Put the home loan benefit you earned to work.

Veterans, active-duty service members, and National Guard and Reserve members who meet the service requirements, plus some surviving spouses. Your Certificate of Eligibility confirms it.

If you’re eligible, a VA loan often costs less up front and has no monthly mortgage insurance. A conventional loan can finance a second home or a rental, which a VA loan doesn’t. Compare both, with the full terms of each.

The document that shows a lender you’re eligible for a VA loan. Your loan officer can usually request it for you through the VA’s own system.

A one-time fee that helps fund the program. It depends on your service, the loan and whether you have used the benefit before, and many borrowers add it to the loan. Veterans with a service-connected disability are usually exempt.

Yes. Your entitlement can be restored after a VA loan is paid off, and in some cases you can have more than one VA loan.

The VA doesn’t set one, though lenders have their own guidelines. Your loan officer looks at your whole picture: credit, income and debts together.

Yes. VA rules let sellers pay some of your closing costs, within limits, and the VA restricts some of the fees a veteran can be charged.

Answering a few questions doesn’t check your credit. A credit check comes later, only with your permission, and your loan officer can explain how it may affect your score.

Your loan officer explains why, and whether another loan such as FHA or conventional may fit while you work on what’s missing.

Closing costs and the one-time funding fee, unless you’re exempt. The VA limits some fees, sellers can pay some costs, and your Loan Estimate lists every cost before you commit.