Your VA Loan Checklist for Using the Benefit You Earned
Eligibility, VA-approved lenders, offer strategies, inspections, the appraisal and closing, in one free checklist from a VA-experienced REALTOR.
How to Make Your VA Offer More Competitive
Some sellers still believe VA offers are harder to close. I write VA offers to compete: a strong pre-approval from a VA-approved lender, contingency terms written with care, and a clear plan for the appraisal and inspections.
You served. Now let me serve you, and help you get full use of the benefit you earned.
Everything on Your VA Loan Checklist
Confirm your eligibility
Request your Certificate of Eligibility (COE). It proves your entitlement to VA home loan benefits.
Get pre-approved
Choose a VA-approved lender and get a pre-approval before you tour, so you know your budget.
Choose a VA-experienced agent
Someone who knows VA rules and how to present your offer to a seller.
Make a competitive offer
Offer strategy built around your loan, including seller contributions toward your costs where they help.
Inspections and the VA appraisal
Your own inspection, plus the VA appraisal that checks value and minimum property requirements.
Close
Final walkthrough, signing and keys. I stay with you to the closing table.
What a VA Loan Gives You
No down payment
Eligible borrowers with full entitlement can buy with no down payment, keeping savings for the move.
No PMI
VA loans do not require private mortgage insurance, even with nothing down.
Limited closing costs
The VA limits what you can be charged. Sellers can also pay your closing costs, and extra seller concessions are capped at 4% of the home’s appraised value.
Flexible credit
The VA sets no minimum credit score. Lenders set their own, and I refer you to VA-approved lenders my clients have used.
The funding fee
A one-time fee that can be rolled into the loan. Veterans receiving VA disability compensation are exempt.
A reusable benefit
You can use your VA loan benefit more than once in your life.
What to Expect After Your Offer Is Accepted
Your lender orders the VA appraisal. It confirms the home’s value and checks it against the VA’s minimum property requirements. You also get your own home inspection. If either one finds issues, I negotiate repairs or price with the seller.
I watch every deadline from contract to closing, keep a backup plan, and walk you through the final steps. Clients say I answer at any time of day.
Questions About Using a VA Home Loan
What is a VA loan?
A VA loan is a home loan backed by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and made by private lenders. Eligible buyers can purchase with no down payment, no private mortgage insurance, and limits on what they can be charged in closing costs.
Who is eligible for a VA home loan?
Most veterans, active-duty service members, National Guard and Reserve members, and some surviving spouses. Service rules include 90 consecutive days of active service in wartime, 181 days in peacetime, or six years in the Guard or Reserves.
You prove it with a Certificate of Eligibility (COE). Your lender can often pull it electronically, or you can request it through VA.gov.
How do you use a VA home loan?
Get your Certificate of Eligibility, get pre-approved with a VA-approved lender, and work with an agent who knows how to write a VA offer. Then the home goes through the VA appraisal and your inspection before closing.
The benefit is reusable. Sell one home and pay off that loan, and you can usually use it again for the next.
Get Your Free VA Loan Checklist
The VA Loan Success Checklist, Texas veterans edition: eligibility, pre-approval, offers, inspections, appraisal and closing. Leave your details and I will send it.
Call or Text
(469) 396-5226
[email protected]
Service Areas
Sunnyvale • Forney • Mesquite • Dallas County
Updated