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By Kyle Melvin · NMLS #1486450 · REV Mortgage
Plain-English VA questions, answered by a loan officer and published with the question worded the way you asked it. Nothing identifying is ever published.
Using it again
Can I buy a second house in the same city with a VA loan?
A second VA loan in the same area is possible, but the occupancy requirement has to be genuine: the new house must become your primary residence.
Can I pay off my VA loan early?
VA loans have no prepayment penalty.
Can I use my VA loan twice?
Yes — the VA loan benefit is reusable.
Does the seller have to pay my closing costs on a VA loan?
The seller is not required to pay a VA buyer's closing costs, but VA limits what the buyer can pay and caps seller concessions.
How soon can I sell a house I bought with a VA loan?
VA sets no minimum ownership period before selling.
What happens to my VA loan in a divorce?
A divorce decree does not change the VA loan or the entitlement.
Why don't sellers like VA offers?
The reasons listing agents steer sellers away from VA offers, which ones are outdated, and how to write a VA offer that competes.
Qualifying
Can I buy a house before I get out of the military?
Buying in the last year of service: why a separation date inside twelve months changes the income analysis, what evidence a lender needs, and how retirement differs from separation.
Can I get a VA loan with student loans?
Student loans do not disqualify a VA borrower.
Can I use a VA loan if my spouse has bad credit?
A spouse's credit only matters if they are on the loan.
Can I use my VA disability income to qualify for a mortgage?
VA disability compensation counts as qualifying income, is non-taxable and can be grossed up, and comes with a funding fee exemption.
Can my spouse be on the VA loan if they're not a veteran?
A non-veteran spouse can be a co-borrower on a VA loan with no change to the guaranty.
Do I have to pay PMI on a VA loan?
No monthly mortgage insurance on a VA loan at any down payment.
Do I need a down payment with a VA loan?
No down payment is required on a VA loan with full entitlement, at any price the appraisal supports.
Does my spouse have to be on the VA loan?
A spouse does not have to be on a VA loan.
I'm PCS'ing to Texas and my wife's credit is worse than mine — does she have to be on the loan?
A non-borrowing spouse's credit score is never scored on a VA loan, but Texas counts her debts as community property and Texas homestead law still puts her signature on the closing documents.
What can an E-5 afford near Camp Pendleton?
What E-5 BAH at Camp Pendleton rents and what it buys with a VA loan: which neighborhoods sit in that band, the local costs that move the payment, and when renting is the right answer at that grade.
What can an E-5 afford near Fort Carson?
What E-5 BAH at Fort Carson rents and what it buys with a VA loan: which neighborhoods sit in that band, the local costs that move the payment, and when renting is the right answer at that grade.
What can an E-5 afford near Fort Hood?
What E-5 BAH at Fort Hood rents and what it buys with a VA loan: which neighborhoods sit in that band, the local costs that move the payment, and when renting is the right answer at that grade.
What can an E-5 afford near Naval Station Norfolk?
What E-5 BAH at Naval Station Norfolk rents and what it buys with a VA loan: which neighborhoods sit in that band, the local costs that move the payment, and when renting is the right answer at that grade.
What credit score do I need for a VA loan?
VA sets no minimum credit score — lenders do.
The house
Can I buy a condo with a VA loan?
VA loans finance condominiums, but only in projects VA has approved.
Can I buy a duplex with a VA loan?
VA loans cover two-, three- and four-unit properties if you live in one unit.
Can I buy a fixer-upper with a VA loan?
A VA loan can buy a house that needs work, within limits: the Minimum Property Requirements must be met by closing, and the VA renovation loan can finance repairs.
Can I buy a house with a well and septic with a VA loan?
VA loans finance homes on private wells and septic systems, with a water test and, usually, a septic evaluation.
Can I buy a manufactured home with a VA loan?
VA loans can finance manufactured homes that are permanently affixed to land you own and titled as real property.
Can I get a VA loan on a house with leased solar panels?
Leased solar panels, power-purchase agreements and PACE liens on a VA purchase: what has to be true about the lease, what the appraiser does with the panels, and the PACE problem in California, Florida and other states.
Can I use my VA loan to buy land?
A VA loan cannot buy bare land by itself.
Does a VA loan require a home inspection?
VA requires an appraisal, not an inspection.
What is the VA escape clause?
The mandatory contract clause that lets a VA buyer cancel without losing earnest money if the home does not appraise at the price.
Why don't sellers like VA offers?
The reasons listing agents steer sellers away from VA offers, which ones are outdated, and how to write a VA offer that competes.
The process
Can I close on a house while I'm deployed?
Yes — with a power of attorney that meets VA's requirements, and a spouse or attorney-in-fact who can sign.
Can I refinance a conventional loan into a VA loan?
Yes — a VA cash-out refinance can replace a conventional, FHA or USDA loan, with or without cash back.
Can I refinance my VA loan to a lower rate?
The VA streamline refinance (IRRRL): no appraisal, no income verification in most cases, a reduced funding fee, and the rules that keep it honest.
Can I use a VA loan to buy a house from a family member?
Buying from a relative with a VA loan is allowed.
Does the seller have to pay my closing costs on a VA loan?
The seller is not required to pay a VA buyer's closing costs, but VA limits what the buyer can pay and caps seller concessions.
How long does a VA loan take to close?
A VA purchase closes in roughly the same window as any other loan.
What if I can't move in within 60 days of closing?
VA's occupancy standard is 'a reasonable time,' normally sixty days, with documented exceptions up to twelve months.
High-cost markets
Can I buy a million-dollar house with a VA loan and zero down?
Yes — there is no VA loan limit for a full-entitlement borrower, so seven-figure VA purchases with no down payment close in San Diego, Orange County and other high-cost markets.
Is there a VA jumbo loan?
There is no VA loan limit for a full-entitlement borrower, so 'VA jumbo' is a lender's term for a VA loan above the conforming limit.
More
Can I get a VA loan with an other-than-honorable discharge?
VA home loan eligibility requires a discharge under conditions other than dishonorable.
Can I pay my real estate agent's commission on a VA loan?
Yes, since August 10, 2024 — VA Circular 26-24-14 lets a VA buyer pay their own agent a reasonable, customary fee.
Can I use a VA loan for a vacation home or a rental?
VA loans are for primary residences only — not second homes or pure investment property.
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