“The true soldier fights, not because he hates what is in front of him, but because he loves what is behind him.” G.K. Chesterton 

G. I. John decided many years ago when he started his military career that he was going to build wealth by buying real estate.  When John first started out, he bought a house in the city where he was stationed using a 100% veteran loan.  He put together a plan to get wealthy during his military career moving from station to station buying a house as his primary residence with each move and keeping the other homes for rental income. 

The challenge that threatened to shoot holes in his life plan was the fact that the more property he bought, the more specialized mortgage products he needed since his VA eligibility was limited to one or two properties. He needed an experienced mortgage loan originator who could continue to come up with additional mortgage loan programs that fit each situation, so he could continue buying properties at terms that would allow him to make money.  

G. I. John continuously built his real estate portfolio.    Since he has done so well with his rental properties, many of his houses are paid off. G. I. John retired from the military, and he doesn’t have to work anymore.  Now you can see pictures on Facebook of John and his wife regularly on cruises, on a beach, in the mountains, and in other exotic places. 

G. I. John knew how to break past common myths a lot of veterans get stuck believing, not realizing the gold mine close at hand.   But the Veteran Home Loan is not the only gold mine available.   G. I, John, used the low-down-payment FHA loan, and different variations of the conventional loan product—even cash.   

Here are some myths veterans believe about the Veteran Home Loan program that can cause them to miss opportunities. 

MYTH #1:  You can only use your VA loan eligibility once.  

TRUTH #1:  You can use your VA mortgage eligibility more than once.  You can get a loan up to 4 times the amount of whatever VA eligibility you have left on your Certificate Of Eligibility. For example, if you show $36,000 eligibility, then you are able to get up to $144,000 and if your income-to-debt ratios are acceptable enough, your eligibility can be expanded so you can get a loan up to $647,200.   But if you have only used $15,000 of your eligibility to buy your first home at $60,000, then you still have some eligibility to buy another home later when you are ready to move from the old home to the new home.

MYTH #2:  You can only have one VA loan at a time. 

TRUTH #2:  You can have more than one VA loan simultaneously depending on how much eligibility you have to cover the loans. VA mortgages are for veterans planning to use the home as their primary residence.

MYTH #3: The Veteran Loan can only be used for a single-family residence. 

TRUTH #3:  The VA mortgage can be used for a single-family home, a duplex, a tri-plex, or a quadraplex if the veteran lives in one of the units. You can buy a multi-unit property, live in one unit, and rent the other units to tenants.   In many cases, the rent from the other tenants can more than cover YOUR mortgage payment.  

MYTH #4: The VA loan cannot be assumed by anyone else. 

TRUTH #4: The VA loan can be assumed by another party subject to the lender’s approval.

OTHER HELPFUL FACTS :

Veterans getting disability compensation for  service-related medical issues are exempt from having to pay the VA funding fee that is normally added to the loan amount.   Also, surviving spouses of veterans who died in the service or from a service-related disability are also exempt from having to pay the VA funding fee and can, on a case-by-case basis, get a VA loan. 

The maximum loan amount for VA loans is $647,200 for a single-family, home but the veteran can pay the difference between a higher home price and the maximum loan amount.  

For more information about the Veteran Mortgage Program: http://www.benefits.va.gov/homeloans/resources_veteran.asp