No down payment required
With full entitlement, the VA allows financing 100% of the purchase price. That is the difference between owning this year and waiting five.
For those who served · VA loans & relocation
The VA loan, explained like it should have been the first time.
If you've served, the VA loan is one of the best home-financing tools in the country, and too few veterans use it. This page covers what it gives you, what it costs, who skips the fee, and how Doni handles the moving-to-Michigan part, often entirely by video.
What you get
Four benefits that move the math.
No PMI, ever
No private mortgage insurance, no matter the down payment. The VA guarantee replaces it, which is why the monthly payment lands lighter.
Restricted closing costs
Closing costs are limited by VA rules, and the VA caps what you can be asked to pay. Fewer fees, fewer surprises at the table.
A benefit earned, not borrowed
The VA guarantees up to 25% of the loan. Lenders say yes more easily because the program is built to say yes to veterans.
The funding fee, and who skips it
The VA loan carries a one-time funding fee on most purchases, a small percentage of the loan that can be rolled into the mortgage itself. The important part: veterans receiving VA disability compensation, and qualifying surviving spouses, are exempt from the fee entirely.
You'll also need a Certificate of Eligibility (COE), which your lender pulls with your help through VA.gov. Plan for it right at the start, before you shop, so the pre-approval is real.
Eligibility at a glance
- Active duty: generally eligible after 90 consecutive days of service.
- Veterans: typically 90 days of wartime or 181 days of peacetime active duty.
- Guard and Reserve: six service years, or 90 days of qualifying active duty.
- 2026 baseline conforming limit for a one-unit loan: $832,750, well above the typical Macomb County price range.
Sourced from VA.gov's current program guidance. Rules and limits are updated annually; Doni confirms the current figures with VA.gov at the start of every military purchase. See VA.gov's eligibility page for the official details.
The relocation part
Moving to Michigan? The whole search can happen on video.
Doni has guided out-of-state buyers through the entire process on a screen: virtual tours, neighborhood walkthroughs on camera, offers, inspections, and a closing handled to the day. One of her favorite reviews came from a buyer who relocated to Detroit proper without seeing a house in person before the key handover.
She'll connect you with VA-savvy lenders (including the credit unions she knows close well), insurance pros, and inspectors who understand service timelines. The moving part is hard enough; the house hunt should be the easy part.
PCS orders don't wait. Neither does her team.
Start the move
Tell her your timeline and your duty station.
Whether you're in Michigan, still on station, or about to be discharged, the plan starts the same way: a note, a call, and a pre-approval you can build on.
Tell her where things stand. She'll get back to you, usually within a day.
Got it. Talk soon.
Your note is on its way to Doni and Emma. Expect a reply within a day or so.
In the meantime: every house has a story, and yours just got a lot less complicated.