Bring the VA Home Loan Benefit
to Local Employers
The troops, almost 40,000 of them, are coming home by year's end and they don't necessarily need two years employment history to use their VA home loan benefit. Returning veterans could be buying homes sooner than you think. They are highly sought by employers as they are disciplined, physically fit, respectful of authority, highly trained, used to working under pressure and uniquely skilled at multi-tasking.
If that wasn't attractive enough to employers, the American Jobs Act, if passed would grant employers from $5,600 to $9,600 in tax credits for hiring them. Hiring our returning heroes is good business and will create great corporate good will. Be part of the process by partnering with employers to help their veterans purchase homes.
Top companies are already planning job fairs to attract them. Offer to attend and set up a booth to answer questions. Do research in your market to determine which local employers hire a lot of veterans. Perform a Google search for large employers in the largest employment center cities near you. Most cities post their largest employers, the number of employees and contact info for each. I performed a Google search on top Irvine employers and several lists popped up complete with contact info.
Most companies want their veterans and all valued employees to buy homes locally and put roots down near their place of employment. It helps them retain their talent.
Call these employer's HR departments and offer to do a 20 minute presentation on the Veteran Home Loan Benefit (be sure to refer to it this way) in the lunch room. You are not selling mortgages, you are providing their employees their hard earned benefit. Once an originator does a great job for a veteran of a big firm, word will spread fast among a large closely knit group of employed veterans and their civilian co-workers too!
Be sure to announce to your Veteran audience that the Funding Fee is going down for both new VA loans and subsequent usage per VA Circular 26-11-15 effective November 18th. The funding fee is going down from 2.15 for first time use to 1.4! This may be your foot in the door with the employers, announcing changes to their benefit. Oh, and be sure to dress snappy. Give a firm hand shake and be concise with your information. Bring the Benefit!
Fun Veteran slang and acronyms you can try:
Squared Away (all set) We've got you all squared away for funding!
90 Day Wonder (newbie) I'm no 90 Day Wonder. I've been funding VA loans for 20 years!
LPCs: No, not Lender Paid Comp, this one is Leather Personnel Carriers, otherwise known as boots!
HOOAH: Actually a shout. Signals approval! It should be self-evident when to use this