Ken Schreiber VA Mortgage Lending Specialist NMLS 1013498

Ken Schreiber VA Mortgage Lending Specialist NMLS 1013498 Ken Schreiber NMLS #1013498 | VA Mortgage Lending Specialist | Team Leader- Heroes Mortgage Lending empowered by NEXA Lending LLC

Ken Schreiber, Team Leader of Heroes Mortgage Lending has been helping families achieve homeownership since 1992. Specializing in VA, FHA, and USDA Financing for first-time homebuyers and BRRR Investor Financing, we provide tailored solutions to meet our clients’ needs. Empowered by NEXA Mortgage LLC, we proudly serve Military Families, First-Time Homebuyers, and BRRR Investors with expert guidance. Ken’s experience extends beyond lending, having served as a business consultant, mentor, speaker, educator and radio host on AM560 the largest talk radio station in Chicago

Heroes Mortgage Lending is your trusted partner for all home financing needs.

DON'T FIX YOUR CREDIT UNTIL YOU KNOW WHAT ACTUALLY NEEDS FIXING.One of the first things Veterans often tell me after bei...
09/24/2026

DON'T FIX YOUR CREDIT UNTIL YOU KNOW WHAT ACTUALLY NEEDS FIXING.

One of the first things Veterans often tell me after being denied a VA home loan is:

“I'm working on my credit.”

My next question is:

What, specifically, are you trying to fix?

That's where things often get interesting.

Maybe another lender told you to raise your credit score.

So you start paying old collections.

You open another credit card.

You hire a credit repair company.

You spend months trying to gain points.

But before doing any of that, there's a more important question:

WHAT IS ACTUALLY PREVENTING YOU FROM BEING APPROVED?

Because the answer isn't always your credit score.

It could be recent late payments.

It could be unstable housing history.

It could be debt obligations.

It could be insufficient income.

It could be that the financial hardship that caused the credit problems hasn't been resolved long enough to demonstrate recovery.

Or it could be that your financial circumstances have already improved substantially, while your credit report still reflects problems from the past.

Those are very different situations.

And they don't necessarily require the same solution.

That's why I don't believe the first step should automatically be:

“Go fix your credit and come back.”

The first step should be understanding the problem.

DIAGNOSIS BEFORE ACTION.

What happened?

What is happening now?

What specifically is preventing approval?

And what—if anything—actually needs to change?

Sometimes the answer really is:

You need more time.

Sometimes there are specific financial issues that need to be resolved.

But sometimes a Veteran spends months trying to “fix” something that wasn't actually the primary obstacle to responsible VA approval.

That's unnecessary waiting.

Before you start chasing a credit score, paying accounts simply because they're on your credit report, or following a generic credit-improvement checklist:

FIND OUT WHAT ACTUALLY NEEDS FIXING.

You may discover that you have work to do.

Or you may discover you're further along than you thought.

Either way, you finally have something more useful than a credit-score target.

You have clarity.

STABILITY MATTERS MOST — NOT YOUR CREDIT SCORE.

We Say “YES!” when other VA lenders say “No” or “Not Now.”

A LOW CREDIT SCORE CAN OUTLIVE THE FINANCIAL PROBLEM THAT CAUSED IT.This is something many Veterans don't realize.Your f...
09/21/2026

A LOW CREDIT SCORE CAN OUTLIVE THE FINANCIAL PROBLEM THAT CAUSED IT.

This is something many Veterans don't realize.

Your financial circumstances can improve before your credit score does.

Imagine a Veteran loses his job.

Income drops.

Payments become late.

Maybe an account eventually charges off or goes to collection.

His credit score falls.

Then his circumstances change.

He goes back to work.

His income stabilizes.

His housing payments are made on time.

His current obligations are being paid as agreed.

New late payments stop.

He begins saving money again.

Financially, something important has happened:

The hardship ended and recovery began.

But his credit score doesn't suddenly reset.

The late payments are still there.

The collection may still be there.

The charge-off may still be there.

And the score may continue reflecting the damage caused during the hardship.

That's why I don't believe the first question should simply be:

“What's your credit score?”

I want to know:

What caused the financial problems?

When did those circumstances change?

And what has happened financially since?

Because there is an important difference between:

A CREDIT REPORT THAT STILL SHOWS PAST FINANCIAL PROBLEMS

and

A VETERAN WHO IS STILL EXPERIENCING FINANCIAL PROBLEMS TODAY.

That does not mean old credit problems don't matter.

They do.

And sometimes the Veteran genuinely needs more time to demonstrate financial stability before purchasing a home.

But the credit score alone cannot tell us the whole story.

A Veteran's financial recovery may be further along than the score suggests.

That's why the objective shouldn't automatically be:

“Get your score to ___ and come back.”

The better question is:

Has your financial recovery progressed enough to support responsible homeownership?

Sometimes the answer is yes.

Sometimes it's not yet.

But those decisions should be based on the Veteran's actual financial circumstances—not simply a three-digit number.

STABILITY MATTERS MOST — NOT YOUR CREDIT SCORE.

We Say “YES!” when other VA lenders say “No” or “Not Now.”

TWO VETERANS.SAME CREDIT SCORE.COMPLETELY DIFFERENT FINANCIAL SITUATIONS.Imagine two Veterans both have a 580 credit sco...
09/17/2026

TWO VETERANS.

SAME CREDIT SCORE.

COMPLETELY DIFFERENT FINANCIAL SITUATIONS.

Imagine two Veterans both have a 580 credit score.

If we looked only at the number, we might assume they present roughly the same lending risk.

But let's look a little closer.

Veteran #1

His financial problems started after a job loss.

He fell behind on several accounts while unemployed.

His credit score dropped.

But since returning to work, his income has stabilized.

His housing payments have been made on time.

His current obligations are being paid as agreed.

He hasn't continued creating new late payments.

And he's begun rebuilding his savings.

His credit score is still 580.

Now consider Veteran #2.

His score is also 580.

But he is currently missing payments.

His rent has recently been late.

New delinquencies continue appearing.

His income remains unstable.

And there is no clear point where the financial problems ended and recovery began.

Same credit score.

Completely different financial situations.

That's why I don't believe a three-digit number, by itself, tells us whether a Veteran is financially ready for homeownership.

The score matters.

The credit history matters.

But so does something the score cannot adequately explain:

What is happening financially TODAY?

When we evaluate a Veteran who has experienced past financial problems, we want to understand the difference between:

HISTORICAL CREDIT DAMAGE

and

CURRENT FINANCIAL INSTABILITY.

One may reflect a difficult period the Veteran has already recovered from.

The other may tell us the financial problem is still happening.

That distinction matters.

And sometimes it can make the difference between:

READY NOW

RECOVERING

or

NOT STABLE YET.

We don't ignore the past.

We put it in context.

Because two Veterans can have exactly the same credit score...

…and be in completely different places financially.

STABILITY MATTERS MOST — NOT YOUR CREDIT SCORE.

We Say “YES!” when other VA lenders say “No” or “Not Now.”

YOUR CREDIT REPORT TELLS ME WHAT HAPPENED.I WANT TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENED NEXT.When a Veteran comes to me after another len...
09/14/2026

YOUR CREDIT REPORT TELLS ME WHAT HAPPENED.
I WANT TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENED NEXT.

When a Veteran comes to me after another lender has told them “No” or “Not Yet,” I don't begin by asking:

“What's your credit score?”

I want to understand the story behind the credit report.

Maybe you lost your job.

Maybe you went through a divorce.

Maybe your income dropped unexpectedly.

Maybe you experienced another financial hardship and fell behind on several accounts.

Your credit report will show me much of what happened.

Late payments.

Collections.

Charge-offs.

A bankruptcy.

And a credit score that may still reflect that difficult period.

But there's something your credit score cannot tell me by itself:

What happened next?

Did you go back to work?

Did your income stabilize?

Did your VA disability benefits increase?

Did you get your housing payments back on track?

Are you paying your current obligations on time?

Have you stopped creating new delinquencies?

Have you begun accumulating savings again?

In other words:

Did the financial problem continue—or did you recover from it?

That's an important distinction.

A Veteran experiencing financial instability today is not necessarily the same lending risk as a Veteran whose credit report still reflects financial problems from the past.

That doesn't mean we ignore late payments, collections, bankruptcy or other derogatory credit.

We don't.

It means we put them in context.

We want to understand:

What happened?

When did it happen?

What changed?

And perhaps most importantly:

What has your financial behavior looked like since?

Sometimes that review tells us the Veteran isn't ready yet.

That's okay.

“Not Yet” can be the responsible answer.

But if that's the answer, I believe the Veteran deserves to understand why—and what specifically needs to change before homeownership becomes realistic.

And sometimes we discover something very different:

The Veteran's financial circumstances have already changed substantially...

…but the credit report is still telling the story of who they were financially rather than where they are today.

That's why, at VA Made Easy™, we believe:

STABILITY MATTERS MOST — NOT YOUR CREDIT SCORE.

We Say “YES!” when other VA lenders say “No” or “Not Now.”

VA HOMEOWNERSHIP MADE EASY™ AFTER RECOVERING FROM DIVORCEDivorce can disrupt nearly every part of your financial life.Yo...
09/08/2026

VA HOMEOWNERSHIP MADE EASY™ AFTER RECOVERING FROM DIVORCE

Divorce can disrupt nearly every part of your financial life.

Your household income may change.

Your housing expenses may increase.

Joint debts may need to be separated.

And accounts that were once manageable together may become difficult to maintain on your own.

But what happened financially during a divorce does not necessarily define what is possible for you today.

The more important question may be:

Have you recovered?

Has your income become stable again?

Are your housing payments being made on time?

Have late payments stopped?

Are you consistently managing your current obligations?

Can you reasonably afford the projected mortgage payment?

Those are signs that the financial disruption caused by the divorce may now be behind you—even if your credit report and credit score still reflect what happened during that difficult period.

That does not mean your past is ignored.

It means your present financial stability deserves to be evaluated alongside it.

Some Veterans genuinely need more time to recover.

Others may already be financially stable and still be waiting because no one has carefully evaluated the complete picture.

If you have recovered financially from a divorce and want to understand whether VA homeownership may now be possible, send me a message.

I’ll help you understand what your VA homeownership path may look like from here.

VA HOMEOWNERSHIP MADE EASY™ AFTER WASTING MONTHS TRYING TO CLEAN UP YOUR CREDIT SCORESYou did what you were told.You pai...
09/08/2026

VA HOMEOWNERSHIP MADE EASY™ AFTER WASTING MONTHS TRYING TO CLEAN UP YOUR CREDIT SCORES

You did what you were told.

You paid down balances.

You disputed information you believed was inaccurate.

Maybe you were even told to open another credit card, pay old collections, or simply keep waiting for your score to improve.

Yet months later, you may still be hearing:

“Not yet.”

Paying your bills on time and improving your financial situation was not wasted effort.

But spending months focused almost entirely on raising a credit score—without anyone evaluating whether you have already recovered financially—may have caused you to wait unnecessarily.

That can be incredibly frustrating, especially when your income is stable, you can afford a monthly mortgage payment, and the financial problems reflected on your credit report are no longer happening today.

Here is what many Veterans are never clearly told:

Your credit score reflects information from your past. It does not always explain what caused the problem, what has changed, or how you are managing your finances now.

That does not mean your credit score is irrelevant.

It means the score may not tell the whole story.

I want to understand:

Have the late payments stopped?

Have your housing payments remained on time?

Has your income become stable?

Are you consistently managing your current monthly obligations?

Can you reasonably afford the projected mortgage payment?

Those answers can reveal something a credit score alone cannot:

Whether you have actually recovered financially and may now have a responsible path toward VA homeownership.

Some Veterans truly need more time.

Others may be waiting unnecessarily because no one has carefully evaluated the complete picture.

If you have wasted months trying to improve your credit scores but still do not have a clear answer, send me a message.

I’ll help you understand what your VA homeownership path may look like from here.

VA HOMEOWNERSHIP MADE EASY AFTER BANKRUPTCYA past bankruptcy does not necessarily mean VA homeownership is out of reach....
08/20/2026

VA HOMEOWNERSHIP MADE EASY AFTER BANKRUPTCY

A past bankruptcy does not necessarily mean VA homeownership is out of reach.

In fact, I've helped Veterans become homeowners after bankruptcy — including Veterans who had previously been told they needed to wait.

Here's what many Veterans don't realize:

The bankruptcy itself is only part of the story

What has happened financially since the bankruptcy can be extremely important.

Has your income become stable?

Have your housing payments remained on time?

Have late payments stopped?

Have you been consistently managing your current obligations?

Those are signs that the financial problems that led to the bankruptcy may be behind you rather than still happening today.

And that's an important distinction.

Your credit score may still reflect what happened in the past even while your actual financial situation has substantially improved.

That's why I don't believe a Veteran's situation should be reduced to a credit score or a bankruptcy on a credit report.

I look at the complete financial recovery and stability picture to determine whether there may be a responsible path toward VA homeownership.

And because eligible Veterans can potentially purchase with no down payment, rebuilding a large down payment after bankruptcy doesn't necessarily have to stand between you and homeownership.

If you've had a bankruptcy, have been rebuilding financially, and believe your situation has become stable again, send me a message

I'll help you understand what your VA homeownership path may look like from here.

NOT ALL DEBT MANAGEMENT PROGRAMS ARE TREATED THE SAME UNDER VA GUIDELINESI've spoken with a growing number of Veterans w...
08/17/2026

NOT ALL DEBT MANAGEMENT PROGRAMS ARE TREATED THE SAME UNDER VA GUIDELINES

I've spoken with a growing number of Veterans who tell me they're enrolled in a “debt management,” “debt relief,” or “debt consolidation” program.

Here's something very important:

The name of the program doesn't tell us how VA underwriting will view it.

There is a major difference between legitimate Consumer Credit Counseling and a Debt Settlement Program.

With a true Consumer Credit Counseling / Debt Management Plan, creditors are generally being paid through an organized repayment arrangement.

And VA guidelines specifically address this.

If a Veteran had prior adverse credit and is participating in a Consumer Credit Counseling Plan, VA allows the borrower to potentially be considered a satisfactory credit risk after demonstrating 12 months of satisfactory payments and receiving approval from the counseling agency to obtain the new credit.

Even more interesting:

If the Veteran had good credit before entering Consumer Credit Counseling, VA says participation should be considered neutral—or even potentially positive—in evaluating creditworthiness.

That's very different from many debt settlement programs.

In a debt settlement program, a Veteran may be instructed to stop making contractual payments to creditors while money accumulates and the company attempts to negotiate future settlements.

That can result in new:

• 30-day late payments
• 60-day late payments
• 90-day late payments
• Charge-offs
• Collections

Those new derogatory accounts may actually make it harder to demonstrate the payment stability needed for VA underwriting.

That's why when a Veteran tells me:

“I'm in a debt management program.”

I don't believe the correct response is automatically:

“That's good.”

or

“That's bad.”

The first question should be:

What kind of program is it?

Are creditors currently being paid every month through an organized repayment plan?

Or were you instructed to stop paying your creditors while the company negotiates settlements?

Those are two very different situations.

This is also why I believe Veterans recovering from financial challenges deserve a deeper evaluation than simply looking at a credit score.

Participation in a debt program is not, by itself, evidence of financial instability.

We first need to understand how the program works, what is actually happening to the creditor payments, and what the Veteran's payment history demonstrates.

Because the goal isn't simply to eliminate debt.

The goal is to demonstrate financial recovery and increasing payment stability on the shortest honest path toward VA homeownership

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Mesa, AZ

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