Military Homebuyer Colorado Springs January 2014 | Page 7

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LOCAL

CULTURE

VA LOAN

Finding Forever
AFTER MOVING FROM BASE TO BASE, SOLDIER
TRAVIS SLONE FINALLY FINDS HIS FOREVER HOME
When Travis Slone was a week old,
his father enlisted in the Army.
Migrating wherever the Army
ordered, Travis watched his parents
juggle base housing availability with
risky home purchases. To Travis, these
places were never ‘home.’
“A house to me, with the way I grew
up, it’s just a temporary thing,” Travis
said. “It’s just something you need for
a while before you move again.”
Thirteen years ago, Travis enlisted
and took on the delegated-living
lifestyle he always knew.
“I tried to buy a house once when I
was younger, but then the Army sent
me to Germany,” he said. “So I figured I
wouldn’t buy another until I retired."
While stationed in San Antonio,
Travis took a course with a woman
named Summer, who was in the
Army Reserve studying to be a nurse.
Familiar with the dynamics of Army
life, the two hit it off and married.
Over several years, the Slones
welcomed three daughters into their
life, but never a home of their own.
“I wanted to wait until I could afford

to at least pay the mortgage and a rent
payment if we had to move,” he said.
“This took a lot longer to accomplish
financially with three daughters.”
Two years ago, Travis was accepted
into a Master of Social Work Program.
Assigned his clinical internship at Fort
Carson in Colorado Springs, the family
had to move, yet again. Only this time,
it was different.
“Summer’s mom and dad just retired
from the Army and bought a house
with a VA loan,” he said. “We knew we
needed somewhere for once we were
out of the Army and the kids start high
school… we thought Colorado Springs
would be a good place.”
While still in Texas, Travis and
Summer discovered they had to be
quick with the Colorado housing
market. By the time they called the
realtor with their online prospects, the
homes were already sold.
“We went up there for Christmas and
went around to see the homes,” Travis
said. “Most had been sold.”
Once they found a house, they
needed a VA lender. A simple Internet

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HOMEBUYER

search introduced them to Alice
Schneider and Veterans United Home
Loans of Colorado Springs. Completing
as much paperwork as possible in
Colorado, they continued the process
from Texas.
“I’d never done anything like this
before. The only other time I bought a
house, I lived where I was buying it,”
Travis said. “But it was easy as far as
working with Veterans United. Alice
was really good about working with
us over long-distance and I would
recommend them to anyone.”
Travis recognizes how good it
feels to purchase his forever home.
Undergoing open-heart surgery at
the age of 22, his body now hosts an
artificial heart valve, or what he terms
“a ticking time bomb.” Eventually, he
will need surgery again.
“It’s just comforting…” he said.
“When we were renting, I just never
had a plan for if I had to leave due to
my heart.”
I