VA loans
VA loans in Ohio and Cincinnati — you earned the best mortgage in America. Let's use it right.
Zero down. No monthly mortgage insurance. No loan limit if you have full entitlement. The VA loan is the strongest program in lending, and it still gets under-used because sellers and even some lenders misunderstand it. I'm Zach — a Cincinnati loan originator licensed in Ohio and California — and I close VA files the way they deserve: fast, clean, and without leaving a dollar of your benefit on the table.
Closings average about 13 days · No SSN or credit pull to start
Why the VA loan is the best program in lending
Every other mortgage makes you choose: put more money down, or pay monthly mortgage insurance for the privilege of putting less down. The VA loan does neither. Zero down, no monthly mortgage insurance, competitive rates, and no VA-imposed loan limit with full entitlement. It exists because you served, and it is guaranteed by the Department of Veterans Affairs, which is why lenders can offer terms nobody else gets.
Ohio has real military communities — Wright-Patterson Air Force Base near Dayton is the largest single-site employer in the state at roughly 38,000 personnel, and Cincinnati, Columbus and Cleveland are full of veterans, reservists and Guard members who qualify and have never been told what the benefit is actually worth. If that is you, this page is the honest version.
$0
Down payment with full entitlement
$0/mo
Monthly mortgage insurance
2.15%
Funding fee, first use, <5% down (2026)
No limit
VA loan limit with full entitlement
Sources: VA funding fee table (effective April 2023, current on va.gov in 2026); VA loan limits page, 2026.
The 2026 VA funding fee, explained
The funding fee is the one cost unique to the program. It is a one-time percentage of the loan, financed into the balance, and it replaces monthly mortgage insurance entirely. The VA's current table:
| Loan type | First use | Subsequent use |
|---|---|---|
| Purchase, less than 5% down | 2.15% | 3.3% |
| Purchase, 5% to under 10% down | 1.5% | 1.5% |
| Purchase, 10% or more down | 1.25% | 1.25% |
| Cash-out refinance | 2.15% | 3.3% |
| IRRRL (streamline refinance) | 0.5% | 0.5% |
Financed into the loan, not paid at closing. Roughly one in four VA borrowers I talk to qualifies for the exemption and didn't know it — anyone receiving VA disability compensation pays nothing.
Check the exemption first. If you receive VA disability compensation, are eligible but drawing retirement or active-duty pay instead, are a surviving spouse receiving DIC, or are an active-duty Purple Heart recipient, the funding fee is waived. On a $325,000 loan that is $6,988 that never gets added to your balance.
VA versus FHA on the same Cincinnati house
This is the comparison that changes minds. Take a $325,000 home at 6.125%. The FHA buyer brings $11,375 down and pays monthly mortgage insurance for the life of the loan. The VA buyer brings $0 down, finances a 2.15% funding fee, and pays no monthly MI at all.
Principal & interest $2,017 on a $331,988 loan (price plus the 2.15% funding fee) plus an assumed $480 for Hamilton County taxes and insurance. Mortgage insurance: $0. The FHA version of this house runs about $1,939 principal & interest plus $146 a month in MIP, after an $11,375 down payment. Illustrative, 30-year fixed.
The VA payment is higher on paper because the VA borrower financed the whole price instead of 96.5% of it. But the VA buyer kept $11,375 in the bank, and the FHA buyer is paying $146 a month in insurance that buys them nothing. Over five years that is roughly $8,800 in MIP alone. If your credit is strong enough for a conventional loan, the math still favors VA — conventional PMI only disappears after you reach 20% equity, and VA never charges it.
Entitlement, loan limits, and the "no limit" rule
With full entitlement, the VA sets no loan limit. Per the VA's own words, "you don't have a loan limit as long as you can afford the loan amount and the property appraisal supports the purchase price." A $600,000 home in Mason or Dublin with zero down is a normal VA file, not an exception.
If you have used part of your entitlement — say a prior VA loan you kept as a rental — the math changes. Your remaining bonus entitlement is 25% of the county's conforming limit minus what is already committed. In 2026 every Ohio county carries the $832,750 baseline, so the full bonus entitlement is $208,187. Lenders generally want the guaranty to cover 25% of the new loan, so remaining entitlement times four is your zero-down ceiling; above it you bring the 25% difference as a down payment. I run this on the Certificate of Eligibility before we ever talk price, because it is the one VA number that surprises people at the worst moment.
What the VA appraisal actually checks
VA appraisals get a bad reputation from agents who have never watched one. The appraiser confirms value like any other appraisal, then checks Minimum Property Requirements: the home must be safe, structurally sound, and sanitary. Working heat, water, and electric. No peeling lead-based paint on older homes. A roof with reasonable remaining life. Accessible attic and crawlspace. Nothing on that list stops a maintained Cincinnati home; it mostly stops the ones you should not buy anyway.
If a repair comes up, the seller fixes it, or you negotiate a credit and it is fixed before closing. I have never seen a serious buyer lose a house to MPRs. I have seen plenty of listing agents relax the moment an originator walks them through it — which is why I call them on every VA offer.
Residual income: the rule that makes VA loans safer than most
Beyond the usual debt-to-income ratio, the VA requires residual income: after your mortgage, debts, taxes and an estimated cost of living, a set amount of money has to be left over each month, scaled by family size and region. It is the reason VA loans have historically defaulted less than programs with far stricter down payment rules. In practice it means I look at your real monthly picture, not just a ratio, and you never end up house-poor on a benefit that was supposed to help.
- 1 Day 1
Certificate of Eligibility
I pull your COE electronically in minutes for most veterans. It confirms entitlement, exemption status, and any prior use.
- 2 Week 1
Underwritten pre-approval
Income, credit, residual income — reviewed up front so your letter means something when a listing agent calls me.
- 3 Under contract
VA appraisal + MPRs
Value confirmed and the safe-sound-sanitary check done. Seller credits for closing costs negotiated into the contract.
- 4 About 13 days
Clear to close
My closings average about 13 days from application. VA files are no slower when the COE is handled on day one.
Refinancing a VA loan: the IRRRL
If you already hold a VA loan, the Interest Rate Reduction Refinance Loan is the simplest refinance in the industry: lower rate, minimal paperwork, usually no appraisal, and a funding fee of just 0.5%. The VA requires at least 210 days since your first payment was due, six payments made, and that your closing costs are recouped within 36 months — a rule that protects you from a refinance that never pays for itself. VA cash-out refinances are also available up to 100% of value, though many lenders cap them at 90%. The refinance page walks through when either one is worth doing.
Who I see using the benefit in Ohio
- Active-duty and civilian families near Wright-Patterson buying in Beavercreek, Kettering, Huber Heights or Springboro, where the base's 38,000 personnel anchor the whole housing market.
- Reservists and Guard members in Cincinnati who never realized six years of service qualifies them — from Anderson Township to West Chester.
- Veterans in Columbus and Cleveland buying their second or third home and restoring entitlement from the first.
- Surviving spouses who are fee-exempt and can still use the benefit.
Not sure you qualify? Send me your DD-214 or points statement and I'll tell you in a day. And if the VA loan is not the right fit — it happens with multi-unit investment plans or a co-borrower who isn't a spouse — I will say so and point you to the Ohio first-time buyer or FHA route instead.
Figures current as of September 2026 — programs and limits change; Zach re-verifies at application.
Napkin math, upgraded
What would a VA payment look like on an Ohio home?
Zero down, funding fee financed in, no monthly mortgage insurance. Toggle first use, subsequent use, or fee-exempt.
Illustrative estimates only — not a rate quote, an offer, or a commitment to lend. Your actual figures depend on your full scenario. More tools on the calculators page.
Real questions
Things people ask Zach about this
Is there really no down payment on a VA loan in Ohio?
Yes. With full entitlement, the VA program allows 100% financing with no down payment, and the VA itself sets no loan limit as long as you can afford the payment and the appraisal supports the price. On a $325,000 Cincinnati home, that is $0 down versus $11,375 for FHA's 3.5% minimum. You still need closing costs and prepaids, though seller credits and lender credits can cover much of that.
What is the VA funding fee in 2026, and can I avoid it?
For a purchase with less than 5% down it is 2.15% on first use and 3.3% on subsequent use, per the VA's current table. Put 5% down and it drops to 1.5%; 10% down, 1.25%. It is financed into the loan, not paid in cash. You are exempt if you receive VA disability compensation, are a surviving spouse receiving DIC, or are an active-duty Purple Heart recipient. I check exemption on every file, because it is worth thousands.
Do VA loans have mortgage insurance?
No monthly mortgage insurance. The funding fee is the program's only insurance-type cost, and it is a one-time charge rolled into the loan. That is why a VA payment on the same house is usually lower than an FHA payment even though the VA borrower put nothing down — FHA charges 0.55% a year in monthly MIP on a 3.5%-down loan.
Can I use my VA benefit more than once, or if I still own a home?
Yes on both. Entitlement is restored when the prior VA loan is paid off, and you can have two VA loans at once with remaining entitlement. When you have used part of it, your bonus entitlement equals 25% of the county's 2026 conforming limit ($832,750 in every Ohio county) minus what is already in use. I pull your Certificate of Eligibility on day one so the math is real before you write an offer.
Is a VA loan harder to get accepted by an Ohio seller?
It shouldn't be, and it usually isn't when the listing agent understands the program. VA appraisals check Minimum Property Requirements — safe, sound, sanitary — which rarely matter on a maintained home. My pre-approvals are underwritten up front and I call the listing agent myself to walk through the file, so your offer reads as strong as it is.
What is an IRRRL?
The Interest Rate Reduction Refinance Loan is the VA streamline. If you already have a VA loan, you can refinance to a lower rate with minimal documentation, usually no appraisal, and a 0.5% funding fee. VA rules require at least 210 days since your first payment was due, six payments made, and that the closing costs pay for themselves within 36 months.
No pressure, no credit pull
Run your VA loan scenario by Zach.
Send the shape of it — what you’re buying, roughly what you earn, where you’re at. Zach reads every one personally and gets back to you the same day, nights and weekends included.
Nothing sensitive lives on this form: no Social Security number, no paperwork, and your credit isn’t touched until you say so. Equal Housing Opportunity. Zachary Bates, NMLS #2687902 · Coast 2 Coast Mortgage, NMLS #376205.