If you or a loved one has served in the military this article is meant for you.
It is important for you to not only know that there are Veterans Affairs (VA) home loans available to you, but also understand the program, its purpose, and the benefits available to you at its fullest.
Follow along as I break it down into bite-size pieces so that you can be best prepared for the purchase of your own home.
Veteran Affairs home loans provide millions of veterans the ability to purchase their own homes. They have been providing these types of loans over the past 78 years. To be eligible for a VA home loan one must be an active service member, a veteran, or an eligible surviving spouse.
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs wants to say thank you for serving by making homeownership a real possibility for those who have dedicated their lives to serving our country. They have made it their mission to serve you by providing home loan guarantee benefits in addition to other housing-related programs that assist you in buying, building, repairing, retaining, or adapting a home for your personal use.
Some of the major benefits of using a VA home loan is that most eligible borrowers can purchase the home with NO DOWN PAYMENT! That means you don’t have to save up to buy your own home and you are not penalized for not having a down payment. Typically, most other loans that have down payments below 20% require what is called Private Mortgage Insurance often referred to as PMI. This is an additional monthly fee tacked onto the mortgage that can be removed once you’ve reached 20% of the mortgage. How does this benefit you? You have an overall reduced monthly cost. In addition, VA loans offer competitive terms and mortgage interest rates. The Executive Director of the Department of Veterans Affairs Loan Guaranty Service, John Bell, recently described the strength of the program by saying: “It provides early ownership for many people that would not have that opportunity, to begin with. Since there’s no down payment, it allows people to hold their wealth and it gives them the ability to have long-term financial security by being able to own a house and let that equity grow.”
Our veterans sacrifice so much during their service to our nation. One way we thank them is to ensure they have the best information about the benefits of VA home loans. Thank you for your service.
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