How a Veteran Family Found Their Perfect Home When VA Financing Wasn't an Option

When Amy and Dave's VA loan applications kept falling through in South Florida's competitive housing market, they weren't sure they'd ever find their dream home. But working with reAlpha not only helped them secure a house in their ideal community - it saved them thousands in commission fees that made their down payment possible. Their story shows how innovation in real estate can turn seeming roadblocks into stepping stones toward homeownership.

"We were having trouble finding VA homes and the communities that had VA homes that were VA approved," Amy explains. In South Florida, this presented a particular challenge – there weren't many VA-approved properties, and the ones that were available didn't always match what they were looking for.

The turning point came when their mortgage broker recognized they needed a different approach. "Our mortgage broker knew we were having trouble. He suggested us to find another realtor that knew a little bit more about VA loans in the area," Amy shares.

This introduction led them to reAlpha, though they didn't initially know about one of the core benefits of working with reAlpha: not needing to pay buy-side commission. "When we went with reAlpha, we didn't know that it did zero commission. We didn't know that until we were halfway through this process."

When their perfect home turned out to be in a non-VA approved community, reAlpha found a way to make it work. "We wanted to do VA because we don't have to put any money down," Amy explains. But when that wasn't possible, reAlpha's zero commission model provided an alternative solution.

The commission that would typically go to reAlpha was instead used to help reduce their cash needed at closing, making a conventional 5% down payment feasible when VA financing wasn't an option.

What stood out to Amy wasn't just the financial solution, but the consistent support. "You've been wonderful. Absolutely love you. You've made it a very easy process," she says. "You've talked to us the whole way through. Anytime it was like you had a sixth sense of knowing when we had a little doubt of anything."

Even when facing logistical challenges, reAlpha stepped in to help. With only one car and Dave working further south, simple tasks like submitting applications could become complicated. "You were great. You were able to get applications to places like when we couldn't do them electronically. You got the application to the homeowner's association for me."

As closing day approached, Amy's excitement was evident. "I think I've woken up early, like 4:35 o'clock every day. Very ready to be in my own house."

When asked about advice for other buyers considering reAlpha, Amy's response was straightforward: "If someone's going to buy a house, I would recommend to do it with you." And regarding the zero commission model specifically: "I would ask them why they would be on the fence. There doesn't seem to be any cons to doing it. Seems like it would be all pros to me. Very easy to work with."

Having purchased three homes in the past six years, Amy's experience with reAlpha has changed her perspective on the home buying process. So much so that she's already thinking about working with reAlpha again, "Hopefully in two or three years."

For reAlpha, helping veteran families like Amy and Dave is particularly meaningful. As our agent, Daniel Ares noted, "Any chance that we have to help a veteran family into a home, it's not going to be easy. It's the highest honor, but then to be able to add commission to make it easier for you – it's really something that we really take special."