What are the steps of getting a VA loan?

This is the whole process in order, with the branch points where military life changes it. Each step links to the page that covers it in depth.

The home buying steps

1. 1

   Step 1: Eligibility and the Certificate of Eligibility

   Who

   The lender, through VA's system — or you, on VA.gov

   Watch for

   An incomplete service record; a prior loan still charged against you

   Service requirements are set by statute — active duty, veterans, Guard and Reserve, and surviving spouses each have their own path. The COE is the document; a lender pulls it in minutes if VA's records are complete. It tells you whether you have full or remaining entitlement and whether you are exempt from the funding fee. The COE page covers the three ways to get it; the Guard and Reserve and surviving spouse pages cover those paths.

2. 2

   Step 2: A real pre-approval

   Who

   Your loan officer, with the automated underwriting system

   Watch for

   A pre-qualification mistaken for a pre-approval

   Your loan officer pulls credit, collects the income documents and runs the file through the automated underwriting system (Desktop Underwriter or Loan Product Advisor). An Approve/Eligible finding, with the documents reviewed against it, is what makes a pre-approval real — a pre-qualification is a conversation without the documents. The human underwriter does not normally review the file yet; that happens once you are in contract (step 6). The stronger version, if the lender offers it, is a TBD underwrite. VA sets no minimum credit score, treats 41% debt-to-income as a guideline, and requires residual income by region and family size — the credit and residual income page explains all three. On orders, the lender starts the file on the orders and the new station's BAH before you report: see orders as income and BAH. If you already have a VA loan, the second-tier calculation decides whether the new loan needs a down payment.

3. 3

   Step 3: Find the house

   Who

   You, and an agent who knows VA

   Watch for

   A condo that is not VA-approved; the wrong side of the post for your commute

   The base guides on this site cover where people live by gate, the commute, and what the appraiser sees in that housing stock. The PCS Home Buying Guide covers the timeline, and the house-hunting leave page covers the ten-day version.

4. 4

   Step 4: The offer, with the escape clause

   Who

   You and the agent

   Watch for

   A missing escape clause; a closing date the appraisal cannot meet

   Every VA contract carries the escape clause, which protects your earnest money if the value comes in low — see the escape clause page. Keep the inspection contingency. Set a closing date the appraisal turn time can meet.

5. 5

   Step 5: The VA appraisal — and your own inspection

   Who

   A VA-assigned appraiser; the inspector you hire

   Watch for

   A low value; repair conditions under the Minimum Property Requirements

   The lender orders the VA appraisal through VA's system; a VA fee appraiser establishes value and checks the Minimum Property Requirements. If the value looks low, Tidewater applies: the appraiser notifies the point of contact, who has two business days to get additional comparable sales in front of them. Repairs the appraiser flags become conditions. The appraisal page covers all of it. Order your own inspection separately; the appraisal is not one.

6. 6

   Step 6: Underwriting

   Who

   The lender's underwriter

   Watch for

   Lender overlays; income continuity near a separation date

   Once you are in contract, the loan officer submits the file and the underwriter reviews it for the first time, issuing a conditional approval — the loan is approved subject to a list of conditions (documents, the appraisal, repairs). The underwriter clears the file on VA's rules plus the lender's overlays — the questions to ask a lender checklist tells you which is which. Income continuity is the military-specific issue: a separation date within twelve months changes the analysis, and the transition page covers it.

7. 7

   Step 7: Clear conditions

   Who

   The seller, you, and the lender

   Watch for

   Repairs not finished in time

   Repairs completed before closing or, for minor items, escrowed. Documents cleared. New construction requires the builder's VA ID and warranty — see new construction.

8. 8

   Step 8: Closing

   Who

   You (or your attorney-in-fact) and the title company

   Watch for

   A power of attorney that is not specific enough; no alive-and-well check arranged

   The funding fee is paid or financed unless the COE shows you exempt — the funding fee page covers the schedule, and the refund page covers a rating that lands later. If you cannot be there, a specific power of attorney and an alive-and-well verification let an attorney-in-fact sign; see closing while deployed and buying from overseas.

9. 9

   Step 9: Move in

   Who

   You — or your spouse, if you are deployed

   Watch for

   An extended absence that is not documented

   You certify intent to occupy and move in within a reasonable time, normally sixty days; a spouse can satisfy it during a deployment. Later, a PCS lets you move out and rent the home — see renting out after a PCS — and the entitlement comes back when the loan is paid off and the home sold, per the restoration page.

After closing

An IRRRL lets you lower the rate later without a new appraisal or income review — the IRRRL page. A cash-out refinance is the full-underwrite version — the cash-out page. And when the next orders come, the sell, rent or keep framework runs the decision for the house you are leaving. The rulebook underneath all of it is the VA loan guidelines page.