The VA loan is the strongest home-buying benefit in the country, and far too many of the people who earned it leave it on the table. In 2025, a national survey found only about half of service members knew a VA loan requires no down payment (PRNewswire / Veterans United survey, 2025). That one gap costs families thousands. This is the full step-by-step — from your Certificate of Eligibility to the closing table — written by an Army veteran who uses this benefit with buyers across coastal Georgia every month. As a VA loan realtor in Georgia, my job is to make sure you use every dollar of what you earned.
Key Takeaways
– With full VA entitlement, eligible buyers purchase a primary home with $0 down and no PMI (VA.gov, 2026) — yet only ~50% of service members know the no-down-payment part (Veterans United survey, 2025).
– In 2025, roughly 70% of VA purchase loans closed with zero down (NewDayUSA, 2026) — proof the benefit works as advertised.
– The first-use VA funding fee on a zero-down purchase is 2.15% and can be financed; veterans with a service-connected disability rating are exempt (VA.gov, 2026).
– The VA appraisal protects you: it sets value and checks the home against the VA’s Minimum Property Requirements.
What is a VA loan, and who qualifies in Georgia?
A VA loan is a mortgage made by a regular lender and backed by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, which is what lets eligible buyers purchase a primary home with no down payment and no private mortgage insurance (U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, 2026). Eligibility comes from your service — active-duty members, veterans, National Guard, Reserves, and many surviving spouses can qualify. The benefit travels with you, so it works the same whether you’re buying in Hinesville, Richmond Hill, or Savannah.
It’s not just a benefit on paper, either. In 2025, about 7 in 10 VA purchase loans closed with zero down (NewDayUSA, VA Loan Statistics, 2026). Most buyers who use it really do put nothing down.
Step 1: Get your Certificate of Eligibility (COE)
Start with your Certificate of Eligibility — it confirms to a lender that you qualify for the VA home loan benefit (VA.gov, 2026). You have three ways to get one: have your lender pull it through the VA’s Web LGY system (fastest, and what we usually recommend), request it yourself online at VA.gov, or mail in VA Form 26-1880. In a lot of cases the VA already has enough on file to issue it instantly.
Your COE also shows your entitlement — the portion of the loan the VA backs. If you’ve used a VA loan before and since sold the home, you can often restore full entitlement and use the benefit again. Don’t assume one use is all you get.
Step 2: Get pre-approved (and choose the right lender)
Next, get pre-approved so you know your real budget and your rate before you fall for a house. A lender will check your income, credit, and debts, then issue a pre-approval letter that tells sellers you’re serious. In a balanced market like coastal Georgia’s right now, a clean pre-approval is a genuine edge.
Here’s where I’ll be blunt, veteran to veteran: not every company with “veteran” or “military” in its name is veteran-owned, and rates and fees vary a lot from one VA lender to the next. The benefit is identical no matter who funds it — what changes is the rate, the lender fees, and how well they actually understand a VA file. So shop it.