You earned the VA loan. We make sure it actually works in Lee County.
No down payment, no monthly mortgage insurance, and lender competition on your rate — that's the benefit on paper. On the ground in Cape Coral and Fort Myers there's a VA appraisal, a condo list, a termite rule, and flood zones to navigate. We handle all of it, every week.
A government guarantee, a private lender, and no mortgage insurance.
A VA loan is a mortgage from a private lender that the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs partially guarantees. Because the VA stands behind part of the risk, the lender doesn't need a down payment or monthly mortgage insurance to protect itself — the two things that make most first mortgages expensive. In their place is a one-time funding fee, which many disabled veterans don't pay at all.
VA loans also carry consumer protections other programs don't: a cap on what the lender can charge you, an appraisal that checks the home's condition, a residual-income test that keeps you from being approved for a payment you can't actually live with, and the right to have a seller pay closing costs on your behalf. They can be assumed by a future qualified buyer, which has become a genuine selling point in a higher-rate market.
We're a broker, not the VA and not a bank. One application goes to the VA-approved wholesale lenders we work with, and they compete for your loan. Lenders add their own rules on top of the VA's, so the lender that hesitates on your file is often not the one that closes it.
Pure Lending is not affiliated with, or endorsed by, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs or any government agency.
VA at a glance
- Down payment
- None required with full entitlement. Closing costs and prepaids still apply; the seller may pay them, and the funding fee can be financed.
- Mortgage insurance
- None. A one-time VA funding fee applies instead, waived for borrowers receiving VA disability compensation and certain surviving spouses.
- Eligibility
- Proven by a Certificate of Eligibility (COE). Veterans, active duty, many Guard/Reserve members, some surviving spouses.
- Loan limits
- No VA loan limit for borrowers with full entitlement; lenders set their own maximums. Partial entitlement (an existing VA loan still open) is calculated case by case.
- Property
- Primary residence only, 1–4 units. Must meet the VA's Minimum Property Requirements. Condos must be in a VA-approved project.
- Seller help
- Seller may pay all your standard closing costs plus up to 4% of the price in concessions such as the funding fee or paying off your debt.
Program rules summarized from VA guidelines and subject to change; lender overlays vary. Not a commitment to lend.
What's different about a VA purchase in Cape Coral and Fort Myers.
Lee County has a large veteran community and a housing stock that doesn't always match the VA rulebook. These are the items we plan around before you ever write an offer.
The VA appraisal is an inspection-lite. Older Cape ranches feel it.
A VA appraiser checks Minimum Property Requirements: a roof with life left in it, no exposed wiring, working systems, safe access, no peeling paint on older homes, and — in Florida — a clean wood-destroying organism (termite) report. Post-Ian repairs and older canal-front ranches are where this bites.
Usually it means a seller repair, not a lost deal. It goes smoother when the listing agent knows a VA appraisal is coming, so we brief them.
Most local condos aren't on the VA list.
The VA only guarantees loans in projects on its approved condo list, and a large share of Lee County buildings — particularly older waterfront ones — aren't on it. A project can apply for approval, but that takes time you don't have under contract.
Send us the address before you offer and we'll check. If it isn't approved, our condo financing page covers what else works.
Flood zones and insurance decide the payment.
Federal law requires flood insurance on a VA loan in a FEMA Special Flood Hazard Area — much of canal-front Cape Coral is zone AE. Flood, wind, and homeowner's premiums all count in the VA's residual-income and debt-ratio math, so a late insurance quote can shrink your approval.
Quotes before the offer, every time. The full flood guide is here.
Almost every eligible buyer — and a lot of eligible refinancers.
If you're eligible and buying a primary home, a VA loan is usually the first thing we shop. No down payment and no monthly mortgage insurance are hard to beat, and the rate competition among VA lenders is real. The exceptions: some condos, and buyers who plan to hold two VA loans at once, where entitlement math matters.
Already have a VA loan? The Interest Rate Reduction Refinance Loan (IRRRL, or "streamline") refinances it with minimal paperwork and usually no appraisal. A VA cash-out refinance can also replace a non-VA loan.
- Pull your Certificate of Eligibility.With your DD-214 or service details we can usually retrieve the COE electronically the same day. This confirms your entitlement before you go house-hunting.
- Ten-minute pre-qualification.No credit pull to start. We run the VA residual-income and debt-ratio math with real Lee County insurance and tax estimates, not national placeholders.
- Property check before you offer.Flood zone, VA condo approval, roof age, likely termite findings. The homework that keeps the appraisal from surprising anyone.
- Lender shop and lock.Your file goes to the VA-approved lenders whose overlays fit it. You pick; we lock in writing.
- Appraisal, termite report, underwriting, closing.A clean VA purchase generally closes in three to four weeks. Any repair items get chased daily.
What Cape Coral and Fort Myers veterans ask us first.
If yours isn't here, text (239) 790-PURE and we'll add it.
Who is eligible for a VA home loan?
Is a VA loan really zero down in Florida?
What is the VA funding fee and can it be waived?
Can I buy a Cape Coral or Fort Myers condo with a VA loan?
Does a VA loan require a termite inspection in Florida?
Is Pure Lending part of the VA?
Start with your COE. We'll have it back to you today.
Ten minutes, no credit pull. Tell us where you're looking and we'll run the VA math with real Lee County numbers.