Edina Realty Veterans to REALTORS® Program Now Includes Spouses

Edina, Minn. – Nov. 5, 2013 – Edina Realty’s Veterans to REALTORS® Program, which helps veterans find careers after serving their country, is expanding to include spouses of veterans.

“Many veterans return home from active duty and need to find a way to support themselves and their families,” said Barb Jandric, president of Edina Realty. “Meanwhile, their spouses were busy holding things together single-handedly back home. In both cases, these men and women have a powerful set of skills that could make them very successful in real estate.”

The Edina Realty Veterans to REALTORS® program offers $1,500 worth of real estate training, technology tools and marketing support to veterans and their spouses. “The point of the program is to give veterans – and now their spouses as well – the financial boost they need to get their real estate careers off the ground,” Jandric said.

Veterans who become REALTORS® are in an excellent position to help the estimated 22 million U.S. veterans and 1.5 million active duty military personnel navigate the process of buying a home. Veterans and active military are eligible for attractive mortgage packages offered by the Department of Veterans Affairs’ home loan program, which features zero-down payment loans.

“Most homebuyers want to work with someone they can relate to – and who better to help veterans than another veteran,” Jandric said. “A veteran turned real estate agent is much more than just an agent; they’re a trusted business advisor who can identify with some of the unique challenges veterans and their families may face.”

A career in real estate is becoming more attractive now that the market has bounced back, according to Jandric. The Minneapolis Area Association of REALTORS® (MAAR) reports closed sales in the 13-county metro area are up 10.5 percent and new listings are up nearly 10 percent so far this year (January through August 2013), compared to the same period last year.

For more information on the current real estate market and to learn more about the Veterans to REALTORS® Program, visit www.edinarealty.com or call Edina Realty Customer Care at 952-928-5563.

Edina Realty is a Berkshire Hathaway affiliate and a wholly-owned subsidiary of HomeServices of America, Inc. It is one of the nation’s largest real estate companies with approximately 55 real estate offices and 2,100 REALTORS® throughout Minnesota and western Wisconsin. Edina Realty's family of companies includes Edina Realty, Edina Realty Title, and Edina Realty Mortgage. Edina Realty handled more than 32,660 pended transactions and $6.9 billion in pended sales volume in 2012. For more information, visit www.edinarealty.com, m.edinarealty.com, or find us on Facebook: facebook.com/EdinaRealty; and Twitter: twitter.com/Edina_Realty