No Cap On No Money Down VA Loan After January 1st

Buying a home for veterans will get a little easier come January 1, 2020, especially those veterans moving up to a more expensive home, as a result of the Blue Water Navy Veterans Act of 2019 signed into law by President Trump in June 2019.  The primary focus of the Act was to provide disability benefits to veterans who served in Vietnam, it also made significant changes to the VA Home Loan benefit available to all veterans.  The VA home loan changes go into effect on January 1, 2020.  Below are highlights of the changes to the VA home loan benefit:

  • Conforming Loan Limits – There will no longer be a limit, or cap, on the amount for a no-downpayment home loan to a veteran.
  • VA funding fee increase – The VA charges a funding fee to support the VA home loan program.  The fee is currently 0.15% for Veterans and Servicemembers and on January 1st will increase to 0.30%.
  • Purple Heart – The VA funding fee will be waived for active Servicemembers who have earned a Purple Heart.
  • Native America Direct Loan – As of January 1st, the existing cap of $80,000 will be removed for Veterans using their entitlement for a VA Native American Direct loan to purchase (or build) a home on Federal trust land.

To find out more about the changes to the VA home loan program, click on the button below to connect with Mike McCarthy,

[xyz-ips snippet=”Mike-McCarthy—FHA-VA-Loan-Specialist”]

President Trump Signs Bill To Eliminate Cap On VA Loans

This past Tuesday night, President Trump signed into law H.R. 299, the “Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Act” was signed into law by President Trump on Tuesday night. H.R. 299, which, among other things good for veterans, eliminates the cap on VA Loans.  Currently, the VA can only “guarantee” (they insure 25% of the loan amount for lenders, which is why lenders are willing to make 100% loans to veterans) loans up to the limit established by the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation Act (FHLMCA).  Currently, the loan limit is $484,350 however, after the new law goes into effect on January 1, 2020, the VA will be able to provide their guarantee to lenders on loan amounts of any size for veterans.

This is a huge victory for veterans as well as for the real estate industry.

 

New Law Improves VA Loan Benefits; St. Louis Mortgage Interest Rate Update

The new legislation is titled: Honoring America’s Veterans and Caring for Camp Lejeune Families Act (H.R. 1627) and has been signed into law on August 6, 2012.

Congress expanded the scope of the legislation and specifically mandated improvements in VA home loan benefits through the VA Home Loan Guaranty Program.  Realtors and lenders will now be able to help more veterans and their families become homeowners. A portion of the new law makes VA loans available to more surviving spouses, provides easier funding fee waivers for disabled vets and helps single and dual-duty parents with occupancy hurdles. Continue reading “New Law Improves VA Loan Benefits; St. Louis Mortgage Interest Rate Update

The truth about VA loans;  St. Louis Mortgage rate update

Recently, I heard a radio commercial about “special” financing for certain veterans implying this “special” loan is available for a “limited time only.” The good news is that the Veterans Administration (VA) offers an ongoing mortgage loan program to benefit members of the armed forces who have generally served for two years in peace time, or 90 days during conflict. Members of the National Guard or Reserves who have served for six years are eligible along with widows of veterans if the veteran died in a service-related incident. The VA offers loans to: Purchase a New or Existing Home, Rate Reduction Refinance, and Cash-Out Refinance. Borrowers are evaluated by their credit worthiness and their ability to show stable and sufficient income to cover the costs of owning a home, cover other obligations and expenses and have enough left for family support. Traditional credit scoring is not used by the VA in underwriting. Non-married co-borrowers are not permitted. VA loans must be the borrowers’ primary residence. Continue reading “The truth about VA loans;  St. Louis Mortgage rate update

VA Home Loans for Missouri Veterans

kevin-pearia-va-home-loansFor many military members, there is no greater joy than completely service and finally being able to lay some roots, and the first order of business for many is to purchase a home. However, in recent years, purchasing a home hasn’t been as easy as it once was. Conventional lenders have increased their lending requirements sometimes making it nearly impossible for the average borrower to secure financing.

However, the large down payments and high credit requirements of conventional lending don’t have to mean the end of the road for military Continue reading “VA Home Loans for Missouri Veterans