Current VA guidelines, updated from one source.
A handful of figures and the tables behind them decide most VA files, and all of them are here, drawn from one guideline source built on VA’s published rules: the down payment with full entitlement, the absence of mortgage insurance, the funding fee by first or subsequent use, the ratio guideline, and the residual-income table for the region.
100% financing with full entitlement
0% down is the program’s defining term: a buyer with full entitlement finances up to 100% of the lesser of price and value, the guaranty replaces the down payment, and the funding fee can be added on top of the loan rather than paid in cash.
No monthly premium, no upfront premium
No mortgage insurance, monthly or upfront, at any loan-to-value: the guaranty stands in for it. That is the single largest difference between a VA payment and an FHA or low-down-payment conventional payment on the same price.
First use; 3.3% after first use; exempt for many disabled veterans
The funding fee is a one-time charge of 2.15% on a first-use purchase with less than five percent down and 3.3% on later uses; it drops with a larger down payment, can be financed into the loan, and is waived for the exempt groups listed below.
Residual income decides the file
VA’s debt-to-income guideline is 41%, but it is a guideline, not a ceiling: a file above it can be approved when residual income exceeds the regional table by a fifth or more, and a file under it can still fall short on residual income. The table below shows the figures for the West region.
| Loan type | Use | Down payment | Fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Purchase or construction | First use | less than 5% down | 2.15% |
| Purchase or construction | First use | 5% to 9.99% down | 1.5% |
| Purchase or construction | First use | 10% or more down | 1.25% |
| Purchase or construction | After first use | less than 5% down | 3.3% |
| Purchase or construction | After first use | 5% to 9.99% down | 1.5% |
| Purchase or construction | After first use | 10% or more down | 1.25% |
| Cash-out refinance | First use | Any | 2.15% |
| Cash-out refinance | After first use | Any | 3.3% |
| IRRRL | Any | Any | 0.5% |
| Manufactured home (not permanently affixed) | Any | Any | 1% |
| Loan assumption | Any | Any | 0.5% |
| Vendee loan | Any | Any | 2.25% |
| Family size | Residual income |
|---|---|
| 1 | $491 |
| 2 | $823 |
| 3 | $990 |
| 4 | $1,117 |
| 5 | $1,158 |
| Each additional member, up to seven | + $80 |
Exempt from the funding fee: veterans receiving VA compensation for a service-connected disability, those eligible for it but receiving retirement or active-duty pay instead, surviving spouses receiving Dependency and Indemnity Compensation, service members with a pre-discharge claim rating, and active-duty service members who have received the Purple Heart. VA sets no minimum credit score; the wholesale programs behind these pages start at a 580 decision score and serve loan amounts up to $4,000,000, including loans above the conforming limit with full entitlement.
Refinances: cash-out to 100% loan-to-value after seasoning of 210 days and six payments with a net tangible benefit; rate-reduction refinances of an existing VA loan at a 0.5% fee without a VA appraisal. Current VA snapshot · updated October 1, 2026 · owner-occupied principal residences, one to four units · no VA loan limit with full entitlement · loans are assumable · no prepayment penalty · Lendmire is not affiliated with the Department of Veterans Affairs.
For informational purposes only. This is not a commitment to lend or extend credit, an offer, or a quote. Program parameters shown are VA guidelines and wholesale lender overlays, are subject to change without notice, and every figure depends on the borrower, the entitlement, the property, the selected program, and full underwriting. Lendmire is a mortgage broker, not a lender, and is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Department of Veterans Affairs. Licensed in sixteen states for consumer mortgages. NMLS #2371349.
What a VA loan is — and how the file is qualified.
A VA loan is an ordinary mortgage from a private lender wrapped in a federal promise: if the loan fails, VA covers part of the lender’s loss. That promise is what lets a Marysville lender skip the down payment and the mortgage insurance, and the four cards below take the file apart piece by piece.
For the program overview, see Lendmire’s VA loan program, or the statewide guide at VA Loans in Washington; to request a Certificate of Eligibility, see VA.gov.
The guaranty replaces the down payment
VA backs a quarter of the loan for a borrower with full entitlement, which gives the lender the same protection a sizable down payment would. That is why a Marysville purchase can close with nothing down and no mortgage insurance, and why there is no VA loan limit when entitlement is full: the backing scales with the loan.
Eligibility, entitlement, and the COE
Eligibility comes from service: a minimum period of active duty, a qualifying period in the National Guard or Reserve, or status as an eligible surviving spouse, with a character of discharge VA accepts. VA confirms it on the Certificate of Eligibility, which a Marysville buyer can request online, through the lender, or by mail.
The funding fee, and who is exempt
Veterans receiving VA compensation for a service-connected disability pay no funding fee, and neither do surviving spouses receiving Dependency and Indemnity Compensation, Purple Heart recipients on active duty, or those rated before discharge. On a Marysville file the exemption is confirmed on the COE and removes the funding fee, the program’s one charge of its own.
Residual income over ratios
VA qualifies a household on what is left, not only on what is owed: residual income is the monthly income remaining after the proposed housing payment, other debts, taxes, and an allowance for maintenance and utilities, measured against a table by family size and region. A Marysville family must meet the table for its size.
Nothing here is a decision. The appraisal can come in under the contract price, the rate is set by the lender at lock, and the lender’s residual-income figure includes deductions this page only approximates. What holds steady is the structure the calculator reproduces: price, fee, loan, payment, residual.
Where Marysville’s veterans and service members buy — and how VA fits.
Residual income is measured against a real payment on a real Marysville price, so the market matters before the file does. The Census figures below describe that market: ownership, home values, and household income.
Market context only. These are ranges, not predictions. The lender appraises one home, documents one income, and runs the residual-income test for one household of a specific size.
Data sources: U.S. Census Bureau — ACS 5-Year (2024) housing and population estimates, including tenure, home values, gross rents, and household income.
Distinct Marysville neighborhoods, distinct VA files.
Where Marysville veterans actually shop, and what the file turns on in each place: the property type the VA appraiser sees, the approval it needs, and the price residual income has to carry.
Manufactured homes
VA will finance a Marysville manufactured home that meets its requirements for the home and the site, confirmed by the appraisal; a home on leased land or without a permanent foundation does not qualify, and the wholesale programs may add conditions of their own. Marysville is home to about 73K people.
Everyday values and nothing down
A typical Marysville price keeps the fee in proportion to the loan and leaves room in an ordinary budget, which is why an eligible buyer in the market compares VA first. The calculator shows the payment at a Marysville value. The median owner-occupied home value in Marysville runs near $567,900 on the latest Census estimate.
Newer subdivisions on the bypass
The newer Marysville subdivisions out by the bypass tend to meet VA’s appraisal requirements; the question there is whether residual income carries the higher price with the fee financed, which the calculator shows. About 31% of Marysville’s households rent — roughly 7,954 renter households on the latest Census estimate.
Multi-unit conversions
A converted Marysville duplex or triplex finances on VA with the buyer in one unit and the rents documented toward the ratios and residual income the way VA permits. The appraiser reads every unit’s condition. Roughly 18,015 Marysville households own their homes on the latest Census estimate — 69% of all households, the pool a VA purchase joins.
In-town neighborhoods
Marysville’s in-town blocks hold its oldest houses, and VA’s appraiser reads them for condition: roofs, systems, paint, and railings against the property requirements. Findings are common, usually modest, and usually the seller’s to complete before closing. Median household income in Marysville sits near $103,974 on the latest Census estimate.
Rural-edge and acreage properties
The rural edge of Marysville brings two checks: residential rather than farm use, and an appraisal supported by what has sold nearby. Both are routine when the home is the point and the land is incidental. On a home at Marysville’s median value, a VA purchase with full entitlement needs no down payment at all — the funding fee on the full $567,900 is the program’s cost, and it can be financed.
Across all of Marysville, five questions settle a VA loan: what the appraiser finds, whether the property meets VA’s standards, whether the veteran will occupy it, what the certificate says about entitlement, and what residual income supports.
Four ways Marysville veterans put the VA benefit to work.
Marysville veterans use VA for a handful of reasons that repeat, from the purchase with nothing down to the rate-reduction refinance of an existing VA loan, and the cards below take up the ones that come up most.
Buy a small multi-unit home and live in one unit
This is where the benefit stretches furthest: a Marysville veteran puts nothing down on two to four units, moves into one, and qualifies with the documented rent from the rest counted as VA allows, while the appraiser checks every unit against the property requirements.
Buy a condominium in an approved project
VA keeps its own list of approved condominium projects, and a Marysville unit in one of them is financed like a house with the association’s dues added to the ratios and the residual-income math. The appraisal covers the project as well as the unit.
Take cash out of a home with equity
Cash-out on VA is a full refinance of the first mortgage at the leverage in the snapshot, after the later of the seasoning period or the required payments, with the funding fee at the cash-out tier. A Marysville owner weighs it against a home equity line, which keeps the existing first mortgage in place.
Buy a first home with nothing down
For a first purchase in Marysville, VA pairs no down payment with no mortgage insurance and a residual-income test that reads the whole household budget; the file closes on the certificate, the appraisal, the income, and the funding fee tier.
Estimate the VA payment on a Marysville price before requesting a quote.
The program’s own math on your Marysville inputs: price less any down payment, plus the financed fee, amortized at the benchmark, with escrows added and nothing for mortgage insurance. The actual rate, payment, and costs come in writing from a licensed loan officer.
Marysville VA payment estimate
The starting figures are a typical Marysville price with nothing down and a first-use fee. Replace them with yours.
Editable benchmark: 7.28% as of October 1, 2026 · Freddie Mac 30-year average via FRED®. A conventional market reference, not a VA loan quote.
Illustrative starting assumptions: a $570,000 price near Marysville’s median owner-occupied home value, no down payment with full entitlement, a first-use funding fee financed into the loan, a thirty-year term at the current Freddie Mac benchmark, property taxes and insurance estimated for Washington (U.S. Census Bureau). Every field is editable.
Illustrative estimate only — not a Loan Estimate, approval, quote, or commitment to lend. The rate field carries the weekly Freddie Mac thirty-year conventional benchmark, a market reference and not a VA loan quote; your rate is set by the lender at lock. The funding fee follows VA’s published table for the use and down payment entered; the residual-income figure is VA’s guideline for the region and family size, and the rough residual shown subtracts only the housing payment and the debts entered, while VA also deducts taxes, maintenance and utilities. Taxes, insurance and dues are editable estimates; closing costs are not included. Licensed in sixteen states for consumer mortgages. Lendmire is not affiliated with or acting on behalf of the Department of Veterans Affairs.
Same veteran, three very different closings.
The alternatives put VA’s cost in perspective: FHA charges a premium every month, conventional charges one until equity arrives, VA charges a fee once. The comparison below is written for a Marysville buyer weighing all three.
VA, FHA, or conventional.
VA fits nearly every Marysville buyer who holds eligibility: the leverage is complete, there is no insurance line in the payment, and the fee is paid once. Partial entitlement, a property that fails VA’s standards, or a fee tier that outweighs a short hold are the cases where another program competes.
FHA’s leverage is high and its credit standard is forgiving, but its insurance never comes off a full-leverage thirty-year loan. A Marysville veteran comparing the two sees the premium line in the FHA payment and nothing in that line on VA. See Lendmire’s FHA loan program.
Conventional financing asks for a down payment and a higher score, in exchange for insurance that cancels and no funding fee. A Marysville veteran with a large down payment, where the funding fee falls to its lowest tier and conventional insurance falls away, should see both programs run on the same numbers. See Lendmire’s conventional loan program.
Which program fits best depends on the borrower’s numbers once eligibility is known. VA can come out ahead with a COE and full entitlement, conventional can for a veteran with twenty percent down and no fee exemption, and FHA is the fallback where the benefit is unavailable. The comparison is run on the actual numbers, in writing.
What to prepare for a Marysville scenario review.
Gather these before a Marysville review: ordinary mortgage documents plus the proof of service that opens the file.
This is a general preparation guide, not a universal checklist. The selected lender may request additional information based on the transaction, the property, entitlement, and the income picture. Nothing here is legal or tax advice.
Local details that can change the loan.
A handful of details decide whether a Marysville VA file closes as planned, closes smaller, or stalls. These are the ones that come up most.
Use these checks to keep the Marysville file clean and fundable.
Three things to settle before a Marysville review: what the certificate says about entitlement, which funding fee tier applies, and whether the property has any VA question attached.
- Confirm the entitlement: an earlier VA loan still outstanding leaves remaining entitlement and may call for a down payment.
- Know the fee: the tier follows first or subsequent use and the down payment, as the funding fee table above shows.
- Plan the units: rental income from the other units counts within VA’s rules.
Full or remaining entitlement
Two veterans, two COEs, two different loans: one with full entitlement buys above the conforming limit with nothing down, the other with an earlier loan still open brings a down payment on the uncovered portion. A Marysville loan officer reads the certificate before anything is sized.
The funding fee tier and the exemptions
Financed, the fee raises the loan balance and the payment; paid at closing, it raises the cash to close; paid by the seller, it counts toward the concessions cap. Which is best on a Marysville file depends on the tier and on how long the home will be kept, and the loan officer shows all three ways side by side.
Two- to four-unit homes and rental income
VA finances owner-occupied homes of up to four units with nothing down and has its own rules for counting rent from the other units: landlord experience or reserves, and a share of the documented rent rather than all of it. A Marysville buyer who occupies one unit qualifies on the combined picture.
Condominium project approval
VA finances a Marysville condominium only in a project on its approved list; an unlisted project can be submitted, which takes time and the association’s cooperation. The lender checks VA’s approved list before the appraisal, and the dues enter the ratios and residual income.
Assumption and release of liability
Assumability is one of the program’s quieter advantages for a Marysville owner who may sell into a higher-rate market, and one of its traps: without a release of liability the seller remains responsible, and without substitution of entitlement the seller’s benefit stays in use on a home they no longer own.
From a Marysville Certificate of Eligibility to keys in hand.
A VA purchase runs in a fixed order: certificate and pre-approval on income and residual income, contract and VA appraisal with the Notice of Value, underwriting with the fee tier confirmed, and closing with the fee financed, paid, or waived for exempt borrowers. Here is that order for a Marysville buyer.
COE and pre-approval
The first conversation settles the shape: whether entitlement is full, whether the fee applies, what residual income supports, and whether VA is the right program next to FHA and conventional for the Marysville purchase. The lender can pull the COE directly.
Contract and appraisal
The appraisal is the VA step that surprises buyers most: it reports on condition as well as value, and a low value opens VA’s reconsideration process before the figure is final. Required repairs are negotiated with the seller, and the Marysville contract is adjusted or released under the escape clause.
Underwriting
Underwriting on a Marysville VA file reads the whole picture: the entitlement on the certificate, the housing payment history, the seasoning of any derogatory event, and the residual income after VA’s deductions for taxes and upkeep. Conditions are issued, documented, and cleared before the approval is final.
Closing
Closing is where the fee becomes real: financed into the total loan or paid at the table, with the seller’s concessions applied and the fees a veteran may not pay removed from the sheet. The Marysville buyer takes the keys and VA backs the lender.
A brokerage that puts the benefit to work.
A single lender recommends its own program; a brokerage with several wholesale programs and all three routes can say which one actually costs a Marysville veteran less, and show the arithmetic.
Three programs, one set of numbers
The comparison printed on this page is run for real on every Marysville file: VA with the fee financed beside FHA with its premiums beside conventional with private insurance, and the written terms follow from whichever column serves the veteran.
The fee and the entitlement explained before the offer
A Marysville veteran should never discover at the closing table that the fee was the subsequent-use tier or that entitlement was partly in use. The loan officer reads the certificate aloud, so to speak: the tier, the leverage, and the conventional alternative on the same numbers.
Licensed, consumer-purpose, in writing
Lendmire is licensed in sixteen states for consumer mortgages, each loan is a consumer-purpose transaction with the full set of disclosures, and every figure a Marysville buyer relies on, from the fee to the leverage to the final terms, comes in writing from a licensed loan officer.
Trusted by veterans & families alike.
Marysville VA loan FAQs
What a VA loan is, who is eligible, how the certificate works, what the funding fee costs, and how the loan limit works, answered for Marysville buyers.
What is a VA loan, and who is it for?
A VA loan is a mortgage from a private lender with a partial guaranty from the Department of Veterans Affairs: VA backs a share of the loan, and in exchange the program allows no down payment with full entitlement, no monthly mortgage insurance, a residual-income test, and a cap on the fees a veteran can be charged. It is for veterans, service members, National Guard and Reserve members, and eligible surviving spouses buying a principal residence in Marysville.
Who is eligible for a VA loan in Marysville?
Veterans and service members who meet VA’s minimum service requirements with a character of discharge VA accepts, National Guard and Reserve members with qualifying active service or six creditable years, and surviving spouses of service members who died in service or from a service-connected disability, or who are receiving Dependency and Indemnity Compensation. VA confirms it on the Certificate of Eligibility.
How do I get a Certificate of Eligibility?
Online at VA.gov, through the lender, or by mail. Have the service documents ready: the DD-214 for a veteran, a statement of service for a service member, Guard or Reserve records, or the spouse’s documentation. Some certificates issue instantly and some need VA to review the record.
What is the VA funding fee, and do I have to pay it?
The funding fee is a one-time charge VA collects to fund the guaranty, set as a share of the loan by first or subsequent use and by the down payment, as the snapshot ladder shows. It can be financed, paid at closing, or paid by the seller as a concession. Veterans receiving compensation for a service-connected disability, surviving spouses receiving DIC, Purple Heart recipients on active duty, and service members rated before discharge are exempt.
Is there a VA loan limit in Marysville?
There is no VA loan limit for a veteran with full entitlement; the lender’s own maximum loan amount, shown in the snapshot, is the practical ceiling. A Marysville buyer with remaining entitlement should ask a loan officer how the county figure affects the file.
What credit score do I need for a VA loan?
No VA minimum exists; the practical floor is the wholesale overlay in the snapshot. A thin file is underwritten on rent, utilities, and other payment records, and a seasoned bankruptcy or foreclosure with clean recent history is inside the rules.
Do I need a down payment for a VA loan?
With full entitlement the program needs nothing down, and closing costs can be paid by the seller, with VA’s cap applying to concessions beyond them. Putting five or ten percent down is optional and lowers the funding fee, as the ladder shows.
What does a VA appraisal check?
It checks what the home is worth and whether it meets VA’s requirements. Older Marysville homes draw required repairs more often; most are settled before closing, and the escape clause protects the deposit if the value falls short and the price cannot be renegotiated.
What is residual income, and why does it matter?
It is the second test on every VA file and the one that matters most. The snapshot shows the figures for the Washington region by family size; child care, support orders, and the family’s size all move the result.
What happens after my Marysville offer is accepted?
Your Marysville contract goes to the lender, VA assigns the appraiser, and underwriting follows the Notice of Value. The usual detours are required repairs or a value under the price, which VA’s reconsideration process and the escape clause are built for; a loan officer keeps the timeline honest.
VA, FHA, or conventional for Marysville: compared on your numbers.
Put your Marysville figures into the calculator, then ask for a review. Entitlement, the funding fee tier, residual income, and the loan VA supports are confirmed against the program’s rules, and a licensed loan officer provides the terms in writing.
This guide covers Marysville — for the statewide guidelines, markets, and scenarios, see VA Loans in Washington, part of Lendmire’s VA loan program.
Nearby markets in Washington: Everett · Bothell · Shoreline · Mount Vernon · Kirkland · Redmond · Seattle · Bellevue
Related programs: Conventional Loans · FHA Loans · Jumbo Loans