My professional mission is to serve those who serve.
BAH is much more than just an allowance for “shelter”. It’s an opportunity for you to build wealth while serving our country.
Curt “Cooter” D
Lieutenant Colonel U.S. Air Force
Burke, VA
When Cooter and his wife found the “perfect” home in Burke, VA, there was a problem. 21 other bidders ALSO thought it was the perfect home. We worked with the consummate professionals at Blue Horizons Realty to structure an offer that made ours the most attractive for the Seller to accept. A critical component was a “Rent Back” few other offers included.
Jeff L
Colonel U.S. Air Force
Great Falls, VA
“Steve Trautwein changes the lives of military families.
Not only did he educate me as to how I could afford my dream home in Great Falls, Virginia, he showed up at a listing appointment to convince the listing agent why she should choose MY offer over others.”
11 family PCS’s, 4 to National Capital Region
Andy “AJ” D
Lieutenant Colonel U.S. Air Force
Herndon, VA
Our client, AJ, was piloting his “weekend plane” when strategic planning began on his ideal home. It was a Friday afternoon. We were up against other offers and an Open House was planned for Sunday afternoon.
AJ had to drop his elevation down to 3000 ft in order to electronically sign a Blue Horizons Realty document allowing us to ratify the contract and cancel the Open House.
PCS: Air University to Pentagon
Would you send a commercial pilot with no military training into combat flying an F-22 Raptor?
Of course not! But that’s what you’re doing when you ask a “generalist lender” and a “generalist real estate agent” to help you with a PCS move.
Most mortgage lenders and realtors go their full careers without successfully executing a PCS move transaction. They don’t understand BAH changes. They likely don’t even know what PCS stands for and how misleading the “P” is. Heck, they think that RIP stands for “Rest in Peace” instead of “Report on Individual Personnel”!
My colleagues at Blue Horizons Realty and I are uniquely focused on helping military officers with their moves . . . PCS or within the National Capital Region. Most important, the odds are high that the listing agent on your ideal home has a bias against VA Loans. We are expert in bringing that listing agent and seller comfort with the VA Loan benefit you have risked your life to earn!
Full Underwriting
We will be asking you to submit more documents at the beginning of the process than other lenders would. That’s because we seek to take you through a full underwriting BEFORE you place an offer on a home.
A skimpy pre-qualification just won’t hack it in this low inventory, multi-offer market. This process takes us more than fifteen man/woman-hours versus a 60 minute pre-qualification. There is no added cost for this added work.
You never pay us a dime unless/until you decide to close your mortgage with us. You pay no application fee
Speed & Reputation
It is of critical importance that you start the process with us ASAP, as opposed to waiting to find a home on which to offer. Most important, we seek to take you through financial modeling called “Total Cost Analysis”. This will help you better calculate your budget, factoring in items like “Principal Contribution” and “Tax Benefit”. Also, we want to get you in position to offer a faster close than other lenders can offer.
There are approximately 130 firms/banks/credit unions where you could potentially transact a mortgage in the Washington, DC area. However, there are 4-6 “Local Lenders” in whom listing agents have the most comfort. Many realtors would prefer working with a buyer financed by Intercoastal Mortgage – even though it may not be the highest offer on the table.
We coordinate with your financial professionals to craft the perfect loan, just for you.
A home loan is one of the most important financial decisions in your life. That’s why we believe it is critical to design your loan alongside the people that understand your finances best. Coordinated loans have saved our clients millions of dollars.
I, personally, have over 28 years of experience as a financial adviser and have also trained my team to work closely with financial professionals. Together, we work on a daily basis with financial professionals, providing our clients with tailored loans and helping them save money.
Please fill out a really short questionnaire about who you’re working with. It’s OK if you’re not working with anybody yet — we’d love to recommend the best to you.
In Our Client's Words
Anders Lundegard
Steve and his team is the most thorough mortgage lender I’ve come across. His transparency makes your decision-making a worry free process. He is available on your terms and it feels like you’re working with a friend. Highly recommend Steve to anyone who is looking for financing
Lisa Ramos
Absolutely awesome experience working with Steve and his team throughout our home buying process. We always felt they had our best interest in mind and Steve was always readily available to answer any questions we had in store.
Mike Hawkins
Steve was incredible throughout the entire process. Very upfront, honest, and incredibly knowledgeable. It felt like he was truly in my corner and I always felt like I could ask him anything and he’d respond quickly. Phenomenal experience.
Scott Hlavin
Steve is a true professional. Smart, energetic, passionate, and most importantly genuinely cares about those he serves. We got lucky when we found him and because of him, we have our perfect home. Thank you!
Rachel Metz
Steve is, quite simply, the best loan officer I have ever had, and I’ve had many! He is knowledgeable, responsive, communicative and kind. He went out of his way to help me get the best loan for my needs. Highly, highly recommend.
Paige Cronlund
The Intercoastal team is really great! They made the refi process easy for me, keeping me well-informed all throughout the process. They are very professional and trustworthy, no ugly or confusing surprises. I highly recommend them.
Moving Forward:
While we have built our website as a valuable educational and advisory resource, this is NOT a replacement for personal
consultation. Please never hesitate to a make an appointment for a personal consultation.
