Tyler completed his 3 year service in 2003 and returned home in hopes to start a new life and a dream of one day becoming a homeowner. He worked hard and saved money, but the price of houses just made his dream seem so out of reach. In November of 2008, he decided to see what the VA could offer him by signing up for a VA Loan seminar. This is where he met Gabe Amey (Branch Manager of Hawaii VA Loans.) This was the beginning of his realization that his dream of owning a home was actually reachable.

In December, Tyler began his house hunting and found a house in Mililani on the internet. Being that Gabe had already pre-qualified him, he knew his limitations and had numbers that he could work with when he met with his realtor. He made an appointment to see the house the next day and although the house needed a lot of work, he saw a house with a garage that was one of his personal requirements because he works with cars. He also looked beyond all the work that needed to be done and saw the potential of turning the house into his “home”. He put an offer on the house and then after waiting on pins and needles, he got the good news that his offer was accepted.

Tyler immediately called Gabe and he and his realtor worked together to make the transaction go through as smooth as possible. Needless to say, there were lots of paper work, but Gabe was there every step of the way. There were times when I needed to get answers from him immediately, and he was always reachable. Gabe always made us feel comfortable and no question was too unimportant to ask. With Gabe’s expertise and guidance Tyler signed papers on January 29, and on February 6, 2009, Tyler was given the keys to his new house. Tyler immediately put his valuable skills to work and with the help of family and friends, transformed his house to a “home”.

I finally got the opportunity to meet Gabe at Tyler’s house-warming party this past Saturday and to personally thank him for all his work and support. We are so very proud of our son and it is a wonderful thing to see his dream come true. We have always told him not to give up on his dreams and this proves that dreams DO come true. Thank you so much Gabe, for making this possible. We appreciate all you have done for us. We encourage veterans to take that step and seek the help that is out there and get the ball rolling so that you, too, can become a very proud home owner.

Valerie & Robert Mata (Tyler’s Mom & Dad)