You Served. Now Let’s Get You Home.

Yes. VA loan entitlement is reusable and does not expire. Once you sell the home and pay off the loan in full, you can apply to have your entitlement restored and use the benefit again. In some cases you can hold two VA loans at the same time using remaining entitlement, which matters if you are keeping a home as a rental and buying another in Houston.

If you were told you already used up your benefit, that is usually wrong. A lender can pull your Certificate of Eligibility and show you exactly how much entitlement you have left.

No. Veterans receiving VA disability compensation at any rating, surviving spouses of veterans who died in service or from a service-connected disability, and Purple Heart recipients are all exempt from the VA funding fee. For everyone else, a first-use purchase with no down payment carries a 2.15% fee, and subsequent use is 3.30%.

On a $350,000 Houston-area purchase, that exemption is worth roughly $7,500 at first use and over $11,500 on a subsequent loan. Confirm your exemption status before closing. If you were rated after closing, you may be able to request a refund of a fee you already paid.

There is no VA loan limit if you have full entitlement. Your borrowing amount is determined by what a lender approves based on income, credit, and debt-to-income ratio, not by a cap from the VA. Loan limits only apply if you have reduced entitlement because of an existing VA loan or a prior default.

In practice, Houston-area affordability is usually driven by property taxes rather than purchase price. Fort Bend County MUD districts can add significantly to a monthly payment, so two homes at the same price can carry very different costs. We factor that in before you write an offer.

Sometimes, and it is almost always based on outdated assumptions. Listing agents often believe VA loans close slowly or that VA appraisals kill deals. Modern VA loans close on comparable timelines to conventional financing, and the appraisal issues that used to cause problems are largely manageable when identified early.

The fix is presentation. We address the objection in the offer itself and speak directly to the listing agent before they advise their seller. In competitive Fort Bend County situations, that conversation is often the difference between an accepted offer and a rejected one.

A VA appraisal determines value and also verifies the home meets the VA’s Minimum Property Requirements. It checks for safe mechanical systems, a working heat source, adequate roofing, safe water and sewer, no exposed wiring, and no active wood-destroying insect damage. A conventional appraisal generally checks value only.

The VA appraiser is assigned by the VA, not chosen by your lender. If issues are flagged, they usually have to be corrected before closing. We identify likely MPR problems during showings so you are not renegotiating repairs two weeks before your closing date.

Texas exempts a fixed dollar amount from the appraised value of your property based on your VA disability rating: $5,000 for 10 to 29%, $7,500 for 30 to 49%, $10,000 for 50 to 69%, and $12,000 for 70 to 99%. Veterans awarded 100% disability compensation, either through a 100% rating or a determination of individual unemployability, receive a total exemption on 100% of the appraised value of their residence homestead.

The total exemption is the one that changes lives in Houston. On a $400,000 home in Fort Bend County with a combined rate near 2.5%, that is roughly $10,000 a year eliminated from your housing cost. Veterans 65 or older with a rating of at least 10% qualify for the $12,000 exemption regardless of their specific tier. Partial exemptions are filed on Form 50-135 and the total homestead exemption on Form 50-114 through your county appraisal district.

The Texas Veterans Land Board is a state program offering home, land, and home improvement loans exclusively to Texas veterans, separate from your federal VA benefit. The 2026 maximum home loan amount is $832,750, and veterans with a VA service-connected disability rating of 30% or higher receive a 0.50% interest rate reduction.

Which one fits depends on your situation. VLB also runs a land loan program that finances up to 100 acres, something a standard VA loan cannot do, so it is often the answer for buyers looking at acreage outside Richmond or Fulshear. VLB loans carry occupancy requirements: the home must be your Texas primary residence, you must occupy it within 60 days, and it must stay your primary residence for at least three years. VLB rates and program availability change, so confirm current terms at glo.texas.gov or with a participating lender.

Yes. Active duty service members can use the VA loan while still serving, and many buyers close before their separation date. Lenders can often use your military income to qualify, and in some cases a signed civilian job offer as well. The VA requires you to occupy the home as your primary residence, generally within 60 days of closing.

The timing question worth thinking through is income documentation. Closing while still on active duty is frequently simpler than closing during the gap between separation and your first civilian paycheck. If you are separating within the next year, it is worth talking to a lender early rather than waiting.

Yes. National Guard and Reserve members qualify for a VA loan if they meet the minimum service requirements set by the Department of Veterans Affairs. Eligibility is generally based on six years of qualifying service, or a shorter period of active duty service under Title 10 or Title 32 orders. Discharge conditions and service dates matter, so eligibility is confirmed through your Certificate of Eligibility.

This is one of the most commonly missed benefits in Houston. Members drilling with the 147th Attack Wing at Ellington Field and reserve components across the metro frequently assume the VA loan is for active duty and veterans only. It is not.

Yes. VA loans are assumable by a qualified buyer, including buyers who are not veterans, subject to lender and VA approval. A 0.5% funding fee typically applies on an assumption. In a market where current rates sit well above what many homeowners locked in, a low assumable rate can be a real competitive advantage when you list.

The critical caveat: if the buyer is not a veteran substituting their own entitlement, your entitlement stays tied to that loan even after you sell, which limits your ability to use your benefit on your next purchase. Assumption can be the right move or the wrong one depending on whether you plan to buy again. Work through that before you market the feature.

Yes. Remote sales are routine. We handle pre-listing repairs and vendor coordination, photography and staging, showings and feedback, offer negotiation, inspection response, and closing logistics. Texas allows remote online notarization and most closings can be completed without you traveling back.

Give us as much lead time as you can. A home prepared properly before it hits the market almost always nets more than one listed in a hurry, even accounting for a few extra weeks of carrying costs.

Sí. Miguel habla español y puede manejar todo el proceso — desde la primera consulta hasta el cierre — en español, incluyendo la explicación de su beneficio VA y los documentos del préstamo.