Have your Certificate of Eligibility Ready!

Most veterans already know if they are eligible for a VA loan. But you want to make sure you are ready to prove your eligibility to your lender before you enter into a sales contract for a house. The first step is obtaining your certificate of eligibility. You can do this a couple different ways.

Contact your VA regional service center or you can visit the VA's official website.

If you have a reputable VA lender, they can usually help you obtain your certificate of eligibility.

If you previously obtained a VA loan, you can still get another VA loan as long as you didn't foreclose on the old house and your old VA loan has been paid off in full.

Your lender can help get your eligibility restored as well. You may need to prove the old loan has been paid off by providing a copy of the settlement statement showing that the house has been sold or refinanced to a conventional loan. This actually isn't as big of a deal as you may think. The turnaround time with the VA is only a few days if done with your VA approved lender.

Do you have a copy of your DD-214 (discharge papers)?