I served four years in the Navy as a Damage Control fireman on the USS Kitty Hawk. I have been writing home loans in Sacramento since 2000. When a veteran calls me about a VA loan, they are not explaining their DD-214 to someone who has never seen one.
The Chris Kennedy Team at Reliant Lending is a mortgage brokerage, not a bank. That means I shop your loan across more than 20 wholesale lenders instead of selling you the one product a single bank happens to carry. For VA borrowers this matters more than most people realize, because lender overlays on VA loans vary widely and the same veteran can get very different answers from two different lenders on the same day.
We serve Sacramento, Placer, El Dorado, and Yolo counties. NMLS #971546.
Call or text (916) 794-0777.
What is a VA home loan?
A VA home loan is a mortgage guaranteed by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. The VA does not lend the money. It guarantees a portion of the loan, which is why lenders can offer terms no other program matches.
The three things that make it the strongest loan in the country for those who qualify:
No down payment on most purchases with full entitlement
No monthly mortgage insurance, ever, at any loan-to-value
A one-time funding fee instead of ongoing PMI, and many veterans are exempt from that too
There is no other loan program in America that does all three.
Who qualifies for a VA loan in California?
Eligibility comes from service history, not from where you live or how much you make. You generally qualify if you are:
An active-duty service member who has served 90 continuous days
A veteran who met the minimum service requirement for your era and separated under conditions other than dishonorable
A National Guard or Reserve member with 6 years of service, or 90 days of active-duty service under Title 32
A surviving spouse of a service member who died in the line of duty or from a service-connected disability, and who has not remarried
You prove it with a Certificate of Eligibility (COE). I pull COEs directly through the VA portal for my clients, usually the same day. You do not need to request it yourself before calling.
How much can a veteran borrow in Sacramento in 2026?
If you have full entitlement, there is no VA loan limit. That has been true since the Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Act took effect January 1, 2020. You can buy a $1.2 million home in Granite Bay with zero down if you qualify on income, credit, and residual income.
Loan limits only come back into play if you have partial entitlement, meaning you have an active VA loan you have not paid off, or you previously had a VA loan foreclose. In that case, your remaining entitlement is calculated against the county conforming loan limit.
2026 conforming loan limits, one-unit property:
County2026 limitSacramento$832,750Placer$832,750El Dorado$832,750
Yolo$832,750
Individual lenders can still set their own maximum VA loan amount regardless of VA rules. As a broker, I can move your file to a lender whose cap fits your purchase price. A retail bank cannot do that.
How much is the VA funding fee in 2026?
The VA funding fee is a one-time charge, calculated as a percentage of the loan amount. It replaces monthly mortgage insurance. You can pay it at closing or roll it into the loan.
2026 purchase funding fee:
Down paymentFirst useSubsequent useLess than 5%2.15%3.30%5% to 9.99%1.50%1.50%
10% or more1.25%1.25%
VA IRRRL (streamline refinance): 0.50% regardless of prior use
VA cash-out refinance: 2.15% first use, 3.30% subsequent use, with no reduction for equity
Example: a $500,000 first-use purchase with zero down carries a funding fee of $10,750.
Note the subsequent-use trap. If you have used your VA benefit before and put nothing down, your fee jumps to 3.30%. Putting 5% down drops it to 1.50%. On a $500,000 loan, that 5% down payment saves you $9,000 in funding fee. Whether that math works depends on your cash position, and it is one of the first things I run for repeat VA users.
Who is exempt from the VA funding fee?
You pay nothing if you are:
A veteran receiving VA disability compensation at any rating, including 10%
A veteran who would be entitled to disability compensation but receives retirement or active-duty pay instead
An active-duty Purple Heart recipient
A surviving spouse receiving Dependency and Indemnity Compensation
If your disability rating comes through after you close, you can apply for a refund of the funding fee you already paid. Most lenders will not tell you this. Retroactive rating decisions happen constantly and the refund is real money, often five figures.
Can you use a VA loan more than once?
Yes. VA entitlement is a benefit you can reuse for life. There are three common paths:
Restore full entitlement. Sell the home, pay off the VA loan, and file a one-time restoration request. Your entitlement resets completely.
Use remaining entitlement. Keep the first home as a rental and buy a second with what entitlement you have left. This is calculated against the county limit and usually requires a down payment on the difference. It is also how a lot of Sacramento-area veterans have built rental portfolios.
One-time restoration without selling. You can request restoration once without disposing of the property, if the original loan is paid in full.
What is a VA IRRRL and should you do one?
An IRRRL is the VA Interest Rate Reduction Refinance Loan, also called a streamline refinance. It refinances an existing VA loan into a lower rate with minimal documentation. No appraisal in most cases. No income documentation in most cases. The funding fee is 0.50%.
The honest answer on whether you should do one: only if the break-even math works. Take your total cost to refinance and divide it by your monthly savings. If the number of months to break even is longer than you plan to stay in the house, do not do it. I will run that calculation and tell you no if the answer is no. Some lenders will not.
Can you buy a multi-unit property with a VA loan?
Yes, up to four units, with zero down, as long as you occupy one of them as your primary residence. In the Sacramento market this is one of the most underused veteran benefits available. Duplexes in Tahoe Park, Oak Park, and North Sacramento can put a veteran into a property where tenants carry a meaningful share of the payment.
Rental income from the other units can sometimes be used to help you qualify, depending on the lender and your landlord experience. This varies enough between lenders that shopping it matters.
VA loan closing costs in Sacramento
VA loans are zero down. They are not zero cost.
The VA restricts what a veteran can be charged. You cannot be charged for attorney fees, loan processing fees paid to the lender, or a tax service fee. Lender origination is capped at 1% of the loan amount. Third-party costs still apply: appraisal, title, escrow, recording, and prepaid taxes and insurance.
A seller can pay all of your standard closing costs plus up to 4% of the purchase price in concessions. Structuring the offer to make that happen is where a lender who talks to your agent early is worth more than a lender who is quoting you an eighth of a point better.
Why work with a broker instead of a big VA lender?
The national VA lenders spend heavily on advertising and run a call-center model. You get a different person each time you call. Their pricing is competitive on paper because they are one lender with one rate sheet.
I am one person, in one office on Northrop Avenue, with two people on my team who know your file by name. I am also a broker, which means I compare your scenario across more than 20 wholesale lenders. On VA loans, lender overlays create real spread. One lender's minimum credit score is 620, another's is 580. One counts your BAH one way, another counts it differently. Getting a no from a single bank is not the same as getting a no from the VA.
I close 7 to 12 loans a month. I am not a volume shop. If you call, you get me.
Homes for Heroes
I am one of a small number of Homes for Heroes affiliates in the Sacramento region. The program provides savings to veterans, active-duty military, firefighters, EMS, law enforcement, teachers, and healthcare workers when they buy or sell a home. If you qualify, it is worth asking about before you start looking.
More VA loan articles and resources
Start your VA loan
Call or text (916) 794-0777. Email chris@thechriskennedyteam.com.
The Chris Kennedy Team at Reliant Lending
2100 Northrop Avenue, Suite 900, Sacramento, CA 95825
NMLS #971546 | Branch NMLS #356310 | DRE #01326779
Serving Sacramento, Elk Grove, Citrus Heights, Folsom, Rancho Cordova, Roseville, Rocklin, Lincoln, Auburn, Granite Bay, El Dorado Hills, Cameron Park, Placerville, Davis, Woodland, and West Sacramento.
The Chris Kennedy Team and Reliant Lending are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or acting on behalf of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs or any government agency. Funding fee percentages and loan limits reflect 2026 figures and are subject to change. Equal Housing Lender.