Buy your first home, or your next one, with a clear plan and a lender who answers.

Most first-time buyers in Charlottesville and Central Virginia compare conventional loans with government-backed FHA, VA (for eligible veterans and service members) and USDA (for eligible rural areas) loans. Andy Zemon at Novus Home Mortgage is a Virginia Housing approved lender and offers Virginia Housing loans and grants for eligible buyers, plus Novus’s own lender-specific down payment assistance program. The right fit depends on your credit, savings, income and the home, so compare them side by side before you shop.

Yes. Andy Zemon at Novus Home Mortgage is a Virginia Housing approved lender. Virginia Housing’s Down Payment Assistance Grant is a true grant that never has to be repaid for eligible first-time buyers (or repeat buyers purchasing in designated Areas of Economic Opportunity) who use an eligible Virginia Housing FHA or conventional bond loan and meet income and sales-price limits. Virginia Housing also offers a Closing Cost Assistance Grant and a Plus Second Mortgage, each with its own rules. Novus also offers its own lender-specific down payment assistance program. Register at andyzemon.com/down-payment-assistance/ or call (434) 443-6557 to learn more.

Andy Zemon at Novus Home Mortgage is a Virginia Housing approved lender and offers Virginia Housing home loan options (including conventional, FHA, VA and USDA/Rural Development products as available through Virginia Housing) along with Virginia Housing’s Down Payment Assistance Grant, Closing Cost Assistance Grant and Plus Second Mortgage for eligible buyers. Eligibility depends on income, sales price, first-time-buyer status (with exceptions in Areas of Economic Opportunity) and the loan type. See virginiahousing.com for current program details, or call Andy at (434) 443-6557.

Yes. In addition to Virginia Housing programs, Novus Home Mortgage offers its own lender-specific down payment assistance program. Availability and terms depend on eligibility and current guidelines. Register to learn more at andyzemon.com/down-payment-assistance/ or call Andy Zemon at (434) 443-6557 — he will explain what may apply without quoting amounts you have not been qualified for.

Often, yes, if you can qualify with both housing payments or have a plan for the down payment before your current home sells. A loan officer will look at your equity, income and timeline and compare options such as buying first, selling first, or making an offer contingent on your sale.

Call or text (434) 443-6557, send a request through the contact form on andyzemon.com, or start a secure application through Novus Home Mortgage. Andy will review how you plan to use the property, then tell you what documents to gather before you make an offer.

It is a limited-time, lender-paid temporary 1-0 buydown on qualifying purchase loans. Novus pays part of your monthly payment for the first year. It applies to purchase contracts ratified between October 1 and December 31, 2026 that close by December 31, 2026. It is subject to credit approval and program rules.

Andy Zemon (NMLS 208916, CMPS), Branch Manager and Loan Originator, Branch 4101 (the Zemon Team), Novus Home Mortgage, a division of Ixonia Bank (NMLS 423065), based in Crozet, Virginia, focuses on second-home, vacation-rental and investment-property buyers in Charlottesville and Central Virginia, including Albemarle County, Wintergreen, Lake Anna, Smith Mountain Lake and Massanutten. He can be reached at (434) 443-6557.

A second home is a one-unit home you personally use for part of the year and control yourself; an investment property is one you buy mainly to rent out. Lenders classify the loan by how you will actually use the property, not by how it is listed, and the classification affects how the loan is underwritten and priced.

Not in a residential zoning district. The City of Charlottesville treats rentals of less than 30 days in residential zones as homestays, and the owner must occupy the property as their permanent residence for at least 185 days per calendar year and hold an annual Accessory Use Permit. Short-term rental in non-residential districts is regulated as a lodging facility.

Yes. In Central Virginia the same house can be fully rentable in one county and limited to hosted stays a few miles away. Before you offer, confirm the parcel’s zoning, the locality’s STR permit rules, any HOA or POA rental rules, and whether the septic permit supports your planned occupancy.

Purchases of a primary residence, a second home or an investment property can qualify, subject to credit approval and loan program rules. Refinances do not qualify. Not every loan program allows a lender-paid buydown, so ask Andy which programs fit your purchase.

Novus Equity Advantage is a first-lien home equity line of credit (HELOC) from Novus Home Mortgage, a division of Ixonia Bank. It is paired with a linked checking account. Your deposits go toward the line’s balance, and interest is figured on the balance you still owe.