A program in Huntington Beach, Calif., is looking to help military members, safety officials, teachers and others buy homes.
Several agents from local real estate and mortgage businesses gathered Jan. 16 at Re/Max Terrasol on Beach Boulevard to announce their participation in Homes for Heroes, which offers rebates and discounts to those looking to buy a home.
The Minneapolis-based program started shortly after the terror attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, as a way to help emergency first responders.
"Our main groups are firefighters, police officers, lifeguards, teachers, nurses, doctors, [emergency medical technicians] and current and former military," said Michelle Gorden, a Realtor with Re/Max Terrasol.
Real estate agents in the program give 25% of their commissions as a rebate to help pay for closing costs, repairs and other needs, Gorden said. Mortgage lenders then help the buyer by negotiating better interest rates or discounts for loans, she said.
Jon Shrum, vice president of Commerce Mortgage in Huntington Beach, said he discounts at least $900 on a loan.
"This program is not about competition," he said. "It's about getting the people into their homes."
Under another part of the program, Friends for Heroes, other businesses help buyers after a house is purchased. Melissa Watanabe, a Farmers Insurance agent in Fountain Valley, said she will give discounts on insurance plans.
Huntington Beach Chamber of Commerce President and Chief Executive Jerry Wheeler commended the local Realtors and brokers for joining the program.
"This is another sign that the economy is improving locally and things are starting to go in the right direction," Wheeler said. "We're getting more and more Realtors opening their doors and are starting to come back after the recession."
Teacher Leslie Fleischer and her husband, Adam, recently moved from West Covina to Huntington Beach, buying their home through the Heroes program with help from Gorden.
"Compared to other real estate transactions we've done, we very quickly zeroed in on exactly what we wanted," Adam Fleischer said. "It was a very painless transaction."
He said that when the couple bought a home in 2003, their Realtor showed them about 55 houses before they settled on one they liked. By comparison, the Fleishers looked at about a dozen houses with Gorden.
The Fleischers saved $4,555 by buying their house through Homes for Heroes, Gorden said.
The program also helped them find a home closer to the ocean, they said.
"I think it's fantastic, and I hope they get the word out to more teachers, firefighters and other employees," Leslie Fleischer said.
©2015 Huntington Beach Independent. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency
