Sara Stadem | Editor
In 2002, Ruth Johnson and family members decided to give back to those that service others by creating a program called Homes for Heroes which has now become a national program.
Dave Larson of Dave & Co. Real Estate Team – Hegg Realtors, Inc. and his team are more than familiar with this program. Larson said, “It’s a national program now. After 911, they (Ruth and family) were a real estate team that wanted to give back to heroes and found out there was nothing to give back to heroes so they created it.”
Larson explained the program helps local heroes save money when selling and purchasing a home. It benefits Firefighters and EMS, Law Enforcement, Military, Healthcare Professionals, Teachers and most recently, Clergies have been added.
“Basically, if a hero buys or sells a home, they get 25% of our commission check. So, if they buy a $200,000 house, they get $1,500 and that comes right out of our pocket and they get to use this over and over again,” Larson stated. “This is not a one-time program.”
Since this is a national program, an application process is completed by the Real Estate Team and the Homes for Heroes corporate office determines if the Real Estate Team will be able to participate in the program.
“I think we got our application approved because the majority of my team are veterans. I think that’s why. It’s close to all our hearts,” Larson said.
This past year, Larson said that he and his team have been able to serve 70 heroes in the area and have been able to give back $160,456 to local heroes.
When asked what happens if someone was a teacher, Larson indicated, “It still applies as far as I’m concerned. There is some gray area there but I would still give it to them. We do what we can to help people out.”
Cris and Jennifer Gunderson, previously from Hartford, sold their home and purchased one in Crooks with Larson as their realtor through the Homes for Heroes program.
“I know Dave through the military actually. We were in the National Guard together. I looked at other realtors and they didn’t know how to do the program. I sold a property of my Godfather’s and because it was an estate and other family was involved, we used another realtor,” Gunderson explained. “That realtor didn’t even want to make an effort into the Homes for Heroes program so that’s why I wanted to go through Dave. Dave’s whole team is pretty knowledgeable on it and will make sure they get them a deal if they can.”
Gunderson stated, “It was so easy. They had everything set up and ready to roll. I think their team is hands down one of the best for this program and Dave’s connection with the military helps. I know that his team has a lot of connections with the military and they make it a priority.”
When asked what he thinks of the program, Gunderson said, “I think it’s a pretty neat deal, a way to pay back those that have served. It saved me quite a bit of money. I was pretty surprised with how much it was and it means a lot knowing the program is out there.”
Larson concluded, “This program is a way to recognize all the local heroes. I don’t think people understand the number of people that we have in our areas that are local heroes in the medical fields, education or military, etc. It’s just another way to recognize those local heroes.”
For more information on the program, contact Larson and his team at http://daveandco.hegg.com/ or 605-751-9021.