09/03/2026
🇺🇸 VA TIP OF THE DAY — VA Loan Benefits Many Veterans and Active-Duty Service Members May Not Know About! 🇺🇸
There are a LOT of misconceptions about VA loans. Here are some VA loan facts you need to know:
🇺🇸 You can have more than one VA loan at the same time.
Having an existing VA loan does NOT automatically mean you can’t use your VA benefit again.
If you have remaining entitlement—or are able to restore entitlement—you may be able to purchase another home using VA financing. The amount of entitlement available and whether a down payment is required depends on your individual circumstances. (Veterans Affairs)
🇺🇸 You can buy a MULTI-UNIT property with a VA loan!
A Veteran can purchase a 2–4 unit property, occupy one of the units as their primary residence, and potentially use rental income from the other units to help qualify.
There are specific VA requirements for using rental income, including requirements involving reserves and the Veteran’s ability to successfully manage the rental property. (Benefits)
This can be an incredible strategy for a Veteran looking to use their VA benefit while potentially building long-term wealth.
🇺🇸 VA does NOT establish a minimum credit score.
The VA itself does not require a minimum credit score. However, individual lenders can—and often do—have their own credit-score requirements and overlays. (Veterans Affairs)
And here’s an important distinction:
12 months of satisfactory payment history can be significant when re-establishing credit after certain derogatory credit events.
That does NOT mean that “12 months of good credit = automatic Manual Underwrite.” Manual underwriting depends on the circumstances of the loan and the lender’s underwriting requirements. (Benefits)
🇺🇸 VA does NOT have a simple hard maximum DTI ratio.
VA’s debt-to-income ratio is a guideline, not an automatic pass/fail number. Residual income is an important part of VA underwriting, along with credit history, income, debts, assets, AUS findings, and compensating factors. (Benefits)
🇺🇸 Two unmarried Veterans can potentially purchase a home together using VA financing.
VA joint loans can allow a Veteran and another Veteran who is not their spouse to use VA entitlement on the same transaction.
There are additional underwriting and VA-guaranty considerations with joint loans, so this is definitely one where the lender’s experience matters. (Benefits)
🇺🇸 VA does NOT have the FHA 90-day property-flipping rule.
A recently renovated or recently resold property isn’t automatically disqualified from VA financing simply because the seller hasn’t owned it for 90 days.
However, lender overlays can still apply, and the property must meet VA requirements and support the contract price through the appraisal process.
So before telling a Veteran, “You have to wait 90 days,” make sure you’re talking about an actual VA requirement—not an FHA guideline or a lender overlay.
Don’t FHA your VA loan! 😉
🇺🇸 VA appraisal fees can be expedited in certain circumstances.
VA currently allows rush or priority appraisal fees negotiated between the lender and appraiser. Importantly, these fees cannot be charged to the Veteran and must be initiated by the lender. (Benefits)
🇺🇸 Don’t automatically assume peeling or chipped paint is a VA repair item.
VA’s treatment of defective paint depends on the age of the property and the location/type of the defective paint.
For homes built in 1978 or later, interior defective paint is normally considered cosmetic, while certain exterior defective paint that exposes the surface to the elements can require repair. Properties built before 1978 are subject to additional lead-based paint requirements. (Benefits)
The takeaway?
Know the current VA Minimum Property Requirements—not the VA rules people remember from 10 or 20 years ago.
🇺🇸 Pest/termite inspections are NOT required in every state.
VA wood-destroying insect requirements vary by location. Some states require the inspection statewide, while in other states it may only be required when specific issues are identified in the appraisal. (Benefits)
🇺🇸 Receiving qualifying VA disability compensation? You may be EXEMPT from the VA Funding Fee.
Certain Veterans and service members are exempt from the VA Funding Fee, including many who receive VA compensation for service-connected disabilities.
Your Certificate of Eligibility (COE) and lender can help determine your specific funding-fee status. (VA News)
🇺🇸 Surviving spouses may qualify for the VA Home Loan Benefit.
Certain surviving spouses can qualify for a VA-backed home loan, including qualifying surviving spouses of Veterans who died on active duty or from a service-connected disability.
The eligibility rules can be specific, so the COE is an important first step. (Veterans Affairs)
🇺🇸 Your VA Home Loan Benefit does NOT simply expire.
Eligible Veterans may be able to use their VA benefit multiple times throughout their lifetime.
The key is understanding how much entitlement is available, whether previous entitlement can be restored, and whether you have sufficient entitlement for the next transaction. (Veterans Affairs)
🇺🇸 Seller-paid closing costs are NOT the same thing as VA’s 4% seller-concession limit.
THIS IS A BIG ONE!
VA does not simply say, “The seller can only contribute 4%.”
Certain normal buyer closing costs and discount points are not included when calculating the 4% seller-concession limit.
The 4% calculation applies to seller concessions, which are different from ordinary seller-paid closing costs. (Benefits)
🇺🇸 A condo can be VA-approved without being FHA-approved.
VA and FHA have separate condominium approval processes.
So an HOA/condo project not being FHA-approved does not automatically mean it cannot be eligible for VA financing.
🇺🇸 And when an appraisal comes in below the contract price, VA gives us opportunities to advocate for the Veteran.
The Tidewater process can allow interested parties to provide additional market data to the appraiser before the appraisal is finalized when the appraiser believes the value may come in below the sales price.
If the value still comes in low, a Reconsideration of Value (ROV) may be requested. (Benefits)
The VA loan isn’t the problem.
Not knowing how to properly USE the VA loan can be the problem.
VA gives Veterans incredible flexibility—not just to purchase a home, but potentially to:
🇺🇸 Use their benefit more than once
🇺🇸 Purchase multi-unit properties
🇺🇸 Potentially use rental income to qualify
🇺🇸 Buy with no down payment when entitlement and qualification allow
🇺🇸 Take advantage of favorable underwriting guidelines
🇺🇸 Potentially purchase with another Veteran
🇺🇸 And build long-term wealth through strategic use of the benefit
The key is working with people who actually understand how to use the VA loan—not people who are simply familiar with it.
🇺🇸 WHO A VETERAN WORKS WITH MATTERS.
The More We Know, The More Veterans We Can Serve! 🇺🇸🦅
