Duane Buziak is a mortgage broker based in Glen Allen, and this comparison is written for Henrico buyers in Short Pump, Glen Allen, and Innsbrook who want to know what to gather before applying. Five mortgage providers were weighed on three questions: how clearly the tool tells you what to collect, how you submit documents, and what it costs you before you commit, including whether a credit pull is involved. Competitor details reflect public information as of 2026 and should be confirmed on each company’s own site.
Written by Duane Buziak, NMLS #1110647 | Coast2Coast Mortgage LLC NMLS #376205
Quick Comparison of the Five Providers
- Henrico Mortgage by Duane Buziak: buyers with non-standard files who want a local person to build the list; no upfront fee stated, see website; the checklist changes by loan program because a broker shops multiple wholesale programs.
- The Cowart Team: military-connected buyers who want an established local team; see website; a long regional track record with a VA-family focus.
- Movement: buyers who want to upload from a phone at any hour; see website; a national digital application backed by Richmond-area loan officers.
- Sparrow Home Loans: buyers purchasing through a builder or partner agent; see website; documentation oriented toward VHDA program buyers.
- Rocket Mortgage: salaried W-2 buyers with simple files who are comfortable fully online; see website; the most automated document collection on this list.
What a Complete File Holds, and the Terms on Every Checklist
Most providers ask for a similar core set, though the exact list depends on the loan program and your income type:
- Pay stubs covering roughly the most recent 30 days, plus W-2s for the past two years.
- Two years of tax returns if you are self-employed or earn commission or rental income.
- Two months of bank and investment statements, every page, including the blank ones.
- A government photo ID and your Social Security number.
- A written explanation for any large, unexplained deposit.
- A gift letter, signed by the donor, if family is contributing to your down payment.
Four terms recur. DTI is debt-to-income: suppose you earn $9,000 a month and your debts, including the new housing payment, total $3,600; your DTI is 40%. LTV is loan-to-value, the loan amount divided by the home’s value; conventional cash-out refinances top out at 90% LTV, while VA cash-out can reach 100%. The Loan Estimate is the standardized three-page cost summary you receive after applying, explained on the CFPB’s Loan Estimate page. A soft pull does not affect your score, while a hard pull is recorded as an inquiry.
Three mistakes slow files most often: moving money between accounts without a paper trail, changing jobs mid-process, and sending only some pages of a statement.
1. Henrico Mortgage by Duane Buziak
Henrico Mortgage by Duane Buziak is a local Glen Allen mortgage broker office offering home loans, refinancing, and credit-safe pre-qualification. It is designed for Henrico buyers who would rather talk through their documents with a person than work through a generic form. Duane has been helping families find their new homes since 2014, and the office sits at 4860 Cox Rd, a short drive from Innsbrook and Short Pump.
What sets it apart on this list is that the checklist is not fixed. Because a broker can shop multiple wholesale programs, the document list is matched to the one that fits your file. An FHA buyer, a VA buyer, and a conventional buyer each get a different list, and a self-employed buyer gets a different one again. The other four tools hand you the list built around their own shelf.
- Pre-qualification uses a NoTouch soft check, so you see where you stand with no credit impact.
- Document lists are tailored to FHA, VA, or conventional financing instead of a one-size-fits-all form.
- You get direct access to Duane Buziak, so a question about a deposit or a job change gets answered by the person handling your file.
- Home loans and refinancing run through one office, which helps if you may refinance later.
Setup is advisor-led. The site indicates a secure document upload portal, though you should confirm its current features when you start. The honest limitation is that there is no confirmed self-service checklist app, so if you want to work alone at midnight with an automated tracker, this is not that experience. It is built for conversation, not self-service.
Pricing: no upfront fee is stated on the site, and the cost of the loan itself depends on the program, loan amount, and your file. Confirm the current details on the website.
Best for: Buyers with non-standard files who want a local person to build the list.
2. The Cowart Team
The Cowart Team is a Richmond-area mortgage team that, per its site, works with NFM Lending. It is aimed at buyers who value an established local name, and it is known for a long track record in the region. Verify its current years in business and review counts directly, since those figures change.
Its distinctive strength on this list is the VA-family focus. Military-connected households in the Richmond area often want a team that has handled entitlement paperwork many times, and that familiarity can shorten the back-and-forth over what to send.
- Local team guidance means you can ask a person what a given document is for.
- The application runs through NFM Lending’s process, so the checklist you receive follows that company’s requirements.
- VA and conventional options appear to be offered; confirm the full program menu with the team.
The portal and any income or asset verification tools should be confirmed on the site, as I could not verify specifics. Day to day, expect a loan officer or processor to coordinate your documents.
The limitations are structural. This is a single-shelf arrangement, so your checklist is built around one company’s programs rather than adjusted across several. Research also flags a possible hard credit pull at application, so ask exactly when it occurs and whether a soft check is available first. If you are comparing, that question matters more than any feature.
Pricing: no flat application fee is published that I could verify. Costs come through the Loan Estimate and move with loan amount, program, and rate. See the website.
Best for: Military-connected buyers who want an established local team.
3. Movement
Start with the limitation here: experience varies by loan officer. Movement is a national direct provider with Richmond-area loan officers and a digital application, built for buyers who want the convenience of an online process without losing a local contact.
What it does distinctively well is pair a nationally built application with loan officers who live in the market. You can upload from your phone late at night, then discuss the result with a person the next day. For a buyer juggling work and house hunting between Short Pump and downtown, that flexibility has real value.
- The online application lets you start without scheduling a meeting.
- Document upload appears to be supported; confirm which file types and how many pages per statement it accepts.
- Local loan officers can explain requirements specific to your situation.
- Both purchase and refinance are offered, so a later refinance can stay in the same system.
Ask which income and asset verification partners it uses, since that determines whether you can link accounts or must send statements by hand. Setup is mostly self-driven, with the loan officer stepping in as questions arise.
Limitations: it is a single shelf, so the checklist reflects one company’s programs, and the quality of guidance depends on the officer assigned to you. Credit pull timing should be verified before you apply, because you want to know whether the application itself triggers a hard inquiry.
Pricing: see website. No flat fee is advertised that I could confirm, and the cost of the loan depends on the rate, loan amount, and fees shown in your Loan Estimate.
Best for: Buyers who want to upload from a phone at any hour.
4. Sparrow Home Loans
Sparrow Home Loans is a Richmond-area loan officer working through Atlantic Bay Mortgage Group, with a focus on builder and agent partnerships. It suits buyers whose purchase is already tied to a builder’s preferred process or a referring agent.
Where it fits
Its distinctive angle is VHDA-oriented documentation. Buyers using a Virginia Housing program face program-specific paperwork, and a loan officer who works those files regularly knows which items to request up front. Confirm the current VHDA programs offered on the site, since the focus was flagged for verification.
- A VHDA program focus means the checklist anticipates program-specific forms and income documentation.
- Builder partnerships can coordinate contract, timeline, and document requests with the sales office.
- Agent partnerships help when your agent already works with this loan officer and knows the routine.
- A local loan officer gives you a named contact instead of a call queue.
Where it falls short
The footprint is smaller, and it is a single shelf, so if your file falls outside the programs available through its partner company, the checklist cannot pivot to a different option the way a broker’s can. Portal features and verification tools should be confirmed on the site. Expect to work with the loan officer or a processor directly.
Pricing: see website. No flat application fee was confirmed, and costs depend on the loan program, amount, and any builder incentives tied to using a preferred partner. Always compare the Loan Estimate against another quote.
Best for: Buyers purchasing through a builder or partner agent.
5. Rocket Mortgage
Rocket Mortgage is a national online mortgage provider with a highly automated application. It is designed for buyers who want to complete nearly everything on a screen, from first questions through document submission.
Its strength is automation, and it is the most automated online document collection on this list. Where other tools ask you to photograph and upload statements, Rocket’s process is built around account linking, which can pull income and asset information directly. For a salaried W-2 buyer with one employer and a couple of accounts, that can shrink the checklist considerably.
- The online application lets you start and finish without an office visit.
- Account linking for income and assets, if you choose it, replaces uploading many statement pages by hand; verify which institutions and payroll providers are supported.
- Digital document upload covers whatever linking cannot.
- Purchase and refinance are both available through the same account.
Setup is largely self-directed, and you run it yourself from a phone or computer. Check the bank and payroll linking options as of 2026 before assuming your accounts will connect.
The limitations show up with complicated files. As of 2026 it has no local Henrico office, so there is no sitting down at a desk near Innsbrook, and self-employment income, multiple properties, or unusual deposits may need phone help. A national direct provider also works from its own set of programs, so the checklist will not adjust across alternatives. Confirm when any credit check occurs before you begin.
Pricing: see website. No flat fee was confirmed, and loan costs vary with rate, loan amount, and program.
Best for: Salaried W-2 buyers with simple files comfortable fully online.
Matching a Document Tool to Your Henrico Purchase
If your file has anything unusual, such as self-employment income, a gift, a recent job change, or a choice between FHA, VA, and conventional, Duane Buziak is the stronger fit, because the list is built around your program and a local person checks it. If your file is simple and you want to finish at midnight on your phone, Rocket Mortgage or Movement fit that style. For a VHDA or builder purchase, Sparrow Home Loans is worth a call, and military-connected buyers should speak with The Cowart Team. Whatever you choose, ask each provider when a credit check happens and request the Loan Estimate so you can compare costs on paper.
Your dream home in Henrico County is closer than you think. Discover exactly what you can afford with our credit-safe pre-qualification process that protects your score while unlocking your options. Get pre-qualified today and take the first step toward homeownership with a local mortgage expert who understands your community. Call Henrico Mortgage by Duane Buziak at 804-212-8663.