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“We know buying a house isn’t easy. By giving members access to HomeAdvantage, we’re able to connect with them early in the process and support them – delivering on our Watchdog promise of ‘No Time Wasted,” said Gary Prager, Director of Consumer Sales for SCCU. “Through the program, members benefit from helpful home search tools, expert real estate agents and a cash rebate at closing.”

Prager says the credit union first learned about the program from a CU Realty Services white paper “Realtors: Friend or Foe.” (Click here for a copy of the white paper.) The report was informed by a CU Realty Services client survey, which demonstrated that nearly half of the credit union respondents said working with well-qualified real estate agents helps grow their purchase–mortgage programs.

“Our agents are trained to keep the credit unions’ lending options front-of-mind with members,” says Mike Corn, President/CEO of CU Realty Services. “And because of that, when members use HomeAdvantage to buy or sell, our credit union partners are retaining those loans up to 80 percent of the time.”

Prager agrees. “We realize that real estate agents often have relationships with other lenders through affiliations, and our members are referred to those lenders instead of their credit union,” he said. “HomeAdvantage is helping us stay in front of those members before they choose another lender, ultimately saving our members money and time.”

HomeAdvantage is a registration-based program that requires members to complete a short questionnaire online. This information is shared with the credit union via lead alerts and online reports, giving SCCU invaluable insight into which members are in the market to buy or sell a home and their timelines, as well as notations on whether they are pre-qualified or not.

SCCU launched its HomeAdvantage program in early February, and began marketing in March. Members are already responding, according to Prager. Within the first month, 467 members had registered, creating 283 mortgage leads and 118 agent referrals.

CU Realty Services’ Corn says SCCU is a model case of a credit union positioning itself as more than just a lender. “It’s becoming members’ complete resource for all real estate services,” he said.

“Ultimately, we want our members walking away with a remarkable experience in which they felt the service received was better because they belong to SCCU and participated in our HomeAdvantage program,” Prager said.

For information about CU Realty Services, visit www.curealty.com.

CU Realty Services provides real estate services to credit unions across the nation, helping them increase their purchase mortgage business. Launched in 2001, the CUSO has worked with more than 100 credit unions and thousands of their members. CU Realty’s range of web-based tools helps homebuyers find homes, research neighborhoods, calculate costs, connect to experienced real estate agents, and earn a rebate. By offering this program to members, credit unions are able to achieve significant increases in their purchase mortgage business. For more information, call Tina Powers, (800) 203-9014 ext. 104, email tina@curealty.com, or visit www.curealty.com or www.mycuhomeadvantage.com.

About Space Coast Credit Union

Space Coast Credit Union was chartered in 1951 and is headquartered in Melbourne, Florida. The Credit Union serves over 304,000 members with assets of over $3.2 billion through a network of 60 branches and over 100 ATMs located throughout Florida and through its web site, SCCU.com. Space Coast Credit Union is open for membership to anyone who lives or works in the fourteen Florida counties it serves. Locations can be found at SCCU.com/locations.