VA home loans
The best mortgage benefit in the country, and the one I've closed the most of. Zero down, no mortgage insurance, and rules that most lenders only half understand.
Who it's for
Active duty, veterans, National Guard and Reserve members who meet the service requirements, and some surviving spouses. If you have a Certificate of Eligibility, or think you might qualify for one, this is usually the first loan we look at.
How it works
The VA doesn't lend money. It guarantees a portion of the loan, which is what lets the lender offer zero down and no mortgage insurance. The lender still underwrites the file, and this is where experience matters: the VA's rules on residual income, entitlement, occupancy and funding fees are different from every other program, and a lender who does two VA loans a year will get them wrong.
I've closed hundreds of VA loans across PCS moves, entitlement reuse, separation timing and surviving-spouse situations.
What to know
You can use it more than once. The benefit is yours for life. If you've used it before, your entitlement is restored when you sell and pay off the loan, and in many cases you can buy again while keeping the first home as a rental. I wrote up how entitlement reuse actually works because I have this conversation every week.
The funding fee is the one real cost, and many veterans don't owe it. It's a one-time charge to the VA, usually financed into the loan, and it's waived entirely if you receive VA disability compensation at any rating, if you're entitled to compensation but drawing retirement pay instead, if you're an active-duty Purple Heart recipient, or if you're a surviving spouse receiving DIC. A surprising number of eligible veterans pay a fee they never owed.
| Purchase | Under 5% down | 5% to 9.99% down | 10% or more down |
|---|---|---|---|
| First use | 2.15% | 1.50% | 1.25% |
| Subsequent use | 3.30% | 1.50% | 1.25% |
Refinances: 0.50% for an IRRRL (the VA streamline), 2.15% for a first-use cash-out and 3.30% after that. These rates have been in place since April 2023 and are unchanged for 2026. The fee is a percentage of the loan amount, so on a $500,000 zero-down first purchase it's $10,750, financed, or $0 if you're exempt.
Sellers don't get to say no. The old myth that VA offers are weaker is just that. On every file I call the listing agent myself and walk them through why this buyer is solid. It changes the conversation.
Timing around separation matters. If you're leaving the service, when you apply relative to your separation date affects how income is counted. Talk to me before you have orders in hand, not after.
Two common questions
"Can I have two VA loans at the same time?" Often, yes. If you bought with a VA loan and still own the home, you may have enough remaining entitlement to buy again with zero down, especially after a PCS move or if the first home was modest. The VA guarantees 25% of the county loan limit ($1,249,125 in the DC metro for 2026) minus what's already in use; if the new purchase fits under what's left, no down payment. If it doesn't, you put down 25% of the gap, not 25% of the price. The first home can stay a rental. How entitlement reuse actually works.
"I'm being told I don't have enough entitlement left." You may still have second-tier entitlement, and the math is different from what most calculators show. Send me your Certificate of Eligibility and I'll tell you exactly where you stand.
Around Washington, DC
This is one of the most VA-heavy markets in the country: the Pentagon, Fort Belvoir, Quantico, Fort Meade, Joint Base Andrews, Walter Reed, the Navy Yard, and every federal agency that hires veterans. A few local points:
- With full entitlement there's no VA loan limit, so zero down works on an $900,000 house in Alexandria. With partial entitlement (you still own a VA-financed home), the county limit of $1,249,125 sets how much the VA will guarantee and whether you need a down payment.
- Condos must be VA-approved. A large share of DC and Arlington listings are condos, and not all are on the VA list. I check before you write the offer, and I can get a building approved when it's close.
- PCS timing. If orders are coming, when we lock and when you occupy both matter. Call me when you hear about the move, not when you get the house.
- Maryland and DC first-time buyer tax breaks still apply on a VA loan; see the conventional page for the details.
Want to talk it through?
Thirty minutes on video. No application, no obligation, and no cost, now or later.