Certificate of Eligibility and entitlement
A federal Certificate of Eligibility (COE) documents remaining entitlement. Full entitlement generally supports 100% financing up to the lender’s limit; partial entitlement (a prior VA loan not restored) may require a down payment. We pull or request the COE early so an offer is not written on a guess.
Funding fee, occupancy, residual income
Most VA purchases include a funding fee that can be financed; veterans with qualifying disability compensation are typically exempt. The property must be a primary residence. VA residual-income guidelines and the VA appraisal (notice of value) are different from Fannie Mae overlays. Condos need to be on the VA-approved list or eligible for single-unit approval.
Building instead of buying
Some eligible veterans use a VA construction-to-permanent product for a custom primary residence. That is a different overlay than a purchase of an existing home. Read the VA custom construction page if you are building.