Mortgage broker in Dayton, Ohio — zero-down VA loans for Wright-Patt, and a $275,000 median for everyone else.

The Dayton market in 2026

Dayton REALTORS reported a $275,000 median sale price for July 2026, up 1.85% year over year, on 1,537 closed sales — 5.85% more than a year earlier — with about 1.8 months of supply. That inventory number is the tightest of the three Ohio metros on this site, which means offers still need to be clean and pre-approvals still need to be real. Year to date the median sat at $264,900, up 3.88%.

Sources: Dayton REALTORS MLS housing data (July 2026); HUD FHA limits CY2026; SmartAsset county effective rates.

A note on the numbers: the City of Dayton itself is far cheaper than the metro — Zillow's typical home value inside city limits was $138,730 in July 2026 — while Oakwood, Centerville and Springboro sit well above the $275,000 board median. When Zach quotes you a Dayton payment, he quotes it for the suburb you are actually shopping, not the metro average.

Wright-Patterson and the VA loan

Wright-Patterson Air Force Base employs about 38,000 people and is the largest single-site employer in Ohio. That single fact shapes the Dayton mortgage market: a large share of buyers in Beavercreek, Huber Heights, Fairborn-adjacent neighborhoods and Kettering are active duty, reservists, civilians with prior service, or military spouses, and the VA loan in Ohio is the strongest program any of them will ever be offered.

• Zero down. On the $275,000 median, that is $9,625 you keep versus FHA and $8,250 versus a 3% conventional loan.
• No monthly mortgage insurance. The only insurance cost is the funding fee — 2.15% first use, 3.3% subsequent — financed into the loan and waived entirely for borrowers receiving VA disability compensation.
• No loan limit with full entitlement. The VA's own language: you don't have a loan limit as long as you can afford the loan and the appraisal supports the price.
• PCS timing. Zach's closings average about 13 days from application. With a report date on the calendar, that is the difference between a house and a hotel.
• Refinance later without starting over. A VA IRRRL needs only 210 days from the first payment due date and six payments made.

VA loanfull entitlement, funding fee financed

$0

USDA loaneligible rural addresses outside the metro

$0

Conventional 3%first-time buyer program

$8,250

FHA 3.5%580+ credit score

$9,625

Closing costs are separate; Ohio buyers averaged $3,394 (about 1.07% of price) before prepaids and escrows, per a 2025 Lodestar report cited by Bankrate. On VA purchases, seller concessions can cover much of that.

Neighborhoods, suburbs, and the loan that tends to fit

• Beavercreek and Huber Heights. The base-commute suburbs. VA loans dominate; when a buyer is not VA-eligible, FHA at 3.5% down is the usual second choice.
• Kettering and Centerville. Established south suburbs with strong schools and a mix of mid-century and newer housing. Conventional loans with 3–5% down are common; a seller-funded 2-1 buydown is a smart ask in a 1.8-month-supply market only when the house has sat.
• Oakwood. The premium pocket: historic homes and the highest prices in the metro. These are often physician and executive files — Premier Health employs 11,738 and Kettering Health 9,977 — and self-employed specialists lean on bank statement loans.
• Springboro. Warren County, straddling the Dayton and Cincinnati commutes, and inside Zach's home turf. Conventional and VA both common.
• Inside the city and in the older first-ring neighborhoods. Prices low enough that DSCR rental loans pencil easily, and Ohio's statewide ban on local rent control (ORC 5321.19) keeps the math stable.

Down payment assistance in Dayton and Montgomery County

Start with the statewide layer, because it is the dependable one. OHFA YourChoice! Down Payment Assistance provides 3% of the purchase price on a conventional first mortgage or 3.5% on FHA, VA or USDA, forgiven after seven years if you stay. OHFA's Montgomery County income limits as of July 1, 2026 are $103,000 for one- or two-person households and $118,450 for three or more in non-target areas ($123,600 and $144,200 in target areas), with a $566,355 purchase price cap. Ohio Heroes — a 0.25% rate discount — explicitly covers veterans, active-duty and reserve members, nurses, teachers, police, firefighters and EMTs, which is a large share of this metro.

Locally, the City of Dayton offers assistance through the HomeOwnership Center of Greater Dayton: up to 10% of the purchase price as a zero-interest deferred loan, due on sale or refinance, for households at or below 80% of area median income with a conventional first mortgage. The center lists the program as active, but its published price caps are dated, so treat the exact figures as something to confirm at application. Montgomery County's own program for buyers outside Dayton and Kettering (10%, up to $8,000) is currently out of funding. And Communities First Ohio remains available statewide: a 3%, 4% or 5% grant with no lien and no repayment for borrowers under 115% of AMI on FHA, VA, USDA and Freddie Mac HFA Advantage loans — a VA buyer who wants closing costs covered should ask about it.

Seller credit toward closing costs and prepaids $5,500 (79%)

Your own funds $1,500 (21%)

Estimated cash side (no down payment)$7,000

Illustrative only. Assumes zero down, a 2.15% first-use funding fee financed into the loan, a negotiated $5,500 seller credit, and roughly $1,500 of your own money for prepaids. VA rules cap seller concessions; Zach structures the ask so the credit is usable.

Who is buying in Dayton, and how their income gets underwritten

Beyond the base, Dayton's employment is healthcare and increasingly aviation manufacturing: Premier Health and Kettering Health together employ more than 21,000; the University of Dayton about 3,200; and Joby Aviation began blade production at its Dayton airport site in October 2025, committed to more than 2,000 jobs, and acquired a second 700,000-square-foot Ohio facility in January 2026. Military pay, civilian GS salaries, hospital W-2s and a growing manufacturing payroll are all straightforward income for conventional and government loans. Where it gets interesting is BAH and VA disability income — both count, and both are routinely under-used by lenders who do not write VA loans every week — and self-employed contractors serving the base, who qualify on deposits through bank statement loans.

How closing a Dayton loan with a Cincinnati-based originator works

Dayton is the one metro on this site Zach can drive to before lunch, but the file runs the same way as everywhere in Ohio: e-signatures, a local appraiser, and your contract's Montgomery County title company. VA files add the VA appraisal, which Zach orders the day you go under contract.

1. 1
   Day 1

   Say hi

   Call, text or the two-minute form. VA buyers: Zach pulls your Certificate of Eligibility the same day.

2. 2
   Week 1

   Real pre-approval

   Documents reviewed, credit run once, letter issued. OHFA and city assistance eligibility checked.

3. 3
   Under contract

   VA appraisal, local title

   VA or conventional appraisal ordered immediately; your contract's title company handles closing.

4. 4
   About 13 days

   E-close and keys

   Zach's closings average about 13 days from application — built for PCS calendars.

The 13-day figure is Zach's own average from application; VA appraisal turn times and assistance-program approvals can add to it.

Property taxes in Montgomery County run roughly 1.6% of value and Ohio homeowners insurance averages about $2,100–$2,200 a year in 2026. Figures on this page are current as of September 2026 and change with the market and program funding; Zach confirms the live numbers on your file.