How to Apply for a VA Loan

If you are in the market for home, you already know that there are a multitude of different places that you can go to apply for a home loan. A potential home buyer has the option to choose between a conventional loan, FHA loan, USDA loan, or VA loan just to name a few. This article will talk about the necessary steps that are required to apply for a VA loan.

You will want to start out by making sure that your credit is in order and that everything is current. You will not be able to have any late payments, charge-offs or collections within the past twelve months. It is not recommended that you pay off all of your debts as this can hurt your credit negatively as well. It is highly advisable that you get a copy of your credit report to make sure that everything is accurate before you start the application process.

It is important to understand that before you actually apply for your VA loan you will need to complete a form called Form 26-1880. This form then needs to be mailed off to the VA office along with a copy of your DD214, which is a certificate that shows that you are qualified to apply for VA. Your lender may also be able to get a copy of the certificate over the Internet however, if you have already done this yourself, the process will go a whole lot smoother.

Your next step will be to put together some personal documents that you will be required to have. These documents include bank statements, recent pay stubs for at least two months, 2 years of tax returns. If you have any other important documents such as your housing benefit letter, or any other military benefits that you may be eligible for, put these into your package as well. This information will be used so that the lender will be able to determine how much of a loan you qualify for.

If you are still active military, you will also need to request a Statement of Service from your Commanding Officer so that the lender can use this as a means of verifying your employment.

Take all of the paperwork that you have gathered to a VA approved lender, who should now have enough information to pre-qualify you for a VA loan. This step should go very smoothly because you have already taken the time to do all of your homework up front, and gathered all of your necessary documents together in advance.

Getting a VA loan is really quite easy once you understand the necessary steps, and take the time to gather all of your information up front. This will prevent you from having to run around town, and will make it a much more pleasant experience over all.