Meet The Stout Family
See how Abby Anderson guided the Schyler and Nicholas through a many unexpected moments throughout the home buying process.
Why did you decide to buy?
"Our story is one of many ups and downs. We started dating in 2014, married in 2017, had our son in 2019. We were living together in Catawissa in 3 different apartments and fell in love with the area.
We were in search of our first home for a long time, years to be exact. We kept looking for homes that fit our budget but were having issues with finding the ONE. Fortunately for us, COVID made the time right for us. Mortgage rates were at an all-time low, and we were in a situation where we actually could save money to place down on a home."
What was most memorable about your experience?
"When we think through the entire journey, some of the houses made the time much more fun as we expected high hopes based on pictures and then would enter the home and it would be nothing like the pictures, or the layout would be something that we couldn’t handle. Nicholas is 6’ 1” so some of the homes that were older and in our price range he didn’t exactly fit in the rooms or doorways!
Abby helped us with the mortgage company, and lawyers for closing. With her help, the process went much smoother than we were expecting all the way up until closing and beyond! The mortgage company contact was AMAZING with answering questions via calls/emails/texts and not being annoyed if we replied late due to work. Abby was also very prompt when we would send her listings that we really liked."
Were there stressful moments during the process?
"OOOHHHH there were many stressful moments that were very easily resolved. Overall the experience itself was smooth. The worst was the wait and the unknown. We placed 3-4 offers on homes and got either turned down or beat out on all of them. With the house that we purchased, we were able to see ourselves living there and being able to grow our family. We wrote the homeowner a personal letter because we really had fallen in love with this house and wanted it to be our HOME.
We were mostly concerned about having to settle on a house due to cost or the current market. Abby assured us that a home that we loved and could afford was out there if we were just patient. She made us comfortable with knowing we didn’t need to settle if we just were patient. A lot of the homes we looked at we could see ourselves in but wanted a major home construction job done or didn’t really like the layout or the size of places like bedrooms and living space since we have a larger family when we get together. Abby made what we thought would be a very stressful journey not stressful. We see this more and more now as we see what we went through versus some of our friends that are in the process of home buying now and the stress they are under."
Why Abby Anderson with Hodrick Realty?
"Abby was recommended as a Realtor by my brother-in-law who used her for his home purchase. We also knew Abby personally which made the experience much more personable and enjoyable. We knew that she could be laid back while still being professional during the MANY showings of homes. I think it was also helpful that Abby was in our age group so we had relatable conversations. She was able to understand the needs for us as first time buyers with a family. She helped us find the home that was move in ready and that we could make our HOME overtime with small home improvements. She was honest about the entire experience and was able to get us into homes within a day sometimes if it was one we REALLY liked that may go fast. She was also really good at listening to us regarding our wants, needs, dislikes, and what we could afford in the end so that we weren’t looking at homes we couldn’t afford and fall in love with it."
The Stout's advice for you:
"Find a Realtor who understands your concerns and needs as well as finds your stressors so that they can do everything to make them easier for you. Homebuying is a long process that comes with many ups and downs that one may never think of when you start. Find someone that is willing to go through that journey with you to the end."