The Spokane mortgage guides
VA Requirements
Updated: August 2026
VA Loan Requirements for 2026.Service, Credit & the COE
The VA wrote the most generous loan program in the country, then explained it badly. Here's what actually qualifies you, in order.
Real numbers in about a minute — no credit pull, no spam.
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VA loan requirements come in four layers: qualifying service, a Certificate of Eligibility, credit and income the lender will approve, and a property that meets the VA's standards. Most of the confusion comes from mixing up what the VA requires with what lenders add on top — so here's each layer, separated.
Layer one: the service test
The thresholds most Spokane-area borrowers qualify under: 90 consecutive days of active service during wartime, 181 days during peacetime, or six years in the National Guard or Reserves. Since 2020, Guard members can also qualify with 90 days of active service including 30 consecutive under certain federal orders — a change that quietly made thousands more Washington Guard members eligible, and one I still get to break to people who assumed they didn't qualify. Some surviving spouses are eligible as well.
The Certificate of Eligibility is where the answer becomes official. I pull COEs electronically in minutes; bring your DD-214 or, if you're active at Fairchild, a statement of service. If the COE shows reduced entitlement from a prior loan, the main VA guide covers how second use and restoration work.
Layer two: credit — "no minimum" decoded
The VA genuinely sets no credit floor. Lenders, who fund the loans, typically want something in the 580-620 range — my working numbers are in the Washington credit score guide. What replaces the score obsession is the residual income test: after your mortgage and monthly obligations, the VA wants a specific cushion left over, scaled to family size and region. A file with a 590 score and strong residual income reads better to VA underwriting than folklore suggests — which is exactly why I'd rather see your actual numbers than quote you a cutoff.
Debt-to-income guidance sits around 41%, but it flexes when residual income is strong. Two knobs, not one.
Layer three: the funding fee table
| Situation | Fee (financed into the loan) |
|---|---|
| First use, under 5% down | 2.15% |
| Subsequent use, under 5% down | 3.3% |
| 5-10% down (any use) | 1.5% |
| 10%+ down (any use) | 1.25% |
| Service-connected disability rating | Waived |
| Purple Heart recipient (active duty) | Waived |
The waiver is the headline: on a $400,000 first-use loan it's $8,600 that simply doesn't get charged. I verify disability status on every VA file before pricing anything, because finding the waiver late means redoing the numbers — and missing it entirely means overpaying by thousands.
Layer four: the property
Minimum Property Requirements boil down to safe, sound, and sanitary: functioning systems, a viable roof, no peeling paint on older homes, reasonable access. A VA-assigned appraiser verifies during the appraisal. Most Spokane and Spokane Valley listings pass without a ripple; the friction shows up on rural acreage (wells, septic — testable, not disqualifying) and true fixers, which usually want different financing first. Building instead? VA construction loans extend zero-down to ground-up builds, with the builder registered with the VA.
Manufactured homes work with a permanent foundation, HUD tags, and real-property title — common enough around Deer Park and the West Plains that I've got the checklist memorized.
What sellers need to hear
The persistent myth — "VA loans cost sellers money" — is false and beatable. Sellers are required to pay nothing. They may cover a buyer's closing costs and up to 4% in concessions, same as they might for any buyer they want to close with. On competitive Spokane Valley listings I sometimes call the listing agent directly on VA offers, because thirty seconds of fact often outweighs a decade of folklore, and my buyer's offer deserves to be judged on its numbers.
How I run the numbers with you
Service dates, COE, credit, residual income, funding fee status — I check all five in the first conversation, in that order, and tell you exactly which layer needs attention if one does. Most veterans I talk to are more qualified than they think. Call, text, or start above.
On the record
Frequently asked questions.
What are the service requirements for a VA loan?
The common thresholds: 90 consecutive days of active service during wartime, 181 days during peacetime, or six years in the National Guard or Reserves. Guard and Reserve members can also qualify with 90 days of active service that includes at least 30 consecutive days under certain federal orders — a 2020 change a lot of Guard members around Fairchild still don't know applies to them. Some surviving spouses qualify too. Discharge generally needs to be other than dishonorable, and the Certificate of Eligibility is the document that settles it.
What credit score do I need for a VA loan in 2026?
The VA sets no minimum — that part is real. But the VA doesn't lend the money; lenders do, and most overlay a floor somewhere between 580 and 620. What the VA does require is a residual income test: after the mortgage and your other obligations, your household must have a set amount left over each month based on family size and region. That test is why VA loans have famously low default rates, and why a borrower with a modest score but strong residual income can still be approved.
How do I get my Certificate of Eligibility?
Let your lender pull it — I can usually retrieve a COE electronically through the VA's system in minutes with your DD-214 (or a statement of service if you're active duty). You can also request it yourself through VA.gov, but there's no advantage to doing it the slow way. The COE states your entitlement, and if it shows less than you expect — a prior VA loan, an old assumption — that's a solvable conversation, not a dead end.
What is the VA funding fee in 2026?
First use with less than 5% down: 2.15% of the loan amount, financed into the loan. Subsequent use at that down payment: 3.3%. Put 5% down and the fee drops to 1.5%; 10% or more drops it to 1.25%. It's waived entirely with a service-connected disability rating, for Purple Heart recipients on active duty, and for eligible surviving spouses — I check every file for a waiver before running numbers, because it's the single biggest cost lever on the loan.
What are the VA property requirements?
The home has to meet the VA's Minimum Property Requirements — safe, structurally sound, and sanitary. In practice: working heat, water, and electricity, a roof with life left in it, no peeling paint on pre-1978 homes, and safe access. A VA-assigned appraiser checks these during the appraisal. It's less scary than agent folklore suggests — most Spokane listings pass without drama — but a genuine fixer usually needs a different loan first and a VA refinance later.
Can I use a VA loan for a manufactured home?
Yes, with conditions: the home needs a permanent foundation, HUD tags, and classification as real property — and fewer lenders offer VA manufactured financing, sometimes at shorter terms. On acreage outside Spokane it comes up often. If the home you're looking at is titled as a vehicle rather than real property, converting the title is the first step, and it's worth a conversation before you write anything.
Do sellers have to pay anything on a VA loan?
No — that's a durable myth that still costs veterans deals. Sellers are never required to pay a VA buyer's costs. What's true: sellers may pay all of a buyer's normal closing costs, and separately can offer up to 4% in concessions (paying off a buyer's debt, funding fee coverage, rate buydowns). A listing agent who believes the myth prices your offer as weaker than it is — part of my job on a VA purchase is a quick call that kills the folklore before it kills the deal.
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