Houses For Heroes

SAN RAMON, CA – August 16, 2013 – The Hagley Group at Prudential California Realty announced today the Houses for Heroes initiative to help Bay Area Veterans buy homes and use their VA loan, a benefit to which they are entitled.

Cindi Hagley, a managing partner in The Hagley Group, has been a longtime advocate of veteran rights when it comes to their VA Loan.

“There is a lot of discrimination when it comes to VA loans and it’s due to lack of education of real estate agents and sellers, says Hagley. “Because these buyers can purchase a home with no money down, agents and sellers feel these loans are more risky than other loans, which is not true. VA loans are provided by major banks and mortgage companies – and a portion of the loan is guaranteed by the Veterans Administration – which helps the lender provide extremely favorable terms.”

Many of the borrowers looking to use their VA loan often have credit scores in the mid 700’s and higher – sometimes higher that buyers with conventional loan approvals making an offer on the same property.

“I’m tired of being told by agents ‘not to bother to write an offer’ if a VA loan is being used,” says Hagley. “It’s blatant discrimination and it needs to stop. These buyers need to have their pick of the best homes in their price range – and not the leftover sub-standard property that they are often left to choose from.”

“The Hagley Group vows to change the way military buyers are being treated,” says Laura Zuckerman, Realtor and project manager for Houses For Heroes. “We chauffeur VA buyers by limousine to homes for sale that will meet VA guidelines. We may have several buyers on one tour in the same price range. All buyers are pre-approved by our preferred lender, Summit Funding, and we have a lender with us on the tour for last-minute financing questions as these VA buyers make decisions and write offers.”

According to the Department of Veteran Affairs, there are over 1.8 million veterans in California – many of them in the Bay Area – and many eligible for a VA loan.

“We care,” says Hagley. “And agents and sellers need to care too.”

For more information, contact The Hagley Group at 925-824-4877.