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Veterans Serving Veterans: An Interview with Sam Ruben & Isabel Williams
Veterans Serving VeteransOften, our service members
An Interview with leave the military, sometimes after serving for decades, and feel like an outsider in their own country.
Sam Ruben and With thousands of homeless veterans living in every corner of our nation, many with mental health issues, the feeling that we have let our servicemembers down is not lost on me. It is also
Isabel Williams not lost on many other mortgage professionals who have a connection to our military. As we approach Veteran’s Day, I set out to find two powerhouse female BY LEORA RUZIN, CMB real estate professionals who also served in our It has been over 20 years since I last put on my Army Class military. I wanted to gain insight into how they are using their knowledge and A uniform, but I remember experience to help fellow the sense of pride and hope that I felt whenever I wore it. veterans achieve the financial freedom and security that comes from owning a Being a military veteran is home. In my search, I found something of which I am incredibly proud, and I know that I am not alone Sam Ruben, realtor at Keller Williams in Dallas, and Isabel Williams, owner of We in feeling a deep need to continue serving my Save loans, a mortgage brocountry long after my Army contract has ended. Being in the position I am in now, I know that I kerage in West Palm Beach, Florida. Their stories are nothing short of awe-inspiram presented with a unique opportunity to help my fellow brothers and sisters in-arms, as they look to find footing in the civilian world. ing and patriotic, and it was an absolute honor to get to know them as I put this article together.
MWM- Can you provide a brief background of your military service? Sam- I retired as a Staff Sergeant from the Texas Army National Guard in 2018 after serving for 13 years. Isabel- I joined the army in 2001 and served until 2010, and I was part of the 82nd airborne unit in Fort Bragg. MWM- What has led you to being in the mortgage industry, and how have you used your experience to help veterans achieve their goals of homeownership? Sam- I stumbled into real estate a couple years before retirement. I was pregnant with my twins and I knew that I wanted to be able to spend as much time as I could with them. I purchased my second home using my VA loan after becoming licensed. I learned so much through that process and felt so vulnerable due to the misinformation being put out by lenders and real estate agents. I knew I had to be the one to educate my clients and other agents from that point forward. Isabel- When I was discharged from the Army, I was left homeless with my 8 year old (thank God for family). I had not lived without military housing, so it was a reality check coming back into the civilian sector. I luckily had a friend that was a real estate agent and she convinced me that real estate was "easy" and that I could do it. LOL! That was my doorway into the mortgage world. I always felt that the lenders I worked with weren't passionate about veterans or VA loans and that they would just try to move my clients into products that were easier. Since I am a solutions-oriented person, I started self-teaching about the VA loan and decided that I could do a better job. So, I decided to get my mortgage brokers license and have been fighting for veterans ever since.
MWM- VA loans are an amazing fringe benefit of serving our nation, but many veterans are still largely unaware of how a VA loan works, or how they truly could get a home with no money down. Can you briefly share a few of the most common misconceptions and myths you have seen while originating VA loans? Sam- The most common misconceptions that I see with VA loans are that they take too long to close, they appraise lower than any other loan product, they require a home to be move-in ready, and sellers have to pay everything for the buyers. All of these statements are false and that is one of the reasons why I continue to educate my real estate counterparts and help moderate the wonderful vetted VA group. Isabel- People think that no money down or 100 percent financing means NO MONEY AT ALL is needed to buy a home. What they do not understand is there are additional costs to buying, such as closing costs. On the other side of that is the seller side that believes that no money down or 100 percent financing means the buyers have no money to purchase, making the offers appear weaker than a 20 percent down offer. The seller will have to pay more fees if they accept a VA loan offer. The seller will have to pay for repairs if they accept a VA loan offer. Overall, the belief is the VA loan is a harder and more inferior loan.
MWM- It is well known that veterans lack the tools and support needed to successfully transition back into the civilian world. This is more prevalent when seeing the increase of homeless veterans and veteran suicide, particularly amongst female veterans. Can you expand on your experience in this arena, and what ways are you using your influence within your respective communities to combat this issue? Sam- When we transition from the military world to the civilian sector, it is as if we were never part of it. Many of us truly never were, especially when we join at 17 and 18 years old. We are programmed to be ready to fight and defend at any given day and time. We are dependent on living paycheck to paycheck. The only time we discussed finances in the military were when we were getting ready for deployment and that involved who we wanted as a beneficiary for our life insurance. The second time was when we were out processing from the military but by then it is too late. I remember coming home from deployment and no job to return to. I was not homeless but near it for about 6 months. I quickly found another active duty assignment to jump on just to get a check. Through my real estate business, I am using what I have learned to teach other Veterans so that they can build wealth through real estate using their VA loan. If I learned what I knew now, I could have bought many houses while in the military. I, along with some of my investors, have started purchasing properties to house Veterans that are homeless or near homeless. Isabel- Have gone through the exact same thing, I am a huge advocate for homeownership. It gave me stability when I had none. It gave me a safe haven when I had none. It was something that I could take pride in when I had none. I do my best to be an advocate and a counselor to all my clients because I have been where they are. It is a complete culture shock coming back into the civilian world, having spent your whole young life in the military and being expected to be TOUGH and not WORRY because it is going to be ok. We are trained to prepare for the worst and hope for the best. How can we not worry, especially when we have no direction, and no one can really relate to our struggle? I have used my success as a small light in the darkness that
there is hope and that we can make it; we just need access to the support. I intentionally do a lot of training in my local market on veteran homeownership and give my time to teach and empower Veterans as well as other professionals that are willing to learn.
MWM- Do you have a story you can share where you helped a Veteran, and the experience forever changed you? Sam- I have so many stories that I can share that it would take a very long time, so I will share one that involves a very close friend of mine. She was in the process of buying a home and the lender we used pulled her CAIVRs report a week before closing. This report will cancel a VA Loan deal immediately. The report showed she owed $3,000 in federal student loans. To her knowledge they should have been deleted due to her 100 percent disability rating. Unfortunately, we did not have time to wait for that. I had offered to use my commission to pay the debt off at closing, but the report needed to clear prior to closing. The Veteran only had $3,000 in her savings and her and her son would be homeless if they were not going to be able to close on the home. After speaking with the lender, the listing agent, and sellers of the home she was buying, we all came up with a solution. The closing cost was covered by the sellers, me, and the listing agent. She was able to use her funds to pay off the debt knowing she was going to get a refund back due to her 100 percent rating. Two weeks later we closed, and that experience helped me to not allow clients to be put in that situation ever again. It also helped me grow better as a person. I always put my client’s best interest first. Because I am a Veteran, I have a softer spot for us. We understand each other when no one else does. Isabel- Too many to list... the dearest to my heart must be an old high school friend that served in the army for 10 years and has had over five deployments all to combat zones. He said that he saw me being successful at real estate and that it inspired him to take a leap of faith on himself. He got out and I gave him a job on my team. I have been blessed to share with him everything I know. I truly have only wanted his success. After almost eight years of struggle, he has finally found his own success because he believes in himself more than I do.
Thank you to Sam and Isabel for your time, for being so open and candid with your stories, and most of all, for your unwavering service to your fellow servicemembers. Once a Veteran, always a Veteran.
After serving in the Texas Army National Guard, for 13 years, Sam Suben planted her feet on the pavement of real estate. She is currently ranked top 500 out of 20,000 agents in the Dallas Fort Worth metroplex as a direct result of tenacity, integrity and personalized service. As a Realtor®, she remains client focused and forever a student of the industry.
Isabel Williams is the broker owner of We Save Loans. The only minority, woman and veteran owned mortgage company in St Lucie County. She started with herself, a loan partner and a processor. Her company has now grown to include 4 loan partners, 2 processors, operations manager and a business development manager.
Leora Ruzin is the managing editor of Mortgage WOMEN Magazine.
