A Michigan widow whose husband served 21 years in the U.S. Army feared losing her lakeside home as rising expenses strained her fixed retirement income, until she discovered financial benefits available to qualifying surviving military spouses.
Marlene Garvey told FOX Business that refinancing her mortgage through a VA-backed loan led her to discover a Michigan property tax exemption she had not known existed, helping her remain in the home she had dreamed of living in since childhood.
Garvey said she would not have been able to remain in her home without the financial relief, as rising property taxes and other expenses had become increasingly difficult to manage on her fixed income.
Garvey’s husband graduated from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point in 1962 and retired from the Army in 1983. He died in 1994, with Garvey attributing his death to Agent Orange exposure during his service in Vietnam.
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Garvey moved to Michigan in 2004 after years of living in different locations with her husband, including Leavenworth, Kansas. The couple had spent their honeymoon near the lake where she eventually settled.
“He knew when he passed where I was going to go, but I just always thought it would be the two of us,” she said.
Retired and living on a fixed income, Garvey said she struggled to keep up with increasing housing expenses, including property taxes, while carrying a conventional mortgage.
After seeing a television advertisement for VA mortgage refinancing, she contacted Rocket Mortgage and connected with representative Sean Park, who helped her refinance into a VA-backed loan.
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During the process, Park also identified a Michigan property tax exemption for which Garvey might qualify because of her husband’s service-connected death.
Garvey said she submitted documentation, worked with her local assessor and appeared before a three-member board before receiving approval.
Michigan provides a property tax exemption for qualifying disabled veterans and certain unremarried surviving spouses who own and occupy their homes as their primary residences, according to the Michigan Department of Treasury.
The exemption under Michigan law is separate from the federal VA home loan program. Beginning in 2025, approved exemptions generally remain in effect without requiring annual reapplication, unless rescinded or revoked.
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Garvey estimated the refinancing and exemption process took approximately six months, although she could not recall the precise dates or financial figures.
She credited the combined assistance with allowing her to afford the home.
“I wouldn’t have been able to do it without Rocket Mortgage giving me a VA mortgage and refinancing and having that benefit in the state of Michigan,” Garvey said.
The Department of Veterans Affairs guaranteed 528,340 home loans totaling more than $206 billion in fiscal 2025, a nearly 27% increase in loan volume from the previous fiscal year, according to federal data.
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Refinancing accounted for 38.7% of VA-backed loans guaranteed during the year. The program allows eligible borrowers to refinance existing mortgages, although loan terms and borrowing costs vary.
Certain surviving spouses, including those whose spouses died from service-connected disabilities, may qualify for VA-backed home loans, according to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
Eligible applicants generally must obtain a Certificate of Eligibility and satisfy lender requirements. VA-backed loans may offer competitive interest rates and do not require private mortgage insurance, although borrowing costs and eligibility vary.
Garvey said she was initially uncertain whether she qualified because her husband had died years earlier.
“Look how long my husband had been gone, and before I realized that I could even get a VA loan, I wasn’t even sure I could,” she said.
Her experience highlights housing-related benefits that eligible veterans and surviving spouses may be unaware of, particularly as property taxes and other homeownership expenses place pressure on household budgets.
Garvey encouraged other qualifying military families to explore available assistance.
“I would not hesitate anyone that qualifies for a VA mortgage to pursue it,” she said.
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