We were referred to First Home Mortgage by our real estate agent when buying our first condo in Washington, DC. Our agent suggested that listing agents and sellers prefer to work with local mortgage brokers rather than big banks and national lender companies (i.e., Wells Fargo, Quicken, etc), since it's easier to pick up the phone and talk to a real person about our file. We looked at the First Home website, and chose to contact Ingrid Rapavy since we shared North Carolina roots. Ingrid responded instantly to our email, even though she was out of town and in an airport! Ingrid, as well as her associate Kathy, were always quick to respond to any questions or concerns we had about the mortgage application process - even at night or on the weekend. We felt taken care of by Ingrid and Kathy the entire way through the home buying process, and we were confident that our application was in good hands. We made sure to turn in any requested documents as quickly as possible, and our mortgage application was approved well in advance of our scheduled closing (which went through easily and successfully). As first time home buyers, we highly recommend Ingrid, Kathy, and First Home Mortgage.