Buying Near Little Rock AFB: The Central Arkansas VA Loan Guide

Where should I buy near Little Rock AFB?

By Kyle Melvin · NMLS #1486450 · REV Mortgage · Licensed in Arkansas · Published Sep 17, 2026

Short answer

Little Rock AFB families buy in Jacksonville, which borders the base and has the lowest bands and the shortest commute, in Cabot for the schools and the newer subdivisions ten to fifteen minutes north, and in Sherwood for a suburban setting closer to Little Rock. Ward and Austin are the small-town, more-house options up Highway 67/167. Arkansas fully exempts the homestead of a 100% disabled veteran from property tax and does not tax military retirement pay, and both stack on the VA loan in one of the lowest-cost markets on this site.

Illustration

Little Rock Air Force Base is the Air Force's C-130 training and airlift hub, on the northeast edge of the Little Rock metro next to Jacksonville. The market around it runs up the Highway 67/167 corridor — Jacksonville at the gate, Cabot to the north, Sherwood and North Little Rock to the south toward the city — and it is one of the least expensive base markets in the country, with Arkansas's veteran benefits among the more generous.

Being stationed at Little Rock

Little Rock Air Force Base is the Air Force's C-130 hub — the 19th Airlift Wing, the C-130 schoolhouse, and Guard and Reserve units — in Jacksonville, Arkansas, on the north side of the Little Rock metro. Students rotate through the schoolhouse and rent; aircrew, maintainers and instructors on ordinary tours buy. Central Arkansas has one of the lowest costs of living of any Air Force assignment, a short commute from the towns around the base, and a state that exempts 100% disabled veterans from property tax entirely. Cabot and Sherwood are the family suburbs; Jacksonville is at the gate.

Where people actually live

Jacksonville. The city at the gate. 1960s to 1990s housing near the base, newer subdivisions on the north and west sides, the lowest bands in the area, and a rental-heavy market that reflects decades of base turnover. Jacksonville North Pulaski schools. The commute is minutes.

Cabot. North on Highway 67/167 in Lonoke County, ten to fifteen minutes from the gate. Cabot schools are the reason most families with children look here first; the housing is 1990s-to-current subdivisions and the band is the highest on the corridor.

Sherwood. South toward the city in Pulaski County, fifteen to twenty minutes. An established suburb with 1970s-to-2000s housing, a mid band, and Pulaski County Special schools.

North Little Rock. Farther south, older, lower-priced, and the option for a household with a spouse working downtown. Twenty to twenty-five minutes.

Ward, Austin and Beebe. North of Cabot up the corridor. Small towns, newer subdivisions on larger lots, lower bands, and a twenty-to-thirty-minute commute.

Maumelle and west Little Rock. Across the river and a longer drive; chosen for the setting and the schools, not the commute.

Community by direction

Community	Commute	Housing stock	What to know
Jacksonville	Shortest	1960s–1990s, some new	Lowest band; rental-heavy; former-rental condition
Cabot	10–15 min north	1990s–2020s subdivisions	Cabot schools; highest band on corridor
Sherwood	15–20 min south	1970s–2000s	Mid band; suburban
North Little Rock	20–25 min	Older, mixed	Lower band; near downtown
Ward / Austin / Beebe	20–30 min north	Newer, larger lots	Small towns; wells and septic at the edges
Maumelle / west Little Rock	30–40 min	Full range	Setting and schools, not commute

What the VA appraisal sees in central Arkansas

Former rentals in Jacksonville: deferred maintenance in roofs, HVAC and water heaters. The MPRs are a safety-and-soundness floor; an inspection matters.
Roofs. Hail and storms are routine; roof condition and age drive both the MPR review and the insurance quote.
Wood-destroying insects. A WDI inspection is standard practice on Arkansas VA purchases; the older stock is where the findings are.
Crawlspaces and moisture under the pre-1980 homes in a humid climate.
Flood zones along the creeks and bottomland in Jacksonville, Sherwood and North Little Rock; flood insurance required and escrowed if in a special flood hazard area.
Wells and septic in rural Lonoke and White counties around Ward, Austin and Beebe. VA requires a water test and, typically, a septic evaluation.
New construction in Cabot and Ward: builder VA ID, warranty, builder-lender incentives worth pricing against an outside VA quote.

Stacking the state benefit

Arkansas exempts the homestead of a veteran with a 100% permanent and total service-connected disability, or with service-connected loss of limbs or blindness, from all property tax under A.C.A. § 26-3-306 — the entire bill, not a capped amount — and the exemption continues for an un-remarried surviving spouse. Arkansas also exempts military retirement pay from state income tax. The Arkansas benefits page covers the qualification and the filing with the county assessor. The federal funding fee exemption applies at any compensable rating.

The loan side

Central Arkansas prices mean entitlement is almost never the constraint. A first purchase with full entitlement means no down payment; a second purchase with a VA loan still open elsewhere is a second-tier calculation that works without a down payment at these prices in nearly every case. If you are arriving on orders, a lender can qualify you on the orders and the Little Rock BAH before you report; the PCS Home Buying Guide has the sequence. For a C-130 training assignment of uncertain length, the buy versus rent page is worth reading — the rent-own gap in Jacksonville is narrow, and the exit costs apply everywhere.

Related guides

Questions people also ask

Is Cabot or Jacksonville better for Little Rock AFB?

Jacksonville is at the gate and cheaper, with older housing and a rental-heavy market. Cabot is ten to fifteen minutes north with newer subdivisions and the Cabot schools most families move for, at a higher band. It is a schools-and-price decision more than a commute one.

How is the commute from Sherwood or North Little Rock?

Fifteen to twenty-five minutes on Highway 67/167, which is the corridor everything runs on. Sherwood is the closer of the two and the suburban option; North Little Rock is older and puts you nearer downtown Little Rock for a spouse's job.

Are there flood zones near the base?

Yes. Central Arkansas has creeks and bottomland throughout, and parts of Jacksonville, Sherwood and North Little Rock are in special flood hazard areas. Flood insurance is required and escrowed if the home is in one.