Whitney Watson's (whitneywatson) Blog

I’ve received several questions from readers just this week on one mortgage document: the consumer explanation letter.  Most of them are just plain annoyed with having to complete this document and don’t understand how to complete it.The consumer explanation letter prints at the end of your credi...

How cool is Venmo?  A younger friend introduced me to it.  There’s a small group of us girls who will go out to dinner once every month or so, and, if the restaurant isn’t of the friendly variety where they will split the check for your group of six or more, you’re in trouble if you don’t have ca...

Virginia Housing Development Authority (VHDA) has just announced a new down payment assistance grant for borrowers who qualify.  You are able to get 3% of the purchase price in FREE MONEY that does not have to be repaid. The program began on March 12 and will continue through June 30, or, until t...

I remember closing on my first home very well–I wasn’t in the mortgage business at the time and my husband handled most of the details.  A few days before–being the anxious person that I am–I began hounding him with loads of questions:  Where are we going? How much money do we need? How do we get...

Last Friday afternoon a client of mine closed on an adorable 1939 Cape Cod with 2 beds and 1 bath in a quaint Northside neighborhood. With 10% down and a 15 year term, he ended up with a mortgage payment under $500 a month. After closing, his realtor Sean Craft with Homes N’ Land took me on a tou...

During my second year at the University of Virginia, I lived in the below house on 14th Street in Charlottesville with 11 other girls.  One average, we each paid $300/month in rent.  If our landlords’ monthly expenses were low (They weren’t putting much towards the upkeep of the property as you c...

I would like to share my excitement with you about my new professional home: First Heritage Mortgage. While making the decision to leave was difficult, I am thrilled to now have three new tools available to assist YOU and your clients. Below are just a few of the amazing perks to working with me...

Last weekend I tried out a new recipe from www.health.com.  It turned out so well and our dinner guests loved it, so I want to pass on the goodness to you all! Enjoy!  (Picture from www.health.com) Ingredients 2 tablespoonsolive oil 2 garlic cloves, crushed 1 (16-ounce) can whole Italian tomatoes...

My three-year-old daughter has a coin purse her Pop gave to her complete with $2.50.  She calls this money her “tickets.”  One time I was driving on the expressway and my E-Zpass was not in my car as my husband had borrowed it.  I needed 75 cents and I had no cash.  It took some major convincing,...

Buying your first home probably seemed complicated and overwhelming, but transitioning from your first home to your second home can be lot more difficult without the proper guidance. When you purchased your first home, you were renting a house or an apartment.  Even if you had a lease that had no...