HENRICO COUNTY, Va. -- An area realtor who gives back to military and first responders buying a home was recently surprised with a donation as part of the Month of Giving.
"I have a huge heart for our military, our veterans, firefighters, police officers. So what I like to do, just as my thank you to them, I give them a portion of my commission back when they use me as a realtor," Cyndi Merritt said. "Just as a thank you... they put their life on the line every single day."
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Merritt said the savings depends on the price of the home, but it can be as much as a couple thousand dollars.
"What I do is I credit them at closing," Merritt explained. "I can't write them a check... But I can credit them at closing to go towards their closing costs."
CBS 6 Meteorologist Mike Stone surprised Merritt with a donation for her efforts.
"Because you take this all out of your own pocket, so we want to help reimburse you," Stone said.
"Thank you so much, Mike," Merritt said. "What a nice surprise."
Since receiving the donation, Merritt said she matched the gift and donated it to one of her favorite charities: K9s For Warriors. That group is the nation's largest provider of service dog to military veterans with PTSD.
Click here to learn more about K9s For Warriors or to make a donation.
The CBS 6 Month of Giving made possible by Virginia Credit Union is underway. Watch for a new surprise every day in December on CBS 6 News at 6 a.m., 4 p.m., and 6 p.m. Have an idea about who we should surprise next, click here to email our team.
