Homes for Heroes: An incentive for our Community Heroes
If you are a firefighter, soldier, teacher, police officer, paramedic, nurse or a doctor and want to buy, sell or refinance your house, we bring you great news.
There is a national program that was established 14 years ago that helps heroes of our community save money when they buy a house.
Perhaps you may not have heard of it, but it is Homes for Heroes, a project that was established after the attacks of September 11, 2001, and its mission is to provide great savings to the heroes who serve our nation and our communities every day.
Homes for Heroes, established in Minneapolis, Minnesota, in 2002, is the largest national network with affiliated specialists in real estate: loan officers, property title companies and professional home inspectors.
Those specialists in real estate who are affiliated to Homes for Heroes donate 30% of their commissions. Of that portion 25% goes directly to the buyers in the form of discounts or reimbursements once the closing costs are signed. The other 5% goes to the Foundation Homes for Heroes, a nonprofit organization which provides financial assistance to military personnel (active, reserve and veterans) and heroes when they cannot pay for their houses or for medical expenses.
For example, if you are going to buy a house for $250,000, you can get a refund of $1,750; in case the property costs $350,000, your savings will be $2,450.
The interesting thing about the initiative is that it can work together with any other state and/ or county benefits that the person may be eligible to receive.
Currently there are more than 2,000 real estate brokers affiliated nationwide and the refunds to buyers have totaled over $16 million, a figure that continues to grow. Meanwhile in 2015, 288 heroes were helped in Florida with savings of more than $400,000.
Homes for Heroes has been in South Florida since 2015, with the incorporation of three real estate brokers that opened the program so teachers, firefighters and policemen could participate in the program. Today there are 18 affiliates.
“Although the program is not new, it is new for many people in Miami who have not heard of it or do not know how it works. Our job has been to inform the population to make sure they take advantage of the benefits and also encourage more colleagues to join,” commented Vivian Guerra from YES Real Estate Services, who along with the rest of her team, Karolina Trilikauskaite-Cruz and Lisa Helmly Tracy, they have assisted seven heroes, generating more than $10,000 in savings.
Remember if you are buying or selling your house, make sure that your real estate broker, loan officer and house inspector are affiliated to the program so you can receive the benefits mentioned above.
For more information call 786.573.5151
Homes for Heroes: Un incentivo para héroes de la comunidad
