The COE is step one of any VA loan, and it proves to your lender you qualify. Request it online, by mail, or let your lender pull it through the VA's system in minutes; you'll want your DD214 handy.
What proof you need depends on how you served: active duty, veteran, Guard, Reserve, or surviving spouse each have different documentation paths. This official page maps them all out, worth reading before you apply.
HUD-approved agencies across Northeast Florida offer free homebuyer education, useful for first-time military buyers navigating BAH budgets and PCS timelines, and required by some assistance programs.
Live MLS search covering Jacksonville and Northeast Florida, including a Drive Time search that's perfect for house-hunting by commute to base. When something catches your eye, Kim and the team can get you in the door.
The actual form for requesting a COE by mail if you'd rather not apply online. Jacksonville-area buyers can also skip the paperwork entirely by asking their lender to request it electronically.
Florida's down payment program offers up to $35,000 in assistance, and it can stack with a VA loan. A key detail for Jacksonville-area military buyers: veterans are exempt from the program's first-time-homebuyer requirement.
The VA's official home loan hub, the starting point for any service member or veteran buying in Jacksonville. Since 1944 the program has helped generations into homeownership, and it remains the best zero-down option in the market.
VA appraisals have minimum property requirements, and in coastal Jacksonville the flood zone shapes both approval and insurance costs. Look up any address near NAS Jax, Mayport, or the beaches before making an offer.