Mortgage Broker in West Virginia
Home Loans Inc is licensed to lend across West Virginia, and as a broker we shop your loan against 50+ wholesale lenders on one application instead of selling you a single bank's rate sheet. That matters more here than almost anywhere: nearly the whole state qualifies for zero-down USDA financing, homes are the most affordable in the country, and the same rural or mountain property that one lender balks at, another approves. We work online and by phone statewide, from the Eastern Panhandle to Huntington.
Almost all of West Virginia qualifies for a zero-down USDA loan
The single biggest lever for a West Virginia buyer is the one most people do not know they have: roughly 99% of the state's land area is inside a USDA-eligible rural zone, with only the cores of Charleston and Huntington carved out. That means a true zero-down loan with no monthly mortgage insurance like FHA charges is on the table for far more buyers here than in almost any other state, as long as the household income fits the USDA county limit (commonly around $120,000 for a family of four, higher for larger households).
Stack that against the second West Virginia fact: this is the most affordable housing market in the country. The typical home value statewide sits near the bottom of all 50 states, well under the national figure. Low prices plus zero-down financing is the combination that turns renters into owners here, and it is why a USDA loan is the first program we check for most West Virginia buyers, not the last.
As a broker we are not tied to one bank's overlays. USDA, FHA, and VA all set baseline rules, then individual lenders add their own credit and property overlays on top. The same West Virginia file, identical numbers, gets a yes from one lender and a no from another, especially on rural and acreage properties. Shopping it across 50+ lenders on one application is how we find the yes.
West Virginia markets, by the lending reality of each
West Virginia is not one market, it is several with very different files. After 8+ years originating loans, here is how the places people actually buy break down for a mortgage, not a chamber-of-commerce brochure.
Eastern Panhandle (Martinsburg, Berkeley & Jefferson)
The DC and Baltimore commuter play. Berkeley and Jefferson lead the state in appreciation as remote and commuting workers buy in for a fraction of Northern Virginia or Maryland prices. Median prices here run near $300,000, well above the rest of the state, so we watch the conforming and FHA county loan limits and time locks against a fast market.
Morgantown & Monongalia (WVU)
West Virginia University and WVU Medicine drive steady, recession-resistant demand. We see student-parent purchases, medical residents pairing programs that handle student-loan debt, and faculty buyers. A growing, comp-rich market means cleaner appraisals than the rural counties.
Charleston & Kanawha (state capital)
The capital and one of the few metro cores carved OUT of USDA eligibility, so in-city buyers usually pivot to FHA, conventional, or VA. Step just outside the city limits and zero-down USDA comes right back into play, which is a map we run for you before you tour.
Huntington & Marshall University
The other USDA-excluded metro core, anchored by Marshall University and Cabell Huntington Hospital. Affordable older housing stock means FHA 203(k) and renovation files come up often, where condition would fail a standard appraisal.
Parkersburg & the Mid-Ohio Valley
Ohio River industrial base with very low price points, where first-time, FHA, and VA buyers can reach a full home, not just a starter. River-valley location means we check the FEMA flood map before writing the qualifying payment.
Rural counties statewide
Most of the state: small towns and acreage where USDA zero-down shines but the appraisal is the real work. We handle USDA, FHA, VA, and conventional on these files and screen the property first.
We shop 50+ lenders on one West Virginia application.
How a mountain or acreage appraisal can sink a West Virginia loan, and how we plan around it
The zero-down headline is real, but on West Virginia's rural and mountain properties the appraisal, not your credit, is what most often decides the deal. Three things trip up files here, and all three are fixable if you know them before you write an offer.
Thin comparable sales. An appraiser generally has to support value with similar homes sold nearby in the last 6 to 12 months. On a remote parcel or an unusual mountain home, those comps can be miles away or simply do not exist, so the value comes in light. We flag likely comp problems up front and choose the loan and lender most forgiving of rural value, rather than discovering it after you are under contract.
Acreage and outbuildings. West Virginia listings often come with land. USDA generally wants the site to be typical for the area and the land to be a minority of total value, commonly steering toward 10 acres or less, and excess acreage or income-producing outbuildings can complicate any program. We size up the parcel against program rules before the offer.
Private well and septic. Most rural homes here are on a private well and septic, and USDA, FHA, and VA each require water-quality testing, minimum distances (a well set back from septic and property lines), and a functioning system. Conventional is the most lenient. We line up the right inspections early so a water test does not blow your closing date.
Every West Virginia loan program we shop for you
We are not a one-product shop. Here is the full range we originate across West Virginia, with the program that tends to fit each kind of buyer.
USDA Rural Development
The West Virginia signature program: zero down, no monthly mortgage insurance like FHA's, on the ~99% of the state that is USDA-eligible, within income limits. Our first check for most buyers here.
Explore USDA loans →FHA loans
Low down payment and flexible credit, the go-to inside Charleston and Huntington where USDA does not reach, and FHA 203(k) renovation for older stock that needs work.
Explore FHA loans →VA loans
Zero down and no monthly mortgage insurance for eligible veterans and service members. We run VA files every week.
Explore VA loans →Conventional loans
The most flexible on rural acreage, wells, and septic, and the path to drop mortgage insurance once you have equity. Strong fit for higher-credit Eastern Panhandle buyers.
Explore conventional →First-time buyer programs
We pair you with West Virginia Housing Development Fund assistance and structure the file so low prices plus zero-down or low-down financing actually gets you to closing.
First-time buyer guide →Refinance
Lower a payment, shorten a term, or tap equity as West Virginia values rise. We compare rate-and-term, cash-out, and streamline options on one application.
Explore refinancing →West Virginia Housing Development Fund: down-payment help most buyers miss
West Virginia runs one of the more generous state housing agencies, and a lot of buyers never hear about it because a single bank has no reason to bring it up. The West Virginia Housing Development Fund (WVHDF) pairs a 30-year fixed first mortgage with real down-payment and closing-cost assistance, and we structure your file to use it.
HOMEownership Program
For first-time buyers (no home owned in the past three years), a 30-year fixed loan that can finance up to 100% of the price, with down-payment assistance of $7,500 or $10,000 depending on your loan-to-value, inside county income and purchase-price limits.
Low Down Home Loan
Up to $10,000 toward down payment and closing costs as a 15-year second mortgage at a low fixed rate. It is repaid rather than forgiven, but it removes the cash-to-close wall that stops many West Virginia buyers.
How we stack it
WVHDF assistance can ride on top of an affordable first mortgage. We confirm which program fits, pull your county's income and price limits, and combine it with USDA, FHA, or conventional so the math actually works at the closing table.
West Virginia closing realities: deed of trust, the transfer tax, and flood
A few West Virginia specifics shape every closing here, and knowing them up front keeps your cash-to-close honest.
Deed of trust, not a mortgage
West Virginia secures home loans with a deed of trust and a trustee, not a traditional mortgage. If a loan ever defaults, the trustee can foreclose through a non-judicial process without a full court case, which is faster than judicial-foreclosure states. It is rarely an issue for a performing borrower, but it is why your documents read the way they do.
Transfer (excise) tax at recording
West Virginia charges a real-estate transfer, or excise, tax when the deed records, a state rate of $1.10 per $500 of value, which many counties raise (up to $1.65 per $500), plus a small fixed recording fee. We build the real number into your closing estimate so it is not a surprise.
River-valley flood zones
Much of West Virginia's buildable, affordable land sits in river and creek valleys, and parts fall inside FEMA flood zones. If a home is in a Special Flood Hazard Area, flood insurance is required and the premium is added to your qualifying payment. We pull the flood determination before you fall for the house.
Older housing stock
West Virginia has some of the oldest housing in the nation, so condition matters. Where a home would fail a standard appraisal, an FHA 203(k) or renovation route can buy and fix in one loan. We screen the property before you write.
Comparing options or want to run your own numbers first? Start with our refinance guide or talk through a purchase with a licensed West Virginia broker.
Why a broker beats a single West Virginia bank
One application, 50+ lenders
A bank can only sell you its own loan. We submit one application and shop it across a wholesale lender network, then bring you the program and pricing that actually fit your file.
Overlays vary, so the yes does too
On rural, acreage, well-and-septic West Virginia files, one lender's overlay says no and another says yes on the same numbers. A broker finds the yes; a bank only knows its own answer.
Wholesale pricing
Brokers access wholesale rate sheets rather than a single retail desk, which on many files means a better cost structure for the borrower.
Every program under one roof
USDA, FHA, VA, conventional, first-time, and refinance, all run by the same person, so we can pivot programs mid-search instead of restarting at a new bank.
Statewide and remote-friendly
Licensed across West Virginia and built to work online and by phone, from Martinsburg to Parkersburg, so distance is never the reason a deal stalls.
The broker runs your file
You work directly with the person handling your loan from application to closing, not a rotating call center queue.
Rated 5.0 by the families we serve.
Jason knows his stuff! We highly recommend him for your mortgage needs! He responds timely, provides information you didn't know you needed, puts the client needs first, and makes common sense adjustments throughout the entire process.
Jason and his team did an amazing job for me. They communicated often and made the entire mortgage process smooth and efficient. I can genuinely say that they are honest, trustworthy and strive to provide the best service possible to their clients.
Jason has been awesome since the beginning. He has been communicative, professional, KNOWLEDGEABLE, and honest. I am very happy with all my services so far, and I recommend UWM!
Talk to a licensed West Virginia mortgage broker
Home Loans Inc: Jason Sharon, Mortgage Broker
Licensed across West Virginia · online and by phone statewide · WV Mortgage Broker License #MB-1728740
How a West Virginia loan actually runs with us
1. Program & eligibility check
We map your target areas against the USDA eligibility map, county income and loan limits, and your goals, then pick the program that fits, often zero-down USDA you did not know you qualified for.
See your options →2. Real-numbers pre-approval
We shop your file across 50+ wholesale lenders on one application and build a pre-approval that already folds in flood, transfer tax, and WVHDF assistance, so the number holds.
No surprises later3. Screen the property, then offer
On rural and acreage homes we sanity-check comps, acreage, and well-and-septic before you write, so the appraisal does not blindside the deal.
Offer with confidence4. Appraisal to closing
We manage the appraisal, line up inspections, and drive the file to the closing table, online and by phone wherever you are in the state.
We run the fileWhy West Virginia buyers choose Home Loans Inc
Jason Sharon founded Home Loans Inc in 2018 after serving as a nuclear engineer in the U.S. Navy, a background that shows up as precision on every loan file. He holds NMLS #1281448 (company NMLS #1728740) and has spent 8+ years originating loans, and Home Loans Inc is licensed to lend across West Virginia.
That makes Home Loans Inc a veteran-owned broker, and because we are a broker and not a single bank, your file is shopped across a 50+ wholesale lender network on one application, which is exactly the edge a West Virginia borrower wants on a rural, acreage, or USDA file where overlays vary lender to lender. Buyers have left 430+ reviews at a 5.0 rating, and we are BBB A+ accredited. You will work with the broker who runs your loan, not a call center.