How To Use Va Home Loan

What Are The Rules For Down Payment Mortgage Insurance And Other Fees

VA loans do not require you to put down any money to obtain a loan, and dont require you to pay mortgage insurance. However, youll owe a funding fee, with the amount based on

• Whether youre in the military, are in the national guard, are a qualifying spouse, or are a veteran of the military or national guard
• The amount of your own down payment, if any
• The type of loan
• Whether youre a first-time borrower or youve had a past VA loan

Funding fees vary depending on whether youre buying or refinancing and other factors. This funding fees table on the VA website will help you figure out what youll owe.

Surviving spouses of deceased veterans who died because of their service dont have to pay a funding fee, nor do certain eligible veterans entitled to compensation for service-connected disabilities. When owed, the funding fee can be paid upfront or financed.

Lenders may also charge additional fees, including any of the following:

• Discount points to reduce your interest rate
• Loan origination fees

Fees and costs vary by lender.

Va Loan Refinance Fees

Refinancing isn’t free. While VA loans can have a cheaper cost structure than conventional and FHA loans in many cases, there are still some costs of refinancing to be aware of.

The biggest cost you’re likely to face is the VA funding fee, which most borrowers will have to pay. There are a few exceptions — for example, if you’re an active duty service member who is a Purple Heart recipient, you’re exempt. But unless you qualify for an exemption, the VA funding fee ranges from 0.5%-3.6% depending on the type of loan, your down payment, and other information.

Cash-out refinances have a set VA funding fee of 2.3% for the first use, or 3.6% for subsequent uses of the program. For VA streamline refinance loans, the fee is a much lower 0.5%.

In addition to the VA funding fee, you may face other closing costs. This can include discount points paid to your lender to get a lower interest rate, appraisal fees , title insurance, recording fees, and more.

Can A Fiancee Be On A Va Loan

VA loan rules in the VA Lenders Handbook address this situation in Chapter Seven under the heading, Joint Loans. Chapter Seven says that a veteran and fiancé can apply for the VA loan together and be treated the same as a married couplebut the loans approval depends on the couple becoming legally married.

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S To Starting The Process And Finding A Home

How To Refinance A Va Loan: Va Mortgage Refinancing

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Mortgage refinance rates are near all-time lows, and refinancing activity has been off the charts over the past year or so. If you have a VA loan with an interest rate that’s significantly higher than today’s mortgage rates, you might be wondering if you can refinance your mortgage to take advantage.

With that in mind, here’s what you need to know about refinancing VA loans. We’ll dive into the various options, and the next steps to take if you think refinancing your VA mortgage is right for you.

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Options For Refinancing A Va Home Loan:

• Veterans who already have a VA Home Loan can reduce their monthly payments or shorten the terms of their existing loan through a program known as the Interest Rate Reduction Finance Loan. The VA does not require a credit check or appraisal for refinances, but some lenders do.
• The VA allows veterans who have equity in their home to get cash back when refinancing. However, some lenders may not allow cash-out refinancing or will allow the homeowner to refinance up to 100 percent of the homes value to pay off an older mortgage.
• If a service member purchased a home using a conventional loan, he or she is eligible to refinance the mortgage into a VA Home Loan.

If youre ready to buy a home using a VA Home Loan, be sure to check with your lender on what options are available to you before you go house hunting as this listing is not exhaustive. The VA Home Loan process begins with filling out a Certificate of Eligibility through the VA get started and learn more here.

Kristen Baker-Geczy is a communications specialist, active duty military spouse, and former MWR marketing coordinator. She was also deployed to Southwest Asia as an Air Force contractor.

Features Of Department Of Veterans Affairs Guaranteed Home Loans

Every loan can end up being a little different, but here are the standard features:

• No down payment: Perhaps you can save or invest what you would have put aside as your down payment
• Low interest rates: VA home loans offer one of the most competitive interest rates in the market.
• No mortgage insurance premium: Veterans are required to pay the VAs funding fee, unless exempt, but no mortgage insurance.
• Reusable Benefit: You are able to use this benefit more than one time if you have remaining entitlement.
• One-time funding fee: Some veterans and service members are exempt from paying the funding fee. If you are not exempt, you may pay this fee at closing or include it in your loan.
• Minimum property requirements: VA loans have minimum property requirements to ensure your home is safe, sound and sanitary.
• No penalty for prepayment: Rule of thumb always try to pay off loans early. Not having to pay interest leaves you with additional money to invest in other things. Some loans will penalize you for doing that, but these wont.
• Assumable mortgage: When you sell the property, you may elect to have a VA-eligible buyer assume your mortgage. If you do, the assumers qualifications must be reviewed and approved by the lender or VA.
• VA staff assistance: If you are experiencing some temporary financial difficulty, VA has loan technicians that can discuss your specific situation.

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The Va Offers Funding Fee Flexibility

VA loans require a funding fee, an upfront cost based on your loan amount, your type of eligible service, your down payment size, and other factors.

Funding fees dont need to be paid in cash, though. The VA allows the fee to be financed with the loan, so nothing is due at closing.

And, not all VA borrowers will pay it. VA funding fees are normally waived for veterans who receive VA disability compensation and for unmarried surviving spouses of veterans who died in service or as a result of a service-connected disability.

Find Your Home And Get Your Appraisal Ordered

Your lender will need to order your appraisal from a VA-approved inspector. One good thing about VA appraisals: The appraisers on the VA rotation must finish your appraisal within a set time, depending on your location. Check the appraisal for any repair requirements and be prepared to negotiate with the seller if anything needs to be fixed.

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Additional House Hacking Considerations

What makes house hacking such an outstanding strategy for new real estate investors also has an inherent drawback, that is, youre living in close proximity to your tenants. This means that, if you have a disagreement with a tenant, that disagreement will linger immediately next door to your home.

For some veterans, this reality isnt a problem, as they can effectively compartmentalize personal and professional lives. However, before pursuing a house hacking strategy, veterans should honestly consider whether theyre suited for the additional stress of A) acting as a landlord, and B) having tenants either living in your home or next to your home.

What Are The Benefits

The VA loan program offers some of the most attractive and flexible loan benefits available, and they are exclusively for military personnel, veterans and their families. Perhaps the two biggest benefits that make these loan more affordable than a typical loan are that the borrower typically does not need to make a down payment, and there is no private mortgage insurance requirement.

Heres a look at the complete list of benefits, as taken directly from the Veterans Affairs site:

• Right to prepay your mortgage without penalty.
• For homes inspected by VA during construction, a warranty from builder and assistance from VA to obtain cooperation of builder.
• VA assistance to veteran borrowers in default due to temporary financial difficulty.

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Meet Your Lenders Underwriting Conditions

Once it has all the required documentation, your lender submits your application to its underwriting department. This is the final step to officially approve your mortgage loan. Its not uncommon for underwriters to request more information called conditions at this stage. Usually, additional documentation is all that is needed.

After the underwriter gives final loan approval, your lender sends your final loan documents to an escrow company.

Schedule Your Closing And Pay Your Fees

A few steps need to happen between application and closing. For example, if you’re doing a cash-out refinancing, your lender will almost certainly order an appraisal. So, the final step is to follow all of your lender’s closing procedures, schedule a closing date, and pay whatever closing costs your loan requires. With VA loans, this likely includes the VA funding fee and some other closing costs .

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Va Energy Efficient Mortgage

The VA allows Veterans to borrow additional money to pay for energy efficiency improvements to a home, as part of either a home purchase or a refinance.

Veterans can finance up to an extra $6,000 to cover the cost of qualified improvements, like storm or thermal windows, heat pumps and solar heating and cooling systems. Homeowners can’t use this option to purchase appliances, window air conditioning units and other non-permanent additions.

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USDA Home Construction Loans. USDA Home Construction Loans. Buying a home may not be a good idea for you if you dont want a house that looks identical to almost a dozen of other houses in the neighborhood. Plus, you may not like the layout of the home or the way the bedroom is positioned or your kitchen area.

Using an FHA Loan to Build Your Own Home The FHA offers two different options for construction. The first option is a 203 rehabilitation mortgage. This is meant for people purchasing a fixer-upper where a lot of repair work requires financing.

Through the USDA’s combination construction-to-permanent loan, or single-close loan, homebuyers wishing to build a home with a USDA loan can do so. The single-close loan combines a construction loan, or interim financing, with a traditional 30-year fixed USDA loan 1,082 people found a USDA lender in the last 24 hours!

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Does A Coe Mean You Are Guaranteed A Va Loan

No, having a Certificate of Eligibility doesnt guarantee a VA loan approval.

Your COE shows the lender youre eligible for a VA loan, but no one is guaranteed VA loan approval.

You must still qualify for the loan based on VA mortgage guidelines. The guarantee part of the VA loan refers to the VAs promise to the lender of repayment if the borrower defaults.

New Construction Purchase V Refinance

The big difference between VA purchase and VA Cash-Out refinance loans is your ability to get cash back at closing.

With a VA purchase loan, lenders will lend whichever is less between the home’s appraised value and the total payoff for the home’s construction .

On a Cash-Out refinance, qualified buyers may be able to borrow up to 100 percent of the home’s appraised value. That means veterans and military members may be able to get cash back at closing from the home’s equity, which could help defray the upfront cost of a down payment or other cash outlays.

For example, let’s say you put down 10 percent to secure a $300,000 construction loan covering the acquisition of the land and construction of the new home. Subtract the down payment , and you’re left needing to borrow $270,000 to repay the construction loan.

If the VA appraisal ultimately determines the home’s value is $300,000, you might be able to borrow that amount and get back in cash the difference between the appraised value and what you owe .

Guidelines on loan-to-value ratio and other requirements can vary by lender.

Generally, at Veterans United, the borrower would need to hold title to the land on which the home is built in order to be eligible for a refinance. Otherwise, we would treat it as a purchase loan.

Some buyers may jump at this cash-back opportunity, while others prefer to keep building equity and start with the smaller loan balance. Every buyer’s situation is different.

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What Is Va Loan Assumption

One benefit for home buyers is that VA loans are assumable. When you assume a mortgage loan, you take over the current homeowners monthly payment.

That could be a big advantage if mortgage rates have risen since the original owner purchased the home. The buyer would be able to acquire a low-rate, affordable loan and it could make it easier for the seller to find a willing buyer in a tough market.

How Does A Va Loan Differ From A Conventional Mortgage

VA loans differ from conventional mortgages in many important ways.

The VA warns that adding the funding fee and closing costs to your loan, rather than paying for them upfront, could leave you owing more than your house is worth or could reduce benefits of refinancing because your payments wont be lowered by as much.

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Getting Construction & Land Loans

Getting a traditional construction loan often requires a down payment, although it may be possible to recoup that in some cases. We’ll talk more about that shortly.

When it comes to looking for a construction loan, it can pay to shop around. Talk with multiple builders and financial institutions and compare down payment requirements, closing cost estimates and more.

Some builders may have programs or deals, especially for veterans and military families. Do your homework and make sure you’re working with a legitimate builder with a track record of success and satisfied homeowners.

There are also restrictions about using the VA loan to purchase land. Borrowers can’t use a VA loan to purchase unimproved land with the goal of one day building a home on the site. There are traditional land loans for this purpose, but they typically require a down payment as well.

Veterans and military members who own the land they want to build on may be able to use any equity they have toward down payment requirements for construction financing.

Veterans who don’t already own land can often include purchasing it in their overall construction loan.

It’s important to understand that construction loans are short-term loans. That means it’s imperative for veterans and military members to start working on the permanent financing as early as possible.

Exploring The Va Loan

The VA loan program has helped generations of Veterans, service members and military families achieve the dream of homeownership. At the heart of this benefit is a promise: Because of their selfless service to our country, Veterans have access to a home loan program with flexible guidelines and significant financial benefits, chiefly the ability to purchase with no down payment.

Lets take a closer look at how VA loans work and what it takes to start the VA loan process.

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