Home buyer guides
Straight answers to the questions Northern Virginia buyers actually ask — financing, costs, the process, and writing a winning offer.
Financing
FHA vs Conventional: Which Loan Is Right for You?
The real trade-offs between FHA and conventional loans — down payment, credit, and the mortgage insurance that decides your long-term cost.
VA Loans in Northern Virginia: A Buyer’s Guide
Zero down, no PMI, and strong terms — how VA loans work and how to use one to compete in Northern Virginia’s market.
How Much Do You Really Need for a Down Payment?
From 0% VA to 20% conventional — what different down payments actually cost you, and why more isn’t always better.
PMI Explained: The Cost of a Low Down Payment
What private mortgage insurance is, what it costs, and how to get rid of it.
Costs
Process
Earnest Money: How Much and How It’s Protected
What earnest money is, how much to offer in Northern Virginia, and how your contingencies protect it.
The Home Inspection: What It Covers and How to Use It
Why the inspection is your biggest protection — and how to negotiate repairs or credits without blowing up the deal.
The Appraisal and the “Appraisal Gap”
How the appraisal protects your loan, what happens when a home appraises low, and how appraisal-gap coverage works.
Buyer-Broker Agreements: How Buyer Agents Get Paid
Since August 2024 you sign a written agreement with your agent before touring homes. Here is what that agreement does, how compensation actually works in Virginia, and why almost all of it is negotiable.
Virginia Disclosure Law and "Buyer Beware"
Virginia is largely a "buyer beware" state: sellers disclose far less than buyers often expect. Here is what that means for you, why the inspection carries so much weight, and when to bring in an attorney.
HOA / Condo Resale Packet and Your Right to Cancel
Buying in an HOA or condo in Virginia comes with a disclosure packet — and a statutory window to cancel after you receive it. Here is what the packet is, what to read in it, and how the cancellation right works.
Offers
Escalation Clauses: When to Use One (and When Not To)
How an escalation clause works, where it helps, and the traps to avoid in a multiple-offer situation.
Contingencies: The Protections in Your Offer
Inspection, financing, and appraisal contingencies explained — what they protect and what it means to waive one.
New Construction
How Do You Buy a Quick Move-In Home?
A finished or nearly finished builder home closes in weeks rather than most of a year. The process differs from a to-be-built home in ways that change what you should ask, when, and in what order.
Do You Need a Buyer’s Agent for New Construction?
No — you can walk into a model home alone, and plenty of people do. Here is what changes if you do, why the first visit is the one that counts, and what an agent actually does in a builder deal.
How to Negotiate New Construction
Builders negotiate differently from homeowners — here’s where the real value hides, and why $10k isn’t always $10k.
Builder Incentives: What They’re Really Worth
Closing credits, rate buydowns, and free options — how to translate a builder’s incentive into real dollars.
Have a question these don’t answer?
Ask Raoul directly, or run your own numbers with the buyer calculators.