What is the fundamental issue?
Since its establishment in 1944, the VA home loan guarantee program has helped millions of veterans purchase and maintain homes. NAR believes this program is a vital homeownership tool that provides veterans with a centralized, affordable, and accessible method of purchasing homes as a benefit for their service to our nation.
However, veterans continue to face barriers to homeownership, including market challenges and misconceptions about VA loans that may limit their options. Additionally, many veterans remain unaware of their VA loan benefits or how to access them effectively.
In 2019, NAR was successful in removing the home loan limit cap for VA home loans. Now our nation's veterans can purchase any home they can qualify for, without a limit on value.
Additionally, NAR continues to work with the VA to create rehabilitation loan program similar to the FHA 203k program. Veterans are often the perfect candidates to buy a rehabilitation home, as they may have skills learned through their service that can help them take advantage of these types of loans.
I am a real estate professional. What does this mean for my business?
VA loans provide zero-downpayment financing for veterans and surviving spouses.
NAR Policy
NAR is a strong supporter of, and REALTORS® are a major participant in, the VA Home Loan Guaranty Program.
The VA Home Loan Guarantee program has guaranteed more than 24 million loans to American veterans, with a total loan volume over one trillion dollars. This program is a vital homeownership tool that provides veterans with a centralized, affordable, and accessible method of purchasing homes as a benefit for their service to our nation.
Legislative/Regulatory Status/Outlook
NAR successfully advocated for the Department of Veterans Affairs to temporarily suspend the policy barring veterans from paying buyer-broker fees in 2024, providing immediate relief for veteran homebuyers. Building on this success, NAR successfully advocated for the VA Home Loan Program Reform Act (H.R. 1815), which was signed into law July 2025 after passing Congress unanimously. This legislation requires the VA to develop a permanent strategy to ensure veterans aren't disadvantaged when seeking real estate representation. The law also creates a partial claims program for veterans facing foreclosure.
NAR continues to advocate for additional improvements to help veterans access their earned benefits. Currently, only 10-15% of eligible veterans use their VA loan benefits, making increased awareness crucial. NAR has endorsed the bipartisan ROAD to Housing Act of 2025, which unanimously passed the Senate Banking Committee and includes both the Veterans Affairs Loan Informed Disclosure (VALID) Act and the VA Home Loan Awareness Act. These provisions would require lenders to inform veterans about VA loan options alongside conventional and FHA loans and require Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to include disclosures on loan applications notifying applicants with military service that they may qualify for VA loans.
NAR also continues to work with Congress and the Department of Veterans Affairs on other program enhancements. Veterans are still losing out on some home purchases due to their inability to pay certain fees. NAR advocates for veterans to negotiate reasonable and customary fees while maintaining consumer protections, supports benefit inheritance for descendants of certain veterans, and backs policies allowing veterans to transfer their interest rates to buyers.
NAR Committee
Federal Financing and Housing Policy Committee
