VA loans closed after 1988 are assumable, with approval of the VA or the Lender. Loans closed before 1988 are assumable by anyone, without any approval. The owner should get a release of liability before allowing the mortgage to be assumed.

Although rare, the VA will do a "refund" of the loan, from the lender. If the veteran is having difficulty making payments, the VA will "refund", which means they will take over the loan. This is only done when the veteran's reasons were due to circumstances beyond his or her control, and there is a good chance that they will recover and be able to make timely payments again.

A VA loan refinance, is called an IRRRL. An "Interest Rate Reduction Refinance Loan" is also referred to as a "Streamline" or "VA to VA". Unless you are refinancing from an adjustable rate, you must be moving to a lower rate, from your existing mortgage rate.

No appraisal or underwriting is required for the IRRRL by the VA, but the lender may want an appraisal and credit report. An IRRRL can be done with no out of pocket expense and does not require the VA certificate of eligibility.

The guarantee is called the VA Funding Fee. It's a percentage of the loan amount and can either be paid at closing or added to the loan amount.

The VA home loan benefit is called an entitlement.

VA guaranteed loans are made by lenders and brokers to veterans for the purchase of a personal home. The guaranty means the lender is protected against loss if you fail to repay the loan. The guaranty replaces the protection the lender normally receives by requiring a down payment allowing you to obtain favorable terms.

With a VA loan you finance 100% of the purchase price as well as the funding fee.

Although you are paying for the funding fee you are getting a lower rate in exchange. This means over the life of your loan you could save thousands of dollars over other conventional loan programs.

A note to the borrower:

There is usually quite a bit more paper work involved in processing a VA loan. There are extra disclosures that need to be signed along with stricter underwriting guidelines. They may require letters of explantions for various items on credit reports etc...

The VA will guarantee a maximum of 25% of a home loan, to a maximum loan amount of $417,000 in 2007.

Depending upon your status, the VA may award you with a down payment towards the purchase of your new home. You will have to provide your Certificate of Eligibilty to prove the amount of money you have been rewarded.

The veteran will need to provide their Certificate of Eligibility, the certificate is VA form 26-8320.

Also, it is possible for a veteran to have more than one VA loan.

It is important to recognize that while the VA appraisal estimates the value of the property, it is not an inspection and does not guarantee that the house is free of defects. Homebuyers should be encouraged to carefully inspect the property themselves, or to hire a reputable inspection firm to help in this area. VA guarantees the loan, not the condition of the property.

If you receive a Veterans disability benefit or allotment, there is a good chance that the funding fee will be waived.

VA Home loans provide an extra benefit of not having PMI. This enforces lenders from requiring it and can help your monthly cashfolow.

With the current mortgage liquidity crunch, VA financing is a great way to obtain 100% financing. Va loans have no fico credit score minimum, and look at a 1 year credit history primarily.

VA Guaranteed Loan: A mortgage loan that is guaranteed by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).

VA Jumbo Loans are now available as well. Contact a mortgage professional to determine what you can qualify for.