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NEWS | Jan. 4, 2017

Housing office: home buying, selling help exists

By Staff Sgt. Teresa J. Cleveland 633rd Air Base Wing Public Affairs

For many U.S. service members moving due to a permanent change of station can be stressful, as well as buying or selling a home.

The 733rd Civil Engineer Division Housing Referral Office at Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Virginia is available to help relieve that stress by providing a Home Buying and Selling seminar. During the seminar, they share knowledge by bringing in an experienced realtor, a home inspector, an attorney and a mortgage lender from the Hampton Roads area to answer questions.

“The idea is to give service members and civilians an overview of the steps for buying or selling a home to empower them and give them more confidence in being prepared for the process,” said Regina Gomez, 733rd CED housing manager. “Information is power. The professionals we bring in just want to help make the process easier to understand and help make sure service members are as prepared as possible.”

During the seminar, the local professionals provide general information on buying or selling a home and then provide more specific information regarding the local area, such as the school district ratings and specific things to look for during home inspections.

“We also discuss what they need to have prepared, how they need to prepare their finances and what information they should have before they talk to a mortgage lender or a realtor such as their W-2s, last two tax returns or bank statements,” said Gomez. “We refer seminar attendees to available websites that they can look at regarding homes in the area, mainly so they can get an idea of what they are looking for in their ideal home, what they don’t want and where they might want to live. That way they have an idea of where to start looking with a realtor.”

Housing personnel suggest sites such as www.housing.army.mil and www.housing.af.mil which provide information and contact lists for housing offices at the installation that service member will be assigned to. Housing offices can provide information regarding on and off-base housing prices, sizes, availability and information on the local area.

“We are here to help. We’re a non-biased source of information for service members and civilians,” said Gomez. “Anything that people tell us is in confidence and we will do everything in our power to assist them in finding a home they love and they are happy with.”

For more information or to register for the next seminar call the Housing Referral Office at 878-5579 or 878-5411.