VA Home Loan — zero down, no PMI, ever.
You've earned it. Here's how to use it — from COE to closing, plus your personalized buying-power calculator.
Eligibility
Service requirements
- Active Duty: 90 continuous days during wartime, or 181 during peacetime
- National Guard / Reserve: 6 years of service (or 90 days of active service under Title 10)
- Discharged for a service-connected disability at any time
- Surviving spouses of service members who died in the line of duty may qualify
What the VA loan gives you
- 0% down payment on eligible properties
- No Private Mortgage Insurance (PMI) — ever
- Competitive interest rates, often below conventional
- Funding fee waived at 10%+ VA disability rating
- Reusable — you can restore entitlement
Request your Certificate of Eligibility (COE)
On VA.gov (fastest — often instant)
- Sign in to VA.gov with your ID.me or DS Logon
- Navigate to Housing assistance → VA-backed home loans
- Click Request a COE
- Confirm your service dates and submit
Or let your lender pull it
The buying process
1. Get pre-approved
Talk to a VA-experienced lender BEFORE calling a realtor. A pre-approval letter tells you what you can actually buy — and makes offers stronger.
2. Find your realtor
Pick a Realtor who has closed multiple VA deals. Show them your pre-approval so they only show you homes you can afford.
3. Offer + inspection
Under contract → home inspection + VA appraisal (VA sets a minimum property standard called MPRs).
4. Underwrite + close
Lender verifies income, assets, appraisal. Sign at closing — you own the home.
Get pre-approved with Valor
Did you know?
You can use your VA Home Loan more than once.
Your VA entitlement doesn't disappear after your first purchase. You can:
- Buy again after selling your first home and paying off the loan (entitlement fully restored).
- Hold two VA loans at once using bonus entitlement — great for PCS moves where you want to keep your first home as a rental.
- Refinance with an IRRRL to a lower rate without buying a new home.
- One-time restoration is available even without selling the first property.
Book a call and we'll pull your COE to show exactly how much entitlement you have available today.
See how much entitlement I have left →Turn your VA loan into a real estate portfolio
Your VA loan isn't just a way to buy a home — it's a way to build a portfolio.
Because the VA loan requires only a 12-month primary-residence occupancy, service members are uniquely positioned to stack investment properties every time they PCS. Here's the play:
- Buy your primary residence with your VA loan — $0 down, no PMI.
- Live in it for at least 12 months (the VA occupancy requirement).
- PCS to your next duty station. You are now allowed to convert that property to a rental.
- Rent it out. Tenants now pay your mortgage. You keep any positive cash flow.
- Use your VA loan again at the new station (bonus entitlement) to buy your next primary.
- Repeat every PCS. Each move can add another property.
A 20-year career with even 3 PCS moves can leave you with 4 doors — a primary residence and three tenant-paid rentals, all bought with $0 down using your VA benefit.
Want the details?
Every PCS-to-rental move has rules: bonus entitlement math, county loan limits, rental income underwriting for the next VA loan, and property management. We walk you through it, deal by deal.
Schedule a consultationThis is a general strategy overview, not investment advice. Talk to a VA-experienced loan officer and CPA before making decisions.
A real VA loan story
$510k list → $435k contract → $26k in seller concessions
Once my VA disability rating came back at 100%, I put the VA loan to work with one of my partnered builders in Forney. Here's the exact deal — proof that the right offer + the right lender team gets veterans a lot more than list price suggests.
- Home originally listed at $510,000. After 3 months on market they dropped it to $455,000.
- Builder and I agreed on a purchase price of $435,000 plus $26,000 in seller concessions.
- Home appraised at $450,000 — instant $15k in equity at closing.
- Used $8,000 of concessions to buy down the rate to 5.375% on a 30-year term.
- Used the remaining $18,000 to cover all closing costs and pay off a $10,000 credit card balance in full.
- Zero down payment. No mortgage insurance. Received my earnest money deposit back at closing. Didn't owe a dime.
- As a 100% rated veteran in Texas, I'm exempt from property taxes — that saves $12,375/yr ($1,031.25/mo) that never has to be escrowed.
- The mortgage should be $3,616.25/mo — it's actually $2,585/mo.
Home buying power calculator
Assumes 41% DTI cap, 1.8% tax + insurance, and rate adjusted for your FICO. This is a planning estimate — a full pre-approval accounts for residual income, VA overlays, and your specific market.
Buying power by FICO
Want a real pre-approval?
Book 15 minutes with Valor — we'll pull your COE and give you your true max.