EP #37 Home Buying 101: Demystifying the Mortgage Process

Buying a home shouldn't feel like deciphering an ancient language, yet terms like "amortization," "debt-to-income ratio," and "loan-to-value" often leave potential buyers feeling overwhelmed and underprepared. That's exactly why Julie Birt from Mortgage Network Solutions is stepping in with a solution for the Fredericksburg community.

Julie joins us to announce her upcoming Mortgage 101 seminar at the Fredericksburg Library on August 9th at 10am. This free event promises to strip away the confusion surrounding the homebuying process. As Julie explains, the rising housing market makes informed preparation more crucial than ever for first-time buyers. Understanding who does what—from realtors to mortgage officers to title companies—can transform a stressful experience into an empowering one.

The seminar will tackle common pain points including credit requirements, budgeting strategies, and determining the right home size and price point for your unique situation. Julie's team from Mortgage Network Solutions (licensed across 14 states) will offer their professional expertise alongside special guidance on financial preparation. College students approaching graduation, individuals tired of renting, and even previous homeowners looking for a refresher are all welcome to attend. With complimentary donuts and coffee provided, this community event exemplifies Julie's commitment to making homeownership accessible through education.

Homebuying Seminar

AUGUST 9, 2025

10:00-11:00

Downtown Fredericksburg Library, Room 2

Coffee and Donuts will be provided.

Julie Birt

Mortgage Loan Originator and Veteran

MLO-73636VA (Virginia)

NMLS# 2635222

[e-mail]

826.246.9436

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
This is the Fredericksburg Neighbors Podcast
, the place where localbusinesses and neighbors come
together.
Here's your host, Dori Stewart.

Speaker 2 (00:12):
Welcome back to another episode of the
Fredericksburg Neighbors Podcast.
We have a very special guesttoday.
Julie Birt, with MortgageNetwork Solutions, is here to
tell us all about a specialevent coming up.
Julie, welcome to the podcast.

Speaker 3 (00:28):
Hey, dori, good afternoon.
Thanks for having me back.
I so appreciate being able tospend a little more time with
you and get the word out to theFredericksburg community about
the upcoming event that we have.

Speaker 2 (00:38):
Well, I'm excited, yes, yes, I'm excited to hear
all about it.
So tell us what is the eventand what is it all about.

Speaker 3 (00:47):
Okay, well, I was happy enough that Fredericksburg
Library is hosting us for aMortgage 101 or Homebuying 101
seminar.
That will take place on August9th at 10 am, room 2, which is
downstairs at the library thereon Caroline Street.
So I do hope people that arefirst-time homebuyers, or if

(01:10):
you're a past homebuyer and youjust want to kind of get a
refresh on how things go, comeout and see us.
There'll be donuts and coffeeavailable and look forward to
seeing you there.

Speaker 2 (01:21):
Amazing, amazing.
So, julie, tell me whatmotivated you to put on this
event.

Speaker 3 (01:27):
Yeah, well, dori, home buying is very daunting.
There's a lot of terminologyout there that scares people out
off amortization.
What is that about, you know?
A debt to income ratio, a loanto value or the various things
that go on.
What's the realtor's roleversus?

(01:48):
What's the mortgage officer'srole?
Why am I going to a titlecompany?
What's the title people do?
So?
This is supposed to help takesome of the confusion out of it
and clarify it for people sothey understand who's involved
through the process, what youcan expect and how really to

(02:09):
prepare for it.
That was my big motivation asfirst-time homebuyers.
The housing market is gettingmore and more expensive.
Those prices are going tocontinue to rise, so how can you
prepare a first-time homebuyerfor something the right size
house, the right price housethat they can get into and call
their own?

Speaker 2 (02:29):
Well, what you're doing is such a great service to
the community.
It really is a very confusingprocess.
It's very complex and we arelucky to have you guide us
through the process.
So thank you for putting onthis event and tell us.
Is there anything else that youwould like to share about the

(02:50):
event?

Speaker 3 (02:52):
Well, again, I will reiterate, it's on Caroline
Street, downtown Fredericksburgon 9 August.
I will say I have anothermember of my team that's going
to be there from the mortgagenetwork solutions.
We're an LLC based in Delaware,licensed in 14 states, and
she's been a pro in the businessfor a number of years.
And also I have somebody thatmight be coming in to talk about

(03:16):
how to budget properly for thisbig venture that people might
be going into.
So that'll be a special couple.
You know about five, ten, 10minutes on budgeting because
it's so key.
Homebuyers really have issueswith understanding how their
credit plays into home buyingand how to note getting budget
for it.
So we really want to key in onthose couple of key topics as

(03:39):
well as just demystify the homemortgage experience just to
demystify the home mortgageexperience Amazing, amazing.

Speaker 2 (03:50):
Well, I will add into the show notes all the details
so people can easily find outwhere you are, what time, the
date, all of the details.
So, julie, thank you so muchfor joining me on the podcast
today and sharing this veryspecial event with us.

Speaker 3 (04:03):
Thank you, dora, really appreciate it.
I hope some of the collegestudents will come out who are
going to be leaving college asfirst-time homebuyers, and then
some of the other people thathave come into the community
that are tired of running andwant to see what it's like to
start your process towards ahomebuying journey.
Thanks for your time, dori,really appreciate it.

Speaker 2 (04:20):
Everybody have a great summer Anytime.

Speaker 1 (04:22):
Thank you, thank you for listening to the
Fredericksburg Neighbors Podcast.
To nominate your favorite localbusinesses to be featured on
the show, go tofxbgneighborspodcast.
com.
That's fxbgneighborspodcast.
com, or call 540-534-4618.