Straight answers, written down.

Notes on VA Loans, PCS Moves, and Central Texas

Every post here answers one question a veteran or a military family actually asked me. When a policy changes, I write it down so you do not have to find out at the closing table.

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VA LoansAugust 4, 20267 min readThe VA Funding Fee Is Finally Tax Deductible. Here Is What That Actually Means for You.Starting with tax year 2026, the funding fee is deductible on Schedule A, because it is now classified the same way as private mortgage insurance. On a $400,000 purchase that is roughly $8,600 in play. Three conditions decide whether you actually get it.Read the post →

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21 posts

VA LoansThe VA Funding Fee Is Finally Tax Deductible. Here Is What That Actually Means for You.Starting with tax year 2026, the funding fee is deductible on Schedule A, because it is now classified the same way as private mortgage insurance. On a $400,000 purchase that is roughly $8,600 in play. Three conditions decide whether you actually get it.August 4, 20267 min read VA LoansCan I Use My VA Loan More Than Once? Yes. Here Is How Entitlement Works.There is no lifetime cap. Sell and pay off the loan and your full entitlement comes back. Keep the first house as a rental and the math gets more interesting.July 28, 20269 min read VA LoansVA Buyers Can Now Pay Their Own Agent. Here Is How the New Rule Works.As of April 2026 the ban is permanently gone. You can pay out of pocket, negotiate the seller to cover it, or split it. If the seller pays, it counts against the 4% cap.July 21, 20266 min read VA LoansVASP Ends May 1, 2026. What Veterans Behind on Their Mortgage Need to Know.The program that restructured delinquent VA loans at 2.5% stops accepting applicants. If you know a veteran struggling with payments, forward this one today.July 14, 20265 min read VA LoansService-Connected and Buying: What the Funding Fee Exemption Actually CoversAny service-connected disability rating waives the funding fee entirely. Thousands of dollars. Confirm it on your Certificate of Eligibility before closing, not after.July 7, 20265 min read VA LoansThe 2026 VA Loan Limit Is $832,750. It Probably Does Not Apply to You.Veterans with full entitlement have no cap at all. The limit only bites if you have reduced entitlement or an existing VA loan still open.June 30, 20264 min read PCS & Military RelocationThe 90-Day PCS Home Buying Timeline: What to Do and WhenStart 90 to 120 days out. That covers pre-approval, the search, the option period, and a VA appraisal. Waiting for orders in hand is what creates rushed purchases.June 23, 20268 min read PCS & Military RelocationRent or Buy at Your New Duty Station? Do the BAH Math First.In several base-adjacent Texas markets rent is running well past BAH. Here is the worksheet I give clients so they can run their own number before they decide.June 16, 20267 min read PCS & Military RelocationBuying Before You Sell During a PCS: Can You Actually Do It?Often yes, on partial entitlement, especially if the first house becomes a rental. The math is specific to your Certificate of Eligibility, so pull it early.June 9, 20268 min read PCS & Military RelocationBuying a Home You Have Never Stood InRemote and OCONUS purchases close every month. Live video walkthroughs, a trusted third-party inspection, and a notary or power of attorney at the table.June 2, 20266 min read BuyingWill Sellers Actually Accept My VA Offer? The Truth in This Market.In most of 2026 a clean VA offer competes fine. The appraisal is what listing agents actually worry about. The old fear dates to the pandemic bidding wars.May 26, 20266 min read BuyingIs a VA Appraisal Different From a Regular Appraisal?Same value assessment, plus a minimum property requirements check for safe, sound, and sanitary. It rarely derails a well-maintained house at a fair price.May 19, 20265 min read BuyingWhat You Actually Pay Out of Pocket Before Closing DayOption fee, earnest money, inspection, appraisal. On a typical Central Texas VA purchase that is $1,000 to $2,000 before the wire, and most of it credits back.May 12, 20266 min read SellingSelling a Home You Bought With a VA LoanYour entitlement restores when the loan pays off at closing. If a fellow veteran assumes the loan instead, your entitlement can stay tied up. Read this before you accept that offer.May 5, 20267 min read SellingDo Not Replace the Roof Before You ListAlmost nothing in a pre-listing renovation returns dollar for dollar. Paint, light, landscaping, and a pre-inspection do. Here is where I tell sellers to stop spending.April 28, 20265 min read Central Texas MarketThe 2026 Central Texas Market, PlainlyInventory is up, days on market are longer, and sellers are negotiating again. What that means depends entirely on which of the 31 cities you are looking at.April 21, 20268 min read Central Texas MarketProperty Taxes, MUD, and PID: The Line Items That Change Your PaymentTwo houses at the same price can carry payments $400 apart. The difference is the tax rate and whether the neighborhood carries a district assessment.April 14, 20267 min read First-Time BuyersNo Down Payment Does Not Mean No Savings NeededNearly half of veterans surveyed say they cannot afford to buy. Most are counting a down payment they do not need and ignoring closing costs they do.April 7, 20266 min read First-Time BuyersYour First Home Does Not Have to Be Your Forever HomeThe benefit is reusable. Buying something modest now and trading up in six years is a better plan than waiting nine years for the perfect house.March 31, 20265 min read Neighborhood SpotlightsWhere Fort Cavazos Families Actually LiveGeorgetown, Round Rock, and Liberty Hill come up constantly, and the commute math is not what people assume. Schools, drive times, and price per foot.March 24, 20268 min read Neighborhood SpotlightsBastrop or Cedar Creek? Two Very Different Bets Fifteen Minutes ApartOne has a downtown and rising insurance premiums. The other has acreage, septic, and a longer drive. Both are good buys for different families.March 17, 20267 min read

The whole benefit, in one file.

The VA Loan Field Guide

Entitlement, the funding fee, the 4% concession cap, what a VA appraisal checks, and the questions to ask a lender before you pick one. No email required.

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Who writes this

Jeanette Spain

21 years in the Air Force. 14 years investing in Central Texas real estate. Certified Military Relocation Professional. I have PCS'd with a report date and a house to sell, and I have written VA offers that competed against cash. That is why these posts read the way they do.

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