Most veterans hold at least one VA loan misconception, and those misconceptions cost real money. Buyers skip the benefit, settle for a worse loan, or never start at all. Here are the five myths I hear most often near Fort Stewart, and the plain truth behind each one.
Myth 1: "I need a down payment."
The truth: for eligible buyers with full entitlement, the VA loan requires no down payment on a primary residence. None. This is the headline benefit, and survey after survey shows a meaningful share of veterans do not know it.
What you do need is money for closing costs, though even those can often be covered by seller concessions or lender credits. The myth that you need 20 percent down, or any down payment at all, keeps people renting who could be buying.
Myth 2: "The funding fee makes it a bad deal."
The truth: the VA funding fee is real, usually 2.15 percent for first-time use, but it is almost always financed into the loan rather than paid in cash. And it replaces something more expensive: monthly mortgage insurance.
Conventional and FHA loans charge mortgage insurance every single month. The VA loan does not. Over a few years, skipping monthly mortgage insurance usually saves far more than the one-time funding fee costs. And if you have a service-connected disability rating, the funding fee is waived entirely.
Myth 3: "Sellers won't accept a VA offer."
The truth: in the Liberty County market, where a large share of buyers are military, sellers know VA buyers are serious and reliable. The old reputation for VA offers being difficult is mostly outdated.
A clean, well-prepared offer backed by a strong pre-approval competes just fine. Where VA offers lose is when they are sloppy or when the buyer's lender is unknown and slow, and that is true of any loan type.
Myth 4: "You can only use the VA loan once."
The truth: the VA loan benefit is reusable. Through restoration of entitlement, eligible borrowers use it again and again across a career. Many service members at Fort Stewart are on their second or third VA loan after previous duty stations.
You can even have more than one VA loan at a time in some situations. The "one and done" myth makes people hoard the benefit when they should be using it.
Myth 5: "VA loans take forever and the appraisal will kill the deal."
The truth: with an experienced lender, VA purchases in Liberty County typically close in 21 to 30 days, right in line with conventional and FHA loans.
The VA appraisal does include extra safety and habitability checks, called Minimum Property Requirements. But those checks protect you. They flag a bad roof or unsafe wiring before you own the problem. A flagged item is information, not a dealbroker, and most are negotiable repairs.
The pattern behind all five myths. Each one makes a buyer act smaller than they need to: rent instead of buy, pick a worse loan, or hesitate. The VA loan is one of the strongest benefits you earned. The first step to using it well is getting the facts straight.
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Do VA loans really require no down payment?
Yes. For eligible buyers with full entitlement, the VA loan requires no down payment on a primary residence. Closing costs are separate and still apply.
Can you use a VA loan more than once?
Yes. Through restoration of entitlement, eligible borrowers can use the VA loan benefit multiple times across a career, as long as prior VA loans are sold or paid off.
Do sellers avoid VA loan offers?
Not in a market like Liberty County, where many buyers are military. A well-prepared VA offer with a strong pre-approval competes effectively with conventional offers.
Sources
Verified as of May 2026. Program rules change. Confirm current details with the VA before making decisions.
Rob Cable
Loan Officer · Presidential Bank Mortgage · NMLS #2115058
Rob works with VA and first-time buyers across Liberty County every week, with a focus on the Fort Stewart military community.