Current VA guidelines, updated from one source.
What follows is VA’s own rulebook reduced to the handful of numbers that decide a file, pulled from Lendmire’s single guideline source and refreshed on this page whenever VA or the wholesale overlays move: leverage with full entitlement, the funding fee by use and down payment, the ratio guideline, and the residual-income table for this state’s VA region.
100% financing with full entitlement
100% financing is available with full entitlement, so the buyer brings 0% toward the price; closing costs are separate and can be paid by the seller within VA’s limit. A larger down payment lowers the funding fee tier, as the ladder shows.
No monthly premium, no upfront premium
There is no monthly mortgage insurance and no upfront premium on a VA loan at any leverage; the guaranty does the work that private mortgage insurance or FHA’s premiums do elsewhere, and the funding fee is the only program charge.
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
Two tests, one guideline: the total-debt ratio is measured against 41%, and residual income is measured against the West table below for the household’s size. VA tells lenders the residual-income test carries more weight, which is why a modest ratio does not approve a thin budget.
| 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.
Informational only; not a commitment to lend, an approval, or a quote. Every figure on this page is a program parameter read from Lendmire’s guideline source, built on VA’s published rules, and may change without notice; eligibility, the loan amount, the fee, and the residual-income test depend on the Certificate of Eligibility, the credit profile, the property, and underwriting. Lendmire is a mortgage broker licensed in sixteen states for consumer mortgages and is not affiliated with the Department of Veterans Affairs. NMLS #2371349.
What a VA loan is — and how the file is qualified.
To follow a Bellevue VA file, follow four things in order: the guaranty, the eligibility and entitlement that unlock it, the funding fee that funds it, and the residual-income standard that qualifies it. Each rule below comes with the reason behind it.
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
Think of the guaranty as VA standing where the down payment would stand. With full entitlement the backing covers a quarter of whatever the loan is, so a Bellevue buyer is not capped by a county figure; with reduced entitlement the backing is smaller, and a lender may ask for a down payment to make up the difference.
Eligibility, entitlement, and the COE
The Certificate of Eligibility is the document that opens the file. It states the entitlement available, whether the funding fee is waived, and any prior use of the benefit. A Bellevue lender can usually pull it within the VA system from a DD-214 or a statement of service, and VA.gov issues it directly as well.
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 Bellevue file the exemption is confirmed on the COE and removes the program’s only cost.
Residual income over ratios
Residual income depends on where the home is and how many people live in it: the tables differ by region, and the figure rises with each family member. The snapshot shows the Washington table, and the calculator estimates a rough residual from the income, the payment, and the debts you enter for a Bellevue scenario.
A lender runs exactly this math on a Bellevue file, with one refinement the page cannot make: underwriting also subtracts taxes, maintenance, and utilities before measuring residual income, so the rough residual here will read higher than the lender’s. The price, the fee tier, and the locked rate are the moving parts.
Where Bellevue’s veterans and service members buy — and how VA fits.
Three Census figures frame every Bellevue VA file. Ownership says how much of the market the benefit can reach, the median value says what a nothing-down loan typically comes to, and household income says how much residual income is left after that payment.
Read the figures as backdrop. Two veterans with identical entitlement can see different files here: one buying at the median clears the residual-income table with room, another stretching above it needs the ratio justified. The market sets the spread.
Data sources: U.S. Census Bureau — ACS 5-Year (2024) housing and population estimates, including tenure, home values, gross rents, and household income.
Distinct Bellevue neighborhoods, distinct VA files.
A Bellevue condominium, a half-century-old family home, and a new subdivision house are three different VA files: different project approvals, different property findings, different funding fees in dollars. The six submarkets below show the range.
Higher-value homes
For a high-value Bellevue file the question is entitlement rather than a limit. Full entitlement carries the loan with nothing down; remaining entitlement brings the county figure into the math and a down payment on the uncovered portion. Roughly 32,234 Bellevue households own their homes on the latest Census estimate — 52% of all households, the pool a VA purchase joins.
Two-to-four-unit homes
Owner occupancy of one unit is the hinge on a Bellevue multi-unit file; after that, the guaranty treats the loan like any other, the rent VA allows is documented toward qualifying, and the appraiser inspects each unit against the property requirements. The median owner-occupied home value in Bellevue runs near $1,340,300 on the latest Census estimate.
Neighborhoods near the installation
Where Bellevue sits near a base or a reserve center, VA files cluster in the neighborhoods service members choose, and the occupancy rule bends there in defined ways: a spouse can occupy for a member on orders, and a veteran may later rent the home out after living in it. Median household income in Bellevue sits near $165,576 on the latest Census estimate.
Condominiums and townhomes
A VA-approved Bellevue project turns a condominium into a routine file. The buyer’s side does not change; the lender confirms the project before ordering the appraisal, which is the step that saves a contract from a dead end. On a home at Bellevue’s median value, a VA purchase with full entitlement needs no down payment at all — the funding fee on the full $1,340,300 is the program’s cost, and it can be financed.
Established close-in neighborhoods
The Bellevue blocks nearest the core carry the oldest houses, and VA’s appraiser reads them for condition as well as price: paint, roof, railings, systems. Findings become required repairs, and sellers usually complete them before closing. About 48% of Bellevue’s households rent — roughly 29,743 renter households on the latest Census estimate.
Newer infill and recent construction
New rows and recent infill in Bellevue tend to appraise without findings, which moves the question to price. With full entitlement there is no loan limit, so a contract above the county conforming figure is still a nothing-down VA purchase, tested on residual income at that payment. Bellevue counts a population near 152K within the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA area.
Each Bellevue submarket has its own property story, and the VA appraisal is where that story is told. The property requirements, the occupancy rule, and the residual-income test are the constants.
Four ways Bellevue veterans put the VA benefit to work.
A good use of VA is one the program’s shape fits: no down payment, no mortgage insurance, residual-income underwriting, and a guaranty that scales with the loan. Four common Bellevue uses follow.
Buy above the conforming limit
With full entitlement there is no VA loan limit, so a Bellevue buyer can finance a home above the conforming limit with no down payment, where a conventional jumbo loan would ask for a large one. The wholesale programs behind these pages serve loan amounts up to the ceiling shown in the snapshot.
Buy a first home with nothing down
For a first purchase in Bellevue, 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.
Buy a small multi-unit home and live in one unit
A Bellevue duplex, triplex, or fourplex becomes a VA purchase the moment the buyer commits to occupying one unit. The guaranty covers the loan the same way it covers a house, and the other units’ rent is documented toward the ratios and residual income the way VA permits.
Buy a condominium in an approved project
One extra step separates a Bellevue condominium file from a house file: the project review against VA’s list. Once the project clears, the leverage, the fee, and the absence of mortgage insurance are exactly what they would be on a house.
Estimate the VA payment on a Bellevue price before requesting a quote.
Before you ask for a quote, size the payment yourself: the Bellevue price, the fee tier, the term, the benchmark rate, and the escrows go in, and the funding fee table and the residual-income figures come from the same guideline source as the block above. The result is an estimate, and the rate is a published market average, not an offer.
Bellevue VA payment estimate
The starting figures are a typical Bellevue price with nothing down and a first-use fee. Replace them with yours.
Editable benchmark: 7.03% as of September 24, 2026 · Freddie Mac 30-year average via FRED®. A conventional market reference, not a VA loan quote.
Illustrative starting assumptions: a $1,340,000 price near Bellevue’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.
Most buyers can close the same purchase three ways, and the structures differ more than the labels suggest: VA with nothing down and no mortgage insurance, FHA with a small investment and premiums for the life of the loan, or conventional with private insurance that falls away as equity grows.
VA, FHA, or conventional.
No down payment with full entitlement, no mortgage insurance at any leverage, a one-time funding fee that can be financed or waived, residual-income underwriting, no loan limit with full entitlement, and a loan that can be assumed. The cost is the funding fee, and the condition is eligibility.
FHA asks for a small minimum investment, accepts a forgiving decision score, and charges an upfront premium plus an annual premium that lasts for the term at full leverage. For a Bellevue buyer without VA eligibility it is the nearest substitute; with eligibility it is the costlier route. 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 Bellevue veteran with a large down payment and a subsequent-use fee tier should see both programs run on the same numbers. See Lendmire’s conventional loan program.
Where each one fits: VA for the eligible buyer who wants no down payment and no mortgage insurance; FHA for the buyer without eligibility who needs the small investment and the forgiving score; conventional for the buyer with twenty percent down or a strong score who wants cancellable insurance.
What to prepare for a Bellevue scenario review.
The paperwork is the standard mortgage set with the service record on top; here is what a Bellevue scenario review typically draws on.
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 Bellevue VA file closes as planned, closes smaller, or stalls. These are the ones that come up most.
Use these checks to keep the Bellevue file clean and fundable.
A Bellevue file that is ready to review has already answered three questions: how much entitlement, what funding fee, and whether the property is inside VA’s rules.
- Confirm the entitlement: an earlier VA loan still outstanding leaves remaining entitlement and may call for a down payment.
- Know the fee: the fee can be financed, paid at closing, or paid by the seller.
- Structure the contract: certain fees may not be charged to the veteran on a VA file.
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 Bellevue loan officer reads the certificate before anything is sized.
The funding fee tier and the exemptions
The fee depends on whether the benefit has been used before and on the down payment, and it is waived for veterans receiving compensation for a service-connected disability, surviving spouses receiving DIC, active-duty Purple Heart recipients, and service members rated before discharge. On a Bellevue file the tier is confirmed from the COE.
Seller concessions and the fees a veteran may not pay
VA caps seller concessions as a share of the value: prepaid items, the funding fee, and payoff of a buyer’s debts count toward the cap, while ordinary closing costs the seller agrees to pay do not. A Bellevue contract that uses the cap well can leave the buyer with little cash to close beyond the deposit already paid.
Credit, seasoning, and the prior VA loan
Each event is seasoned from a specific date, which the lender confirms from the discharge or transfer documents. A Bellevue buyer should gather those dates and documents before the review, because they decide whether the file can be written now or later, and whether entitlement is full or partly in use.
Occupancy and the reasonable-time rule
Second homes and rentals are not VA purchases. A Bellevue buyer who will never live in the home cannot use the benefit for it, but a service member whose spouse will occupy it during a deployment can, and a veteran may later move out and keep the home as a rental without refinancing.
From a Bellevue Certificate of Eligibility to keys in hand.
From the certificate to the closing table, a Bellevue VA purchase takes four steps, and each one carries a VA rule inside it.
COE and pre-approval
A Bellevue pre-approval is a sizing exercise: the certificate, the income, the family size, the funding fee tier, and the price. The loan officer confirms eligibility and entitlement against the program rules and puts the pre-approval in writing for the offer.
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 Bellevue contract is adjusted or released under the escape clause.
Underwriting
Underwriting on a Bellevue 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 Bellevue buyer takes the keys and VA backs the lender.
A brokerage that puts the benefit to work.
Lendmire never lends. It reads a Bellevue file against VA, FHA, and conventional, matches the program to the profile, and keeps the funding fee and the residual-income test in front of the buyer before anything is signed.
Three programs, one set of numbers
A lender with one program sells that program; a brokerage with all three can say which fits. For a Bellevue veteran with full entitlement the answer is almost always VA; with a large down payment and a high fee tier it can be conventional, and the arithmetic decides.
The fee and the entitlement explained before the offer
A Bellevue 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
What this page shows are VA’s parameters and the wholesale overlays; what a specific Bellevue loan gets is a written set of terms from a licensed loan officer after the review. Lendmire is a broker, never the lender, and has no affiliation with the Department of Veterans Affairs.
Trusted by veterans & families alike.
Bellevue VA loan FAQs
The questions below come up on nearly every Bellevue VA conversation. The answers are general; the figures in the snapshot above are the program’s current parameters.
What is a VA loan, and who is it for?
Think of it as a conventional mortgage with VA standing where the down payment would stand. The guaranty costs a one-time funding fee, and it buys no down payment, no mortgage insurance, and underwriting that reads the household budget. Owner-occupied homes only, up to four units.
Who is eligible for a VA loan in Bellevue?
Active-duty service members after a minimum period, veterans with the required length of service for their era, Guard and Reserve members with qualifying active duty or six years of service, and eligible surviving spouses. The certificate settles it.
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 fee is the program’s only charge for the guaranty, and the snapshot shows the tiers. A Bellevue buyer who is receiving VA disability compensation, or who falls in one of the other exempt groups, pays nothing; everyone else pays the tier for their use and down payment, usually by financing it.
Is there a VA loan limit in Bellevue?
With full entitlement, no. The county conforming figure only matters when part of the entitlement is tied up in an earlier VA loan; then the guaranty is reduced and a down payment may be needed on the uncovered portion. This page does not quote the county figure because it changes every year.
What does a VA appraisal check?
The appraisal is a valuation and a condition report, and VA assigns the appraiser rather than the lender. The home must meet VA’s requirements to close, and the value sets the loan amount when it comes in below the price.
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 within VA’s limit. Putting five or ten percent down is optional and lowers the funding fee, as the ladder shows.
Can the seller pay my closing costs on a VA loan?
Sellers may pay closing costs and, within VA’s cap, concessions that include the funding fee and prepaids. A Bellevue contract structured that way can close with no down payment and little cash beyond the deposit.
Can I get a VA loan after a bankruptcy or foreclosure?
After the waiting period, yes. Each event has its own period counted from a specific date, and the lender confirms it from the discharge or transfer papers; gather those dates before the review.
Do I have to live in the home to use a VA loan?
The home has to be your principal residence at closing, occupied within a reasonable time. Second homes and investment property are outside the program, but a multi-unit home where you occupy one unit is inside it, and deployment has its own allowances.
A Bellevue VA loan sized to the price, the entitlement, and the budget.
Ask for a Bellevue scenario review to confirm entitlement, the fee tier, and the loan the program supports. Lendmire is a broker licensed in sixteen states for consumer mortgages and is never the lender.
This guide covers Bellevue — for the statewide guidelines, markets, and scenarios, see VA Loans in Washington, part of Lendmire’s VA loan program.
Nearby markets in Washington: Seattle · Kent · Tacoma · Vancouver · Spokane
Related programs: Conventional Loans · FHA Loans · Jumbo Loans