Buying a home in Washington State is one of the biggest financial decisions you’ll ever make — and most people go into it without fully understanding the mortgage process, what they qualify for, or what the real costs are. These workshops are designed to change that.

I’m Rhonda Porter, a licensed Washington State Mortgage Advisor with 25+ years of experience. I began teaching homebuyer classes through the Washington State Housing Finance Commission in 2014. These workshops are an extension of that — free, practical, and focused on what actually matters when you’re buying a home or wanting to learn more about mortgages.

How the Workshops Work

Workshops are hosted as live Zoom webinars — typically on Wednesday afternoons from 12:00–1:00 pm Pacific Time. You will not be on camera. Bring your lunch, grab your laptop, and ask questions in the chat. Each workshop is recorded so you can watch at your own pace if you miss the live session.

There is no cost to attend and no obligation. These are educational — not sales presentations.

Upcoming Workshop

More workshops are coming soon! Sign up for our wait list.

Recorded Workshop Library

Missed a live session? The full workshop series is available on demand. Access all recorded workshops and workbooks here.

Current recordings in the series:

Getting Started with Homebuying — An overview of the home buying process from start to finish, what to expect, and how to prepare.
Your Credit and Buying a Home — How credit scores affect your mortgage rate and approval, what lenders look for, and how to improve your profile before applying.
How Much Money Do You Need to Buy a Home? — Down payment options, closing costs, earnest money, prepaid items, and what cash you’ll actually need at closing.
Mortgage Qualifying: Your Income, Job and Debts — How lenders calculate your debt-to-income ratio, what income counts, and what can affect your qualifying amount.
From Pre-Qualified to Offer Accepted — The difference between prequalification, preapproval, and pre-underwritten approval, and how to make your offer competitive.
Financing Options: Different Types of Mortgages — A plain-English guide to conventional, FHA, VA, USDA, and down payment assistance programs for Washington State buyers.
From Making an Offer to Closing Day – Steps from making an offer on a home, having your offer accepted, the home inspection, appraisal, title and escrow and what happens on closing day.

New workshops are added regularly. Subscribe for updates or check back here for upcoming sessions.

Who These Workshops Are For

First-time buyers who want to understand the process before talking to a lender
Buyers who have started the process but want to fill in the gaps
Homeowners who want to learn more about different mortgage programs
Anyone who wants to understand their mortgage options in Washington State’s competitive market
Real estate agents who want to refer clients to a trusted educational resource

Questions After the Workshop?

Every workshop ends with time for questions. If you want a one-on-one conversation about your specific situation — your income, credit, down payment, or target price range — I’m happy to do that at no cost and no obligation.

Let’s Talk about your home buying goals.

Rhonda Porter · Licensed Mortgage Advisor · NMLS #121324 · New American Funding · Washington State