PCS toolkit
How much VA loan do I have left?
By Kyle Melvin · NMLS #1486450 · REV Mortgage
If you still have a VA loan on the last house, this is the arithmetic that decides the next one. Three numbers in, the down payment out.
Result
Pick your entitlement status first.
This is the calculation in the VA Lenders Handbook, Chapter 2, and nothing more. Lender overlays, the appraisal and your qualification decide the actual loan. Your COE is the source for the entitlement figure.
Where the numbers come from
Your Certificate of Eligibility shows the entitlement charged to your existing loan — the COE page covers how to pull it. The county conforming limit is published by FHFA each year. The formula is the one in the VA Lenders Handbook, Chapter 2, and it is walked through in prose on the second-tier scenario page.
If the result is a down payment you cannot raise, the alternatives are real: sell the old house first to restore entitlement, or rent at the new station for a year. The buy versus rent page is honest about the second one.
Apply with Kyle
Buying your second home with your VA loan?
Kyle runs this exact math on your actual COE and the county you are buying in, the same day. If a down payment enters, you hear the number before you write an offer.