exclusivelynurses

Salary.com Salary Wizard- Do you know what you're worth? Link above should be good for helping with a salary range in the area. Suburban and Shady Grove are great hospitals in Montgomery County, MD.

Best wishes for you as you prepare to move to the DC Metro area. If you're planning to live in the city, there really is no need for a car and it might be a little more expensive to maintain parking in the city. Metro is very accessible to most places and should be fine. However, if you happen to shift gears and need to access a hospital that's not in the path of the Metro, your car might come in handy. regarding salaries, check salary.com to get a gauge on salary range for RNs with your experience: http://swz.salary.com/SalaryWizard/registered-nurse-Salary-Details-Washington-DC.aspx

RNontheroad - were you able to secure a home loan with a small bank in the end? I'm a mortgage/real estate professional, who focuses exclusively on a working with nurses in the MD/VA/DC metro. I thought amy0123 shared some good points. It comes down to proving to a lender that you've got stability. It is an unusual loan scenario, but presentation of your strengths [good credit, good assets] and showing a history of income in the same industry [as a nurse] without gaps in employment, should get you through the process. Having a sizable downpayment will always be a greater incentive to a lender. I'm not certain of the details that caused Quicken to deny LCDRN12, but all borrowers want to keep in mind the balance of debt to income, and how that lender will compute the income, so you don't end up with a really high ratio that the lenders will steer away from. Best to you in your quest to secure a home loan and purchase your home sweet home. Stephen

I'm a real estate professional that works exclusively with nurses in the Maryland/DC/Virginia metro [uSA]. I know this thread was done some months ago, but thought to add some comments for those who view it later with the same questions. Purchasing a home on a single nurses salary is definitely doable! It's a great way to establish a stable asset that will likely grow for you over time. It helps you to stop the costs of rent increases and ensures that a little of your monthly payments go to help reduce your mortgage debt and increase your stake in your property. Important things to keep in mind are to work on saving for a good down payment. Some mortgage programs allow you to get into a home in the US with as little as 3.5% down payment [FHA], but the more you're able to pay down the better and lower your monthly expense will be. Know that a down payment isn't the only cost you'll incur, so keep in mind that you also will have closing costs and monies to be placed in a reserve at closing to begin an escrow account that will help you pay for property taxes and insurance when they come due. So do some research on what those might run in your jurisdiction and be sure to account for them before you get to signing a contract. Just be sure that despite what you qualify for, that you're comfortable with the mortgage payment after you close on your new home! Other important thing is to work on paying down your debts and getting your credit in the best possible tier you can. A lower credit score will often cost you more to secure the same interest rate as someone with a higher credit score. Lastly, your income is important to the lender who will be issuing a home loan and they'll want to see at least 2 years of consistent stable income, preferably with a single employer, though it's not a deal breaker if you'd shifted employers in that time. Best wishes for enjoying your future home sweet home. Stephen