My Story

Do you have those friends that are practically family? My family and Ben’s go way back (our Dads were the best of friends in high school) and we have been there for each other’s graduations, birthdays, weddings, we spend holidays together, and vacation together. We have pictures of me holding Ben when he was first born! When Ben went off to Virginia Tech, he met Ashley (who we adore!!) and soon after college they were married and moved back to Virginia Beach.

They rented for their first year of marriage and a few months into year 2 they came to me to talk about buying their first home. It is something very special when friends who are family trust you with their biggest asset. I was honored, to say the least, to help guide them through the home-buying process.

So the search began! We started looking in both Norfolk and Virginia Beach and we eventually narrowed it down to Kings Grant and Great Neck in Virginia Beach. Ben and Ashley preferred something more updated and with Ashley being a Registered Dietician, lots of counter space was a must-have for cooking.

Pause for a brag moment: Ashley makes the best gluten-free cherry cheesecake I’ve ever had!! She makes eating healthy taste very good.

Back to house hunting…We saw lots of houses but none of them were “the one.” I can always tell when buyers are starting to feel discouraged that a house they love hasn’t come on the market yet. It’s easier said than done, but I tell them to keep waiting because you never know what’s going to pop up, even as soon as the next day…

And sure enough, one weekend in March, the perfect ranch house in Great Neck was just listed! It had a beautiful, updated kitchen, was on a cul-de-sac, and was walking distance to all the Hilltop shops and restaurants (Baladi is their fave!). We quickly put an offer on it and it was accepted! 🎉

I was so impressed with Ben and Ashley’s patience and willingness to learn throughout the whole home-buying process. I tell first-time home buyers that there is nothing like buying a home to make you feel like you’re really “adulting!” What impressed me the most about Ben and Ashley was that they wanted their every step and move to be led and directed by the Lord. They see their home as a place to welcome others and have such hospitable hearts. Ben and Ash, it was truly a privilege to help you find your first home and you’ve done an AMAZING job making it your own. Here’s to many game nights and cherry cheesecakes in your new home!

P.S. Their front door color is one of my new favorites!! It’s called Rice Terrace by Sherwin Williams.

Ben & Ashley’s Story

What was your knowledge of buying a home going into the home buying process?

We really did not have much knowledge of the home buying process. I remember when we decided that we wanted to start getting information and we met with Perrin and were honestly quite overwhelmed by how much we didn’t know. Learning about all of the things to “watch out” for when buying a home felt a little scary, which is why having a Realtor to guide us through the process made it so much easier.

What were the things you were most nervous about that turned out not to be so bad?

I think the part we were most nervous for was the possibility that there would be multiple offers on a house we loved. Neither of us loved the idea of having to out-bid another person. Luckily we found our home the day it went on the market and were able to quickly get in an offer (I believe the first offer?) by the end of the next day. Another nerve wracking part of the process was the inspection/ PICRA. Thankfully we had an amazing home inspector (shout-out to Dan) who is very detail oriented, however no one wants to be told all of the things that are wrong with their dream house. The seller was surprisingly accommodating to most of our requests which was a huge relief.

How did you budget and know what you could budget for?

We sat down and forecasted our income and any foreseeable expenses for the next 10 years. We wrote out everything that we pay for in a typical month (plus more to be safe) and looked at what we could comfortably pay per month. Ben’s dad is a CPA so he was also very helpful in helping us think of any possible expenses we could be missing. I’ll be honest, this part is not very fun and maybe was the most stressful part of all, but ultimately it all works out.

What are important questions to ask during the process?

I would say the most important questions to ask are during the home inspection. Peace of mind is huge and walking around with your inspector and asking any questions you may have can save you a lot of headache in the long run. I wish we had done this more during our inspection. I can’t think of specific questions to ask, but knowing that you can and should ask your realtor anything that you think of is so important. Perrin was so helpful and answered any and all of our questions that came up throughout the process.

What’s something you wish you knew before buying a house?

It is completely normal to not find “the one” immediately. We looked at 20+ houses before we stumbled upon our home and I couldn’t be more thankful for how it worked out. It can be exhausting to tour so many houses but it is incredibly valuable to see what you like and especially what you don’t like.

What was the most surprising part of the process?

Once we found the house and our offer was accepted I was surprised how fast, yet smoothly everything went. We would get emails several times a week updating us on various things and letting us know the next thing we needed to do (ex. Schedule home inspection, survey, pick a closing attorney, etc.). Although it is a lot of little things it was very simple because we had a great team helping us out.

Ben + Ashley