Have you served the United States Armed Forces? Or, has a relative been a member of the service? If so, chances are, you qualify for VA funding. Here’s what you need to know about VA home loans for 2022.

What Is a VA Home Loan?

As a way to celebrate veterans, the VA sponsors several programs to make life easier for them. One of the biggest ones they’ve made is their home loan program. The VA will subsidize a mortgage for qualifying participants, making them more affordable.

If you’ve had difficulty affording conventional loans, the VA home loan may help. It can reduce how much you have to spend on monthly payments and lower the size of any down payments.

How Do VA Loans Work?

Private lenders still provide loan servicing when using the VA’s home loan program. The VA simply guarantees the loan in case of default, minimizing risk on the lender.

Since there’s less risk involved, lenders can offer better terms to VA-financed borrowers. So, it’s not as expensive to buy the same home using one of their loans, usually.

What Are the Eligibility Guidelines for 2022?

Every year, specific requirements change, so always look up the latest ones. For 2022, all active duty service members qualify for the VA home loan program. Anyone who’s retired has to meet length-of-service requirements to qualify first.

Surviving spouses may qualify for financing subsidized by the VA, too. So, if you’ve lost a loved one, check with your lender to see.

Most of the time, lenders set their own income and credit limits. See if yours has their requirements listed online. Your debt-to-income ratio must meet certain limits as well.

How Much Can You Borrow Using a VA Loan?

Since it’s a government-sponsored program, loan limits vary by area. Some places, like California, have higher loan limits than others.

This limit determines how much someone can borrow without having a down payment. This year, the average loan limit has been $647K.

However, some counties have limits as high as $970K. So, see what the local limits are before making any plans.

Are There Different Types of VA Loans?

The VA loan refers to the VA purchase mortgage most of the time. This gives qualifying service members access to affordable financing while buying a home.

If you’ve already bought a home, they’ve designed a refinancing program. The VA cash-out refinance lets you pull equity out of your house and deposit it in the bank as cash.

Another possibility is the VA streamline refinance. Instead of getting money back, you’ll have a better interest rate. Plus, it can help lower the size of your monthly payments, too.

When your home needs repairs, the VA offers a rehab loan, too. This can finance the cost of repairs, making them easily affordable.

What Are the Benefits?

There are two huge benefits to the VA home loan program. First, as long as you stay within their limits, there’s no down payment. Second, there’s not any mortgage insurance, either.

Because of this, it’s much less expensive to purchase homes using their loans. Best of all, VA loans still have competitive interest rates. So, there’s hardly any downside to using the program if you’re buying a home for the first time.

Where Can You Find VA-Approved Homes?

The only headache is having to buy VA-approved homes. If you’re looking for VA homes for sale , check this out. It’s an active listing of homes nearby.

So, you can see what’s available without looking at stuff that wouldn’t qualify. That way, you’re wasting much less time while searching for somewhere to live. Once you’ve found a place, it’s guaranteed to work with a VA loan.

Everything You Need to Know About VA Loans in 2022

We’ve heard many great things about the VA home loan program. After looking at the details up close, we’re not surprised. They’ve designed the VA home loan program to make home purchases more affordable. Not only do you avoid down payments, but you also avoid PMI. That’s a ton of money you’d have to pay if you had a conventional mortgage.