Why Veterans With Unused VA Entitlement Keep Renting (And Why Rates, the Market, and PCS Risk Aren't the Real Reason)
Alexandria's Story
Alexandria did two deployments. She had full VA home loan entitlement sitting completely unused. And she was renting a townhouse, month after month, for more than a mortgage payment likely would have cost her.
When the subject of buying came up, she had three reasons ready. Rates are too high right now. The market feels unpredictable. And she might get PCS orders again before long, so why put down roots.
This is a situation that comes up often with veterans and active-duty service members. The reasons feel responsible. They feel like careful thinking. But none of them actually hold up once you look at how VA loans are structured.
Rates Are Not a Life Sentence
A mortgage rate today is not the rate you're stuck with forever. VA loans come with a streamline refinance option, often called an IRRRL, that's designed specifically to let veterans refinance into better terms later without the full requalification process a conventional refinance usually requires. Waiting on the sidelines for a "perfect" rate often costs more in months of rent than it would save.
The Market Matters Less Without a Down Payment
One of the biggest reasons market timing stresses out conventional buyers is the down payment. If you're trying to save a large chunk of cash while home prices move, timing feels like everything. VA loans remove that pressure because they allow zero down. There's no down payment to chase while you wait for the "right moment."
PCS Orders Don't Strand You
This is the one that stops most service members cold, and it shouldn't. VA loan guidelines allow you to rent out the home after you move, whether that's a future PCS, a deployment, or any relocation. That rental income can, in many cases, even be used to help you qualify for your next VA loan when you buy again at the new duty station. Buying with a VA loan is not a bet that you'll stay in one place forever.
What Alexandria's Real Blocker Was
It wasn't rates. It wasn't the market. It wasn't PCS risk. It was simply that nobody had ever pulled her Certificate of Eligibility (COE) to show her exactly what entitlement she had available and what it meant for her. Once that document is in hand, the other three "reasons" tend to shrink down to questions with clear answers.
One Thing To Do This Week
If you're a veteran or active-duty service member with unused VA entitlement, request your Certificate of Eligibility. It takes a few minutes and tells you precisely where you stand, instead of guessing based on rates, headlines about the market, or worry about your next set of orders.
I Find the Path
I'm Jason Sharon, a licensed mortgage broker with Home Loans Inc, and I'm licensed across South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, North Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia, Wyoming, and Iowa. Wherever your orders send you, your VA entitlement can usually go with you.
If you've been sitting on unused VA benefits wondering if now is the time, call 843-569-7283 and let's pull your Certificate of Eligibility together.
Home Loans Inc - Jason Sharon, Mortgage Broker. Company NMLS #1728740, Jason Sharon NMLS #1281448. Equal Housing Opportunity.
