SPEAKER_00: 0:30

My name is Anna Chak. I am a real estate agent in Maryland and Virginia. I'm on the Hardman team at Samson Properties and I serve anyone looking to buy a property, sell a property, invest, or also rent.

SPEAKER_01: 0:47

Giving me like just going back, like giving me a quick overview of your journey that got you to where you are now.

SPEAKER_00: 0:56

Yeah, so I've really always wanted to do real estate. It's always been an interest of mine, even since I was a little kid. I know that's rare in the industry. A lot of people do it for the flexibility or some of the lifestyle. But yeah, I've always just had such an interest in architecture and different homes. And it's really been super rewarding to help people find that home. And also too, like it's often one of their biggest investments, and just help them manage that is really rewarding. And I've had a lot of fun with it.

SPEAKER_01: 1:29

Great. That sounds great. I know like uh helping people that's number one, and then like feeling like exciting and feel like happy to do your work where people helping people to get what they want. That's that's great. Let's go to the you mentioned like real estate is something you you always want to do. Why do you think that that?

SPEAKER_00: 1:51

I think it's mostly just my interest in houses and architecture. I love to see the architectural changes from the 70s to the 80s to the 90s. And I do also do a lot of new builds and seeing just how homes have changed over those decades has is just fascinating to me. And also to just helping people find that right home for them. It's almost like a puzzle. And just helping people navigate that has been a lot of fun.

SPEAKER_01: 2:22

That sounds good, it's great. Because following the dream, the thing you like to do, that's always important. You just finished the second year of your business. And what has surprised you the most about being a real estate agent compared to what you expected?

SPEAKER_00: 2:36

Around here is definitely a lot of time in the car. I sometimes, if I'm doing a couple showings for different clients, I am living out of my car that entire day. But I think too, that just also has to come with the DMB metro area. Another thing that has probably surprised me is the difference in some of the different counties or the different neighborhoods throughout the DMB. The market in Maryland is very different from the market in Virginia, and vice versa. So just understanding and navigating those differences has been really interesting, but definitely something I didn't necessarily foresee before becoming a realtor.

SPEAKER_01: 3:17

I love your clients are first-home buyers and emigrants.

SPEAKER_00: 3:21

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01: 3:21

And how did you end up specialized in working with these communities?

SPEAKER_00: 3:27

I have done a lot of for yeah, first-time homebuyers is definitely probably the majority of my clientele. That's usually the most rewarding, honestly. And I have had a lot of clients that are first generation Americans and helping them achieve that milestone of buying their first home, living out the American dream per se, is just the most rewarding thing. And it's such an honor to be able to help them in that way and help them find that home. But I think also too, it does require a certain level of skill just because this is a very expensive area and a lot of first-time home buyers are looking for something within a certain price range that fits their budget, their comfortable spending. And in this area, that is something that is often very hard to find. Helping them pick the neighborhood or go over different areas that would be they would be able to get what they want, but it's still in their price point is definitely something I've enjoyed.

SPEAKER_01: 4:30

Yeah, I think that's what in your like in your career, like the most like you enjoy what you're doing, especially like helping the clients find what they want. Yeah. And it's a nice experience. What's been like a most rewarding moment you have experienced helping a client buying their first home?

SPEAKER_00: 4:51

The most rewarding moment. I think the most rewarding for me is I've been able to help a couple of my friends. And these were people who have been like extremely close to me even before I got into real estate. So now being in real estate and helping them buy their first home is just the greatest honor that they trust me, obviously as their friend, but also as their realtor. And so I would say those clients are probably been the most rewarding for me, especially because now I go over to their house for the holidays or they'll invite me over. And that's the house that I was able to help them find. So that's been really cool.

SPEAKER_01: 5:30

That's awesome. So your clients always consistently describe you as a very calm agent.

SPEAKER_00: 5:37

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01: 5:38

During that moments that can be very stressful, especially with like how do you maintain the that composure, especially when the things get done?

SPEAKER_00: 5:47

Yeah. I try to put myself in their shoes. Obviously, buying a home that it's usually a very big investment, and that's a big deal. It's a big, it's a big life change too. You're moving. So I definitely understand how that is stressful. I've moved numerous times myself. So I understand what why that can be stressful. And yeah, I don't always necessarily feel calm on the inside, but I do try to make sure I'm a calming present for my clients. I don't need to be adding extra stress to them in an already stressful situation. And I definitely appreciate that compliment from them. I think to me staying calm, they're able to ask whatever questions are on their mind, which gives them an extra bit of reassurance. But yeah, definitely felt the stress of my clients before. You don't take it personally, you want to just understand where they're coming from and try to help them out.

SPEAKER_01: 6:48

What do you think sets you apart from other agents in the Maryland and Virginia's market?

SPEAKER_00: 6:55

Well, I would say, well, for one, I've lived in DC, Maryland, and Virginia at this point. I just moved from Maryland back to Virginia. This is my second time living in Virginia. So I think I have a very diverse knowledge of the area that a lot of agents don't necessarily have. A lot of people are very hardcore Virginia, hardcore Maryland, and would never move to the other side. But yeah, just living in a bunch of different counties, living in DC for a little bit. I feel like I just have a really diverse diverse knowledge of several different neighborhoods. And yeah, it's been great to help people in those different areas revisit my old stomping grounds from time to time. But yeah, I would say that's probably one of the things that sets me apart.

SPEAKER_01: 7:43

Great. And can you walk us through what the first-time home buyers can expect when they start working with you? And what's the biggest mistakes that the first home buy first-time home buyers do or making? And how do you help them avoid it?

SPEAKER_00: 8:00

Yeah, so for my first-time home buyers, I really try to give them as much information as possible without overwhelming them. I do set them up if they want any lender recommendations. I have a list of lenders that I would recommend movers, home inspectors. But if they want to schedule that on their own as well, that's fine too. I totally respect that. It's really up to them. And I just try to be a resource for them throughout the entire process. So if they do need something or they want me to handle something for them, I try to step in right away and do that to take something off their plate. Probably one of the biggest misconceptions for first-time homebuyers is the down payment. A lot of people think they need to come to the table with 20% down plus closing costs. This is an expensive area that can get expensive very quickly. And that's really not the case. I've I've had people bring like less than five grand a closing day. I've had people get checks back, money back on closing day, which has been great. So the minimum down right now is three to three and a half percent. And a lot of times you can qualify for a first-time home buying program that gives you down payment or closing cost assistance. And so you really don't need to come up with that much cash. I always recommend if you're interested in buying a home that you reach out and we'll discuss if you could qualify for a down payment assistance program and how much money you have to save. I think a lot of people to make the mistake of they wait and they feel like they're ready and then they reach out. When I think it would be more helpful if they were to reach out way before they want to buy a home. So that way they can just plan ahead accordingly and make sure they have all their ducks in a row and then also have an understanding of what the finance aspect of it is.

SPEAKER_01: 9:54

That sounds great. The way you explain it like ahead for the clients to what they expected and then to avoid the mistakes. That's this information is very important for the buyer to know.

SPEAKER_00: 10:04

Yeah, absolutely.

SPEAKER_01: 10:05

That's great. That's great. Think you do. Um, let's bust the bust the comment myth. So a lot of people still thinking they need 20% down to buy a home. Can you break it down like what's actually required today?

SPEAKER_00: 10:21

Yeah. So minimum down would be 3%. That's without any home buying assistance programs. Maryland has a lot of great ones on that. Virginia has a few as well. But yeah, minimum would be 3%, and then plus closing costs. So closing costs is gonna include stuff like your property tax, escrow, homeowners insurance, your titling and recording fees regarding the deed. And so, yeah, that's that is probably what your costs are looking like going into your home. You also have stuff like your inspection fee, and depending on what type of home inspections you want to do, that can be some money out of pocket as well. But really, that's not that's usually pretty manageable, I find, for most clients. It's more so just what they have when they're going to the closing table.

SPEAKER_01: 11:11

Tell us like what programs or resources are available for the first-time home buyers that more people should know about.

SPEAKER_00: 11:21

Okay. In Maryland, there are a lot of great ones. There's also grants that if you qualify for a grant, you don't ever have to re worry about repaying that money. I've had clients qualify for that. Or MMP is a big one in Maryland. That's probably one of the most common first-time home buyer programs that my clients would use. But yeah, it really just depends on how much you make and what you're looking to buy. And without talking to a lender, you're not gonna know if you're able to qualify for those programs.

SPEAKER_01: 11:53

That sounds good. And what are you seeing in the in the current Maryland and Virginia real estate markets right now? And what do you think the market is heading in 2026? What should buyers and sellers be prepared for?

SPEAKER_00: 12:11

Yeah, so the market towards the end of 2025 definitely has slowed down quite a bit from the past few years, which has been really great for home buyers. We're able to negotiate a lot more, get a lot more seller concessions, closing cost assistance, or just lower lowering the sales price overall. But I do think the interest rates now are slightly lower than they have been in the past year or so. I think in the spring, potentially the market is gonna make a comeback and things definitely could get competitive again. I don't ever think you really can 100% predict the market. Lots of people try, and I try to stay away from that.

SPEAKER_01: 12:55

That sounds like yeah, I assume like the market since last year is dropping. And then I think like between the buyers and sellers, who's getting more benefit on this one?

SPEAKER_00: 13:08

Right now, I would say probably the buyers have a leg up. Yeah, for sure. The buyers in both Maryland and Virginia right now.

SPEAKER_01: 13:17

And what's the one thing someone should do before they call, before even they call like a real estate agent if they are thinking buying like buying a house?

SPEAKER_00: 13:29

I would say credit score is a big one. Maybe if you're thinking of buying on the next year, make sure you know what your credit score is. And if it's lower on the lower end in the 600s or below, then see what you can do to bring your score up because that's gonna save you a lot of money on interest rates. And also, too, it's gonna determine what type of loan and what type of home buying assistant program programs you'd be able to qualify for. So, yeah, definitely knowing your credit score and just working to bring that score up little by little.

SPEAKER_01: 13:59

Like, we don't ruin the credit score before we thinking about buying a house, saving cars and what's yeah, absolutely. Yeah, that's great. And how is it important to get like a pre-approved versus pre-qualified? And what's the difference between pre-approved and pre-qualified?

SPEAKER_00: 14:17

Sure. So pre-qualified, you can get pre-qualified within a matter of minutes online. Through most banks, I usually just fill out an online application and then you'll be pre-qualified within a few minutes. It's usually sometimes they're accurate, sometimes they're not. Pre-approval is when a lender is actually reviewing your financial documents, reviewing your loan application, and then making a determination with their from there. They're also often usually talking with you about your budget. You might be pre-approved for$600,000, but you might only want to spend$400,000. And that's a big difference. Pre-qualification letter isn't gonna give you that. Getting pre-approved and having a discussion with a lender not only gives you more information, but it also makes when you're looking for a home a lot easier. I will not submit any offers. Obviously, without a pre-approval letter, you have to have a pre-approval letter to submit an offer, or at least if you want your offer to be taken seriously at all. Getting a pre-approval letter is definitely the priority.

SPEAKER_01: 15:26

So the like uh pre-qualifying is an easy process and like pre-approval, and that's I'm sorry, opposite.

SPEAKER_00: 15:34

Pre-approval isn't necessarily hard. Usually I've had clients get pre-approved in a couple hours, but you do have to speak to a lender and you do have to submit usually like a couple, your either your W-2, a couple pay stubs, sometimes tax returns. I also have a lot of my lenders will fully underwrite my clients before giving them a pre-approval letter. So that makes sure that they're able to qualify. They're sending their application through underwriting ahead of time before we're under contract. That ensures they're qualified and that once we are under contract, there will be no roadblocks in that sense. And that's also been really helpful. A lot of my clients have overtime. And without getting fully underwritten, it's hard to pre-approve somebody when their income is significantly coming from overtime hours.

SPEAKER_01: 16:23

That's good to know. So, like for someone who's nervous about the home buying process, what do you tell them to ease their concern?

SPEAKER_00: 16:36

Really, I never put any pressure on my clients. I'm not, I don't come from a sales background. I don't find myself salesy at all. So it's, I'm really on their time. I'm working for them. I'm trying to be a resource for them. But really, they're the ones who are putting the gas pedal down in a sense. There's really no rush. I can help you meet a certain deadline. Absolutely. I don't ever have a deadline for my clients. That's really, that's really them to determine their timeline. And sometimes it takes a while for you to find that right property, depending on what you're looking for. And I would never want to rush somebody into a home. That's not, that's not how I do run my business at all. I really try to adhere to what my clients ask of me and what timeline.

SPEAKER_01: 17:22

Great, cool. So, what's your best advice for someone trying to buy a house or try to buy in the today's competitive market?

SPEAKER_00: 17:32

My best advice would be to come prepared. And part of coming prepared would be talking to a lender, make sure you have a realtor because without a realtor and you don't have anybody to advocate for you, you have no representation, and we also know that process inside and out. So, yeah, I would just say come prepared and make sure you're working with the real estate professional and the mortgage lender that are going to support you throughout the process.

SPEAKER_01: 17:59

Yeah. And your team, usually your team like those quarterly client events.

SPEAKER_00: 18:05

Yeah, so I'm on the Hardman team. Our office is based out of Gainesville, Virginia. You know, we have agents who serve Maryland, DC, and Virginia and West Virginia now as well. And we have quarterly client events. They look a little bit different each year, but one that does remain consistent and I think is definitely a fan favorite is our Oktoberfest. We do it at TrueVail Brewery out in Haymarket. And honestly, it's just one huge party. We will cook different food, free drinks for our clients. We have a lot of games, stuff to keep the kids entertained. But yeah, it's if we have such a ball, and we really try to our invite our clients out to these events. It's a little bit of us giving back to them, but also too, it's it's always great to see past clients out there, catch up with them, see how the family's doing. And yeah.

SPEAKER_01: 19:03

It sounds great to keep in touch with the your clients and keep them always, make them feel like you're always there for them. It's not only one time or selling or buying, and then that's it.

SPEAKER_00: 19:17

Yeah, absolutely.

SPEAKER_01: 19:18

That's nice. Sounds good. And you're active in Instagram and TikTok.

SPEAKER_00: 19:24

Yes, I'm working on my TikToks though.

SPEAKER_01: 19:26

So, how yeah, how has the social media helped you build a relationship with your clients?

SPEAKER_00: 19:33

Social media nowadays is almost like another CRM. I think through my social media, my clients definitely have gotten to know me a little bit better. I also have a lot of friends that follow me on my social media, so they're able to see what I'm doing in my business. And yeah, I think it's just also to giving them information about real estate. Information is power. And yeah, I think it's been really helpful in that sense as well.

SPEAKER_01: 20:01

Yeah, great. I think the platforms like the social media now, it's most of like business people, they use it to make a connection with the people. And uh what's something about your working with immigrants?

SPEAKER_00: 20:19

Yeah, that's been a really interesting part of my work. I've had a lot of clients who are first generation Americans. I think we obviously live in a metropolitan area. Super diverse, which is beautiful. And yeah, it's been an absolute honor to help them get to know these families and helping them achieve their version of the American dream.

SPEAKER_01: 20:42

So tell us like what is what's one goal? What's one goal like you have for your business this year?

SPEAKER_00: 20:49

Well, I mean, I would love to do. I'm I mean, I'm always trying to help as many people as possible, right? My goal for this year, I would say I would love to explore some new areas that I haven't worked in yet. I worked a lot in Maryland and in Virginia, but now that I'm moved back to Virginia, I'd like to dive more into the Virginia market while keeping up with Maryland as well. But yeah, I would say that's my goal for 2026 is to dive a little deeper into the Virginia market for sure.

SPEAKER_01: 21:21

Yeah, that's nice. And we wish you like two the best and success for your like achieving your goal and helping more families to buy or sell houses. That's great.