VA loans in Virginia and military home buying

A VA loan is one of the strongest tools a veteran or service member gets for buying a home, and a lot of people use only part of it. VA loans exist so the people who served have a place to live and can focus on the job, and the guidelines are written in the veteran’s favor: no monthly mortgage insurance, no required down payment when your entitlement covers the price, and a benefit you can use more than once.

These pages explain VA loans in Virginia the way I would at your kitchen table, with the math in dollars. Where to start:

• New to VA loans? Read how VA loans work: eligibility and the Certificate of Eligibility, credit, residual income and what a seller can pay.
• Used your VA loan before, or keeping the house you have? Go to VA entitlement. It decides whether your next home needs a down payment.
• Loan amount bigger than the price? That’s the VA funding fee, and some veterans don’t owe it at all.
• Orders for a move? The PCS page (permanent change of station) covers sell, rent or keep, and buying near Fort Lee covers the local taxes, loan limits and timing.

Already have a VA loan? The refinancing group covers the VA streamline and what to do if you fall behind on payments.

One rule runs through every page: a VA loan is for a home you genuinely move into, and your application says exactly what you plan to do with every property.