VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — David Leader said he used to travel a lot for work.
"It made sense at the time to be renting," he said.
But when Leader's career changed, he said the idea of "home" changed.
"[Renting didn't] make sense anymore," said Leader. "Time to get my own house and really just be comfortable and have my foundation set up."
Leader recently closed on his Norfolk townhome, despite an aggressive seller's market. He said it's all thanks to his real estate agent.
"Shout out to Winter," said Leader. "Her patience and just advice and understanding of how the real estate process works really gave me just the full-on respect that I know I can trust her decision on getting the right property for me."
Winter Savage switched from social work to real estate in 2019, taking with her a passion for helping people.
"A lot of clients I was coming across in my social work endeavors basically didn't have housing," said Savage. "So, I was like, 'Hold, wait... let me see what I can do here to help with, you know, bridging this gap.'"
Like much of the country, Hampton Roads is seeing higher home sales prices and lower inventory available. Savage said education is the key to home buying, especially in the current housing market.
"Knowing the steps ahead of time kind of gives you motivation, versus not knowing the steps and trying to just jump out there head-first," said Savage.
Savage offers a monthly class to first-time homebuyers for free in Suffolk.
"Everyone needs someone that they can talk to, especially when it comes to making business decisions," said Savage.
While the road to closing isn't easy, Savage said it's all worth it to see people like Leader happy and home.
"It just feels rewarding because they understand, like, their voice was heard, they got what they wanted, and they could take their time," said Savage.
"I could have rushed it, could have got[ten] anything else, but this [home] felt right for me," Leader explained.
Savage is an agent with EXP Realty in Virginia Beach. To learn more about her free class for first-time homebuyers, contact Savage on Facebook or Instagram or by email at youragentconsultant@gmail.com.