VA Home Loan in Florida

VA Loan in Florida

Veterans who live in the sunshine state of Florida can use the VA home loan program for a purchase loan or refinance. This program, which is backed by the Department of Veterans Affairs, is a benefit offered to men and women who served our great country. For many reasons, this loan has been an important benefit for Veterans buying a home and starting a family.

VA Loan Benefits

There are several reasons why eligible veterans choose the VA loan program for a home purchase. In no particular order, the major benefits are

• Qualifying VA borrowers are not asked to make a down payment. 100% of the sales price can be financed.
• The VA loan rates are similar to conventional loans
• The credit requirements for getting approved are not as strict as other loans
• Private Mortgage Insurance (PMI) is not required
• Home sellers are allowed to pay a portion of the closing costs

With no down payment requirement and no PMI, this program is an affordable way for veterans to buy a home with little out-of-pocket expense.

VA Loan Eligibility

There are many ways people can choose to serve our country via the military. For this reason, there are also different qualifications for who is eligible for this program. Here is a brief description of the various ways people can meet the eligibility rules:

• Active Duty Service Members – any person that has served in a branch of the military during war for at least 90 days (service days must be consecutive)
• Discharged with wartime service – Any veteran that has been honorably discharged and served a minimum of 90 days during war
• Discharged with peacetime service – Any veteran that has been honorably discharged and served a minimum of 181 days (service days must be consecutive)
• Discharged with a disability – disabled veterans who were honorably discharged with a disability that occurred during service may be eligible
• Specific period – Veterans that served between the dates of September 7, 1980, and August 1, 1990, must show that they were enlisted for at least 24 months in a row. They must be dishonorably discharged as well.
• Reservists or National Guard – People who have served in either the Reservists or National Guard may be eligible if they meet the following conditions:
  • Served a minimum of 6 years. If served less than 6 years due to disability based on service, they must fall into one of these categories:
    • Listed as Retired
    • Discharged Honorably
    • Choose to serve as a member of the Selected Reserve
    • Transferred to Ready Reserve

Based on these rules, a wide range of service members can meet the eligibility requirements.

If you have any questions about your entitlement, feel free to contact us directly.

Surviving Spouses Of Florida Veterans

As a way to honor the memory of veterans who perished in the line of duty, the loan is now available to their surviving spouses. If the veteran was discharged due to injury/disability and subsequently passes away because of the injury, the veteran’s surviving spouse can be eligible for the VA loan as well.

How to Use the Florida VA Loan

This mortgage is available for the following types of homes

• Townhomes
• Single Family Home
• 2-4 unit owner-occupied homes
• Condos that are previously approved by the VA
• New construction home (if the builder is not VA approved be sure to take care of that asap)

The rules state that the veteran Florida homebuyer must intend to live in the home as their primary residence. For those of you looking to secure an investment property, you will have to owner-occupy one unit and then you can rent out the rest. Available for 2-4 unit properties.

VA Funding Fee

It was mentioned earlier that the loan will allow eligible veterans to buy a home with no down payment and also waive the requirement for PMI. To guarantee the loans for approved lenders, the VA needs available funds to cover an existing mortgage if the payments are not made and the home is foreclosed. These funds come from the funding fee.

When a veteran, member of the National Guard, or reserves uses the VA loan for the first time, a fee of 2.3% will be applied. This fee is added to the loan amount, allowing the veteran to pay the fee over time. If a veteran uses a VA loan a second or subsequent time, the funding fee will go up to 3.6%.

Debt-to-Income – Paying for the Loan

Besides the military service and credit requirements, the other important qualification for the VA mortgage in Florida is the debt-to-income calculation.

The lender will calculate the borrower’s monthly debt requirements from their credit report. Added to that amount will be the proposed mortgage payment, including escrow for home insurance and property taxes. The rules state that the calculation should be 41% or lower.

For example, a veteran has a salary of $70,000 per year. Their current monthly bills are a car loan of $437, credit card payments of $208, and a proposed home payment, including escrow, of $1,123.

So, the calculation would be

Other benchmarks need to be met after meeting the debt-to-income ratio called the residual income.

The residual income indicates how much money a veteran should have left after paying their debt and housing payment. The residual income amount is based on the number of people living in the home, the size of the mortgage, and the location. With these figures, the lender can predict whether or not the VA home buyer is a good risk for the loan.

Florida VA Home Loan Refinance

This mortgage can be used beyond simply buying a home. The program will allow refinances as well. There are 3 ways to refinance:

• VA Cash-out – this is where a borrower can take advantage of the built-up equity in the home. The loan-to-value ratio will be based on the borrower’s credit score and debt-to-income ratio.
• Streamline – Mortgage rates move in cycles. Some years they are up and some years they are down. When the rates drop, people who currently have a VA mortgage loan can choose to VA streamline refinance to take advantage of the better VA interest rate. The interest rate reduction refinance has less paperwork and is usually a much faster loan process.
• Refinance from another mortgage to VA – if an eligible veteran used a different type of mortgage to purchase their home and would like to take advantage of this program, they are welcome to do so.

The various refinance loan options make it easy to either keep a VA mortgage or use it to remove an existing mortgage.

Summing Up How VA Loans Work in Florida

With the no money down option, competitive interest rates, and no private mortgage insurance, it is easy to see why eligible veterans choose this mortgage as a way to purchase a home.