VA loans in San Antonio

What a VA loan gets you

A VA loan is a mortgage from a regular lender that the Department of Veterans Affairs partly guarantees. That guarantee is why lenders can offer terms you won't find on most other loans:

• No down payment for eligible buyers with full entitlement.
• No monthly mortgage insurance, no matter how much you put down.
• No VA minimum credit score. Most lenders look for about 580 to 620.
• Help from the seller. Sellers can pay your closing costs, and VA allows seller concessions of up to 4% of the home's reasonable value on top of that.
• You can use it again. It's a benefit for life, not a one-time coupon.

Who can use one

Veterans, active-duty service members, and National Guard and Reserve members who meet the service requirements can qualify, along with some surviving spouses. Your Certificate of Eligibility (COE) proves it and shows how much entitlement you have.

You can request your COE on VA.gov, or I can help you get it as part of your pre-approval. It's usually one of the quickest steps.

The funding fee

Instead of monthly mortgage insurance, most VA buyers pay a one-time funding fee. It's a percentage of the loan amount, and you can pay it at closing or add it to the loan.

Rates in effect since April 7, 2023, per VA. Example: on a $300,000 loan with no down payment on your first use, the fee is $6,450.

You don't pay the fee at all if you receive VA compensation for a service-connected disability (or are eligible for it but get retirement or active-duty pay instead), if you're a surviving spouse receiving Dependency and Indemnity Compensation, if you have a pre-discharge rating issued before closing, or if you're on active duty and show proof of a Purple Heart by closing.

You'll still have normal closing costs like the appraisal, title insurance and prepaid taxes and insurance. In San Antonio it's common to ask the seller to cover some of them. My VA calculator shows the fee and your payment together.

How much you can borrow

With full entitlement, VA sets no loan limit. How much you can borrow comes down to your income, debts, credit and the home's appraised value.

If you still have a VA loan open, your remaining entitlement is based on the county loan limit. Most of the country, including the San Antonio area, uses the 2026 one-unit limit of $832,750. My VA entitlement calculator works out what you have left.

VA also checks residual income: the money left over each month after your mortgage, debts and estimated living costs. It's VA's way of making sure the payment fits your real life, not just a ratio on paper.

PCSing to Joint Base San Antonio

Joint Base San Antonio includes Fort Sam Houston, Lackland and Randolph, plus Camp Bullis. If you have orders here, this is how I'd plan it:

1. Get pre-approved before you arrive. Send me your orders and leave and earnings statement. Your Basic Allowance for Housing can count as income.
2. Know the move-in rule. A VA loan is for a home you'll live in, and you generally need to move in within about 60 days of closing. Deployments and report dates can allow more time, so tell me your dates early.
3. Pick your side of town by base. Fort Sam Houston sits just northeast of downtown. Randolph is northeast, near Universal City, Schertz, Converse and Cibolo. Lackland is on the west and southwest side, and many buyers there look along Highway 151 and Loop 1604 West. Rush-hour traffic on 1604, 410 and I-35 matters more than miles.
4. Buy from out of state if you need to. Your agent can tour homes on video, most documents can be signed electronically, and we can time closing around your report date.
5. Thinking about your next PCS? Many families keep their San Antonio home as a rental when they move. You have to plan to live in it first, so talk to me before you buy if that's the long game.

Texas property tax breaks for disabled veterans

Texas has no state income tax but high property taxes, so these exemptions can be worth thousands a year. Every homeowner gets a $140,000 homestead exemption from school taxes on their primary home. Disabled veterans can get more:

• 100% disability rating or individual unemployability: the home's entire appraised value is exempt (Texas Tax Code 11.131). A surviving spouse who hasn't remarried can keep it.
• A rating of 10% or more: a partial exemption that grows with your rating (Tax Code 11.22). The amounts are on Comptroller form 50-135 and at your appraisal district.

You apply with the appraisal district where the home is, which for most of San Antonio is the Bexar Appraisal District, using form 50-114. If you qualify after January 1, the 100% exemption can start right away for the rest of that year. My Texas veteran property tax calculator estimates the savings.

Watch: VA loan benefits

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