VA Home Loan Guide

You're eligible for a VA loan if you meet any of the following:

• 90+ consecutive days of active-duty service during wartime, or 181 days during peacetime
• 6+ years in the National Guard or Reserves, or 90 days of active-duty service under Title 32
• Discharged for a service-connected disability
• Surviving spouse of a service member who died in the line of duty or from a service-connected disability

Eligibility is proven with a Certificate of Eligibility (COE). We can pull it electronically in minutes — you don't need to request it yourself.

• 0% down. The only widely available true zero-down loan in the country.
• No monthly mortgage insurance. Saves $200–$800/month versus FHA or low-down conventional on the same house.
• Better pricing. VA rates are typically 0.25–0.50% lower than conventional at the same credit score.
• Softer credit and DTI standards. Approvals happen at credit scores and debt ratios where conventional loans decline.
• Reusable. Entitlement restores after you sell and pay off the loan. You can use it again and again.

Every eligible veteran has entitlement, which is the VA's guarantee to the lender. Since 2020, if you have full entitlement, there is no maximum VA loan amount — you can go to $2M+ with zero down, if your income and credit support it.

If you have a partial entitlement (existing VA loan still open, or a prior VA loss), the county loan limit comes back into play and you may need a small down payment on the amount above the limit. We calculate this exactly during pre-approval.

The VA funding fee replaces mortgage insurance. It's a one-time charge, financeable into the loan, that ranges from 1.25% to 3.3% based on down payment and whether this is your first VA loan.

You are exempt from the funding fee if you receive VA disability compensation, are a Purple Heart recipient, or are a surviving spouse receiving DIC. Exemption is worth $8,000–$25,000 on a typical California loan and is very frequently missed by other lenders.

The Interest Rate Reduction Refinance Loan is the simplest refinance in the industry. No appraisal, no income documentation, no new credit review in most cases. If rates drop and you already have a VA loan, an IRRRL can typically close in 2–3 weeks with almost no paperwork.

The catch: it must produce a net tangible benefit (lower rate or a move from ARM to fixed), and closing costs must recoup within 36 months.

With full entitlement, there is no separate 'VA jumbo' program — the VA loan simply goes as high as your qualifying income allows. In the Bay Area, we routinely close VA loans over $1.5M with zero down.

Rate pricing may adjust slightly above the county conforming limit, but the structure is identical: no PMI, no down payment, and standard VA underwriting.