FXBG Neighbors Podcast
Fredericksburg Neighbors Podcast
FXBG Neighbors Podcast
EP #138 How Move-Up Buyers And Downsizers Win In Fredericksburg
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The biggest real estate myths sound like “common sense” until someone proves they’re wrong. We sit down with Fredericksburg, VA real estate agent Nick Bush of The Cobi Company (eXp Realty) to talk about what actually helps people buy, sell, and invest with confidence, especially during major life transitions like moving up to a bigger home or downsizing after the kids leave.
Nick shares why Fredericksburg is a true sweet spot: long-time residents ready to simplify and young families hunting for a forever home. We also dig into the relationship side of the business, including a client journey that spans seven transactions and multiple life stages. If you’ve ever wondered what a great agent does beyond unlocking doors, Nick explains the behind-the-scenes work: negotiation, deadlines, personality management, and fiduciary-level protection on what may be the biggest purchase or sale of your life.
Then we get practical. We tackle the fear around interest rates and “timing the market,” and we break down financing misconceptions that keep first-time homebuyers stuck. Nick walks through real options like FHA loans, conventional low down payment paths, USDA loans, VHDA-style programs, down payment assistance, and how pre-approval and debt-to-income ratio shape what’s possible. You’ll leave with clearer next steps and better questions to ask a lender or Realtor.
If you enjoy these local business stories and helpful how-to conversations, subscribe, share this with a neighbor, and leave a review. Know a Fredericksburg business we should feature next? Head to FXBG Neighbors Podcast.com and send us your nomination.
Nick Bush
The Cobi Company
Welcome To Fredericksburg Neighbors
SpeakerThis is the Fredericksburg Neighbors Podcast, the place where local businesses and neighbors come together. Here's your host, Dori Stewart.
Speaker 1Welcome back to another episode of the FXBG Neighbors Podcast, where we share the stories of our favorite local brands. I'm excited to introduce you to my guest today. We've got Nick Bush joining us, and he is with The Cobi Company. Nick, welcome to the podcast.
Speaker 2Thanks for having me, Dori. I appreciate you having me on.
What The Cobi Company Does
Speaker 1Yeah, well, I appreciate you being here, and I'm looking forward to learning more about you and your business. But let's start there. What is The Cobi Company?
Speaker 2So I'm a real estate agent. The Cobi Company is the team that I run through my brokerage called EXP. We help folks who are looking to buy, sell, and invest in real estate. And specifically, um I niche down with move up buyers. So people who own a home and they need that bigger, typically forever home. And then I work with a lot of downsizers also. So we have a lot of those in Fredericksburg. People who've lived here for 25 years, they're empty nesters and they have to move. So I work with a lot of move up buyers and a lot of downsizers. So those two transition points.
Speaker 1Amazing. Amazing. Yeah, I imagine that's a really strong niche here in the Fredericksburg area since you've got a lot of people moving around.
Speaker 2Yeah, it's great because I mean Fredericksburg, I always say, I'm from Northern Virginia, you know, Annandale's where I grew up. And I always say Fredericksburg was built up 20, 25 years ago. Um, and so there are a lot of people who raise their entire families here and now they're looking to retire. Um, and at the same time, it's such a great place to live for young families that that people are looking to move out here and find that forever home. So it's actually like a sweet spot for both um client types.
Nick’s Path And Client Milestones
Speaker 1Nice, nice. So I want to learn more about you. Tell me about your background. How did you get into this?
Speaker 2So I actually got into real estate. Um I was working in hospitality before I got into real estate, and I was just looking for something I can do, something that um, you know, was impactful, but I can control my destiny, so to speak, right? And I have a corporate job and something that something that like mattered to um to people, right? It's just it wasn't about just making money, it's something that mattered. And I actually grew up in a family where there were a ton of renters. Um, and so I got attracted to the real estate space and really uh once I got in, it really became about helping people um build wealth through real estate. So um that's how I found it, and I've been building it. Uh, the foundation of my career is built off of homebuying seminars, and now I've been doing it for 10 years, and I have clients that have, you know, bought their first house and I've worked with people seven times.
Speaker 1So that's amazing. That's very rewarding when you get to kind of follow someone through their journey of life and see them go through different stages. I love that.
Speaker 2No, super cool. I have a client, um, Ryan. We've done seven transactions together. Um, and I met Ryan, he was a single guy, he bought a condo, then he bought a second one as an investment property to, you know, he was gonna use the first one as an investment property. Then he met his fiance while owning that condo. They bought a townhouse, then they got married. I was invited to the wedding. Um, so I went to the wedding, then they had a baby, and then just last year they bought their forever home. So I've actually gone through almost all stages of you know his life with him. Um so it's actually really rewarding and cool. And it's fun to um end up at somebody's wedding because you ended up selling the house and you uh kind of become part of their life that way.
Speaker 1Yeah, building real relationships.
Speaker 2Yeah.
Real Estate Myths And Loan Options
Speaker 1I love that. So what are some myths or misconceptions that you hear about real estate?
Speaker 2Um, well, I think I think there are two, right? For people who want to buy real estate, it's timing the market, right? It's like, um, oh, I gotta get in the market at the right time. Um, you know, because interest rates might be high. So when they when they go lower, I have to um make sure I'm I'm shooting at that time. And I think a lot of time for buyers, the uh the biggest myth is that they have to have a lot of money to put down, right? Um they have to have 20% or they have to have 800 credit score, and that's not true at all. Uh as a matter of fact, last week my lender and I, we closed um uh townhouse for a first-time home buyer who had great credit and um great salary, but he only brought $141 to the transaction. Um and he bought and he bought a townhouse, first townhouse for $385,000. So I think for buyers, it's um the financial aspect of you know, credit and and down payment funds and not really realizing there are a lot of down payment assistance programs that allow you to buy a house for $141. Um, and I think for sellers, it was probably more time in the market, right? Should I list in spring? Should I list in the winter? Should I list when um you know inventory is high or low, right? Um, I think there's too many people that are um, you know, relying on some of those myths, right? Instead of reaching out to the to the uh you know the professionals to get the the correct answers.
Speaker 1Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Yeah, really good points, really good points. And someone who is a first-time homebuyer, I mean that's very interesting that I mean I even thought, you know, you especially first-time homebuyer, you're gonna have to have a big down payment. But I guess as long as they have steady income and good credit, there are programs for them.
Speaker 2There, there are a ton of programs. Actually, uh, most first-time homebuyers are not putting 20% down. And I've had first-time homebuyers who wanted to put 20% down, and I'm like, hey man, like this is your first house, you're not gonna be there forever. How about you put less money down, right? And then invest that money um somewhere else. And the reality is, is to qualify for a house, most lenders want you to be at a 640 credit score. So um that'll get you an FHA loan. FHA loans, you only put three and a half percent down. Um, 680, you're going conventional and you can qualify to put 3% down um, you know, for a down payment. And you know, salary is really about debt to income ratio, right? Like how much do your how much are your total bills a month versus what the mortgage payment is gonna be? And that's how you get qualified. Um, and then once you get pre-approved, they're just a ton of loan programs that um, you know, where you put money down, or you can choose to, hey, I don't want to put any money down. I'm gonna use this loan program, such as like USDA, right, which is a um, you know, a government loan. Um, there's a there's a loan called VHDA, where they actually you borrow that 3% and they um just like add it on to the loan balance. And then if we get the seller to take care of your closer costs, you're literally bringing nothing. So there's there's a ton of programs um for buyers available. And I think that a lot of I think that that people don't know where to find the information um because they're looking online or looking on Zillow and they think it's too good to be true. I mean, if I told someone, hey, you could buy a house for $141, they might think I'm a snake oil salesman, right? And so they just don't reach out for the information, but um it is true. And and if you um connect with your local lender, your local real estate agent, you'll be able to get there.
Speaker 1Yeah, I mean, there's a lot of information out there that's conflicting too, right? So it can be very confusing and cause a lot of anxiety. So uh your your clients are lucky to have you to walk you through all of that.
Speaker 2Thank you.
Speaker 1So let me ask you this if someone came to you and said, Hey, I have been watching what you're doing, I love it, and I think maybe I want to get into real estate, what advice would you give them?
Speaker 2That's a really good question. Um, I think real estate is so fun. This this question speaks to like, okay, if I can go back in time, what would I do differently? Right. Um, I think I think what I would do differently, and the advice that I would give to somebody is that real estate is is sexy on TV, right? You have HD TV and you have million-dollar listing, um, and it's sexy and it's cool. And sometimes it's like that for real. But the reality is, is you're out you're you're an entrepreneur, you're you're operating a business, and you have to run your business in that way, right? So you can't operate like it's a hustle or something fun to do. You have to set a foundational business. Um, and then you have to go talk to people. Uh, the other thing about being in real estate, and I'm sure every business in the world is there are you know things that you go to seminars, you go to conferences, and you're like, oh, I'm gonna add this to the business. I'm gonna add this to the business, right? And I'm gonna, you know, get a bunch of leads in a bunch of business this way. Um, real estate is just a relationship-oriented business. You have to find people to talk to, you have to become a resource for them. And that means you have to be the person that they can come to for information when they want to buy real estate, sell, or invest in real estate. Um, and then you just have to stay in touch. The only reason I can have a client like Ryan, and he's one of many who I've done multiple transactions with, is because I genuinely care about his life and what's going on. And um, you know, you find ways to stay in touch from a from a uh you know real estate business aspect, but also you you kind of have personal relationships with folks.
Speaker 1Yeah, I can see that you have to really enjoy people and really enjoy being around people and talking to people. So um, yeah, I mean, if you're getting invited to someone's wedding, you're doing something right.
Speaker 2And the wedding was super fun. I actually saw it was funny. I saw a meme on Instagram today. It was, it was um, it was an a there, it was an agent, and he had different shots of like him texting. And the caption was um when my client closes on his house and I lose my favorite texting buddy, right? Because you've just been talking to somebody, you really become a part of somebody's life for you know 30, 60, 90 days. And um, you know, you you got you you create a personal relationship and it's about staying in touch. Um, and it's just it's rewarding and it's fun, and uh it's it's cool to be be in that position with folks.
Why Agents Are Fiduciaries
Speaker 1Yeah. What is something that you wish people knew about the real estate agent uh industry?
Speaker 2Um that like I think the thing that I wish people knew about the real estate industry is that um real estate agents are actually high fiduciary um folks, right? And so I think that, in my humble opinion, I think that real estate agents should really be um looked at in the same light as a doctor or a lawyer or a certified financial planner. Um and instead, I think some people look at us as commodities, right? And I think that we get looked at as commodities sometimes because um it's easy to get your real estate license and um and to kind of get rolling. And I don't think a lot of a, I don't think not every agent is experienced and really understands um how to do the job well and and take care of their clients. Um and but in the reality is on average, we're helping somebody um buy or sell something uh that costs you know a half a million dollars, and it may be the largest sale or purchase that they ever make in their life. Um, so there's a there's a lot of reasons why we have to be skillful. Um, and and I think that I wish people just understood uh what we're what we're doing. There are so many things happening behind the scenes that your real estate agent isn't telling you um get the to get the job done, right? And and and I think that since um our business is you know we're brokering this transaction, this buy and sell transaction with another agent, the agent and and myself, you know, the two agents are just handling the transaction and delivering like the good news to the client, right? If they realize um kind of like a trial lawyer, like, oh, there's a there's a bunch of case law that we have to know, there's a bunch of negotiation that we have to do. Um, you know, there's a there's a there's you have to manage personalities and temperaments, right? I think people would appreciate us um in that light the same.
Speaker 1Yeah, yeah. They don't need to know all the nitty-gritty that's going on behind the scenes and all the back and forth. And and I I love that you say you you hand them them the good news.
Speaker 2Exactly.
Working With Nick And Staying Connected
Speaker 1I love that. And so what do you wish the listeners knew about working with you?
Speaker 2Um I wish I think that I would just like the listeners to know that I genuinely care um about them and and their goals in the real estate transaction. I um obviously we all work because we need to make money. I have a family, right? Wife and kids. But um it's way beyond that. It's it's I just I want like my clients to be satisfied and I want them to feel like, hey, if I if I wanted to buy another house or sell another house, I will totally use Nick. And not because I liked him, but because he was a resource, he was informative, he educated us, um, and he protected me while I was trying to, you know, make this purchase or sell my house. Um, I think I have I I like to build genuine relationships with my clients. Um, and so I I just think that um, you know, mostly I just want people to know that like I'm I'm there for them for real and not just for one transaction. I tell my clients all the time, like, hey, you just closed the house, but now we know each other forever.
Speaker 1Yeah, yeah. I love that. And seven transactions, that proves it. I love it. So if the listeners want to connect with you, if they want to learn more from you, where can they find you?
Speaker 2I think the best place to reach out to me um or find me is on Instagram. My Instagram is Nick Bush the Realtor, so it's my first and last name, and then the realtor. Um, that's where I'm posting content every day. Um, I have a podcast also called Real Estate Explained. You can search it on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. We post a lot of clips from the podcast on to uh Instagram, but um that's where I would say find me on Instagram, shoot me a DM, say hello, and uh we'll get connected that way.
Speaker 1Amazing. Nick, thank you so much for joining me on the podcast today and sharing your wisdom with us.
Speaker 2Thank you for having me. And also, um, I know we I know we just met in on virtually for the first time, but you've been such a resource for me um as I as I need to connect with business owners um in the Fredericksburg area. And I have been reaching out to those people, and uh it's been really good for for me and my clients. So I appreciate you just being a resource in in the Fredericksburg area.
Speaker 1Amazing. I'm happy to help.
How To Nominate Local Businesses
SpeakerThank you for that. Thank you for listening to the Fredericksburg Neighbors Podcast. To nominate your favorite local businesses to be featured on the show, go to FXRBG Neighbors Podcast.com.