Did you know that veterans can buy homes without a down payment and even get a rebate at closing?

As a way to say “thank you” for their service to our country the government and private agencies have set up programs that save active military and veterans thousands of dollars when they buy or sell a home.

Here are a few tips that will help you find these programs and ask the right questions to get the most benefit for you and your family.

VA Loans

Nobody beats VA loans with respect to down payment. No down payment is required, which means that veterans can buy a home without any money out of their pocket. You don’t need to pay private mortgage insurance either.

Private banks write VA loans and the Department of Veterans Affairs guarantee them.

When you apply for a VA loan you need a Certificate of Eligibility and the home must be for your own personal occupancy.

Veterans First Program

The RE/MAX Veterans First Program is the only National home ownership program owned and operated by Vets and contributing to military charities.

Exclusive to RE/MAX, Veterans First is a national home buyer and seller rebate program. It’s goal is to maximizes the Veteran’s real estate experience, guarantee a smooth transaction, offer rebates at closing, and donate to military charities.

RE/MAX 24/7 of Dublin is exclusively offering the Veterans First program in Central Ohio.

When veterans buy or sell a home with one of our experienced agents, we discount our commissions at closing. This discount goes back to the veteran. You can use it for closing costs or other expenses that relate to the purchase of your home. In some cases you may even be able to get cash out at the closing table.

The amount of your rebate depends on the purchase price of the home. Rebates start at $250 and can go as high as $5,000. Here’s our Veterans First Rebate Chart.

Susanne Novak Certified Military Housing SpecialistEvery RE/MAX agent who participates in the Veterans First program, must be certified to work with Veterans through the USA Cares Certified Military Housing Specialist Course. Agents who are members of the National Veterans First Program pledge to provide you with outstanding service and make the veteran’s real estate experience as painless and profitable as possible.

Each participating network firm is featured within the national RE/MAX Veterans First website. This makes it easy for relocating Vets to find participating offices in other parts of the country.

Veterans First is RE/MAX branded and based on five program pillars:

  • Exclusive RE/MAX national program
  • You work with the most productive agents in the industry
  • We offer the largest rebates in the nation
  • Vets own and operate the program
  • We give generously to military charities

RE/MAX 24/7 is Veteran Friendly

If you are a veteran or active military, we’d love to work with you!

One of our senior real estate agents, Bryan Radcliffe, is a vet himself. He retired from the army after a distinguished, 21 year career and has been a real estate agent for more than 10 years.

I have personally been there to help soldiers buy homes in Columbus while they were still active overseas. We handled the contract by email and phone, and got everything ready to close by the time they returned home.

I have also worked with military spouses relocating their families to Dublin. I inspected homes for them, took pictures and shared them over the Internet. Sometime, we spent a full weekend driving around neighborhoods to find the perfect listing, make an offer and get ready for closing before the move.

The RE/MAX Vets First Program is our way of thanking you for your service to our country.