• VA charges no monthly mortgage insurance, saving you up to 1% per year on payments, compared to other loans with less than 20% down. For guaranteeing the loan, VA charges an up-front funding fee similar to the FHA mortgage insurance premium, both can be financed into the loan. This funding fee can be waived/reduced for disabled veterans, saving you possibly thousands.
• VA loans are assumable, which could be a huge benefit in the future. With today's interest rates near historical lows, it is very likely rates will be higher when you sell. Your home will likely sell faster and for more money if a qualified buyer can cash you out and assume your below-market rate with only a half percent assumption fee, which is only a sixth of the cost of a new loan.
• Extra financing for energy efficiency improvements It's been a few years since I had Veteran use this program, but last I checked, veterans can borrow up to $6,000 extra for insulation, more efficient windows, AC and furnace.

There are some drawbacks to using VA financing. In fact, I counsel my sellers to expect to get beaten up on VA offers, which could put you at a disadvantage when competing against other financed offers.

• VA has the most stringent property standards in the business for health & safety. This can make it very difficult to buy a fixer-upper, unless the seller is willing to do repairs or allow repairs to be done- some foreclosure sellers, like HUD, won't.
• The Veterans Administration's appraisers are extremely conservative on appraisal value, keeping you from over-paying and probably why VA Repos are most rare in the Boise area today.
• VA also requires sellers to pay more than usual toward your closing costs. Sometimes you'll see listings that say "add $500 for VA" to cover your half of the closing fee, document preparation and tax service fees -normally buyer's costs- that are required to be paid by sellers.