The Realtor Who Can Help
Not everyone will have a perfect home buying or selling experience, especially given the craziness of today’s housing market. But if you’re ever down in the dumps about how things are going for you, just have a quick conversation with Billy Bishop.
When you do, you may just find that things aren’t so bad after all. And if they are bad, Bishop may be the realtor who can help.
Bishop, an Army Veteran who moved to Argyle with his family in 2020, recently gave up a career with the Department of Defense after getting his real estate license because of a horrible experience he and his wife had when they tried to use their newly-acquired VA loan. Not only did they find realtors at nearly every turn who didn’t want to mess with a VA loan client, but they also ran into sellers who would rather lose money on their sale than give the Bishops the time of day.
“We put a full price offer down on one home, and the seller said, ‘What gives you the right to buy this house using a VA loan and not being willing to put money down? You need to have skin in the game,’ And I said, ‘Well, my wife and I’s skin in the game was our blood, sweat, and tears in Iraq and Afghanistan,’” Bishop said. “We were more than qualified and had a healthy budget. The fact that we weren’t putting money down had absolutely nothing to do with the sale of his home. He could have sold it to us right then and there.”
He added, “He didn’t accept our offer, and he closed three months later for $100,000 less than what we were offering for the property.”
The Bishops and their three children ultimately found a home in Argyle. Billy’s wife, Jessica, works in corporate finance. They have one daughter who attends Argyle Middle School and two other children who go to Liberty Christian School. But the experience as a whole lit a fire in Billy’s belly. Not only did he get his real estate license, but he’s made it his mission to be that realtor who will fight for Veterans, first-time homebuyers, teachers, and first responders who are being unnecessarily overlooked and consequently struggle to gain an edge in today’s market.
This is particularly the case for Veterans. While VA loans help Veterans and their families get into the home of their dreams, some sellers and realtors often see them as complicated transactions. They see them as complicated because there are certain requirements for a VA loan to protect the Veteran home buyer. Some agents don’t understand the VA loan, thus creating this negative stigma of the VA loan in today’s housing market.
“In today’s market, everyone wants to push the easy button. They want to deal in cash,” Bishop said. “But there are good people out there — maybe they are a first-time homebuyer, a teacher, or a Veteran — and they don’t always have that kind of money. That’s why I am so passionate about this. I’m friends with all of my former clients, and I do my best to give back to these people and become a big part of their lives. These are real people, and as a realtor, you have got to be a real person in return.”
Bishop is quickly making a name for himself at Engel & Volkers, a privately-owned German real-estate company in Southlake. Since getting his license in July, he’s helped three Veterans and one teacher find a home. He is involved in various Veterans groups and currently gives back a percentage of his commission on every transaction as a way of saying thank you for their service.
On June 7, he hosted an Argyle Veterans networking group at Denton Country Club.
“I started off doing this on the side while I continued working for the Department of Defense. But now I’m solely doing the realtor thing, and it’s a passion,” Bishop said. “There is nothing wrong with helping someone who is a valuable member of our community.”
