Home / Areas we serve / Riverside / VA home loans
VA loans for the March ARB community
Riverside VA Home Loans
A Riverside VA home loan is a natural fit for the March Air Reserve Base community. The base sits on Riverside’s southeast edge and has no on-base family housing, so the reservists, full-time personnel and civilians who work there buy and rent in the surrounding cities, including Riverside. With typical values near $640,000 to $660,000, zero down covers most of the city’s homes.
Check my VA options VA rates today
Riverside VA Home Loans Next Door to March ARB
March Air Reserve Base, in Moreno Valley at Riverside’s southeast edge, is home to the Air Force Reserve Command’s 452nd Air Mobility Wing. It became a reserve base on April 1, 1996; before that realignment it employed more than 10,000 military and civilian personnel, according to the March Joint Powers Authority. A Rose Institute study published in January 2016 counted 9,525 full- and part-time workers there and about $579 million a year in regional economic impact, and found the base hosting 27 other units, including Marine, Army civil affairs and VA facilities.
Because there is no family housing on base, most personnel live in Riverside, Moreno Valley, Perris and Menifee. On the Riverside side, the Sycamore Canyon area sits along the I-215 corridor toward the base. The Census Bureau counts 9,809 veterans living in Riverside itself.
Today’s Riverside VA Home Loan Rates
Priced for Riverside County, October 27, 2026
$506 lender credit See every option 30-year fixed 7.125% 7.192% APR P&I $4,312/mo on $640,000
0.125 points See every option 15-year fixed 6.375% 6.436% APR P&I $5,531/mo on $640,000
$800 lender credit See every option 30-year FHA 7.250% 7.324% APR P&I $4,366/mo on $640,000
0.187 points See every option 30-year jumbo 8.125% 8.209% APR P&I $8,910/mo on $1,200,000
0.322 points See every option
Par pricing for a single-family primary residence in Riverside County: 20% down, 30-year term unless noted, 780+ credit, 30-day lock, escrows included. Payments are principal and interest only; taxes and insurance add to them. Rates change through the day and are not a commitment to lend. Price your own Riverside scenario, no credit pull.
Riverside Veteran and Housing Numbers
Sources: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2020-2024, Redfin (September 2026), Zillow (September 30, 2026).
With average rent at $2,427, a zero-down purchase is worth pricing against what you pay a landlord. With the median home taking about six weeks to sell and more than a quarter of listings reduced, VA buyers in Riverside may have room to negotiate, including asking the seller to cover closing costs, which VA allows within its rules.
Riverside Neighborhoods for VA Buyers
Zillow typical values, September 2026.
Sycamore Canyon
The east-side area along the I-215 corridor toward March, near the Sycamore Canyon Wilderness Park. Zillow publishes no separate typical value for it, so pricing starts from the actual listing.
Casa Blanca
Also on the east side, at about $555,000, one of the more affordable single-family neighborhoods Zillow lists for the city.
Arlington South and Victoria
Established single-family areas at about $625,000 and $661,000, close to the city typical value and well within reach at zero down for most qualified buyers.
Hawarden Hills and Arlington Heights
Hillside and larger-lot homes at about $880,000 and $834,000. Full entitlement has no cap, but partial entitlement at the county limit can require a down payment here.
Reserve, Active or Retired: Start With the Certificate
A reserve base means a mix of borrowers. Some are drilling reservists with civilian careers, some serve full time, some are retirees and some are civilian employees who served earlier. VA eligibility depends on your own service record, so the first step is a Certificate of Eligibility, which Mike can request for you. Income is documented the same way it is for anyone else: civilian pay stubs and W-2s, leave and earnings statements for military pay, and award letters for retirement or disability income. Active-duty buyers can have documented housing allowance counted as income. VA also requires that you intend to live in the home.
With full entitlement, meaning you have never used the benefit or you sold and paid off your earlier VA home, there is no VA loan limit. VA backs a quarter of the loan, and how much you can borrow comes down to what the lender thinks your income, debts, credit and savings support, capped at the price or the appraisal, whichever is lower. At the Riverside median of about $660,000 (Redfin, September 2026), a qualified buyer can do that with nothing down.
Partial Entitlement at the $832,750 County Limit
Partial entitlement is where Riverside differs from a high-cost county. If you still have a VA loan on another home, perhaps a house you kept from an earlier assignment, VA takes a quarter of the county’s one-unit conforming limit and subtracts what the old loan already uses; that is your remaining guaranty. Riverside County’s limit is the national baseline of $832,750, so the starting figure is $208,188, smaller than in coastal counties. Lenders generally want remaining guaranty plus any down payment to cover 25% of the new loan. The table tests two amounts in use against a $642,000 purchase, the Zillow typical value in September 2026.
| Entitlement already in use | Remaining guaranty | Largest loan with $0 down | Down payment on $642,000 |
|---|---|---|---|
| None (full entitlement) | Full | No VA limit | $0 |
| $50,000 | $158,188 | $632,750 | $2,313 |
| $120,000 | $88,188 | $352,750 | $72,313 |
Remaining guaranty = 25% of the 2026 Riverside County one-unit limit ($832,750) minus entitlement in use. The one-unit limit applies to two- to four-unit homes as well.
A modest down payment usually closes the gap. If you would rather start clean, a sale of the old house with the VA loan paid off gives you back your full entitlement. If you own and live in a home with equity, a HELOC can supply that down payment.
The VA Funding Fee on a $660,000 Home
Instead of monthly mortgage insurance, VA charges a one-time funding fee, normally financed into the loan. On a purchase it is 2.15% for first use and 3.3% for later use with less than 5% down, 1.5% with 5% down and 1.25% with 10% down. Those rates have been in place since April 7, 2023. Veterans receiving VA disability compensation are exempt, as are the other groups listed in the questions below.
| $660,000 purchase | Loan before the fee | First VA loan | Later VA loans |
|---|---|---|---|
| No down payment | $660,000 | 2.15%: $14,190 | 3.30%: $21,780 |
| 5% to 9.99% down | $627,000 | 1.50%: $9,405 | 1.50%: $9,405 |
| 10% or more down | $594,000 | 1.25%: $7,425 | 1.25%: $7,425 |
| VA disability compensation | No funding fee | ||
VA funding fee schedule effective April 7, 2023, current per VA as of October 2026. Riverside median sale, September 2026 (Redfin), rounded.
Zero Down Next to FHA and 5% Conventional at $640,000
This takes a $640,000 purchase at a 720 score at today’s Riverside County rates, setting VA at zero down next to the 3.5% FHA minimum and a 5% conventional loan. VA’s missing monthly mortgage insurance is most of the story.
| $640,000 purchase, 720 credit | Conventional, 5% down | FHA, 3.5% down | VA, 0% down |
|---|---|---|---|
| Down payment | $32,000 | $22,400 | $0 |
| Loan amount | $608,000 | $628,408 with 1.75% upfront MIP | $653,760 with 2.15% funding fee |
| Today’s rate (APR) | 7.875% (7.955%) | 7.250% (7.325%) | 6.875% (6.942%) |
| Principal and interest | $4,408/mo | $4,287/mo | $4,295/mo |
| Mortgage insurance | $334/mo PMI | $283/mo MIP | None |
| Before taxes and insurance | $4,743/mo | $4,570/mo | $4,295/mo |
| Mortgage insurance ends | At 20% equity (can be removed) | Life of the loan with under 10% down | Never charged |
Before property tax, insurance and any HOA dues. VA includes the 2.15% first-use funding fee financed into the loan.
VA Underwriting Basics for March ARB Families
- Eligibility: a Certificate of Eligibility based on your own service, reserve or active.
- Occupancy: VA lends only on a home you intend to occupy, not a rental.
- Income: civilian pay, drill and active pay on leave and earnings statements, retirement and disability income with award letters.
- Residual income: VA checks what remains each month after the full payment and major obligations.
- Appraisal: a VA-assigned appraiser checks value and the minimum property requirements; condos must be in a VA-acceptable project.
Five Steps for a Reservist’s VA Purchase
- Send your statusReserve, active, retired or veteran, plus the price range and any VA loan you still hold.
- Certificate and entitlementMike requests the COE and works out full or partial entitlement against the county limit.
- Pre-approvalMilitary and civilian income are documented together so the letter is solid before you offer.
- VA appraisalA VA-assigned appraiser values the home and checks minimum property requirements.
- Close on your scheduleSigning by e-signature or mobile notary, planned around drill weekends and training.
Insurance, Fire Maps and Closing Around Drill Weekends
Homeowners insurance is part of the VA payment, and parts of southern Riverside were placed in the Very High fire hazard zone in CAL FIRE’s 2025 local maps, according to the Raincross Gazette. Check the address on the city fire department’s map before you budget. Statewide, several carriers have committed to write more California business under the Sustainable Insurance Strategy, and USAA has said it will expand for military families starting in January 2027.
Alameda Mortgage lends from Simi Valley by phone, email and e-signature, so the file moves around your work schedule, drill weekends and annual training. A VA-assigned appraiser handles the appraisal and local escrow handles the closing. If you are buying a rental rather than a home to live in, use a DSCR loan; VA is only for a home you will occupy. For program basics see the VA loan guide, and for a low-down alternative the Riverside FHA page.
Riverside VA Home Loans: Questions People Ask
Is there family housing at March Air Reserve Base?
No. A base guide notes there is no on-base family housing, and most personnel live in Riverside, Moreno Valley, Perris and Menifee. So reservists, full-time personnel and civilians at March live and buy in the surrounding cities. With full entitlement, an eligible borrower can buy a Riverside home with no down payment, subject to income and credit.
What is the VA loan limit in Riverside County?
With full entitlement there is no VA limit; the lender sets the amount. If you still have entitlement tied up in another VA loan, the 2026 Riverside County limit of $832,750 is used to figure your remaining guaranty, which starts at $208,188 before subtracting what is in use.
Can I keep my current VA home and buy in Riverside?
Often, yes, with partial entitlement. If $50,000 of entitlement is tied up in your current loan, the largest Riverside loan with nothing down is about $632,750. Above that you put down 25% of the difference. You must intend to live in the new home, and the old one can stay as a rental.
Which Riverside buyers skip the VA funding fee?
Anyone with a service-connected disability rating that pays compensation, or that would pay it if they were not drawing retirement or active-duty pay, skips the fee. So do surviving spouses on DIC, members with a pre-discharge proposed or memorandum rating issued before closing, and active-duty Purple Heart recipients. A rating awarded later, effective before closing, can mean a refund.
Can a VA loan finance a Riverside house in a Very High fire zone?
Yes. The fire zone does not disqualify the home, but insurance must be in place, and in Very High zones premiums tend to be higher and some owners end up on the California FAIR Plan with a difference-in-conditions policy. The premium counts in your payment, so get a quote during the inspection period.
Do drill pay and civilian pay both count on a Riverside VA home loan?
They can. Lenders generally count stable civilian income along with reserve drill pay documented on leave and earnings statements, and retirement or disability income with award letters. How much history each source needs depends on the lender, which is one reason Mike compares several on reservist files.
Can the seller pay my closing costs on a Riverside VA home loan?
VA allows sellers to pay a buyer’s closing costs within its rules. In a market where about 28% of listings took a price cut in September 2026, asking for that credit is a reasonable request, and it can sharply reduce the cash you need at closing.
What Clients Say About Working With Mike
★★★★★
The process went smoothly and very quickly
★★★★★
Everthing was explained in detail and answered all my questions.
★★★★★
Mike had great communication and knows how to get things done.
More Riverside Home Loan Guides
Nearby Inland Empire Cities
Open a Riverside VA Home Loan File With Mike
Send your service status, the price range and whether you still have a VA loan on another home. Mike will request your eligibility, work out the entitlement against the county limit and price it with Alameda Mortgage and, when it helps, with other wholesale lenders.
Prefer to talk? Call 800-801-5626.