VA Loans in Florida

Why Choose a VA Loan in Florida

Florida carries one of the heaviest military footprints of any state, which is part of why so many service members put down roots here long after their service ends. The Panhandle alone holds NAS Pensacola, NAS Whiting Field, Eglin Air Force Base, Hurlburt Field, and Tyndall Air Force Base, while the rest of the state is anchored by NAS Jacksonville and Naval Station Mayport on the First Coast, MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, Patrick Space Force Base on the Space Coast, Homestead Air Reserve Base south of Miami, Camp Blanding near Starke, and Naval Air Station Key West at the end of the Keys. Hundreds of thousands of Veterans and active-duty families live within reach of those gates, and the VA home loan benefit is one of the strongest tools they have for buying a home in a state where prices have climbed across most metros. A VA loan asks for no down payment on a primary residence, carries no monthly private mortgage insurance (PMI), and usually comes with a lower rate than a comparable conventional loan on the same buyer profile.

The Benefits of VA Loans for Florida Veterans

The VA home loan benefit is built to make buying a home easier and cheaper for the people who earned it, and those savings matter even more in Florida’s current price ranges.

• No down payment required on a primary residence
• No monthly private mortgage insurance (PMI), ever
• Lower rates than a comparable conventional loan on the same profile
• A 500 minimum credit score on VA purchases and cash-out
• The VA funding fee is waived for Veterans with a 10 percent or higher service-connected disability
• Most of our borrowers close in about 2 to 3 weeks

Who Qualifies for a VA Loan in Florida

The VA loan program covers Veterans, active-duty service members, eligible National Guard and Reserve members, and surviving spouses who have not remarried before age 57. Active-duty service members usually qualify after 90 days of continuous service in wartime or 181 days in peacetime, while National Guard and Reserve members typically qualify after 6 years of service or after 90 days under a federal Title 10 mobilization. You need a Certificate of Eligibility (COE) along with income, asset, and credit documentation, and we pull your COE directly from Department of Veterans Affairs records during your application so you never have to chase it down. Eligibility is federal, so it works the same whether you are buying near a Panhandle base, in a major metro, or anywhere else in Florida.

Florida Property Tax Benefits for Veterans

Florida is one of the friendliest states in the country for Veteran homeowners, and the savings stack on top of the VA loan benefit. Florida charges no state income tax, the homestead exemption removes up to $50,000 from the taxable value of a primary residence, and Veterans with a service-connected disability rating of 10 percent or more qualify for an additional $5,000 exemption. Veterans with a 100 percent permanent and total service-connected disability rating pay zero property tax on their primary home under Florida Statute 196.081, which can change the long-term math on a 30-year mortgage in a meaningful way. Each Florida county runs its own Veterans Service Office that helps eligible Veterans file the paperwork, and we are glad to point you in the right direction during your loan.

VA Loans by Florida City

We help Veterans and military families buy and refinance across Florida. Start with the page closest to your base or your metro, and reach out any time at 800-697-4371.

Refinancing a VA Loan in Florida

If you already have a VA loan, the VA IRRRL streamline refinance can lower your rate without an appraisal, without income verification, and without asset verification, and our No Score IRRRL has no minimum credit score as long as you have been no more than 1x 30 days late in the past 12 months. If you would rather pull equity than just lower the rate, a VA cash-out refinance lets a qualified Veteran access home equity at up to 100 percent loan-to-value, and you can use it to roll a conventional, FHA, or USDA loan into a VA loan and drop the mortgage insurance you carry today.

Why Work With PBT Bancorp

We have spent years helping Veterans and military families across the country, and we bring that same service-member-first approach to every Florida loan.

• An FDIC member bank and a wholesale broker, so we close in-house or shop your loan across more than 35 wholesale lenders
• A 500 minimum credit score on VA purchases and cash-out, through our wholesale lenders
• A No Score IRRRL with no minimum credit score for the right refinance
• We pull your Certificate of Eligibility (COE) and handle the VA paperwork for you
• Most loans close in 2 to 3 weeks instead of the 30 plus days you often see at larger lenders
• Over 3,000 military families helped, licensed in all 50 states

Florida VA Loan FAQs