Strong words? I don't think so.
I have spoken to many Military folks who were steered away from using their VA benefits when buying a home. When a mortgage broker or an out of state lender tells someone with VA benefits that they have a better deal; it is probably better for the loan officer, not the borrower. Here are a few reasons why some loan officers have consistently pushed vets away from using a VA Loan:
- They are not set up to do VA loans.
- They can not charge the junk fees.
- They do not make as much money on them.
- They are not trained in VA mortgages.
- They are dishonest.
On a rare occasion a year or two back I did see some loan programs that came close to VA, but none recently. I have a client who showed me his mortgage on a new construction home he bought 2 years ago. He was put in an ARM at a rate that was about the same as a 30 year fixed VA at the time. It has since gone up considerably. He had to come in with over $15,000 at closing; with VA it would have been less than $1000. He had mortgage insurance and a hard pre-payment penalty. With a VA he could have gotten in without a pre-payment penalty or mortgage insurance. Of course the developer did not allow him a real estate agent without having to pay for it out of pocket and they used the developer's lender.
In Hawaii the VA cap is $625,000 for 100% financing. The BAH (Basic Housing Allowance) is generous enough that most active duty soldiers can buy something with out tapping into their base pay or COLA (Cost of Living Allowance). Several of the loan officers will pick up the non-allowables so that the seller has no added costs.
One feature of a VA loan that is rarely mentioned is that it is assumable. VA and FHA loan are among the few types of loans that have this feature. Why is that important? If mortgage money tightens or interest rates climb in the future, properties with VA or FHA mortgages will be marketable when others are not.
So please remember if the loan officer says they have a better deal than VA, there is a strong chance that they are lying.
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