~Veterans helping Veterans~ Bill Salvatore / 602-999-0952 / Realty Executives East Valley email: golfArizona@cox.net
Arizona Broker/Owner Gives Back to Veterans
As a Veteran himself, Broker/Owner Bill Salvatore of Realty Executives East Valley understands the challenges of returning to civilian life after enlistment. Leveraging his career in real estate, the former Army Military Police (MP) wanted to help other United States Military Veterans in some small way. “I don't think I could ever have predicted how involved I'd be a year later,” Salvatore said.
Today, Salvatore is a shining example of how Executives can utilize the momentum of the newly launched Realty Executives International Veterans Program, as giving back to vets was something Salvatore had already been doing with tremendous results.
From a Broker/Owner standpoint, the Veterans Program was designed to honor men and women who have bravely served our country and are now considering a career in real estate. This can be accomplished in a number of ways including sponsoring real estate school, pairing a newly licensed veteran with a mentor Executive, or rebating monthly fees for a period of time; the possibilities are many are up to the discretion of the individual Broker/Owners throughout our system.
From an Executive standpoint, there are many ways to leverage both the recent and upcoming marketing initiatives of the Veterans Program, which clearly demonstrate that Realty Executives is a company that cares about Veterans whether as a potential real estate practitioner or as a potential home buyer or seller. As for Salvatore, when researching home buying assistance programs for veterans left him disappointed, he took it upon himself and founded Arizona Veterans Helping Veterans (AZVHV) last year.
“At the time I was hoping for maybe one participant in each major category; lending, title, home inspection etc., who would offer a discount to veterans buying or selling a home. Participation has been much stronger than I expected and momentum is growing. All I ask is that they offer something of value to the veteran. My personal contribution is 25% of my commission as a credit toward the veteran's closing costs,” Salvatore said.
Shortly after beginning to market AZVHV, Salvatore was contacted by a representative of Veterans Association of Real Estate Professionals (VAREP). He is now President of the Phoenix, Arizona Chapter and is busy planning several events in the upcoming year. The focus in 2014 will be on educating both Realtors and veterans on available tools and procedures for home buying programs including VA financing.
“I thoroughly enjoy doing anything I can to help Veterans but it doesn't hurt that it's also helping my real estate business. I'm getting calls not only from people who have been referred to me but from total strangers who have seen my blog or picked up a brochure. This business is all about people, not product, so I've chosen to direct the majority of my marketing toward helping people. After the financial trampling we've taken in the past few years I think we all realize how important it is to have folks around us that we can rely on. I'm trying to give a little support back to the people that we've all had the privilege of relying on,” Salvatore said.
For more information about the Realty Executives International Veterans Program contact Bryan Brooks, senior vice president of franchise development for Realty Executives International
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