VA Loan Requirements: Do You Qualify?

Service and eligibility

Everything starts with your service history. Most active-duty members become eligible after 90 continuous days of service. Veterans, National Guard, and Reserve members qualify based on the length and type of their service, and eligible surviving spouses can qualify through their service member's record.

The exact service requirement depends on when and how you served, so the safest move is not to talk yourself out of it. If you wore the uniform, it is worth a five-minute check.

Your Certificate of Eligibility (COE)

The COE is the document that proves to a lender you are entitled to the VA benefit. It confirms your eligibility and shows your entitlement — the amount the VA will guarantee, which is what makes $0 down possible.

You do not have to chase this down alone. In most cases Jodie can pull your COE for you through the lender portal in a matter of minutes, so it rarely slows anything down.

Credit, income, and DTI flexibility

The VA does not set a minimum credit score — individual lenders do, and VA guidelines are generally more forgiving than conventional ones. The VA also uses a residual income test, which looks at how much money is genuinely left over after your major monthly obligations. That residual income approach is a big reason veterans with a higher debt-to-income (DTI) ratio can still be approved when a conventional loan might say no.

You will still need to document stable, reliable income and a credit history that shows you handle obligations responsibly. Flexibility is not a free pass, but the bar is designed to be reachable for real military households.

• ✦No VA-mandated minimum credit score, though your lender sets its own floor.
• ✦Residual income matters as much as your DTI ratio.
• ✦Stable, documented income is required — from employment, retirement, or qualifying benefits.
• ✦There is no VA loan limit with full entitlement; approval is based on what you can afford.

Occupancy: it has to be your home

VA loans are for primary residences. You must certify that you intend to occupy the home as your main residence, generally within about 60 days of closing. This is why you cannot use a standard VA purchase loan to buy a pure investment property or a vacation home.

There is welcome nuance here for military life. You can buy a multi-unit property (up to four units) and live in one while renting the others, and PCS moves and deployments have their own occupancy accommodations — which matters a lot when the military moves you on its schedule, not yours.

The VA appraisal and Minimum Property Requirements

Every VA purchase requires a VA appraisal, which does two jobs at once. First, it establishes the home's fair market value so you do not overpay. Second, it checks the property against the VA's Minimum Property Requirements (MPRs) — basic standards for safety, structural soundness, and sanitation.

MPRs are not a full home inspection, and you should still get your own inspection. But they are the VA's way of making sure the home you are financing is safe and livable. If an appraisal comes in with issues, there are usually paths forward — repairs, renegotiation, or other options Jodie can walk you through.