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Program helps Janesville ‘heroes’ buy homes

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Cindy Brookens

JANESVILLE — As a real estate agent in a difficult market, Cindy Brookens was looking for a way to make herself stand out from the competition.

Having been raised in a military family and now with a son in the Air Force, Brookens was looking for a way to help those who go above and beyond and—through their professions—put themselves on the line day after day.

She hopes to scratch both itches with the formation of a Janesville chapter of Homes for Heroes, a national program that offers rebates and discounts for workforce “heroes” who are buying or selling a home.

Brookens heard about the program on Memorial Day, when a chapter started in Madison.

“I thought it was just for the military, but it’s not,” said Brookens, a real estate agent with The Realty Group of South Central Wisconsin in Janesville.

A family of real estate agents in Minnesota started the program after 9/11. It’s spread across the nation and includes a handful of chapters in Wisconsin.

The program goes beyond military personnel. Its definition of workforce heroes also includes but is not limited to firefighters, law enforcement officers, teachers, doctors and nurses.

Brookens is the lone local real estate agent affiliated with the program. Her local chapter has partnered with The Title Team in Janesville, Home Pro Inspection Service in Milton, 1st Step Mortgage in Madison and Farmers Insurance agent Anita Carrel in Janesville to offer rebates and discounts associated with real estate transactions.

She’s always looking for other partners willing to discount their services or products.

How much money a buyer or seller can save depends on the extent to which they use the various services.

“A cousin’s son bought a house in Milton last week through Homes for Heroes and saved $5,000,” Brookens said. “It really depends on a variety of factors.”

Brooken said she will rebate 25 percent of her take-home commission in the form of a credit at closing. The partners, she said, offer discounts on their services.

She said the program is a win for buyers, sellers and the affiliated partners who pick up business in a tough market, albeit at a discounted rate.

“I needed to do something to make myself standout from everyone else, and God knows I’m not in real estate for the money,” Brookens said. “I’m doing it to make a difference and help people out who put themselves on the line every day.

“My son’s house is under water at the Minot (N.D.) Air Force Base,” she said. “Maybe if I give something back here, someone will do the same for him there.”