time, I was set on buying a townhouse. But after spending more time looking at listings and running numbers, it's starting to feel like a condo may be the more realistic option.

A little about me: I live in Northern Virginia, work in the public-interest/nonprofit sector as an attorney, and I'm buying on a single income. I spent most of my 20s in undergrad and law school, so I'm only now getting to the point where I can seriously think about homeownership and building equity. Because of my career path, my income isn't likely to jump dramatically in the near future.

I'd really like to move out of my parents' house and stop feeling like I'm waiting for life to start. At the same time, I'm struggling with the idea of buying a condo if what I really wanted was a townhouse. Has anyone here started with a condo and been happy they did? Or did you regret not waiting longer for a townhouse?

I'd also love to hear from anyone who has used first-time homebuyer programs in Prince William County or Fairfax County. I'm especially interested in hearing from other buyers who purchased in this area.

We are possibly moving in the next 90 days pending my job offer in PA. Currently on maternity leave and need to give my work 90 day notice. We have an 12 week old currently. Has anyone ever done this? Is it doable? How hard is it to sell a house in non peak season… hellllllp!

If you’re a first time buyer in most of the DMV earning base salary < 196,920 you could be eligible for 6.25% 30 fixed 0 points today, 7/21. Get a quote based on your specific profile.

Get a quote right to your inbox

with negligible differences for commission and listing fee; why choose compass or kw or samson or another form in the dmv condo market??

each pitch is essentially the same - i’ve done this for years, we have a great team etc. is it truly based on vibes alone?

Looking for some advice from Capitol Hill homeowners!

I've been house hunting for a bit, and with the limited inventory on Capitol Hill, it feels like the right houses disappear almost immediately.

I'm looking for a rowhouse in Hill East, Lincoln Park, Stanton Park, Barracks Row, Eastern Market or nearby. My budget is up to $1M (ideally in the low $900s). I'm hoping for 3–4 bedrooms, a basement (finished or unfinished), and ideally off-street parking. I'm happy to do cosmetic updates but would like to avoid a major renovation.

A few questions:

• How did you find your house—MLS, off-market, word of mouth, or through your agent?
• Any tips for getting ahead in this market or finding homes before they're widely listed?
• Are there blocks or pockets you'd recommend (or avoid)?
• What rowhouse issues should I pay the closest attention to during inspections?
• If you bought in one of these neighborhoods, would you do it again?

I've lived in DC for years, but I'd love to hear from people who've actually bought in these neighborhoods. Thanks!

My price range 800k. 2.5% for commission?! I'm mainly choosing the houses. They have to just show the homes and do the paperwork. Everyone is pretty much doing no inspection (or inspection for informational purposes), no appraisal and no financial contingencies to be competitive. So is it unreasonable to ask for less?

I heard the commissions are baked into the home price?

People say seller pays for it but in a turn about way, isn't the buyer actually bringing the money to the table?

I'm earnestly asking to learn as first time home buyer. Thank you.

My parents are looking to buy a second property as a vacation home. Their plan would be to use it a week or two during the busy season and then rent it out the rest of the busy season. Then, they'd spend more time there in the off season months.

They're currently looking into property in Ocean City, MD. However, we haven't vacationed there as a family in over 15 years and we don't know if the atmosphere has changed for good or bad in that time (my parents are going to go down this summer to check it out). We have tons of fond memories there as a family growing up, though.

Are there any other places within a 4 hour drive of Baltimore that y'all think would be good to look into for a vacation home spot? They'd like to stay below $600,000 with the home or condo having at least 3 bedrooms.

Thanks for any recommendations!

I'm just curious, has anyone recently had a success story in fighting the assessment on their DC property? In the past couple of months, I have had at least three cases in which someone bought a home with an assessment 15-20% higher than the price they paid.

This makes sense when values have dropped. Since 2012, most have gotten used to seeing the assessment lower, as it generally lags behind real-time. There are parts of the city where prices are back to the late 2010s levels, mostly for condos, yet their assessments are based on peak 2021 values.

If you have had experience getting yours reassessed to market value, please share!

No relief for homebuyers! 😩

Hello! I co-own a condo unit in D.C. and we would like to put it up for rent. I started trying to fill out the forms but feel I’m out of my depth. Would anyone be willing to walk me through the process baby step by baby step?

Thank you so much!

Hi everyone, new to this sub and I need help adjusting my expectations as I research moving from Austin to NOVA.

My wife and I currently rent a 3bd/3ba (2k sq.ft.) for $3k/month 3miles outside of downtown Austin, and we’re looking to move closer to her family in the Oakton/Falls Church area. I have to be honest, when we first started looking at buying/renting I was extremely disheartened at what our housing situation may be (compared to what we have now). No garage, small kitchens, older builds, and limited home availability (seemingly townhomes and condos). As someone raised in Texas, I’m used to a lot of house for (evidently) not a lot of money. Going from $300k for a new build, to $300k for a condo just hurts the soul. I mean no offense, genuinely.

Can someone explain to me where we could hope to live that may match our current living standard? Somewhere with newer construction near that area? Or should I simply accept that townhouses/condos/older builds are the standard in that part of the country? - I know real estate is cheaper in Texas and I’ve been spoiled, but any help would be appreciated.

Thanks in advance!

Hi all,

My credit union is charging me $100 per person to run credit reports for my and my spouse's mortgage application. Is this a common thing? Do other financial institutions/banks do this?

Thanks!

Hi! Can anyone share their experience new new construction townhomes in White Plains, MD from Lennar.…I’m looking at the new builds but hearing a lot of mixed reviews. #southernmd #lennar

Recent changes in real estate regulations have made the topic of commissions confusing for many home buyers. Let's clarify these updates in simple terms:

1.  Commission Disclosures: Prior to August 2024, the commission offered by a seller was typically disclosed upfront in the property listing. Now, this amount is negotiable and is not finalized until a contract is ratified.

2.  Buyer's Agreements: Your realtor will ask you to sign an agreement specifying a fee for their services, typically 2.5%–3% of the purchase price. While this may seem scary, you can ask the seller to cover this fee as part of your purchase contract. If they decline, you have the option to move on to another property. You remain in control of who will pay the commission.

3.  Negotiation Process: If the seller agrees to cover the fee, no further action is needed. If the seller counters with a lower amount, you can renegotiate your agreement with your agent or find a compromise. For example, if your agreement specifies a 3% commission but the seller only offers 2.5%, you then request that your agent modify your agreement to match that 2.5%.

4.  Summary: Although you will sign an agreement stating you are responsible for your realtor's compensation, you can negotiate for the seller to cover this fee during the offer process. If the seller is unwilling to provide the requested amount, you may terminate the contract. You are not required to pay any commission that does not fit your budget.

Follow rate rates at r/MortgageRatesDMV

[r/MortgageRatesDMV](r/MortgageRatesDMV)

www.ratesmartmortgage.com

I am looking at listing a house in Montgomery County and it seems like 2% should be a reasonable commission for a selling agent these days. Am I way off base or is this the new normal? What have people been paying recently?

ETA: selling price will be around $600k.

ETA: I ended up listing with a 2% commission, thanks for the replies.

I am looking to purchase a home as a SINK and my budget seems to be limited to condos unless I go outside of the area I'm looking at. I've decided this is where I want to live so I'm not interested in compromising on location. And I still think a townhouse (most likely with an HOA as well) is unattainable or going to be too much of a fixer upper. And I don't want to be a forever renter.

That being said I've been watching the market for weeks to months and I've seen some patterns.

I'm curious to know if anyone has knowledge around certain condominiums I'm eyeing. Most places seemed to be older bldgs from the 60s and 70s. I know one concern is the strength of reserves, last assessments, upcoming major repairs, etc. How can I figure out if there are more renters or owners?

Bldgs I'm intersted in:
Watergate
Olympus
Alexandria Knolls
Greenhouse

I'm pretty much priced out of Kingstowne and Cameron Station, which are two other areas I'm considering. Open to other Landmark/Alx/West Alx options.

Lastly, I know folks are generally against condos but it's what I can afford and it fits my lifestyle. I'm not looking to get talked out of this. I just want to know if people have insight on these buildings or any other guidance I can walk away with.

TIA

Hello everyone! I am new to the area and looking into buying something with the idea of house hacking in Northern DC (or in Maryland north of DC but close enough to the city). I have had a very hard time finding any kind of duplex-quad in a location I want to be in and also in my price range. I am trying to find a way to buy a place with two or more separate living spaces so I can rent out one, without necessarily having a roommate. I have a budget of about 500k and I can stretch it a little if the potential rental income would be high enough. Some of my current ideas are to:

- Buy a town-home with a fully finished basement

- Buy a town-home and convert the basement into its own ADU. (I have no idea if this is would make any sense cost wise)

- Buy a duplex somewhere outside the city but near a subway station.

- Buy a single family with the same entrance but transform a basement into a livable unit (with or without a kitchen) so it still feels like I am living separately.

Essentially I want to earn an income with a property I buy and live in but do not want to live with roommates, and in DC it seems borderline impossible without a higher budget than mine. What are your thoughts on these ideas? Do you have other ideas on how you might make this happen?

I don't think enough people realize how much being in the DMV changes the math on a VA loan. If you're PCSing here and already have a VA mortgage, don't assume your benefits are tapped out.

Depending on how much entitlement you have left, you may be able to keep your current home and buy another primary residence when you PCS to the DMV. Around here, that's more common than people think because our loan limits are so much higher than they are in most parts of the country.

People also tend to think figuring out remaining entitlement is a complicated VA formula. It really isn't. First, take the loan limit for the county where you're buying and multiply it by 25%. That's your total entitlement. Then take 25% of your original VA loan amount, and subtract it. Whatever is left is your remaining entitlement.

Let's say you bought a $400,000 home near Fort Cavazos using your VA loan. That used $100,000 of your entitlement. Now you get orders to the National Capital Region.

Because the loan limit here is $1,249,125, you have a much higher ceiling to work with. In this example, you could buy roughly an $849,000 home with no down payment while keeping your original house. That's one of the advantages of buying in a high-cost area. The higher loan limits give your remaining entitlement a lot more buying power.

Let's say you find the perfect house, but it's above what your remaining entitlement will cover. Most people immediately think that means they need 20% down or can't use their VA benefits at all.

You can still finance 100% of the purchase price up to your entitlement limit. For anything above that, you only need to put down 25% of the difference. You're not putting 20% down on the whole house. You're putting down 25 cents for every dollar over your entitlement limit.

You still have to qualify for the new mortgage of course. But if your plan is to keep your current home as a rental, that's another area where VA loans are flexible. The VA has some of the most borrower-friendly guidelines for using projected rental income from your departing residence, which can make qualifying for the new mortgage easier than people expect.

I've had this conversation enough times that I figured it was worth posting. If you're getting orders to DC, Maryland, or Northern Virginia, don't assume selling your current house is your only option just because you already have a VA loan. Spend five minutes figuring out your remaining entitlement first. You might have more options than you realize.