Eric Lukkarinen served in the military for six years. During that time, he saw firsthand how difficult the housing and especially the real estate market can be for service members and their families. Constant relocating and unfamiliarity with new areas makes it difficult for service members to find a way to own a home and actively participate in owning property.
After leaving service and settling in the greater Savannah area, he went on to a successful 20-year career in real estate. Eric realized he could help fill a need faced by service members and veterans, initially in the Savannah and Hinesville areas: near Fort Stewart and Hunter Army Airfield. With that mission in mind, Eric started American Veteran Properties.
Let’s get to know Eric a little better and see how American Veteran Properties can help you!
Q: What’s your background?
A: I served for six years as a medic in the military. Following my years of military service, I made the choice to go into real estate. I’ve personally held and flipped over 100 homes and have closed hundreds of homes for my clients. I am fortunate to have achieved success. I’m proud to say that I have served within leadership on the Hinesville Area Board of REALTORS as a director for roughly 11 years and as board president. In addition, in 2007 I received the HABR REALTOR of the year award and was nominated as Georgia REALTOR of the year in 2008. I’ve been working in residential real estate for over 20 years and have become passionate about the need to start a veteran Focused real estate firm to serve the needs of our military and their families.
Q: Why do you want to help military service members with their real estate goals?
A. I have an expertise in military sales and the use of the VA loan package. I understand how difficult it can be to feel like you can own a home when you are in the military. This experience led me to set up American Veteran Properties in 2021 in Georgia. We focus on the specific needs of military families, especially when it comes to PCS/relocations. The military does not make a good job of showing service members how to leverage their VA home loan and Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH) properly. In fact if these are used recklessly they can lead to financial instability and foreclosure. I want to show service members that they can make their families comfortable while also building upward financial mobility and growing their personal wealth. It is an extremely important concept that, if utilized correctly, can greatly improve a service member’s quality of life, and set them up for a nice future following their exit from the military.
Q: How can AVP help me?
A. My vision is to offer advice on buying, selling, and renting to all branches of service, active, and veterans. American Veteran Properties is a veteran-owned real estate brokerage that focuses on buying, selling, new construction, investing, and consulting on residential real estate and other property ventures. We understand the challenges our service members face during a PCS/ETS and we are ready and able to meet those challenges head-on. When representing clients, our philosophy centers on the idea, “just because you can, doesn’t mean you should”.
We realize that often the best transaction for our service members does not include higher price ranges, but to always keep in mind the long/short term investments. Additionally, we carefully take into consideration the specific needs of our clients when leaving duty assignments and prepare our clients for the transition. Please contact us today and we will be happy to sit down with you and explain how you can make real estate work for you.
Q: What do you love about Savannah and the surrounding areas?
A. I love the family life and sense of community in Bryan County. My wife is a teacher at Richmond Hill High School and Richmond Hill Middle School and my two children enjoy the great schools in Bryan County. My daughter is in Savannah Cheer and my son loves to play football and go hunting. We enjoy laid back times on Tybee Island and visiting Beaufort and Hilton Head. There are fantastic places to boat and participate in recreational activities in this region. We enjoy supporting veteran owned restaurants in Richmond Hill including Local 17, Ricardo’s and Tosa Coffee. I love living around veterans and like-minded people
Q: Why are you passionate about military-related real estate?
A. Good things happen when you take care of people—especially the people tasked with protecting and defending us. When you ease the burden on military families in this way, they’re happier and healthier. Knowing they are financially secure, allows people to enjoy their jobs more and exceed expectations. When money isn’t a worry, life’s big picture improves dramatically–and quality of life is increased. Helping veterans achieve their financial goals is a win-win situation for everyone.
