Yes. VA loans allow eligible veterans, active-duty service members, and qualifying surviving spouses to purchase a home with zero down payment in most cases. This makes VA loans one of the only loan programs that lets you buy a home in high-cost California markets — including Los Angeles and Orange County — without putting cash down.

The VA funding fee is a one-time fee charged by the Department of Veterans Affairs to help offset the cost of the program. Depending on your status, the funding fee may be waived. Your Certificate of Eligibility (which you can request from the VA) will tell you whether the fee is waived or not. The good news is it can typically be rolled into your loan amount rather than paid out of pocket at closing. Certain borrowers are exempt entirely — including veterans receiving VA disability compensation and surviving spouses of veterans who died in service or from a service-connected disability.

Yes. Your VA loan entitlement is a lifetime benefit that can be used multiple times. If you’ve paid off a previous VA loan and sold the property, your full entitlement is typically restored. In some cases you can even have two VA loans active simultaneously — for example if you’re relocating and need to buy before selling.

The VA Interest Rate Reduction Refinance Loan — commonly called a VA Streamline Refinance — allows you to refinance an existing VA loan into a new one at a lower rate with minimal documentation and no appraisal required in most cases. It makes sense when rates have dropped since you closed your original VA loan and you want to lower your monthly payment quickly and with minimal hassle.