Far and away, the most significant benefit of a VA loan
is the borrower's ability to purchase with no money down.
Apart from the government's UDSA's Rural Development home
loan and Fannie Mae's Home Path, it's all but impossible
to find a lending option today that provides borrowers
with 100 percent financing.
VA loans also come with less stringent underwriting standards
and requirements than conventional loans. In fact, about 80
percent of VA borrowers could not have qualified for a
conventional loan. These loans also come with no private
mortgage insurance (PMI), a monthly expense that conventional
borrowers are required to pay unless they put down at least
20 percent of the loan amount.
Down payment as low as 0%.
Competitive interest rates that are routinely lower than conventional rates
No prepayment penalties
Higher allowable debt-to-income ratios than for many other loans
Streamlined refinancing loans that require no additional underwriting