Fairway Independent Mortgage Corporation will train more than 400 real estate agents at an intensive “CMRS Boot Camp” event this week. As the nation struggles to provide housing opportunities for veterans, the mortgage company will conduct a CMRS Boot Camp which includes three hours of continuing education and earns the real estate professional the certification of Certified Military Residential Specialist (CMRS).
Veterans face a number of challenges when seeking to buy a home. Fairway’s training program is designed to equip real estate agents with special skills and knowledge so that they can better serve active military and veterans’ specific needs.
►Wilma Rudolph Event Center (WREC), 1189 Cumberland Drive, Clarksville, TN 37043
9:00 a.m.-Noon: CMRS Certifications
Noon-1:30 p.m.: Author Sean Parnell Speaks, Home Giveaway to Army Specialist Marshall Lane, Book Signing & Lunch
In addition to providing this CMRS training, Fairway has joined forces with Military Warriors Support Foundation, a non-profit organization supporting returning American military troops, to help sponsor a mortgage-free home to one of our nation’s combat-wounded veterans. This sponsorship provides a three-year Family and Financial Mentorship Program for retired U.S. Army Specialist Marshall Stuart Lane and his family. Specialist Lane served in the U.S. Army for three years, from December 2010 to December 2013. While on deployment in Afghanistan he was wounded during combat operations and was the recipient of a Purple Heart. He was also awarded the Combat Medical Badge for performing medical duties simultaneously while being actively engaged by the enemy.
“Fairway is grateful to Specialist Lane for his service to our nation. He is a true hero and we want to honor him for that service. Through these events throughout the country, we are also hoping to inspire others to do whatever they can to give back to our wounded heroes,” said Louise Thaxton, director of Fairway's American Warrior Initiative and the Military Mortgage Specialist Division.
Active duty and veteran service members often face an uphill battle when trying to buy a home, explained Fairway CEO Steve Jacobson. Research shows that veterans are more likely than the general population to face unemployment, poverty and homelessness.
The objective of the CMRS certification programs is to train and equip real estate professionals to handle with care the home purchase needs of active duty and former military clients, Jacobson said. This is one of the reasons that Fairway also has its own designation for mortgage professionals, the Military Mortgage Specialist (MMS) designation, which trains mortgage professionals on the specific challenges facing veterans when obtaining financing. There will be an exclusive MMS training for Fairway employees seeking this designation following the event. Since launching its CMRS and MMS Boot Camps two years ago, Fairway has trained over 3,000 mortgage and real estate professionals while sponsoring 22 mortgage-free homes to deserving military veterans.
"We need to find real solutions to the housing challenges our military men and women face," Thaxton said. “We’ve found over and over that education is critical. Our veterans face unique hurdles to homeownership, and we know the training we provide helps housing professionals become better equipped to help them.”
Joining Fairway for the event is Sean Parnell, author of the NY Times best-selling book Outlaw Platoon, which details Parnell’s experiences serving the U.S. military in Afghanistan. Parnell, a retired Army Ranger and Purple Heart recipient, is an advocate for Fairway’s programs and plays an integral role in the Boot Camps and home-giveaway presentations.
