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For veterans, service members and surviving spouses
Sacramento VA Home Loans
A Sacramento VA home loan can buy most homes in the city with nothing down and no monthly mortgage insurance. About 18,400 veterans live in the City of Sacramento, and the region draws more from Travis and Beale Air Force Bases and the VA medical center at the former Mather base. With a city median near $508,000, full entitlement goes a long way here.
Check my entitlement Sacramento VA rates
Sacramento VA Home Loans for Veterans and Travis Families
Sacramento is not a base town, but it is a veteran town. The Census Bureau’s 2020-2024 survey counts 18,381 veterans in the city. Active-duty families assigned to Travis Air Force Base in Fairfield and Beale Air Force Base in Yuba County can look at Sacramento housing, and the VA Sacramento Medical Center at the former Mather Air Force Base keeps VA employees and retirees in the regional market. The former McClellan base is now McClellan Park, a business park. Together they keep a steady flow of VA buyers in the region, from active-duty families to retirees and VA employees.
City prices sit well inside the county limit, which keeps a zero-down purchase within reach on a wider range of incomes. Lenders can count documented housing allowance as qualifying income for active-duty buyers.
Today’s Sacramento VA Home Loan Rates
Priced for Sacramento 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 Sacramento 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 Sacramento scenario, no credit pull.
Sacramento Market Insights for VA Buyers
Sources: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2020-2024; Redfin Sacramento housing market (September 2026); FHFA 2026 conforming loan limits.
The gap between the city median and the county limit is the number that matters most here. A buyer with intact entitlement can put nothing down on a typical house with plenty of room to spare, and even a buyer with a VA loan still open elsewhere can keep enough guaranty for a zero-down purchase at Sacramento prices. With homes going under contract in under a month at close to list, sellers do weigh the strength of the financing, so a VA pre-approval with the Certificate of Eligibility already pulled helps your offer.
First-Time Use: No Cap, No Money Down
Full entitlement belongs to anyone who has not used the benefit, and to anyone whose earlier VA loan was paid off when the home sold. With it, VA imposes no loan limit at all; it backs a quarter of whatever the lender approves on your income and credit, capped only by the purchase price or the appraisal, whichever is lower. At Sacramento prices that is less of a ceiling than a formality: a qualified buyer can put nothing down on a typical city home, or on an East Sacramento house near that neighborhood’s $799,000 median, if the income supports it.
The Funding Fee on a Sacramento Purchase
In place of monthly mortgage insurance, VA charges a one-time funding fee, usually rolled into the loan. With under 5% down it is 2.15% on first use and 3.3% on later use. With 5% down it drops to 1.5%, and with 10% down to 1.25%, for any use. Those rates have applied since April 7, 2023. On a $500,000 home, putting 5% down cuts the first-use fee by several thousand dollars, which is worth pricing if you have the cash. Five groups skip the fee: veterans paid VA disability compensation; veterans entitled to that compensation who draw retirement or active-duty pay instead; surviving spouses on Dependency and Indemnity Compensation; service members whose proposed or memorandum rating arrives before closing; and active-duty members who document a Purple Heart by closing day.
| $500,000 purchase | Loan before the fee | First VA loan | Later VA loans |
|---|---|---|---|
| No down payment | $500,000 | 2.15%: $10,750 | 3.30%: $16,500 |
| 5% to 9.99% down | $475,000 | 1.50%: $7,125 | 1.50%: $7,125 |
| 10% or more down | $450,000 | 1.25%: $5,625 | 1.25%: $5,625 |
| VA disability compensation | No funding fee | ||
VA funding fee schedule effective April 7, 2023, current per VA as of October 2026.
Buying Again While You Still Own a VA-Financed Home
Say you bought near Travis on a VA loan, kept the house as a rental, and now want to buy in Sacramento. Part of your entitlement is still tied to that loan. What is left to use equals one quarter of Sacramento County’s one-unit loan limit, less whatever entitlement the old loan still holds. For 2026, 25% of $832,750 is $208,188. Lenders typically want remaining entitlement plus any down payment to equal 25% of the new loan. The table runs two cases against a purchase at the $508,000 city median.
| Entitlement already in use | Remaining guaranty | Largest loan with $0 down | Down payment on $508,000 |
|---|---|---|---|
| None (full entitlement) | Full | No VA limit | $0 |
| $50,000 | $158,188 | $632,750 | $0 |
| $100,000 | $108,188 | $432,750 | $18,813 |
Remaining guaranty = 25% of the 2026 Sacramento County one-unit limit ($832,750) minus entitlement in use. The one-unit limit is used even for two- to four-unit homes.
A down payment fills any shortfall. Selling the earlier home and paying off its VA loan restores full entitlement, and a HELOC on a home you live in can fund a down payment. Mike pulls your Certificate of Eligibility at the start so you work from your real entitlement.
Sacramento Neighborhoods for VA Buyers
Natomas
1990s to 2020s master-planned tracts in the Natomas Basin, near Sacramento International Airport. Newer homes, but every VA loan here needs a flood policy.
Pocket and Greenhaven
1960s to 1980s single-family homes along the Sacramento River, with riverfront homes at the high end.
Tahoe Park and River Park
Mid-century houses at middle prices; River Park sits by the American River near Sacramento State.
East Sacramento
Older homes near a $799,000 median. Zero down still works with full entitlement and the income to carry it; partial entitlement may need some cash down here.
Oak Park and Meadowview
Lower-priced older homes where a VA loan’s lack of monthly mortgage insurance stretches a budget furthest. VA appraisers check that the home is safe and sound, so older houses may bring repair items.
VA, FHA and Conventional at $550,000
On many days the VA rate is at or under the conventional rate, and the missing mortgage insurance widens the payment gap further. This prices one $550,000 purchase, a little above the city median, at a 720 score.
| $550,000 purchase, 720 credit | Conventional, 5% down | FHA, 3.5% down | VA, 0% down |
|---|---|---|---|
| Down payment | $27,500 | $19,250 | $0 |
| Loan amount | $522,500 | $540,038 with 1.75% upfront MIP | $561,825 with 2.15% funding fee |
| Today’s rate (APR) | 7.875% (7.959%) | 7.000% (7.067%) | 6.875% (6.946%) |
| Principal and interest | $3,788/mo | $3,593/mo | $3,691/mo |
| Mortgage insurance | $287/mo PMI | $243/mo MIP | None |
| Before taxes and insurance | $4,076/mo | $3,836/mo | $3,691/mo |
| Mortgage insurance ends | At 20% equity (can be removed) | Life of the loan with under 10% down | Never charged |
Before property tax, homeowners insurance and any flood policy. The VA column adds the 2.15% first-use funding fee to the loan balance.
Sacramento VA Home Loan Requirements
- Eligibility: a Certificate of Eligibility based on service, or surviving spouse status. Mike requests it at the start.
- Occupancy: VA requires that you plan to live in the house. A purchase meant only as a rental needs a different product, such as a DSCR loan.
- Income and credit: the lender sets score and debt-ratio standards; housing allowance can count for active-duty buyers.
- Appraisal: a VA appraisal values the home and checks minimum property requirements.
- Flood insurance: Natomas is mapped Zone A99 while its levee project is finished, so a VA-guaranteed loan there must carry a policy, and the premium counts in the payment you qualify on.
- Homeowners insurance: easier to place in 2026 than a couple of years ago; USAA has announced it will grow in California from January 2027.
How a Sacramento VA Home Loan Moves to Closing
- Pull the COEMike requests your Certificate of Eligibility and checks whether any entitlement is still in use.
- Price VA against the alternativesVA, FHA and conventional quoted with us and, when it helps, other wholesale lenders.
- Pre-approvalIncome, housing allowance or retirement pay documented before you shop.
- VA appraisal and flood checkA VA-assigned appraiser visits; the flood zone is confirmed.
- Close from anywhereE-sign or a mobile notary, even while on orders; local escrow records the deed.
Distance is not a problem for the file. Mike works it from Simi Valley over phone, email and e-signature, so it can progress while you are deployed, at a school or finishing a tour elsewhere. For program basics see our VA loan guide, and if you are comparing low-down-payment options, the Sacramento FHA page covers SHRA assistance.
VA Benefit Questions From Sacramento Buyers
Does Sacramento County cap how much I can borrow on a VA loan?
Only if part of your entitlement is already in use. A buyer with full entitlement faces no VA cap; income, credit and assets decide the loan size. If an earlier VA loan is still open, the 2026 Sacramento County limit of $832,750 becomes the starting point for the zero-down calculation.
My orders are to Travis. Can a Sacramento VA home loan work for me?
Yes. VA cares that the house will be your home, not how far it is from the flight line. Lenders can count documented housing allowance as income, and the Sacramento County limit is used for any partial entitlement calculation on a Sacramento address.
How much can I borrow with $100,000 of entitlement already in use?
In Sacramento County your remaining guaranty is $208,188 minus $100,000, or $108,188. That supports about $432,750 with no money down. On a $508,000 purchase you would cover 25% of the difference, about $18,813, as a down payment.
Do VA loans in Natomas need flood insurance?
Yes. Every Natomas address sits in the A99 flood zone until the basin’s levee work is done, and a VA-guaranteed loan there must carry a flood policy. Get a quote early, because the premium is part of the payment you qualify on.
Can I avoid the VA funding fee?
You can if you are exempt: veterans paid or entitled to VA compensation for a service-connected disability, surviving spouses on DIC, service members with a proposed or memorandum rating before closing, and active-duty Purple Heart recipients. A later award dated before closing may bring a refund.
Is there monthly mortgage insurance on a Sacramento VA home loan?
No. VA loans carry no monthly mortgage insurance at any down payment; the one-time funding fee is the only guaranty cost, and it is waived for veterans receiving disability compensation.
Can a surviving spouse use VA to buy in Sacramento?
An eligible surviving spouse can, and those receiving Dependency and Indemnity Compensation pay no funding fee. Eligibility is confirmed through the Certificate of Eligibility.
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Start a Sacramento VA Home Loan With Mike
Tell us your status, whether a VA loan is still open on another home, and the price range you have in mind. Mike will request your Certificate of Eligibility, size your entitlement against the Sacramento County limit and quote the loan with us and, when it helps, against other wholesale lenders.
Prefer to talk? Call 800-801-5626.