Kyle Long was 17 years old when he signed up for the Air Force. He wanted to leave, wanted to learn a trade and was good at fixing things. So, he became an aircraft mechanic. Basic training was tough at first, but once he found his footing, he thrived. The military gave him direction.
What it couldn’t protect him from came later.
Starting Over
In 2019, Kyle bought his first home with Veterans United. Life was moving in the right direction. He and his family were getting ready to welcome their second child.
Then he lost his job.
What followed was the kind of domino effect that can upend a life almost overnight. Without income from his job, he knew he would lose the house, so he made the hard decision to sell it. He relocated to Tennessee with his family and tried to rebuild.
A few months after the move, he called Veterans United again. This time, his credit wasn’t where it needed to be to buy a home. That’s when he was connected with the Veterans United Credit Consulting team (formerly known as the Lighthouse Program).
The Long Road Back
Kyle spent years working with Veterans United’s credit experts. The progress was slow, but he kept putting in the work.
“I’ve spent a lot of time on the phone fixing that, trying to build my credit, getting credit cards, trying to do all that,” he said.
When the Credit Consulting team finally called to tell him he was good to move forward in the homebuying process, it hit him all at once.
“I just broke. I started crying. I was like, ‘Oh my god.’”
Within 12 hours of getting preapproved, his offer on a home was accepted. He cried again. This time, it was out of relief.
Someone Who Picked Up the Phone Every Time
Through the homebuying process, Kyle worked with loan officer Tracy Ball (NMLS #1989112).
“Every time I had a question, no matter how many times I called [my loan officer], pestered her, whatever, she answered the phone with kindness.”
For someone who had spent years navigating the process largely on his own, that kind of steady, patient support made all the difference.
More Than Just a Mortgage
After closing, Tracy got back in touch. During their many conversations, Kyle had mentioned that he was working on Sundays to save up money for a camping trip with his kids. He wanted them to share that experience together.
Tracy told him there were some boxes waiting to be opened. When the family tore into them, they found a complete camping setup that had been sent over by the Veterans United team.
“That’s a massive tent,” Kyle said, already laughing. “Everything we need to go camping.”
But Tracy wasn’t done.
“We’re gonna cover the next three months of mortgage payments for you, too,” she said.
Kyle went quiet for a moment. He had put everything he had into buying the house. And now, someone had given him room to breathe.
“I can finally take a break. Just relax,” he said. “Holy crap. We’re going camping.”
The Weight That’s Gone
Kyle didn’t expect the road back to be this long. He lost a home, rebuilt his credit from scratch and pushed through years of setbacks to get to this point. But he got here.
“It’s so much weight off my shoulders,” he said. “I think I can actually afford Christmas this year. I was worried I wasn’t going to be able to because I put so much into the house.”
Now, he has a place of his own. A yard where the kids can run. Camping trips on the calendar. Sundays that don’t have to be spent on the clock.
“You guys are the best,” Kyle said. “I can’t speak highly enough of you guys. Thank you.”
