ITEM PHOTO BY OWEN O’ROURKE
Candice Pagliarulo of Century 21 in Lynnfield donates a portion of every house sale to Homes For Heroes.
By GAYLA CAWLEY
LYNNFIELD — Instead of pocketing her commission, real estate broker Candice Pagliarulo uses some of it to help a hero.
The senior broker at Century 21 North Shore said she provides veterans and other heroes with a 25 percent rebate of her take after a home sale.
Since she launched the program last year, Pagliarulo has given back more than $21,000. In addition to vets, heroes can be educators, doctors, nurses, police, firefighters, EMTs and clergy members.
Pagliarulo is part of Homes for Heroes, a national program that helps heroes receive rewards, rebates and discounts when buying, selling or refinancing a home.
She works with Deb Visco, a loan officer with Peabody-based Union Trust Mortgage Corp., a division of Republic State Mortgage. Visco provides savings for qualifying individuals on their loan costs when buying a home or refinancing.
Pagliarulo said she was inspired to give back in honor of her late grandfather, Anthony Michael Pagliarulo. He was a naval officer in World War II and saw his whole crew go down in the conflict.
After he returned home, the senior Pagliarulo could not talk about the horror he experienced. During the 9/11 attacks, she watched the coverage with her grandfather and remembers him in tears.
“It made it all that more scary,” Pagliarulo said. “It was a profound moment seeing my grandfather at a weak point that day.”
Visco said her uncle was a firefighter, which inspired her to get involved. She said police officers and teachers do a great job for everyone.
“I thought it was a great way to give back,” Visco said. “They deserve that break.”
Pagliarulo said she has helped about 20 families so far, and plans to keep going.
“It’s good karma,” she said. “People really love it. I do it in honor of my grandfather and it’s the right thing to do.”
To find out more visit the Facebook page: Homes for Heroes North Shore Affiliates or her website at www.helpingheroesmove.com.
Gayla Cawley can be reached at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @GaylaCawley