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VA Loan With a Non-Veteran Spouse: Rules for Military Couples in Jacksonville
Quick answer: Yes. A veteran and a non-veteran spouse can buy together with a VA loan, and VA treats a married couple as one borrower, so the spouse being on the loan does not by itself create a down payment requirement. Both incomes can count. What a non-veteran spouse generally can’t do is use the…
Read MoreSecond VA Loan on PCS Orders: Keep Your Last House and Buy in Jacksonville
Quick answer: Yes. Many service members PCS to Jacksonville, keep their last home as a rental, and buy here with a second VA loan. Whether you need a down payment depends on your remaining entitlement and the 2026 county loan limit ($832,750 in Duval, Clay, St. Johns and Nassau). Whether you qualify for both payments…
Read MoreVA vs. Conventional Loans for Veterans With Money Down: Which Fits in 2026?
Quick answer: If you’re VA-eligible, a VA loan is usually the lower-cost choice when you put less than 20% down — there’s no monthly mortgage insurance, and if you receive VA disability compensation there’s no funding fee at all. With 20% or more down, conventional can come out ahead because it has neither PMI nor…
Read MoreGift of Equity: How to Buy a Home From Family With No Down Payment (Florida, 2026)
Most buyers assume a down payment has to come out of savings. When you are buying from a parent, grandparent, sibling or another relative, there is a second option that costs nobody any cash: a gift of equity. It is one of the most useful tools in residential lending, and one of the least understood.…
Read MoreVA vs. FHA Loans for Military Buyers in Jacksonville: Which Fits You in 2026?
VA or FHA? A Jacksonville broker compares down payment, funding fee vs MIP, loan limits, and when FHA actually makes sense for military families in 2026.
Read MoreRelocating to Jacksonville for a Job at Mayo Clinic? You May Be Able to Buy Before Your First Paycheck
Starting a new job at Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville? Fannie Mae guidelines may let you qualify on your offer letter and close before your first paycheck. Here are the rules.
Read MoreCondotel Loans in Northeast Florida: Jacksonville Beach, St. Augustine and Amelia Island
Condotels need different financing than regular condos. How condotel loans work in Jacksonville Beach, St. Augustine and Amelia Island, and what lenders look for.
Read MoreCan You Have Two FHA Loans? 4 HUD Exceptions (Florida 2026)
FHA usually allows one loan at a time, but HUD has 4 exceptions: job relocation, a bigger family, leaving a co-owned home, and non-occupant co-borrowers.
Read MoreHow Do Mortgage Brokers Get Paid? A Jacksonville Broker Explains
Lender-paid or borrower-paid, never both. A Jacksonville broker explains how mortgage brokers get paid, where it shows on your Loan Estimate, and how to compare.
Read MoreThree Florida Loan Options Most Borrowers Don’t Know About: 90% Cash-Out, 10%-Down Second Homes, and Jumbo Loans Up to $3 Million
A lot of homeowners hear “you can only cash out 80%” or “a second home needs 20% down” and stop asking. Those are common rules, but they aren’t the only rules. As a mortgage broker with access to many wholesale lenders, I can shop programs that a single bank may not offer. Here are three…
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