2019 VA Loan Limits – How Much House Can You Buy with a VA Loan?

VA Loan limits increased in 2019, only the second increase since 2006.

The new maximum loan guarantee is $484,350 in most counties, an increase of $31,250 from the previous loan limits. The loan limit is higher in some high-cost counties. These higher loan limits vary by region and are listed later in this article.

The VA Loan limits are the same as the conforming mortgage loan limits determined by the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA), and the maximum conforming loan limits for mortgages acquired by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

These new loan limits apply to all VA Loans closed after January 1, 2019.

Read through this article to get a full understanding of VA Loan limits, the maximum amount you can borrow without a down payment, which high-cost counties have higher limits, and other information you may need to know to secure a VA Loan.

Importance of the VA Loan Limits

The VA Loan limits aren’t necessarily a hard limit on how much house you can buy with a VA Loan. The limits only apply to the portion of the loan the VA will guarantee.

The limits also apply to how much money qualified buyers can borrow without making a downpayment. You can buy a more expensive home, but most lenders will require you to make a downpayment to bring the borrowed amount in line with the guaranty limit.

In most counties, that limit is $484,350. But the limits in high-cost counties can go as high as $726,525 in high cost of living areas, such as some of the higher populated areas on both coasts and in some areas of Alaska and Hawaii.

VA Loan Limits & What Lenders Will Actually Lend

Most military members and veterans are eligible for a basic VA Loan entitlement, which amounts to $36,000. Lenders will normally allow veterans to borrow up to 4 times the basic entitlement ($144,000) without a down payment, provided they have the income and credit to qualify for the loan, and provided the property appraises for at least the purchase price. The VA will guaranty the full loan up to $144,000.

The maximum guaranty for VA loans over $144,000 is up to 25 percent of the county loan limit. The lowest county limit is $424,100. The high-cost county limits are listed in the table further down the article. The VA will guarantee loans up to 25 percent of the loan amount.

This means that if your home costs more than $144,000, the VA will only guaranty 25% of the loan, up to the $424,100 limit, or the limit for high-cost counties. The guaranty makes these types of loans more attractive to the lender, which in turn, may help the borrower obtain favorable loan rates.

How to Buy a House that Costs More than the Max VA Loan Guaranty

If you want to use the VA Loan to buy a house that costs more than $144,000, you may need to put make a down payment on the loan. The amount of the down payment will depend on your lender’s policies, the cost of your home, the amount you are borrowing, your income, credit profile, debt to income ratio, and other factors.

If you want to buy a home that costs more than the loan guaranty, you would need to make a downpayment, usually 25% of the amount above the VA Loan limit.

For example, if you want to buy a home that costs $584,350 in a county with a loan limit of $484,350, you would likely need to make a $25,000 downpayment (25% of $100,000, or the difference above the loan limit). This assumes you have the full remaining entitlement to your VA Loan. You may have to restore your VA Loan Entitlement if you have previously used your VA Loan.

Larger downpayments may be a good idea: You can always make a larger down payment if you have the available funds, and there are some benefits to doing so. For example, a larger down payment reduces your outstanding balance on your home, reduces your monthly payments, and reduces the amount of interest you pay over the life of the loan.

Additional Loan Costs to Consider: You still may need to come up with the VA loan funding fee, which the VA charges for guaranteeing your loan. However, some disabled veterans are eligible to have the funding fee waived. Alternatively, you can often roll the funding fee into your loan.

Why Use a VA Loan if Your Home Costs More than The VA Will Guaranty?

This is a great question and there are several good reasons to apply for a VA Loan. The first is that you may be able to buy a home with a lower downpayment than you would be able to buy with a conventional mortgage, unless you are willing to pay Private Mortgage Insurance (PMI) which may add a fairly substantial amount to your monthly payment.

Interest rates are another important factor in your decision. Because VA loans are guaranteed by the VA, they often have slightly lower interest rates than conventional loans (all things being equal, including credit score, income, assets, debt to income ratio, etc.).

That said, it pays to shop around. A mortgage is often the largest purchase you will ever make, and even a few decimal points on your interest rate can save you a substantial amount of money, or cost you thousands over the life of your loan.

If you are interested in finding the best interest rates, you can view our list of VA Loan providers to shop and compare interest rates.

2019 VA Loan Limits for High-Cost Counties

Below is the table for VA Loan limits for 2019. The VA bases these amounts on the county median home values reported by the Federal Housing Administration.

NOTE: For all counties not listed below, the limit is $484,350. See below the table for the Regional Loan Center physical and mailing addresses and contact information.

Shop around to save thousands: As mentioned above, shaving a couple percentage points off your VA loan can save you thousands of dollars over the course of your loan. You can interest rates, you can view our list of VA Loan providers to shop and compare interest rates.

VA Regional Loan Centers & Contact Information

Cleveland Department of Veterans Affairs
VA Regional Loan Center
1240 East Ninth Street
Cleveland, OH 44199

Denver Department of Veterans Affairs
VA Regional Loan Center
155 Van Gordon Street
Lakewood, CO 80228
(Mailing Address: Box 25126, Denver, CO 80225)

Honolulu Department of Veterans Affairs
VA Regional Office
Loan Guaranty Division (26)
459 Patterson Rd.
Honolulu, HI 96819
*Note: This office is not technically a Regional Loan Center. However, they manage the VA Loan Guaranty program in Hawaii.

Phoenix Department of Veterans Affairs
VA Regional Loan Center
3333 N. Central Avenue
Phoenix, AZ 85012-2402

Roanoke Department of Veterans Affairs
VA Regional Loan Center
210 First Street
Roanoke, VA 24011
(Mailing Address: 116 N. Jefferson Street,Roanoke, VA 24016)

St. Paul Department of Veterans Affairs
VA Regional Loan Center
1 Federal Drive, Ft. Snelling.
St. Paul, MN 55111
(Mailing Address: P.O. Box 1437, St. Petersburg, FL 33731)

St. Petersburg Department of Veterans Affairs
VA Regional Loan Center
9500 Bay Pines Blvd.
St. Petersburg, FL 33708
(Mailing Address: P.O. Box 1437, St. Petersburg, FL 33731)