Posted April 17, 2026 in Blog / Education
The Heartland Heroes Mortgage Program: Home Loan Benefits for Those Who Serve Sioux Falls
Every day, veterans, nurses, teachers, firefighters, and law enforcement officers show up to serve the Sioux Falls community. The Heartland Heroes Program is Fairway Heartland’s way of making homeownership more accessible for every one of them, with real financial benefits, not just words.
Here’s what the program offers, who qualifies, and how our loan officers help eligible people in Sioux Falls, Harrisburg, Tea, and Brandon use it.
What Is the Heartland Heroes Program?
The Heartland Heroes Program is an exclusive homebuyer mortgage benefit offered through Fairway Heartland in Sioux Falls. Eligible borrowers, those who serve in frontline, military, medical, education, or public safety roles, receive a closing cost discount and a community welcome package when they close on a home loan through Fairway Heartland Branch 8350.
It is not a separate loan product. It is a benefit that stacks on top of whatever loan program fits your financial situation, VA, FHA, conventional, or non-conforming.
Who Is Eligible for the Heartland Heroes Program in Sioux Falls?
The program is designed for those who serve the Sioux Falls and surrounding communities in critical roles.
Eligible Professions
- Active-duty military and veterans
- Doctors, nurses, paramedics, and healthcare workers
- Law enforcement officers
- Firefighters and emergency medical personnel
- Teachers and school staff
- First responders across Southeast South Dakota
If you work in one of these roles and close your home loan through Fairway Heartland Branch 8350, you qualify. Fairway Heartland’s Loan Officers will verify your eligibility and walk you through the process from day one.
The Benefits: What You Actually Receive
The Heartland Heroes Program delivers two distinct benefits, a financial discount and a community connection package that reflects what makes this program genuinely different.
Up to $500 Closing Cost Credit
Eligible heroes receive up to a $500 lender credit applied directly to their closing costs on the Closing Disclosure. This reduces the cash needed at the closing table without requiring any separate reimbursement process.
The discount applies to FHA, conventional, VA, and non-conforming loans, giving heroes flexibility no matter their financial starting point.
*May not be redeemed for cash. One discount up to $500 per loan applied as lender credit at closing. Loan must close and fund with Fairway Heartland Branch 8350. Offer subject to change. Not valid with other incentives or discounts. Borrower responsible for down payment
$10,000+ in Local Sioux Falls Partner Savings
Every Heartland Heroes borrower receives a Welcome Voucher Book with over $10,000 in estimated savings from locally owned businesses across Sioux Falls and the Sioux Empire. Partners include restaurants, coffee shops, home service providers, pet services, entertainment venues, and community businesses, all independently owned and committed to supporting local heroes.
This is the piece that makes the Heartland Heroes Program genuinely different from any other lender program available in Sioux Falls. No national lender is doing this in the Sioux Empire market. This is a locally built, community-first benefit.
Which Loan Programs Qualify?
The Heartland Heroes closing cost credit works across several loan types. Our loan officers help every eligible hero find the program that best fits their financial situation:
VA loans: Veterans and active-duty service members can stack the Heartland Heroes benefit with VA home loan benefits which already include no down payment* in most cases and no mortgage insurance. Learn more about VA home loans for Sioux Falls veterans. Learn more about VA home loans for Sioux Falls veterans.
FHA loans: Heroes purchasing their first home or working with a more flexible credit profile benefit from FHA home loan options with lower down payment requirements.
Conventional loans: Heroes with established credit and a solid down payment often access the best rates and terms through conventional financing.
Need to compare all options side by side? See our full loan program options in Sioux Falls.
*A down payment is required if the borrower does not have full VA entitlement or when the loan amount exceeds the VA county limits. VA loans subject to individual VA Entitlement amounts and eligibility, qualifying factors such as income and credit guidelines, and property limits. Fairway is not affiliated with any government agencies or the Department of Veterans Affairs
Proudly Local: How Fairway Heartland Built This Program
The Heartland Heroes Program wasn’t designed in a corporate office. It was built in Sioux Falls, by a team of loan officers who live and work here, who know what it means to have a neighbor in law enforcement, a daughter who’s a nurse, a friend who’s deployed.
Fairway Heartland’s Loan Officers brought together a network of local business partners who believe the same thing: appreciation should show up in people’s lives, not just in statements. The Welcome Voucher Book is the result, a community-wide commitment to the heroes who keep Sioux Falls running.
Heroes who work with Fairway Heartland also gain access to the Fairway Advantage Pre-Approval a conditionally approved loan completed before they make an offer, giving them the purchasing power of a near-cash buyer in a competitive Sioux Falls market.
Talk to a Fairway Heartland Loan Officer; It Starts with a Conversation
If you qualify for the Heartland Heroes Program, the process is simple. Talk to one of Fairway Heartland’s local loan officers, confirm your eligibility, and we’ll make sure the benefit is properly applied and that you’re in the right loan program for your situation.
For heroes who are buying their first home, our first-time homebuyer resources walk through the entire process step by step.
The Heartland Heroes Program serves Sioux Falls, Harrisburg, Tea, Brandon, and throughout Southeast South Dakota. Because heroes deserve more than a thank you — they deserve a team in their corner.
*Heartland Heroes closing cost discount: May not be redeemed for cash. One discount up to $500 per loan applied as lender credit at closing. Loan must close and fund with Fairway Heartland Branch 8350. Offer subject to change without notice. Not valid with other incentives or discounts. Borrower responsible for down payment. Welcome Voucher Book value estimated at $10,000+; individual offer values vary by participating business.
Troy Lage is a Loan Officer at Fairway Heartland, serving homebuyers in Sioux Falls, Harrisburg, Tea, Brandon, and across Southeast South Dakota. Fairway Home Mortgage NMLS #2289. Troy Lage NMLS #400287. Copyright ©2025 Fairway Independent Mortgage Corporation doing business as Fairway Home Mortgage. NMLS #2289. 4750 S. Biltmore Lane, Madison, WI 53718, 1-866-912-4800. All rights reserved. This is not an offer to enter into an agreement. Not all customers will qualify. Information, rates, and programs are subject to change without notice. All products are subject to credit and property approval. Other restrictions and limitations may apply. Equal Housing Opportunity.
