Purchasing my first home in Washington, DC was truly a journey, but one that was absolutely worth…read moreit thanks to David Toaff, his team at First Home Mortgage, and my realtor Terinee Bonds. I was originally introduced to David through Emily Atwood back in May 2019. After a minor setback, I was reconnected with him by Mr. Bill Milko in June 2022, and from that point forward the process officially began. From June 29, 2022 to December 11, 2022, this six-month journey taught me patience, discipline, and the importance of having the right people in your corner. At first, I found a condo in Northwest DC that I absolutely loved. The price was around $220,000, which was amazing for DC, but unfortunately FHA would not approve it because the HOA reserves did not meet the required percentage threshold. While it was disappointing at the time, everything happens for a reason because I later found another property for $325,000 that turned out to be the right fit for me. I was also approved for the DC HPAP First-Time Homebuyer Program along with DC Open Doors, which were both incredibly helpful programs for low-to-middle income homebuyers. I highly recommend anyone looking to purchase in DC to explore those opportunities. There were definitely bumps along the way. In August, I had to resolve my 2021 tax bill, which became part of the process. Throughout everything, David remained patient, professional, knowledgeable, and personable. He genuinely cared and always kept my best interest at heart. He also stayed on me about my spending habits, especially my DoorDash spending, making sure I stayed financially on track to successfully close. David also made sure everything was taken care of through his amazing team, Josh and Danielle. They consistently checked in with me through calls and emails at least three times a week, making sure I understood every step of the process. That level of communication and support made a huge difference because buying a home can feel overwhelming, especially as a first-time buyer. They truly walked me through the process from beginning to end and helped make things much less stressful than they could have been. What really stood out to me about David was his personality. He is truly a people person and just an overall down-to-earth guy who genuinely believes in helping people achieve homeownership. You can tell this is more than just business for him. He wants to see people succeed and become homeowners, especially those who may not think it's possible for them. That kind of authenticity matters during a major life decision like buying a home. Terinee Bonds, who I originally met through Redfin in 2019 and who is now with Keller Williams, was equally amazing. She consistently checked in, advocated for me, and helped guide me through every obstacle that came up along the way. Like David, she was personable, caring, patient, and truly invested in helping me succeed throughout the process. In the end, I only had to bring about $3,250 to closing, and I also received seller credits, which made a huge difference. I am beyond grateful for David, Josh, Danielle, and Terinee. I highly recommend First Home Mortgage and Terinee Bonds to anyone looking to purchase a home, especially first-time homebuyers navigating the DC market. Their professionalism, honesty, communication, patience, and dedication truly made this dream possible. He will really work for his clients and it's worth it. Trust his word he is extremely knowledgeable. 10/10 overall!!!

David was instrumental in helping me find the right loan product for my first home purchase. He…read morethoroughly explained the process, answered all my questions and was clearly a trusted advisor, rather than someone trying to just sell a mortgage to me. He also helped me snag a great discount on a local title company that did solid work. I've since referred a friend and know I can trust David if questions arise.

Brian was fantastic to work with throughout the mortgage process. He was responsive, knowledgeable,…read moreand took the time to explain every step clearly, which made a stressful process feel much more manageable. He shopped options, answered questions quickly, and was always transparent about rates, fees, and what to expect. What stood out most was how professional and steady he was from start to finish. I never felt pressured, and I always felt like he had my best interests in mind. If you're looking for a mortgage broker who is sharp, trustworthy, and easy to work with, I would absolutely recommend Brian.

Brian was absolutely outstanding, and guided us through the entire mortgage process (as buyers)…read morewith poise and humor. We would absolutely use Brian again if we needed to get another mortgage. Cannot recommand him highly enough!

I've been both a customer and an employee, so I hope my review will provide a different perspective…read moreof the company. The McKays (and team) are fantastic. My family has worked with the McKays on two purchases thus far, and we plan to continue working with them more moving forward. They were a major reason our offers were accepted in both cases. They took the time to reach out to the listing agent to communicate why we would qualify and close on time. Their knowledge in addition to their ability to communicate it is evident to all parties involved throughout the mortgage process. The McKays success all starts with the fact they are simply good people who work effectively. The McKay team is always focused on serving those around them in the best way. I was privy to many conversations where they decided to go out of their way to do what was right for the customer without expectation of anything in return. They celebrate each new year of business by rounding up all their friends and clients to go volunteer at a local charity, followed by an after party. They offer up their time and energy locally in numerous organizations. Before you work with any other lender, see if they have nearly as strong and long lasting ties as the Mckays do to other local businesses. All of this is in addition to the fact they know the mortgage industry and all its intricate guidelines like the back of their hands; they've been in the industry for decades. Lastly, they're simply a fun group to spend time with. Hopefully I'll see you at their next event after you've worked with them!

Worked with Brendan, Tina and Matt on both my purchase and a refi over the past year. Simply the…read morebest mortgage team in the DMV area. They are amazingly communicative, timely and fun to work with. After my purchase, Brendan kept tabs on rates for me and reached out when the needle had moved in my direction. I ended up dropping my payment by $400+ within 1/2 year of purchasing my condo in DC. They made the process painless and made sure I understood what was going on every step of the process. I'm a real estate investor, so I deal with a lot of financing teams. They get the job done at a great rate and go above and beyond to make sure your buying experience is as stress-free as possible.

Alex and his team made becoming a first time homeowner possible! We had such an incredible,…read morepersonalized experience with quick response times, enabling us update our offer almost overnight and secure our home before someone else could snag it. Can't recommend enough!

I had everything I needed a 60,000-down payment, credit score, and a mortgage certificate. I…read moresacrifice everything and, wait for years to get house of my own. They didn't at all help me. They rejected my application, and said I need another down payment of 60,000. A total of 120000. They crush my dreams and I'm still living in hell.

Look no further for all of your settlement needs. This is THE place to go to ensure that you are…read morewell taken care of and all of the details are accounted for. Whether you are going about your purchase on your own or with a realtor, you're simply not going to be taken care of any better than they do at Settlement Ink. Joy was true to her namesake...a true JOY to work with and get to know. Her and her entire team were incredibly thorough and truly made us feel like we were valued customers and friends. I cannot recommend Settlement Ink highly enough and will be returning for their services for any settlement needs we may have in the future!

Joy and Amanda made the whole experience of closing on our condo sale really pleasant. Due to HOA…read moreproblems, we had to complete the paperwork twice, and each time was easy and streamlined thanks to the folks here. They are warm, fun, and organized. They were very helpful with anxiety due to some last minute delays, and we are super grateful to them for their help. You will definitely get great service and enjoy working with these folks!

Reception was very aggressively in my face telling me that I needed to wait to be seen. Repeatedly…read moretelling me it was going to be a few more minutes, every few minutes. All while letting other people be seen by representative that arrived after I did.

From the owner: Navy Federal Credit Union proudly serves the armed forces, DoD, veterans and their families. Enjoy…read moregreat rates, discounts and award-winning 24/7 member service. Join a credit union that supports the military and understands what it means to serve by visiting the Navy Federal website, or one of our 380+ branches worldwide. Our Members Are the Mission®. Insured by NCUA.

Honest, hardworking, amazing team!! They do a great job. Highly recommend! Really care about their…read moreclients

Whether it's your tenth home or your first (like us), you can't go wrong hiring Stephen Mercer from…read moreBuyer's Edge. He provides everything you would expect from an agent- prompt responses to all text messages and emails, knowledge of the market, ability to explain the complexities of buying a home in simple terms, etc. However, what sets Stephen Mercer apart was his background in contracting work, his ethics, and his genuine kindness. Each time we met with him we felt we learned something new on how to spot a good home, and maintain one after buying. He allowed us to develop our own taste and never steered us in a direction just to close a deal. He takes his role as an *exclusive* buyer's agent seriously. We toured about 15 homes with Stephen Mercer before we found "the one" and we felt absolutely confident in our decisions. This was hugely influenced by what he had taught us along the way. Stephen Mercer also has a slew of mortgage lenders, settlement attorneys, and others that he has worked with for decades. They all worked together like a well-oiled machine and processed our paperwork seamlessly. We always knew we were in good hands with Stephen's recommendations. We were by no means his biggest sale, but he made us feel like his only clients. He took time to move his schedule around when a house just hit the market. He came up with bidding strategies that kept us competitive in multi-bid situations. He followed up to ensure we understood everything he explained during the tours. He even came back to our house after buying it to help us do a quick-fix on one of our windows. We really feel like we struck gold when we hired him and ended up with a home that greatly exceeded our expectations in the competitive DMV market. Besides all that, Stephen Mercer is truly hilarious and kind. Someone you want to be around and can trust to help you with big decisions. We feel like we gained a friend throughout the process and can't recommend him enough!

This review is for Mark Richards, the DC area senior loan officer for Citizens Bank / Citizens One…read morehome loans. Working with Mark Richards has been a most interesting and exasperating experience. On the one hand, you get the best rates on your mortgage in the DC area -- by a lot. The competition doesn't even come close to matching what he can offer. On the other hand, you'll spend 3 weeks banging your head against the wall in utter frustration as Mark's people skills and customer service are on par with a toddler. He won't respond to your email questions (or only partly respond), will give you timelines for receiving important documents that are mere suggestions, will keep shifting blame for tardiness to the underwriter or his processor, and will disappear from the office for long periods of time without giving you any notice. In my case, he went on vacation to Italy in the middle of our closing and failed to notify me or leave anyone in his office in charge of communication. I only found out several days later from his assistant when I didn't receive a timely response that was promised. To be fair, the issue here is communication not competence -- Mark did move along the closing process and we closed on time. But the communication is a challenge and ultimately its a tough call. You can deal with this anguish for 3 weeks and get it over with. Then you can enjoy up to 30 years of paying less interest on your mortgage. For most people, thats a worthy sacrifice. If that doesn't float your boat, I'd recommend looking at Chris Washburn at Caliber or Alex Jaffe at FirstHome. In my search, those two were extremely responsive and offered good rates. Ultimately, as far as Mark goes its a shame. If he can improve on his customer service, heck even hire someone to manage his clients, he'll make a killing in the DC area mortgage business with his rates. If you're a first time home buyer like I was, then dealing with Mark can be a real pain. If you've done this before and have a good sense of timelines and closing requirements, then its a no-brainer -- go with him. The savings are worth it!

Citizens home loans need to address the incompetence within its escrow department. Their employees…read moredon't know how to do basic addition and subtraction that a child in first grade can do. The customer service reps are absolutely horrible. I had to request one to pull up her calculator just so she could understand that there was an error when Citizens said I had a shortage on my account. They refunded me $600 when I was supposed to be refunded $2k. It's basic math that they can't do. Now I have to contact them for the fourth time for them to correct the error.

The best mortgage company I have ever dealt with. Amir and Ray are absolutely amazing in putting…read moresuch great mortgage company together. I have already done couple deals with them and I know for sure they got all my business in the future too. They are honest and up front with every deals.

I wanted to update my review to say that, despite some earlier hiccups and misfiled paperwork,…read moreParagon has been really helpful. As it turns out, there were some tax issues and Paragon not only worked with everyone necessary to fix it but checked in regularly with us to reassure of that things were being handled and so that we knew where things were at. We really appreciated their efforts and the customer service that went into updating us.

I own a few properties around the DC area, Paragon…read morewas,simply put, the best and easiest experience I have ever had in all aspects of Title and closings. I can't say enough about the ease of their process. Meticulous! Ron