Now for the first time military personnel, police officers, firefighters, teachers, first responders and others who serve the communities and nation in Maine can be a part of the Homes for Heroes program. This program was born after the September 11, 2001 events to help those who rush in when others are running out. The program partners with realtors, mortgage lenders, title companies, attorneys and other service providers who “agree to provide significant rebates and discounts to those who serve our nation and its communities every day,” according to a press release sent out by the new local affiliates.
In
Maine, Rick Yost of Keller Williams Realty is currently working with heroes to
find affordable homes. Hal Inman of The Mortgage Network is a lender and Matt
and Randee McDonald of Cumberland Title also provide a discount to heroes.
“I
stumbled across it on LinkedIn. I visited the website and did research,” said
Yost.
“Creating
a network is more valuable to the heroes. The core is real estate,” said
Randee.
“A
program like this is for the people who make your community a better place to
be. We make it affordable for them to live in their community,” said Yost.
“They can live in the community they work in.”
“Some
of the people put their lives on the line every day,” said Inman.
Yost
and any other realtors in the program agree to rebate 25 percent of their
commission back to the hero. On a $250,000 house, that could be as much as
$2,500 that will go toward the closing costs. Inman waives half of the
application fee for the mortgage and the McDonalds discount the mortgage title
and some of the closing costs. The network is also looking to find discount
property inspectors.
The
program also works for sellers to discount the cost of selling their home and
buying a new one. It doesn’t have to be for a first home. “No hidden fees, no
fine print. No catch,” said Yost. “It couldn’t be easier to use, couldn’t be
easier to find.”
“Those
people have enough going on. We don’t want to make it any harder for them,”
said Randee.
Inman
knew a family of two married teachers. “They were paying $1,200 in rent each
month. They couldn’t imagine saving for a down payment,” he said. “This is a
chance to help people like that for what they do. It makes you feel good,” he
said.
When
Inman speaks to someone going through the program, he will qualify that person
for how much he can afford. Going through Homes for Heroes does not exempt
someone from using the different types of loan programs including VA, Rural
Development or HUD.
“This
is money given to the hero. It’s coming out of our pockets. Nobody’s
subsidizing me,” said Yost.
If
a person qualifies as a hero anywhere in the state, they will be assigned to
this team until more realtors join the program. Contacting them directly is the
best way to go, they said. The phone number for the Maine program is
207-482-0588.
The
program is 12 years old and has saved heroes an estimated $4.7 million. There
are a few heroes involved in the program now, though none have closed on their
property because real estate transactions take at least 20 to 30 days to close,
said Yost.
The
trio is not done yet. They are looking for more to join in their network from a
home inspector and builders to barbers and oil companies. “The way they can
support us is to use us,” Yost concluded.
For
more information or to sign up visit www.homesforheroes.com and register as a
hero or call 482-0588.
Homes
for Heroes, Thanking Heroes One Home at a Time.
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