House hunters

After more than four years of saving, Sgt. K and I are finally financially and emotionally ready to buy a house. Of course we wanted to look into what kind of benefits we could get from getting a VA loan. In my research, I came across a state program called the GI Home Loan for Heroes.

According to the site:

"Participants will receive a discounted IHDA rate financing package, closing cost assistance and homeownership counseling."

Sounds worth looking into, right? Except I couldn't find anywhere on the site information of how to apply or who to contact for more information. We're shopping around for the best interest rate, so I wanted to know what the IHDA interest rates were, and if we could still get closing cost assistance if we decided to go with a conventional loan.

I tried calling and e-mailing the Illinois Department of Veterans Affairs and the Illinois Housing Development Authority. Sgt. K tried asking around at the VA, and he came home with some pamphlets about the federal VA loan. I tried calling and e-mailing one of the agencies that the IHDA website claimed offers counseling, and I did get a call back from a woman who'd lost her brother in Iraq. It was nice sharing our stories, and I could tell she really wanted to help, but she didn't really know much about the program either.

So I gave up. Sgt. K can barely handle grocery shopping. If I can't figure it out, how could a veteran who is overwhelmed by reintegration do it?

I've concluded that GI Home Loan for Heroes is just a facade, so the State of Illinois can say, "Oooh, look at this wonderful home buying program we have for our heroes!" But it's so impossible to actually get the benefits that the state doesn't actually have to pay any money.

If I'm wrong or missing something, leave a comment. Although my opinion that it shouldn't be this complicated probably won't change.