VA Loans Near Fort Benning: 5 Rules That Change How You Write an Offer

The VA home loan is the best mortgage product in the country for the families we work with: no down payment, no monthly mortgage insurance, and rates that typically run below conventional. But most of the rules that actually decide what it costs you never come up until the closing table, which is exactly too late.

Here are the five we walk through with every buyer using a VA loan near Fort Benning before an offer goes in.

Watch: Think you can’t qualify? Ask a loan officer first

1. The funding fee, and who does not pay it

The VA funding fee is a one-time charge that can be rolled into the loan. With less than 5% down, it is 2.15% on first use and 3.30% on subsequent use (VA.gov). On a $250,000 loan, that is $5,375 or $8,250.

But a lot of buyers owe nothing at all. You are exempt if you receive VA compensation for a service-connected disability (any rating), if you are a surviving spouse receiving Dependency and Indemnity Compensation, or if you are on active duty and have received a Purple Heart. And if your disability rating comes through after closing but is effective on or before the closing date, you can request a refund. It is not automatic. You have to ask.

2. You can now pay your own agent

For decades a VA buyer was not allowed to pay a buyer’s agent directly. That changed in August 2024 after the NAR settlement, and VA has since moved to make it permanent. What matters when you write the offer:

• Search homes near Fort Benning
• Your written buyer agreement needs to be signed before you tour homes.
• The fee cannot be financed into the loan. It comes from your funds or from the seller.
• You can still ask the seller to pay it. VA’s guidance has been that a seller’s direct payment of the buyer’s broker commission is not treated as a seller concession, while things like paying off your debts or covering your funding fee fall under VA’s 4% concession limit. Have your lender confirm how your specific offer will be treated.

3. A low appraisal is not the end of the deal

If the VA appraiser expects the value to come in under your contract price, they are required to notify the lender first under the Tidewater process. Your agent and lender then have two business days to send better comparable sales before the report is finalized. If that does not work, a formal Reconsideration of Value lets you submit additional recent sales. This is one of the biggest reasons to have an agent who pulls comps before the offer, not after.

Don’t let the VA appraisal be your inspection

The VA appraisal checks that the house meets VA’s minimum property requirements. It is not a home inspection, and it won’t catch everything. The biggest mistake I see first-time VA buyers make is counting on it to flag repairs. Get your own detailed inspection, then ask for every repair you’d be comfortable having done.

The appraisal can still surprise you. On one deal, the appraisal said the washer and dryer had to be in the same room. That meant new plumbing and electrical, and it nearly killed the deal. We got creative so the work cost far less, and it closed. If it hadn’t been fixed, that appraisal would have followed the house for months, making it very hard to sell to another VA or FHA buyer.

4. You might be able to take over the seller’s VA loan

VA loans are assumable. If a seller bought a few years ago at a lower rate, assuming their loan can beat any rate you would get today. The funding fee on an assumption is just 0.50%, and you do not have to be a veteran to assume one — you do have to qualify with the servicer on credit and income.

Two things to know. An assumption doesn’t have to take longer than a normal closing: VA gives the servicer 45 days to decide once the package is complete, and with an agent and lender who’ve done them it moves like any other sale (more in selling with an assumable VA loan). And you usually have to pay the seller the difference between the loan balance and the price in cash or with secondary financing. Worth asking about on every listing anyway.

5. The Fed does not set your rate

Plenty of buyers wait on a Federal Reserve meeting before they shop. But a 30-year fixed tracks the 10-year Treasury and investor demand for mortgage bonds, not the federal funds rate. Freddie Mac’s 30-year average was 6.95% on September 17, 2026 (Freddie Mac PMMS). VA rates typically run below conventional because the government guaranty lowers the lender’s risk. You can refinance a rate later. Overpaying for the house is much harder to undo.

What some listing agents still get wrong about VA offers

Some agents still treat a VA offer as slower or “less competitive”. In a military market I’d argue the opposite. Buyers, sellers, lenders, appraisers and inspectors here do VA deals all the time, and the process runs like a well-oiled machine. A clean VA offer from a prepared buyer is easy to close.

Three levers: timeline, closing costs and price

The two places VA deals here get pushback are timeline and closing costs. Sellers want to close now. PCS buyers need time to get here from their old duty station. Lender fees and closing costs can run thousands of dollars, right when a family is already stretched by the cost of a move.

Usually we can work three levers, timeline, closing costs and price, to get the deal both sides want. Say the seller wants to close fast and the buyer needs help with closing costs. A good compromise uses the third lever. The buyer keeps the timeline they need and still gets closing costs covered, and the offer price goes up so the seller still nets what they need. Any seller-paid costs still have to fit VA’s concession rules, so run the numbers with your lender.

How this changes the offer

Arrio’s take

VA is the best loan most of our buyers will ever get, and it’s not a weak offer here. What hurts VA buyers is skipping steps: no real inspection, no comps pulled before the offer, no conversation with the lender about entitlement and the funding fee. Do those three things and a VA offer near Fort Benning competes with anything.

Buying with a VA loan near Fort Benning: common questions

Do VA loans take longer to close?

Not in a military market with an experienced lender. A typical VA purchase closes in 30–45 days.

Is a VA appraisal the same as a home inspection?

No. The appraisal checks value and VA’s minimum property requirements. Get a separate inspection.

Does the seller have to make repairs the VA appraisal calls for?

The loan can’t close until required repairs are done. Who pays for them is negotiated between buyer and seller.

Can I assume a seller’s VA loan?

Often, yes. You need to qualify with the servicer, pay a 0.5% funding fee, and cover the gap between the loan balance and the price.

Do I pay the VA funding fee if I have a disability rating?

Not if you receive VA compensation for a service-connected disability. Ask your lender to confirm your exemption before closing.

VA rules are the same nationwide, but how VA offers play out is local. That’s where working with a Fort Benning realtor who knows this market pays off.

Before you rely on any of this: this article is general education, current as of the date published, and not legal, tax, or lending advice. Allowances, loan rules, tax law and market numbers change, so verify the figures with the official source linked above, your lender, and a tax professional before you act on them. Arrio Granum is a licensed REALTOR® with Coldwell Banker Kennon, Parker, Duncan & Davis in Columbus, GA.