Tax-free income gross-up
Review eligible allowances and program limits rather than treating every LES line the same.
Heroes Live Here
The work you do is specialized. Your mortgage strategy should be too.
Specialized mortgage and real estate guidance for military and veteran families, law enforcement, fire and EMS professionals, physicians, nurses and healthcare staff, union and manufacturing teams, and educators.
Heroes Live Here is an independent TSG Home Loans program. It is not affiliated with or endorsed by any government agency, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, employer, union, hospital, school system or public-safety agency.
Profession-specific guidance
Generic underwriting misses important details.
Choose your profession to see the income, documentation and program issues we examine before recommending a financing path.
Military / VA
Use the benefit with precision.
VA financing is governed by rules that reward a complete view of entitlement, residual income, tax-free compensation and long-term plans.
Explore the Military / VA guide →Residual-income analysis
Evaluate the household after major obligations—not debt-to-income ratio alone.
Funding-fee exemption
Verify exemption status and model the transaction correctly before choosing a structure.
VA loan assumptions
Examine entitlement, servicer approval and release-of-liability considerations.
Law Enforcement, Fire & EMS
Document the income the shift actually produces.
Overtime, off-duty work, differentials and pension transitions require more than multiplying the latest paystub.
Explore the first-responder guide →Overtime & off-duty work
Separate stable recurring earnings from short-term spikes and document each source correctly.
Shift differentials
Trace history, likelihood of continuance and how the lender classifies premium pay.
Early pension income
Coordinate retirement dates, award documentation and any continuing employment.
Good Neighbor Next Door
Review occupation, property, lottery and occupancy rules without overstating availability.
Medical & healthcare professionals
Finance the career trajectory—not only today’s paystub.
Contracts, shift differentials, overtime, training status, student debt and locums income can materially change the right lending path.
Explore the medical-professional guide →Physician loan options
Compare low-down-payment structures and exclusions against conventional alternatives.
Resident-to-attending contracts
Review start dates, contingencies and required reserves before relying on future income.
Shift, 1099 & locums income
Document nursing differentials, overtime, call pay, contracts, expenses and business structure.
Student-loan treatment
Model the qualifying payment required by the applicable loan program.
Union & manufacturing
Show the pattern behind variable production income.
Shift premiums, overtime, shutdowns, recalls and relocations can distort a generic review.
Explore the union & manufacturing guide →Overtime consistency
Analyze history and current year-to-date earnings in the context of the production cycle.
Recall & layoff documentation
Distinguish temporary shutdowns from employment interruption and document return-to-work status.
Employer support
Coordinate lump sums, reimbursements, start dates and overlapping housing costs.
Shift and bonus changes
Stress-test a payment against dependable base income and variable earnings.
Educators
Read the contract—not just the calendar.
Nine-, ten- and twelve-month pay structures can look inconsistent even when annual employment is stable.
Explore the educator guide →9- vs. 12-month pay
Reconcile contract salary, pay frequency and year-to-date earnings correctly.
Summer, coaching & stipends
Document history and likely continuance before including supplemental earnings.
Program stacking
Review down-payment assistance alongside seller concessions and loan guidelines.
New contracts & school years
Coordinate offer letters, start dates and closing timing with lender requirements.
How we are different
The advantage is in the analysis.
Complex-income fluency
We look beyond base salary to understand overtime, allowances, contracts, stipends, bonuses and variable work patterns.
Mortgage + mobility perspective
Financing decisions are evaluated alongside relocation benefits, timing, housing overlap and long-term plans.
Dual-license coordination
Mortgage and real estate questions can be coordinated while the two regulated services remain clearly separate.
Education before application
You can review benefits, documentation and tradeoffs before deciding whether to complete a mortgage application.
What we offer
Expertise first. Benefits in context.
Every recommendation depends on your eligibility, goals, documentation and the rules of the selected loan program.
VA benefit & income reviews
An educational review of entitlement, compensation, household residual income and potential financing paths.
Profession-specific income analysis
A focused conversation about contracts, variable earnings, differentials, stipends, retirement income or relocation support.
Buyer-readiness planning
Clear guidance on documentation, cash-to-close, credit considerations, timing and the steps toward a full application.
Connected real estate guidance
When requested, mortgage planning can be coordinated with separately provided real estate representation.
Loan and assistance comparison
Conventional, government, specialty and eligible assistance options are compared with their requirements and tradeoffs.
Eligible closing-cost support
When available, qualifying clients may be eligible for closing-cost assistance as one element of the overall strategy.
Availability, amount and permitted use vary by transaction, lender and program. Assistance is not guaranteed, may affect pricing, cannot exceed allowable costs and will be disclosed with applicable terms before commitment.Community & affinity partnerships
Bring useful housing education to the people you serve.
Union locals, hospital HR teams, professional associations, veteran service organizations, school communities and public-safety groups can request tailored educational sessions and resource partnerships. Participation does not imply endorsement and is never conditioned on paid referrals.
Private consultation
Start with a benefit and income review.
Share your profession, timing and primary question. Marc will respond with the most useful next step—an educational consultation, readiness plan, secure application or referral to the appropriate professional.
Do not send Social Security numbers, account numbers, medical information or other sensitive documents through this form.
Mortgage services: Marc C. Sears, Mortgage Advisor, NMLS #2377380. Edge Home Finance, LLC, NMLS #891464, 5860 Baker Road, Minnetonka, MN 55345. This program page is intended for consumers in North Carolina and South Carolina. All loans are subject to application, credit approval, underwriting guidelines, property eligibility and program availability. This is not a commitment to lend or a rate quote.
Real estate services: Real estate brokerage services, when requested, are provided separately through The Sears Group, LLC / Marc Sears Realty by appropriately licensed real estate professionals. You are not required to use an affiliated real estate professional to obtain mortgage services, and using one does not guarantee loan approval or different loan terms.
No endorsement: Heroes Live Here is independently operated and is not affiliated with or endorsed by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Department of Defense, any government agency, public-safety agency, healthcare system, union, employer, school or district.
Advertising disclosure zone: No specific interest rate, payment, repayment term or credit amount is advertised on this page. Any future offer displaying those terms must include all disclosures required by applicable law adjacent to the offer.