Memorial Day is around the corner. While it’s the unofficial start to the summer season, it’s also a special time to recognize the contributions that veterans and military personnel have made to our country.
With that in mind, we asked long-time CRD instructor Maurice Taylor, ABR®, GRI, CRS, MRP, SRES®, GREEN, PSA, e-PRO®, to share his thoughts on what real estate agents need to know to better serve military personnel and their families through the home-buying and -selling process.
Maurice is a retired Army Master Sergeant who served in the military for 25 years and is now the principal instructor, owner and broker at Vivid Real Estate Learning Center in North Little Rock, Arkansas. His biggest piece of advice?
“Every agent who wants to assist veterans and active-duty servicemembers with their real estate transactions should consider getting the Military Relocation Professional (MRP) certification,” he says.
Real estate transactions for relocating military service members come with their own considerations and challenges. Often, they have shorter timeframes, and the servicemember might be moving to an unfamiliar part of the country or be deployed during the home-buying and -selling process. There are procedures that must be followed, specialized terminology used, and different financing and support for veterans and active-duty military personnel.
Maurice adds: “In the military, when you get those orders, you’re moving. It’s going to happen fast, and it could happen again every few years. This can create tight time constraints for when the service member can view properties, or they might not be able to do the home search in person. There’s not a lot of time for agents to get up to speed if they aren’t familiar with the nuances of the process.”
The MRP certification course provides insights into the demographics of the military housing market and the procedures related to a permanent change of station (PCS) for service members and their families. It also provides an overview of essential terms, VA financing options and entitlement benefits.
The certification is not just for agents that live near a military base or installation. “There are millions of retired military that settle all over the country. VA loans with no down payment and low interest rates make them strong buyers, especially in today’s market,” says Maurice.
He continues, “Seeing that you have earned the MRP certification and have received specialized training to help military personnel with their transactions will give you a huge competitive advantage with this audience. So why not stack the deck in your favor?”
Special thanks to Maurice for his service, and for sharing his insights.
Learn more about the MRP certification at https://militaryrelocationpro.org/.
