VA Home Loans for California Veterans

Veterans with full VA entitlement have no loan limit on a VA loan — you can purchase a $2 million home in San Francisco with $0 down if you qualify on income and credit. Veterans with partial entitlement (because of a prior VA loan still in use) are subject to the county conforming limit, which ranges from $832,750 to $1,249,125 across California.

Yes, the VA funding fee applies nationally. First-time VA loan users pay 2.15% of the loan amount; subsequent users pay 3.3%. The fee is financed into the loan, not paid out of pocket. Veterans with a service-connected disability rating of 10% or higher are exempt from the funding fee, and Save Financial handles the exemption documentation.

Yes. The VA allows the purchase of 1–4 unit properties as long as the veteran occupies one unit as their primary residence. This makes VA loans an exceptional house-hacking tool in California — buy a duplex or triplex with $0 down, live in one unit, and rent the others to cover most of the mortgage.

A VA Interest Rate Reduction Refinance Loan (IRRRL) is a streamline refinance available to veterans who already have a VA loan. It requires no new appraisal, no new income verification, no termite inspection, and minimal credit re-verification. IRRRLs typically close efficiently and exist solely to lower the veteran's rate or move from an ARM to a fixed rate.

We can order it for you through the VA portal once you provide your service details — it confirms your entitlement for a VA loan.

VA loans are for your primary residence, but you can use remaining entitlement to buy again after a move. We’ll confirm your available entitlement.

Most do (a one-time fee that can be financed), though many disabled veterans are exempt. We’ll tell you if you qualify for an exemption.

VA loans are for veterans, active-duty service members, National Guard and Reserve members, and eligible surviving spouses. You generally need 90 continuous days of active service during wartime, 181 days during peacetime, or 6 years in the Guard or Reserves. A Certificate of Eligibility (COE) confirms your benefit.

Service requirements are 90 continuous days of active duty during wartime, 181 continuous days during peacetime, or 6 years in the National Guard or Reserves. Surviving spouses of service members who died in service or from a service-connected disability may also qualify without a service requirement.

You need a valid Certificate of Eligibility, which requires 90 days of wartime service, 181 days of peacetime service, or 6 years in the National Guard or Reserves. VA loans also require the home to be your primary residence and pass a VA appraisal. There is no minimum down payment.

No. VA loans require no down payment for eligible borrowers with full entitlement, so you can finance 100% of the purchase price. There is also no monthly mortgage insurance. A one-time VA funding fee applies but can be rolled into the loan instead of paid at closing.

The VA itself sets no minimum credit score, but most lenders look for roughly 580 to 620. Save Financial originates VA loans down to a 580 FICO. Your credit score, income, and debt-to-income ratio together determine both your approval and your interest rate.