There is a network of veterans and non-veterans working as realtors ensuring veteran homebuyers and their realtors know the ins and outs of the VA homebuying experience.
Keller Williams realtor and Navy veteran Michael Smith just launched the Northern Kentucky chapter of the Veterans Association of Real Estate Professionals.
“I wanted to bring a chapter to our region to help out veterans in a couple different ways,” he said. “I wanted to give the real estate community more education on the VA home loan, because it is a superior product and there are some myths out there and I wanted to debunk some of the myths.”
He said educating veterans about their benefits is key to home ownership and that while they may have been told about the VA home loan program as they left the service, they may not remember how to navigate the process.
“They give you a big ol stack of papers when you get out and that gets glossed over. A lot of veterans don’t know they have benefits,” Smith said. “There’s tons of benefits that get missed because there is so much information when we get out it can be missed.”
VAREP said its mission includes home ownership advocacy, community outreach, professional membership, veteran job creation and affordable veteran housing.
In a new release announcing the VAREP Northern Kentucky chapter launch this summer, the organization’s founder Son Nguyen said, “Many real estate and financial service professionals would like to better serve the real estate needs of the 1,411,425 servicemembers and 22,328,279 veterans nationwide. However, until now no organization existed that could make it happen; VAREP was founded to fill the void.”
Michel Smith said VAREP isn’t just about educating veterans on the process and benefits, it’s also about educating other tri-state realtors to navigate the VA home buying process.
“We’re there for the veterans so, if another realtor calls me, I will help them at the drop of a hat give them any assistance they need answering any questions they have for me,” Smith said.
They’re looking for more realtors to join the Northern Kentucky chapter of VAREP.
VAREP is hosting a lunch and learn event Wednesday, Sept. 7 focused on the 12 myths of the VA loan process. It will be at the Keller Williams office located at 7210 Turfway Rd., Burlington, KY. The start time is 11:15 a.m. Guest speaker Trey Budke is the education director of the VAREP Northern Kentucky Chapter. To RSVP, visit VAREP.net/NKYLUNCH.
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