Real estate agent Christina Sciarretta is hoping to give local heroes some help when it comes to buying homes.
Sciarretta, an agent for Berkshire Hathaway’s Marlton office, is bringing Homes for Heroes to a number of towns in South Jersey. Homes for Heroes is a national program providing rebates to veterans, police, fire, medical workers and others when they buy or sell a home.
The program was founded in Minnesota shortly after the Sept. 11 attacks in 2001. It was created to provide home buying and selling assistance to first responders to the attacks as a thank you for their service. Since then, the program has grown rapidly and has spread across the country.
Sciarretta knows first-hand the importance of thanking heroes. Her husband is a military veteran who served in Afghanistan with the 101st Airborne stations in Campbell, Ky. She learned about Homes for Heroes shortly after moving back to New Jersey from Kentucky and decided to bring the program to South Jersey when she discovered there were no affiliates in the region.
While much of the focus of Homes for Heroes is on military personnel, Sciarretta said the program isn’t just for veterans. Anyone from emergency personnel to doctors and even teachers can take advantage of the program. Sciarretta said many people in these professions don’t get the thanks they deserve, and this is her way of giving back.
“How often does somebody go up to a doctor or teacher and say thank you?” she asked. “This isn’t just an empty thank you, this is from the bottom of the heart.”
Sciarretta has brought the program to towns such as Cherry Hill, Haddonfield and Voorhees. Since the program officially kicked off in early June, she has spent a lot of her extra time on promotion and getting the word out to various organizations, including police and fire departments.
“Right now, it’s just kind of getting the word out,” Sciarretta said. “When I’ve spoken to various fire departments and police departments, some of them were very interested.”
The rebate money comes directly from Sciarretta’s commission. Twenty-five percent of her gross commission from the transaction goes back to the participating hero who bought or sold their home. Only agents who are affiliated with Homes for Heroes are permitted to issue the rebates.
An additional 5 percent of the gross commission goes toward the Homes for Heroes Foundation, which provides financial assistance and housing resources to heroes who are in need.
“The foundation helps with disabled vets to make changes to their homes,” she said.
Sciarretta has seen first-hand the amount of support her husband received when he returned home from service. She feels this is just a small way she can give back to others in the community.
“It has nothing to do with me as a real estate agent,” she said. “This is just a program that I’m trying to push.”
Residents who would like for information on the program can visitwww.christinasciarretta.com or call (609) 626–4800.
