How to Buy Your First Home (Without Losing Your Mind)
A free class every month, July–December 2026 · 6:00 PM ET
Zero jargon. Zero sales pitch. One hour from your couch, and you'll know more than most people do at their own closing table.
See the 2026 scheduleCan't make one live? Email us and we'll send you the replay — the free guide comes with it.
The order of operations we teach
Yes, the late-night house scrolling comes after pre-approval. We'll explain.
What you'll learn
Everything we wish someone had told us before our first closings
Sixty minutes of straight answers — the stuff people usually learn the expensive way.
✓The right order of operations
Why house-shopping before pre-approval is buying backwards — and the six steps in the order that actually works.
✓The 20% down payment myth
What you actually need: conventional from 3% down, FHA at 3.5%, and $0-down options. This myth has kept more people renting than any sentence in real estate.
✓Closing costs, explained like a human
What that 2–5% actually covers, and the part nobody mentions: sellers can help pay it. We negotiate this all the time.
✓The offer-to-keys timeline
One map from accepted offer to closing day — inspection, appraisal, underwriting, clear to close — plus the infamous DO NOT list. (Do not finance a couch. The couch always wins.)
✓Military families: the VA loan
Zero down, no PMI, and reusable — the single most underused mortgage benefit in America. VA loans are our national specialty.
✓Live Q&A — ask us anything
The questions you've been too embarrassed to Google, answered live. No question is too basic. That's the whole point.
The 2026 lineup
One free class, every month, through December
Same time every month — 6:00 PM ET — new topic each session. We teach for an hour, then stick around for open Q&A as long as the questions keep coming. Register for one or collect the whole set. Every registrant gets the free guide, and if you miss a session, just email us for the replay.
First-Time Homebuyer Basics
Wednesday, July 22 · 6:00 PM ET
- The right order of operations
- The 20% down payment myth
- Closing costs, explained like a human
- The offer-to-keys timeline + live Q&A
Credit & Pre-Approval, Demystified
Wednesday, August 19 · 6:00 PM ET
- What lenders actually look at
- What moves your score (and what doesn't)
- Walking into pre-approval ready — even if your credit has a past
VA Loans 101 for Military Families
Wednesday, September 16 · 6:00 PM ET
- Zero down, no PMI, reusable
- The biggest VA myths, busted
- Taught by a nationally ranked VA loan team
The Money Stuff: Down Payments & Closing Costs
Wednesday, October 21 · 6:00 PM ET
- What you actually need saved
- Where your down payment can come from
- What that 2–5% covers — and how sellers can help pay it
Offer to Keys: The Timeline & The DO NOT List
Wednesday, November 18 · 6:00 PM ET
- The full map: inspection → appraisal → underwriting → keys
- The infamous DO NOT list
- (The couch. We mean the couch.)
Buy in the New Year: Your 90-Day Game Plan
Wednesday, December 16 · 6:00 PM ET
- Your 90-day credit, savings & paperwork plan
- What to do this month vs. next
- Offer-ready by spring
Want them all in one place? Follow our full events calendar on Luma and never miss a class.
Your team
Meet The Landon Group
Mel Landon
Branch Manager & Loan Officer · NMLS #1398886
25+ years in real estate and lending, nationally ranked Top 100 in VA loan production (Scotsman Guide), Marine spouse, mom of four, and host of the Life, Love & Mortgages podcast.
Eden Madison
Loan Officer · NMLS #2748855
Proud Virginia Tech grad and your live Q&A wrangler. Eden works the chat all hour so no question gets left behind — and follows up on anything we can't answer on the spot.
Victoria King
Loan Officer · NMLS #314753
A seasoned loan officer with The Landon Group, Victoria helps buyers turn "someday" into a closing date — with straight answers and zero pressure along the way.
Attend and it's yours
The First-Time Homebuyer Guide — free
Everything from the classes plus checklists, the full timeline, and the DO NOT list in one guide you can actually reference at 11pm when the house questions hit. Register for any class and it's yours.
Pick a class & get the guide
Beyond the classroom
Want to go one-on-one?
Classes are the overview — your situation is the fine print. Grab time with us directly, or catch up on a class you missed.
Free one-on-one with Mel
- Your numbers, your timeline, your questions
- No pressure, no pitch — even if "next" is a year away
- Leave knowing exactly where you stand
Email us for the replay
- Tell us which month you missed
- We'll send the recording straight to your inbox
- The free guide comes with it
Quick answers
Before you ask
Is it really free? What's the catch?
Really free, no catch. We teach this because informed buyers make better clients and better neighbors. Nobody will call you unless you ask us to.
I'm not buying for a year or two. Should I still come?
Especially then. The people who start understanding the process 12–18 months out are the ones who buy calmly instead of chaotically. Credit and savings moves made now pay off at the closing table later.
What if I can't make it live?
No problem — email us at mlandon@cmgfi.com and we'll send you the replay, plus the free guide. The live Q&A is the only part you'd miss, so come live when you can.
I'm active duty / a veteran / a military spouse. Is this for me?
Yes — there's a whole section built for you. VA loans are our national specialty, and the class covers the zero-down, no-PMI benefits most military families never get told about.
One hour a month. From your couch.
The couch you already own.
Every month through 2026, always 6:00 PM ET. Bring your questions, bring a skeptical spouse, bring snacks — it's virtual, we can't see your snacks.
Pick your class — register freeReady to talk sooner? Book a free one-on-one call — no pressure, no pitch, even if "next" is six months away.