A home is not just a home for members of the Military, Veterans, or their families. It’s a sanctuary of security, recovery, and a place to reunite with family. To fully support Military borrowers, we believe our team needs to understand the culture, challenges and barriers sitting between a servicemember and homeownership.
In this edition of our Broker Buzz video series, we welcomed Libby Shambeau, a Wholesale Account Executive and Military Veteran, and Brittany Hahn Boccher, the National Director of VA Strategy and Military Engagement and a Military spouse for more than 20 years.
Both have insights into what it’s like being part of a Military family, applying for a home loan and associated challenges, and both professionals are committed to helping fellow team members support Military families.
What Makes Newrez Different as a Military-Friendly® Lender?
Part of our role in supporting both our Veteran employees and borrowers is to educate people about the VA loan program. The Newrez team has specialist VA underwriters and a VA support team, plus a Certificate of Eligibility help desk to ensure all Military members are fully supported.
“We are very well-known for being Military Friendly®,” Libby said. “I will tell you, our VA underwriters are the best of the best.”
Every servicemember who closes a loan with Newrez also receives a Challenge Coin as a token of our appreciation and gratitude for their service. We know from speaking with customers and team members who are Military-connected that these tangible symbols of our support are very meaningful to them.
Strategic Partnerships to Support Veterans Beyond Servicing a Loan
Newrez partners with organizations that support Military communities through major challenges those communities face when trying to buy a home, including:
- Employment
- Financial readiness
- Family readiness
- Relocation and moving
- Mental health
We support organizations specifically in those five areas so we can better understand these challenges and be part of the solution. For example, we’re partnered with Stronghold Food Pantry which aims to help Military and Veteran families facing food insecurity.
The Top VA Loan Myths Busted
The VA loan program is an excellent benefit that provides a lot of value to the Veteran and Military community. However, there’s a big roadblock that prevents many Military families from using it—education.
Some misconceptions about VA loans include:
- They’re harder to approve and qualify for
- You can only use your VA loan benefit once
- You can only have one VA loan at a time
One of our missions at Newrez is to plug that education gap. We work hard with loan officers in Military communities so that they fully understand the benefits of the program and can deliver accurate, helpful advice to Military borrowers.
We even created our own internal Military/Veteran lending professional certification that aims to turn originators into subject matter experts on VA loans.
Support Military and Veteran Families
If you are a loan officer who has avoided VA loans in the past but wants to do more to help Military and Veteran borrowers, the first step is to learn all about the VA loan program.
Uncover the myths and learn about the realities of VA loan entitlement, either by reaching out to your Newrez account executive or getting in touch with us today.
Military Friendly® is a registered trademark of Viqtory, Inc and is not affiliated with Newrez LLC.
For real estate and mortgage professionals only and not intended for distribution to consumers or other third parties.