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
VA charges a funding fee instead of mortgage insurance: 2.15% on a first-use purchase, 3.3% on a subsequent use, less with a down payment of five percent or more, and nothing for the exempt groups. The ladder below shows every tier, including the cash-out and rate-reduction refinance fees.
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 South 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 | $441 |
| 2 | $738 |
| 3 | $889 |
| 4 | $1,003 |
| 5 | $1,039 |
| 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.
Every Burleson VA file has the same skeleton: a certificate that proves eligibility, an entitlement figure that sets how much VA will back, a funding fee that pays for the backing or is waived, and an underwriting test that reads the household’s leftover income. The cards below explain each bone.
For the program overview, see Lendmire’s VA loan program, or the statewide guide at VA Loans in Texas; to request a Certificate of Eligibility, see VA.gov.
The guaranty replaces the down payment
The guaranty is a promise from VA to the lender, not a loan from VA. On a Burleson file it covers a share of any loss, so the lender can lend the full purchase price, up to the appraised value, without a down payment and without charging for mortgage insurance; the funding fee is what the borrower pays for that promise.
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 Burleson buyer can request online, through the lender, or by mail.
The funding fee, and who is exempt
The funding fee is VA’s one-time charge for the guaranty, set as a share of the loan by whether the benefit has been used before and by the down payment. A Burleson buyer can finance it into the loan or pay it at closing, and the seller can pay it as part of concessions; the ladder in the snapshot shows every tier, and veterans compensated for a service-connected disability are exempt.
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 Burleson family must meet the table for its size.
The calculator turns this arithmetic into a Burleson scenario: price in, down payment in, fee tier chosen, and out come the funding fee, the total loan, principal and interest, and the escrows. Add income and family size to see the ratio and a rough residual against VA’s table.
Where Burleson’s veterans and service members buy — and how VA fits.
Three Census figures frame every Burleson 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.
These are context figures, not underwriting inputs. 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 Burleson neighborhoods, distinct VA files.
A Burleson 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.
Multi-unit conversions
One side occupied, the other side’s rent counted within the program’s rules: that is the Burleson duplex on a VA loan, with both units checked against VA’s requirements before the Notice of Value. Roughly 13,227 Burleson households own their homes on the latest Census estimate — 72% of all households, the pool a VA purchase joins.
Manufactured homes
Burleson manufactured homes finance on VA under VA’s rules: permanent foundation, real-estate title, and the construction standard the appraiser checks. The leverage and the absence of mortgage insurance match a site-built home. Burleson is home to about 53K people.
Newer subdivisions on the bypass
A newer Burleson purchase rarely produces repair findings. The file turns on the certificate, the fee tier, and the residual-income test at the price once the fee is financed. On a home at Burleson’s median value, a VA purchase with full entitlement needs no down payment at all — the funding fee on the full $308,200 is the program’s cost, and it can be financed.
In-town neighborhoods
In Burleson’s older neighborhoods the condition report decides as much as the value. Buyers who expect findings negotiate them early, keep the seller’s completion on the contract timeline, and keep the file moving. The median owner-occupied home value in Burleson runs near $308,200 on the latest Census estimate.
Everyday values and nothing down
At Burleson’s price levels the VA structure is at its most comfortable: nothing down, a fee in proportion to the loan, and a payment that typically leaves room under the residual-income table on a local household income. Median household income in Burleson sits near $93,928 on the latest Census estimate.
Rural-edge and acreage properties
The rural edge of Burleson 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. About 28% of Burleson’s households rent — roughly 5,126 renter households on the latest Census estimate.
Each Burleson 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 Burleson 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 Burleson uses follow.
Buy a condominium in an approved project
A condominium purchase in Burleson can be financed with VA in an approved project; a project not yet on the list can be submitted, which takes time and the association’s cooperation. The buyer’s side of the file does not change.
Buy a small multi-unit home and live in one unit
Up to four units, nothing down, no mortgage insurance: VA finances the small multi-unit home as long as the veteran lives in one unit. Rent from the other units can count toward qualifying under VA’s rules, which may ask for landlord experience or reserves.
Buy above the conforming limit
A higher-priced Burleson home is still a VA purchase: the guaranty backs a quarter of the whole loan with full entitlement, so a lender can waive the down payment on the whole amount. The county conforming figure only matters when entitlement is partly in use.
Refinance an existing VA loan
An existing VA loan in Burleson can be refinanced on its own record: the IRRRL skips the appraisal and most of the documentation, carries the smallest funding fee in the program, and must leave the borrower better off under VA’s net tangible benefit rules.
Estimate the VA payment on a Burleson price before requesting a quote.
The program’s own math on your Burleson 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.
Burleson VA payment estimate
Defaults describe Burleson, not your purchase: put in the real price, the real fee tier, and the real escrows.
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 $310,000 price near Burleson’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 Texas (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.
Choosing among VA, FHA, and conventional in Burleson is really choosing an insurance structure and a down payment at the same time. Each is laid out below with the buyer it fits.
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’s leverage is high and its credit standard is forgiving, but its insurance never comes off a full-leverage thirty-year loan. A Burleson 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 Burleson 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.
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 Burleson scenario review.
The paperwork is the standard mortgage set with the service record on top; here is what a Burleson 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.
When a Burleson VA file surprises someone, the cause is usually one of these: entitlement partly in use, a higher fee tier than expected, required repairs from the appraisal, a condominium without VA approval, or residual income below the table.
Use these checks to keep the Burleson file clean and fundable.
Before asking for a quote, know three answers: is entitlement full, does the fee apply and at what tier, and does the property fit VA’s standards at that price.
- Confirm the entitlement: entitlement is restored once the earlier loan is paid off and the home sold.
- Know the fee: disabled veterans receiving compensation and the other exempt groups pay no fee.
- Know the history: VA sets no minimum score; the wholesale floor is in the guidelines above.
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 Burleson 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 Burleson 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.
Credit, seasoning, and the prior VA loan
Each credit event (a bankruptcy, a foreclosure, a short sale) is seasoned from a specific date, which the lender confirms from the discharge or transfer documents. A Burleson 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
A VA loan finances a principal residence: the veteran certifies an intent to occupy within a reasonable time after closing, which VA generally reads as a couple of months. The usual Burleson exception is military life itself, where a spouse can occupy for a member on orders elsewhere.
The VA appraisal and the Notice of Value
Two outcomes matter on a Burleson appraisal: the value and the condition findings. When the value comes in short, the gap above the appraisal is paid in cash, the price is renegotiated, or the buyer is released under the escape clause with the deposit returned; a property finding is repaired and re-inspected before the loan closes.
From a Burleson Certificate of Eligibility to keys in hand.
Four steps: the certificate and pre-approval, the appraisal, the underwriting, and the closing. The Burleson version of each follows.
COE and pre-approval
Start with the Certificate of Eligibility, the income, and the household size. A Lendmire loan officer confirms the entitlement, the funding fee tier, the ratio, and the residual income, runs the VA structure against FHA and conventional on the same numbers, and provides the terms in writing.
Contract and appraisal
The Burleson contract sets the price and the concessions; the appraisal sets the value and the condition. Both feed the loan amount, and the lender confirms the project approval and the wood-destroying insect inspection where VA requires one for the state before underwriting begins.
Underwriting
An automated approval still runs the residual-income test; a manual file is read against the guideline and the table. Either way, the Burleson underwriter verifies the income, the assets, the credit history, and the property, and issues the approval with its conditions.
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 Burleson buyer takes the keys and VA backs the lender.
A brokerage that puts the benefit to work.
The case for a brokerage on a VA loan is candor with numbers: VA beside conventional on the same inputs, the fee tier stated outright, the entitlement checked first, and the terms in writing.
Three programs, one set of numbers
The comparison printed on this page is run for real on every Burleson 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 Burleson 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 carries the license for the state the Burleson home is in, delivers the disclosures a consumer mortgage requires, and commits the terms to paper. The program figures on this page are read from one guideline source built on VA’s published rules.
Trusted by veterans & families alike.
Burleson VA loan FAQs
Plain answers to the questions Burleson veterans ask most about VA loans, in the order they usually ask them.
What is a VA loan, and who is it for?
VA runs a guaranty program for veterans’ home loans; it is not a lender. A Burleson buyer applies through a lender or broker, the lender underwrites to VA’s rules, and VA stands behind part of the loan. Purchases, cash-out refinances, and rate-reduction refinances of existing VA loans are all inside it.
Who is eligible for a VA loan in Burleson?
The requirements depend on when and how you served, and VA publishes them by era. A Burleson loan officer can check the service record against them in a few minutes, and the Certificate of Eligibility is the official answer.
How do I get a Certificate of Eligibility?
Request it on VA.gov, ask the lender to pull it, or mail VA Form 26-1880. The supporting document depends on status: DD-214 for veterans, a statement of service for active duty, NGB Forms 22 and 23 for the Guard, a points statement for the Reserve, VA Form 26-1817 for surviving spouses.
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 Burleson?
No limit with full entitlement, which is why a VA jumbo with nothing down exists. Partial entitlement brings the county conforming figure into the math; the loan officer confirms the current figure and the down payment it implies.
Do I have to live in the home to use a VA loan?
You do, within a reasonable time after closing. The rule has sensible exceptions for military life, and it does not prevent a Burleson veteran from renting the home out after living in it; the loan stays in place.
Can I buy a duplex or fourplex with a VA loan?
VA finances owner-occupied two- to four-unit homes. A Burleson buyer lives in one unit, the rent from the others counts as VA allows, and the residual-income test runs on the combined picture.
Can I get a VA loan after a bankruptcy or foreclosure?
After the waiting period, yes. Each credit event (a bankruptcy, a foreclosure, a short sale) 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.
How does a VA refinance work?
VA refinances come in two shapes, and the funding fee applies to each unless the veteran is exempt. A Burleson owner with an existing VA loan usually starts with the IRRRL; an owner taking cash out needs the seasoning period and the program’s cash-out leverage.
Does a VA loan have mortgage insurance?
No. There is no monthly mortgage insurance and no upfront premium on a VA loan at any leverage; the guaranty replaces it, and the one-time funding fee is the program’s only charge for the backing. That absence is the largest difference between a VA payment and an FHA or low-down-payment conventional payment on the same Burleson price.
A Burleson VA purchase, from the certificate to the closing table.
When you are ready, a Burleson review sizes the loan, settles the program, and produces written terms. Nothing on this page commits anyone to lend.
This guide covers Burleson — for the statewide guidelines, markets, and scenarios, see VA Loans in Texas, part of Lendmire’s VA loan program.
Nearby markets in Texas: Mansfield · Arlington · Fort Worth · Grand Prairie · North Richland Hills · Euless · DeSoto · Waxahachie
Related programs: Conventional Loans · FHA Loans · Jumbo Loans