Credentials
DC Real Estate License SP200203047
Licensed in Maryland and Washington, DC
Serving first-time buyers across Washington, DC and Maryland.
About Ronnie
About Ronnie Gilmer
DC Real Estate License SP200203047
Licensed in Maryland and Washington, DC
I am a REALTOR® with Samson Properties, licensed in both Washington, DC and Maryland. I work with first-time and returning buyers across the District and the Maryland suburbs, and most of my work is with people using down payment assistance.
Why this site exists
Down payment assistance is badly documented. Program pages are written for caseworkers, not buyers. Numbers go stale on blogs and nobody updates them. And the single most damaging pattern I see is people disqualifying themselves from programs they would have gotten — because they assumed they earned too much, assumed owning a home once ruled them out forever, or assumed money in savings was a problem.
I built this site to be the plain-English version. What each program actually does, who it is for, what the catch is, and what to do first.
The YouTube channels
Most of what I publish starts as video. I run two channels covering down payment assistance — one for Maryland and one for Washington, DC — explaining individual programs in detail, including the ones almost nobody covers.
If a program is new or badly explained elsewhere, that is usually what I make next. Several of the programs on this site had essentially no useful coverage anywhere before I filmed them.
How I work
Three things I do differently, and they are all the same idea — tell you the uncomfortable part first:
I lead with the ceiling versus the check
When a program advertises a big number, that number is a maximum tied to income and need. I will tell you what you are realistically looking at before you get attached to a headline figure.
I tell you when a program is a loan
Most assistance is not a grant. Some is deferred, some is forgiven over years, some is repaid if you sell early. You should know which one you are signing.
I care about the calendar
For programs like HPAP, timing decides outcomes as much as finances do. Two buyers with identical files get different results based on when they applied.
What I am not
I am not a lender, and I am not affiliated with the DC Department of Housing and Community Development, the DC Housing Finance Agency, or any government agency. I am a licensed real estate agent who has spent a lot of time learning these programs because they change what my clients can afford.
Program details change. Always confirm current guidelines with the agency and a licensed lender before making decisions.
Work with me
Serving Washington, DC and Maryland.
Brokerage
Samson Properties
6710 Oxon Hill Road, Suite 460, Oxon Hill, MD 20745
Contact
Call or text (301) 835-1810
Office 301-245-6030