Illinois REALTORS® co-sponsored the American Warrior Real Estate Professional CE courses this month with Fairway Independent Mortgage and the American Warrior Initiative, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization whose mission is to educate, encourage and inspire Americans to give back to our military. A key part of this initiative is education for real estate agents and mortgage professionals to better serve military personnel and veterans.Two veterans were presented with service dogs at the programs on Wednesday, Feb. 21 in Lisle (co-sponsored by Mainstreet Organization of REALTORS® and Thursday, Feb. 22 in Chicago.

Nearly 200 real estate licensees and an additional 60 Fairway Mortgage staffers attended the programs and instructor Louise Thaxton and keynote speaker Sean Parnell received standing ovations, an uncommon occurrence for a CE course. They have taken the American Warrior Real Estate Professional Boot Camp to over 20,000 real estate agents around the country. Veterans Joshua Webster at the Lisle event and Quincy Kasper at the Chicago event were presented with trained service dogs as part of the American Warrior give-back initiative.

Parnell is a retired Army Ranger, Purple Heart recipient, and author of the New York Times best-selling book Outlaw Platoon. Thaxton is author of the “Certified Military Residential Specialist” course and founder and National Director of the Military Mortgage Specialist” division within Fairway Independent Mortgage Corporation, one of the largest mortgage banks in the nation.

Participants in the Feb. 21 and 22 programs earned the Military Real Estate Professional certification. In addition to learning technical skills such as how to originate VA loans, they gain a better understanding of the culture and core values of their military clients.

More American Warrior Initiative events will be scheduled. Check the Illinois REALTORS® Licensing & Training Center CE Classroom Calendar and Designation and Certifications page for updates on this and other continuing education and certification courses.