The following is a guest blog from Nick Serrano, Sales Manager at Greater Nevada Mortgage Services. Greater Nevada was recently named a Nevada Rural Housing Authority "Most Valuable Partner" for their work with the Home At Last™ first time buyer lending program.  

Recently, my family enjoyed our annual outing to the Nevada Day Parade in Carson City.  From the pancake breakfast at the Governor’s Mansion to the exhilarating flyover of the fighter jets to the procession of parade entries, it was a reminder of the wonderful communities, landscape, and people that make up our great State.  Even in the face of the most difficult times many Nevadans have seen, there was a clear sense of pride and joy emanating from crowd that lined Carson Street.  It reminded me why I choose to make Nevada home and why I enjoy helping others purchase their first home in our many communities.

As a native Nevadan, I have had the opportunity to spend much of my life travelling this State.  Several experiences from the various areas of the State quickly come to memory from my childhood whether it was trips on the Ghost Train in Ely, hikes in Lamoille Canyon outside of Elko, or peering out the car window searching for Cecil the Serpent as my Dad and I drove around Walker Lake outside of Hawthorne.  These experiences have helped me develop a strong bond with several communities and have fostered my desire to help people in all areas of the State through my profession in the mortgage industry.

My roots come from rural Nevada and these communities hold a special place in my heart.  Thus, it was easy for me to embrace the Nevada Rural Housing Authority (NRHA) as a business partner and join with them on a mission to help individuals and families in our rural areas secure the dream of homeownership.  It comes with great intrinsic value when I can help play a role in offering stable and affordable mortgage options to help families take root in Nevada.  As a Nevadan, the best way I can help give back is to help give people the opportunity to make Nevada their home so that they can begin building a list of experiences in this State that I have been blessed to have. 

So as I watched the bands, elected officials, scout programs, and the variety of parade floats, I took the time to remind myself that Greater Nevada Mortgage Services and NRHA are offering a great service to our communities and that we are doing it the right way.  I am fortunate to call Nevada my home, fortunate to be in a position that can help individuals and families with a significant milestone in their lives, and fortunate to have great partners like NRHA who help considerably with this endeavor.