As a first-time home buyer it is difficult to...
As a first-time home buyer it is difficult to describe how unprepared I was to navigate the minefield that is purchasing a home. Between shifting builder timelines, eleventh hour surprises from your lender, and all the the mechanics of relocating your life, you will be lucky to get to the finish line unscathed. This despite all parties involved repeating the refrain that your interest is their interest. What's truly exceptional is when one of those parties actually means it when they say it.
In our case that was John Hale. He answered all of our questions from the ones we had, to the ones we should have had. He quizzed our builder on HOA and front fees while advising us on the essentials of homeowners coverage. At one point in the process he saved us from paying an unnecessary home inspection fee of $150 which, while small change to some, would pale in comparison to his next miracle.
Our final lender disclosure letter arrived around four days before we were scheduled to close. Let's just say it was off and it was off by a magnitude of 50 systolic points (roughly 30% vs. our original estimate). We knew this had to be wrong and it was wrong. John made the lender realize how wrong it was (citing legal code and all) and in the process salvaged a sale that otherwise would not have occurred.
Mr. Hale was extremely responsive throughout the entire process; if he couldn't call he emailed and if he couldn't email he called. I can't imagine his knowledge base or professionalism being rivaled by many in the state of Maryland and would strongly recommend him for any property dealings.