West + Main Homes was honored to bring an exclusive Military Relocation Workshop to Real Estate agents in the Greater Denver and Colorado Springs locations earlier this week.
Military Veteran and Relocation Expert Alison Wisnom, currently living with her husband in Annapolis, spent two days with Realtors from across Colorado sharing personal experiences and decades of knowledge regarding How to Best Serve the Military Community.
She said, "Agents in Colorado, in particular, should be open-minded in serving the military and veteran market, since the strong job market, high quality of life, and availability of services for military retirees make the Denver to Colorado Springs corridor very attractive to this group."
Before sharing some tactical ways to help the military community, Alison shared specific considerations affecting the military when relocating to a brand new place.
Unique Needs of Military Clients
Family Separation and Isolation
Spouse Employment
Child Care
Pattern of Life Replacement
Finding the “Right Now” home
“I think that really sums up the working relationship with the military community that can be vastly different to a traditional purchase and how our approach as realtors to the whole process is going to be different,” said West + Main broker Alex Swanson. Finding the 'perfect' home may not be the goal. The often impermanent lives of military families means they're adaptable as hell. Also, sight unseen addendums could be your best friend when writing contracts.
Current Topics for Military Clients
Logistics backlog for moves
Longer transition periods
On base vs. Off base housing decisions
Selling current home or keeping as rental
Affordability and inventory of homes
“Serving our military community is always a priority for West + Main Homes,” said Chief Technology Officer Greg Fischer. “As a Navy veteran myself, it’s a mission of mine to ensure that our company’s agents not only understand the ins and outs of VA loans, but also the unique Real Estate needs of folks who have served our country and their families.”
Best Cities for Veterans to Live
#1 Orlando, FL
#4 Raleigh, NC
#10 Minneapolis, MN
Alison shared a presentation that not only honed in on the extremely specific needs that active duty, retired and those serving in the reserves have when it comes to housing, relocation and long-term financial stability, but also important statistics regarding VA Loan products, requirements and benefits.
