Press Releases

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs Chairman Mike Bost (R-Ill.), released the following statement after the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) announced that eligible veterans, active-duty servicemembers, and surviving spouses who use the VA-guaranteed home loan benefit can pay for certain real estate buyer-broker fees when purchasing a home.

“Last year, over 400,000 veterans successfully bought houses through the VA Home Loan program,” said Chairman Bost. “However, in today’s competitive housing market it’s on VA to ensure that veterans buying power evolves with the market. Following my and Economic Opportunity Chairman Rep. Van Orden’s recent letter to Secretary McDonough on the impending National Association of Realtors settlement, I applaud VA’s decision to allow veterans to pay realtors directly when purchasing a home. This is the right move to ensure that veterans and their families remain attractive homebuyers. We will continue pushing VA to make certain that the program serves veterans as Congress intended.”

In May, Chairman Bost and Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity Chairman Rep. Derrick Van Orden (R-Wis.), sent a letter to Secretary McDonough on the potential impacts that the class-action settlement involving the National Association of REALTORS®, which would take effect this summer, would have on veterans who under current policy, are not eligible to pay their buyer-broker fees when using their VA home loans benefits.