VA loans are a great benefit availablefor veterans and their children. There are plenty of advantages of VAloans and Veterans typically chose them over conventional loans. Mostof the disadvantages of VA loans are advantages of Conventionalloans. But it's best to know exactly what the difference is betweenconventional loans and VA loans so you can make the best decision foryou and your goals.
To start, the most obvious differencebetween VA loans and conventional loans is that VA loans don'trequire a down payment. Most conventional loans require up to a 20%down payment as a qualification. This alone leads many qualifiedborrowers to choose VA loans of conventional loans. Young first timebuyer's with little to no savings usually can't afford a $10,000 downpayment for a home, so VA loans are great in that aspect.
VA loans are also backed by thegovernment, which makes it much easier to get approved. Theborrower's credit isn't a much of a factor as it is with conventionalloans.
VA loans are great but they do havesome disadvantages. The pool of home you have to choose from islimited. The VA loans have a maximum amount that they loan. Also, theloans are only good for homes in certain areas, so your dream homemay not qualify for a VA loan. With conventional loans, the borrowerhas the potential to borrow any amount that they are approved for, soyou have much more to choose from. Also, you can get any home youwant, anywhere you want.
If you're looking to engage in realestate investing, you'll have to go with a conventional loan. VAloans can only be used for your primary residence, so it's not veryuseful for real estate investors.
So as you can see there are plenty ofdifferences between VA loans and Conventional loans apart from justthe down payment. Conventional loans allow home owners more freedom,while VA loans are aimed to save money and lighten the financialload. Take all the advantages and disadvantages of both into accountwhen purchasing your next home.