Vol.III, No.I
www.renewssource.com
January 1, 2017
Congress Is Listening To VAREP By Pat Farrell
PRSRT STD U.S. Postage PAID San Antonio, Texas Paid Permit #1590
For five years now the Veterans Association of Real Estate Professionals (VAREP) has been very active on “The Hill” with requests for legislative action that will help our veterans understand and receive their benefits, especially as they relate to housing. For example, when the standard loan applications (Fannie Mae Form 1003/Freddie Mac Form 65) were examined, it was determined that there was no place on the form that even asked if the applicant was currently in the military or was a veteran. So after numerous visits to their legislators, by many VAREP members from around the country to address this issue, the application was revised on 08/2016 and when it becomes effective, will ask if the applicant or their deceased spouse ever served or is currently serving in the United States Armed Forces. Since it was established in 2013, the local VAREP Chapter has been able to send
from five to ten members each June to participate in Hill visits. This year as a result of their advocacy, Congressman Marc Veasey of Dallas introduced the act “Give Veterans Home Loan Choices Act of 2016” (H.R. 6320) which instructs HUD to include the VA Loan as part of the existing HUD “Consumer’s Informed Loan Disclosure” so people applying for the VA loan will have a side-by-side comparison with FHA and other loans to see if their choice is the best for them. If you would, there may still be time to contact your representatives to ask them to support this bill. In 2017 there will be additional veteran related issues that the organization will be addressing with their Senators and Representatives. It is important to know that membership in the VAREP does not require that you, as a real estate professional, be a veteran yourself but only that you are interested in learning more about the issues veterans face and would like to help work towards a resolution for as many of them as possible. The San Antonio Chapter meets monthly for an educational session on the third Wednesday from 11 AM to 1 PM (lunch is included – free for members and $5 for visitors) at the KB Home Training Room (4800 Fredericksburg Rd, San Antonio, TX 78229) Also, throughout the year, there are other events, some that specifically assist veterans and others that are provided for the membership. During 2017 the Chapter will sponsor two Housing Summits designed to provide veterans an opportunity to learn how to take advantage of their eligibility for VA home loans and of the various assistance programs that are also available to them. The first Summit will take place at Morgan’s Wonderland (5223 David Edwards Dr, San Antonio, TX 78233) on March 25th where free registration for veterans and family will begin at 8 AM with breakfast provided. In addition to
getting information concerning the ins and outs of qualifying for and actually obtaining a home loan, there will also be many service affiliated organizations present that can help veterans with land and home purchases (ex.,Texas Veterans Land Board) and with other needs such as insurance and health related issues. Following a provided lunch the afternoon sessions allow the veteran to learn if they do now qualify for a home loan, or if not, what measures they should consider taking to ensure they will qualify sometime in the near future. The first weekend in June (4th -6th), members of the Chapter’s Board of Directors along with other interested members will travel to Washington D.C. for the National Legislative Policy Conference where the issues scheduled to be discussed during the Hill visits will be reviewed. If you have not done so before, the process involved with visiting the Senators and Representatives is quite impressive and the legislators tend to respond more favorably when faced with the sheer numbers that VAREP is able to muster. Hopefully they will be able to report back with favorable results at the June 21st member meeting. The second Housing Summit for 2017 is tentatively scheduled for September 23rd and will be held at a venue that is based upon veteran needs at another location within the San Antonio Chapter’s coverage area. The format for this Summit will follow the same guidelines as the March event. The September 2016 Summit had about 150 veterans and their families in attendance and the experience so far has been that the number of attendees increases with each subsequent event. The VAREP 3rd Annual Stars and Stripes Golf Tournament will be held on October 6th at the Ft. Sam Houston Golf Course. This has been a very successful venture pitting the foursomes made up of real
estate professionals from various companies against one another, along with teams that include veterans. Again breakfast and lunch, along with golf cart use, are included in the entrance fee and the prizes to be awarded are certainly well worth the competition. Another feature of the event is the availability of a number of unique items up for bids during a silent auction. In October (15th – 17th) the VAREP Leadership Academy will take place in Orlando, Florida. The Academy is designed to educate, develop and empower current and future leaders within the VAREP organization by equipping them with the necessary tools to serve the military and veteran housing needs. Some of the certification courses available include Military and Veteran Housing Certification (MVHC), CreditSmart Military Module and Fair Housing Best Practices. Because of the timing for this event the monthly membership meeting will not be held. Aside from the Golf Tournament, most of the events mentioned here have seemed to be pretty serious, but there is fun on the horizon too. A Casino Night fundraiser is tentatively planned for May where all in attendance will have a chance to try their luck at an assortment of games. In addition to the regular member meetings, two Member Mixers are tentatively scheduled for the evenings of February 22nd and August 23rd with times and locations to be announced soon. And finally, in December the San Antonio VAREP Chapter will hold its 2018 Officer and Board Installation and Christmas Party. Dates, times and locations for the tentatively scheduled events will be discussed at the first educational meeting, on January 18th at KB Home, when Ron Nirenberg, City Councilman, will discuss San Antonio’s housing goals. You are invited to come and see what VAREP is all about!