Most of the company’s loan officers work for the City of Houston, where Firehouse is based, around eight days a month. That means two days a week at the fire department, giving them the time needed to balance loan officer work with their first responder duties.
“They’re able to balance out and still give a good amount of time to loans versus the fire department,” Rachel said. Other areas of community outreach include Texas FFM, a youth organization aimed at positively impacting students’ lives and developing their career success through agricultural education.
Prior experience a key element of serving niche clients
VA mortgages are a strong area of focus for Firehouse, with Aaron having served in the Marine Corps and another LO, Sean Strasner, a former member of the navy.
“We’re passionate about helping veterans,” Rachel said. “We treat all our clients like family and friends, but I think it’s a little different when it comes to a veteran or an active-duty military member – especially when dealing with my husband or Sean – because they’ve been there. They know what it was like.
“Aaron can say, ‘You know what, when I was in, we didn’t get the knowledge of the homebuying process and the benefits you get as a veteran when you get out.’ So he’s very passionate about telling them, ‘Hey, you served. You did this. Make sure that you’re using this benefit,’ especially for those who are still on active duty.”
