My Military HQ
Military Home Resource Center
Military home buying advice gets repeated. We check it.Every rule on these pages carries its source.
For families deciding something specific. Where a claim could not be sourced, the page says so instead of publishing it.
Sourced, Not AssumedMaintained by My Military HQ
Published
The guides
National guides
VA loans after bankruptcy or foreclosureHow long the wait is, the two tests for 1 to 2 years, and what a foreclosed VA loan does to your benefit.The VA streamline refinanceHow a VA streamline refinance (IRRRL) works, the tests the new loan has to pass, and what it costs.What the seller can payWhich closing costs a seller can pay on a VA loan, what counts toward VA's 4% limit, and the fees VA lets you pay.VA loans and your creditWhy VA sets no minimum credit score, what it checks instead, and how collections and late payments count.VA loans and your dischargeHow VA treats a general, other than honorable or other discharge for a home loan, and how an upgrade can help.VA loans for the Guard and ReserveHow Guard and Reserve service opens the VA loan, the papers that prove it, and how drill pay counts.VA loans and your spouseWhether your spouse can use your VA loan, has to be on it, and how their income, debts and credit count.VA loan occupancy rulesWhat you sign at closing, and what still counts when you deploy, move in later, or move out on orders.Using a VA loan againHow a used VA home loan benefit comes back, what is left while an old loan is open, and the one-time rule.BAH and your VA loanHow a lender counts BAH, what grossing up means, and what changes if you move or leave the service soon.BAH and your mortgageUsing BAH for a mortgage, what sets it when you own, and what changes when you get orders.When new BAH rates come outThe yearly BAH calendar, why your rate can change, and what keeps it from going down.The SCRA and your mortgageThe 6 percent rate cap and foreclosure protection: which mortgages count, how long they last, and how to ask.Surviving spouses and the VA loanWho VA covers, how remarriage changes it, and how to get your Certificate of Eligibility.The VA appraisalWhat a home has to pass for a VA loan, what happens when the value comes in low, and the clause that protects your deposit.The VA funding feeWho does not pay the VA funding fee, how to check your status before closing, and when VA refunds it.Assuming a VA loanWho can take over a VA loan, and what it can cost the seller's benefit later.VA loans and divorceWhat happens to the VA home loan benefit when a marriage ends, and what to ask VA.
Arizona
Florida
Florida property tax for disabled veteransWho qualifies for Florida's full exemption and the smaller breaks, the active duty rules, and the refund for the year you buy.CDD fees in Lakewood RanchWhat a CDD fee is, its two parts, and how to find the amount on a home before you buy.Living south of MacDill, in Manatee CountyOne published fact about the base's school liaison, and the trade you are actually making.
Iowa
Kentucky and Tennessee
Buying sight unseen at Fort CampbellWhat you trade by buying before you arrive, how to check a home from far away, and how to sign.Working at Blanchfield: what shift work changesTwo homes the same distance from post, and only one of them works at 0400. The variable is the gate.Kentucky or Tennessee at Fort CampbellWhich side of the state line, and what actually changes when you pick one.
North Carolina
North Carolina tax on military retirement payWho North Carolina's deduction covers, a former spouse's share, and what changes across the line in South Carolina.Western NC VA care and where you buyVA gives care at four places in western North Carolina. How to compare homes by where your care happens.Western NC winter accessRoad maintenance, driveway grade and layout, and why the house you tour in July is not the house you live in in January.How long is the commute to Fort Bragg?Fort Bragg is not one destination. Which gate serves where you report changes the drive, and one of those gates is shut.Flood risk in western North CarolinaWhy flood zone status is not fixed, and what it costs you on a VA loan.
Texas
Texas tax on military retirement payWhy Texas does not tax it, and what changes across the line in Oklahoma.Texas property tax for disabled veteransWho qualifies for Texas's two disabled veteran exemptions, what the home exemption covers, and when it starts when you buy.Sell or rent at PCSWhat orders change about selling or renting out your home near Sheppard AFB: the tax clock, your VA loan benefit and Texas homestead rules.
Virginia
Virginia tax on military retirement payHow much of it Virginia leaves out, and what changes across the line in Maryland.Quantico and Fort Belvoir commute and housingTwo bases on I-95: the gates, which way the express lanes run, and how to test a home.Sell or rent at PCS in Hampton RoadsWhat orders change about selling or renting out your home: the tax clock, your VA loan benefit and Virginia rules for owners who rent.Virginia property tax for disabled veteransWho qualifies for Virginia's home exemption, what it covers, and how to apply before you buy.Hampton Roads commute and housingBases on both sides of the water: the three ways across, and how to test a home.
Looking for what changed this month rather than how a rule works? Monthly Intel is our monthly brief on VA loans, military pay and housing.
A guide can tell you which questions matter.An operator can answer them for your address.
Local guides name an operator who works that market on purpose. National guides cover the rules that apply everywhere, with a link to find an operator.