Ask Rudy: Selling With a VA Benefit Questions, Answered

Can I start buying before I get to San Diego?

Yes. A VA pre-approval doesn’t require you to be here, and Rudy can show you homes by video and send you details. If you take a house-hunting trip later, you can spend it choosing between homes instead of starting the search.

From Meet Rudy Flores: Real Estate Planned Around Your Report Date

I have to sell before I PCS out. What should I gather first?

Start with your report date, a recent mortgage statement and a sense of whether you’d keep the home as a rental if time runs short. Your lender can explain how selling or renting affects your VA entitlement. A CPA can speak to the tax side.

From Meet Rudy Flores: Real Estate Planned Around Your Report Date

Is this site part of the VA or the military?

No. VA Benefits Real Estate isn’t affiliated with the VA or any government agency. Rudy is a real estate agent, and VA-backed loans come from private lenders, such as banks, mortgage companies and credit unions.

From Meet Rudy Flores: Real Estate Planned Around Your Report Date

When do I get my VA entitlement back?

Usually after you sell the home and the VA loan is paid in full. You request restoration separately, online, through your lender or with VA Form 26-1880.

From Buy or Sell First With a VA Loan: Planner

Can I buy with a VA loan before I sell?

Yes, if your remaining entitlement and income support it. Part of your entitlement stays in use, so a down payment may be needed; the planner estimates it.

From Buy or Sell First With a VA Loan: Planner

Does the funding fee change for my second VA loan?

After first use it is 3.3% with less than 5% down, unless you’re exempt. With 5% or 10% down it falls to 1.5% or 1.25%.

From Buy or Sell First With a VA Loan: Planner

Can my buyer take over my VA loan?

A qualified buyer may assume it with the lender’s approval. If a Veteran buyer substitutes their entitlement, yours can be restored. Ask your lender about the steps.

From Buy or Sell First With a VA Loan: Planner

Can I sell my VA-financed home before it shows up on public websites?

Sometimes, yes, within your MLS’s rules. In SDMLS, Coming Soon can keep a home away from public home-search sites for as many as 30 days. You can accept an offer in that window, though in-person tours aren’t allowed. CRMLS caps Coming Soon at 21 days, bars every kind of showing, and usually lets the listing appear on Realtor.com and Homes.com. With an office-only listing, there’s no public marketing at all. Each one starts with a form you sign, and Rudy confirms which rules apply to your home.

From Compare My Selling Options

What should I gather from my lender before I fill this in?

Your lender’s payoff statement shows exactly what you owe. Your loan statement shows your interest rate, and you’ll want the years left on the loan too. Your lender can also explain how selling or renting affects your VA entitlement. Rudy is a real estate agent, so loan questions belong with your lender.

From Compare My Selling Options

If I rent the home out while I’m stationed elsewhere, what changes?

Rent arrives each month, and so do costs: management, whether you hire it out or do it yourself, plus upkeep and gaps between tenants. Local rent and notice rules apply. Taxes are part of it too: the federal home-sale exclusion can shield as much as $250,000 in gain, or $500,000 for a joint return, and it generally requires owning and living in the home for at least 2 of the 5 years before you sell. A CPA can walk you through how a rental stretch lines up with that test.

From Compare My Selling Options

Is there a standard commission rate?

There isn’t one. Commission is negotiable, and you settle on it in your listing agreement. Whatever rate you type flows into three columns: rent-then-sell, open-market and pre-market. Run a couple of different rates and watch the totals change.

From Compare My Selling Options

How long might an open-market sale take from today?

Add up prep time, the weeks on the market and escrow, which is commonly 30 to 45 days from the offer you accept. Put that total, in months, in the open-market box. Each month adds holding costs, so try a short and a long estimate. Rudy plans backward from your report date or move date.

From Compare My Selling Options

How close is this to my home's real value?

The estimate adjusts your price by a ZIP-wide index and does not know your home's condition, lot or upgrades. For a value based on recent nearby sales, Rudy prepares one free.

From Equity Since You Bought: San Diego Homes

I bought with a VA loan and no down payment. What do I enter?

Enter 0 for the down payment. The page figures the loan from your price and down payment only, so if you financed the VA funding fee, choose the second loan option and type your balance from your statement.

From Equity Since You Bought: San Diego Homes

What if I refinanced, for example with an IRRRL?

Select the refinance choice and type the balance from your newest statement, adding any second loan. The page uses it as given.

From Equity Since You Bought: San Diego Homes

Is my Prop 13 value what my home would sell for?

No. It is a tax base, set at your purchase price and raised by no more than 2% each year. Market value is usually higher, and your tax bill shows the exact taxable value.

From Equity Since You Bought: San Diego Homes

Is renting it out or selling after I move the better plan?

It depends on whether the rent covers the payment, tax, insurance and HOA, how much equity you have, and whether you might come back. The Keep or Sell Calculator runs those numbers, and the Home Strategy Quiz helps sort out the bigger picture in about a minute.

From Sell or Rent Before a PCS? A Countdown for Either Plan

What does a property manager handle while I'm away?

Typically marketing the home, screening applicants, signing the lease, collecting rent and arranging repairs, then reporting to you. Fees and duties vary, so get them in writing. California fair housing law protects applicants by military or veteran status and source of income, among other things, so screening should follow one written standard for everyone.

From Sell or Rent Before a PCS? A Countdown for Either Plan

If I sell after I leave, how long will the home sit empty?

With the starting numbers (listed 7 days after you leave, 53 days to an accepted offer and 30 days of escrow), closing comes about 90 days after you leave, roughly 3.0 months. Add your monthly payment, tax, insurance, HOA and utilities in the countdown to see the carrying cost.

From Sell or Rent Before a PCS? A Countdown for Either Plan

Does renting first change the tax picture when I sell later?

It can. The home-sale exclusion in IRS Publication 523 depends on 2 years of ownership and use within the 5 years before the sale, and people in the uniformed services on qualified official extended duty can pause that window. Your tax professional can run it against your own dates.

From Sell or Rent Before a PCS? A Countdown for Either Plan

Can I sell my rented San Diego home without flying back?

Most owners in your spot can. Showings can go ahead with proper notice to the tenant, and so can the inspection and the appraisal, without you there. Your part is the signatures, and escrow lays out how each document gets signed.

From Selling a Rented San Diego Home From Out of Town

Living in another state now, how would I sign the deed?

A notary where you live takes the acknowledgment, mobile or in an office, and California accepts it. Service members and spouses can also use a military legal office notary. Overseas, a U.S. consular officer handles it. Escrow will say what ID to bring.

From Selling a Rented San Diego Home From Out of Town

Can the deed be notarized online?

As of October 2026, California notaries cannot notarize online yet. Whether escrow and the title company will take an online notarization done under another state's law is their call, so ask them before you set one up.

From Selling a Rented San Diego Home From Out of Town

Should I sell with the tenant in place or wait until the lease ends?

Both work. With the tenant in place you keep the rent coming, and showings need written notice, with 24 hours presumed reasonable in California. Waiting for an empty house makes prep and showings simpler.

From Selling a Rented San Diego Home From Out of Town

Who handles access for the inspector, the appraiser and buyers' agents?

Each visit is set up around your tenant's right to notice; ask Rudy how access would be arranged, and track the contract dates yourself as well.

From Selling a Rented San Diego Home From Out of Town

Who needs to hear from me during the sale?

Your insurer, the property manager, the County Assessor if the homeowners' exemption is still on the bill, USPS for mail, and the HOA if there is one.

From Selling a Rented San Diego Home From Out of Town

Does selling the rental restore my VA entitlement?

Usually, yes. With the house sold and the VA loan paid off, you can apply to restore the entitlement online or with VA Form 26-1880. It is separate from the closing itself, so check timing with your lender.

From Selling a Rented San Diego Home From Out of Town

How far ahead of my report date should I start looking?

As soon as you have orders in hand, even in draft form. A VA pre-approval and a sense of your target neighborhoods can both happen well before you're able to travel for a house-hunting trip, which shortens the in-person part of the search considerably.

From Buying and Selling Around Your Orders

Can I close on a home without being there in person?

Often, yes. Many papers can be signed electronically, and a mobile notary or a notary where you live now can witness the rest, including the deed. As of October 2026, California notaries can’t notarize online yet. Confirm with your lender and title company early, since not every step can always be done remotely.

From Buying and Selling Around Your Orders

What if my home doesn't sell before I have to report?

It happens, and there are usually paths forward: a rent-back arrangement with the buyer, listing it as a rental instead, or working with a property manager while it continues to market. The key is deciding on a backup plan before you're up against the date, not after.

From Buying and Selling Around Your Orders

How does my VA loan get paid off when I sell?

At closing, escrow collects the buyer’s funds, and the title company uses them to clear your VA loan and any liens. What’s left after your selling costs, such as commission and escrow and title fees, is your net proceeds. It helps to ask your loan servicer for a payoff estimate before you pick a list price, and the Seller Net Proceeds Estimator shows how your take-home changes if the price moves.

From Selling and Moving Up With Your VA Benefit

When does my VA entitlement come back?

You can ask the VA to restore it once the VA loan is paid off and you no longer own the home. The request goes through VA.gov, or you can mail in VA Form 26-1880. The VA usually gets notice of the payoff, but it may ask for proof, such as a paid-in-full statement from the old lender or the settlement statement from the sale.

From Selling and Moving Up With Your VA Benefit

Can I get my entitlement back without selling?

Yes, one time. If the VA loan is paid in full but you still own the home, the VA offers a one-time restoration so you can buy another home to live in as your primary residence. After you use it, you’d need to sell every home before more entitlement can be restored.

From Selling and Moving Up With Your VA Benefit

My buyer is using a VA loan. What will the appraisal look for?

The buyer’s appraisal looks at value and at whether the home is structurally sound, sanitary and free of hazards under the VA’s Minimum Property Requirements. Areas like the roof, heating, and water and sewer get a look, while cosmetic wear isn’t the focus. When the report calls for a repair, the seller or the buyer can take care of it, and the appraiser looks again before closing.

From Selling and Moving Up With Your VA Benefit

Can I sell after I’ve already moved for new orders?

Yes, and selling from your next duty station is routine. California sellers often sign with a mobile notary or by e-signature, so ask the title company early which steps you can complete from afar. Rudy can handle showings while you’re away, and it helps to plan any repairs and last walkthroughs before you go.

From Selling and Moving Up With Your VA Benefit

What does it mean that my VA loan is assumable?

A buyer who qualifies can take over your loan and its interest rate instead of getting a new mortgage. That includes buyers who aren’t veterans, as long as they qualify. Your servicer must approve the buyer and usually checks income and credit, and in some cases the VA must approve too.

From Selling and Moving Up With Your VA Benefit

What happens to my entitlement if a buyer assumes my loan?

It depends on who assumes it. An eligible veteran with enough entitlement can substitute theirs for yours, and then the VA can restore your entitlement. Without a substitution, such as when the buyer isn’t a veteran, your entitlement stays with the loan until it’s paid off. For a substitution, the buyer provides a COE or a completed VA Form 26-1880 and signs VA Form 26-8106, certifying they’ll live in the home.

From Selling and Moving Up With Your VA Benefit

What does an assumption cost the buyer?

Assuming buyers pay a VA funding fee of 0.5% of the loan, unless they’re exempt. Your equity stays with the loan, and you can negotiate with the buyer to cash out some or all of it as part of the sale. Ask your servicer how its approval process and timeline work.

From Selling and Moving Up With Your VA Benefit

How do I feature an assumable loan in my listing?

Start with your servicer: ask how an assumption would work on your loan, how long approval usually takes, and where your entitlement would stand afterward. Once the answers fit your plans, Rudy can call out the assumable loan in your listing marketing. How much buyers care depends on how your rate compares with rates when you sell.

From Selling and Moving Up With Your VA Benefit

Can I use my VA benefit again on a bigger home?

Yes. Once your entitlement is restored, you have full entitlement again, and the VA sets no loan limit for borrowers with full entitlement. Your lender still decides how much you can borrow based on your credit, income, debts and assets.

From Selling and Moving Up With Your VA Benefit

Will the funding fee be higher the second time?

Only at the lowest down payment tier. If you put down less than 5% on a repeat use, the VA’s fee is 3.3% of the loan, compared with 2.15% the first time. With 5% or more down, the fee is 1.5% no matter how many times you’ve used the benefit, and 10% or more down brings it to 1.25%. Veterans who get VA disability compensation for a service-connected condition don’t pay the fee.

From Selling and Moving Up With Your VA Benefit

Does California offer a property tax break for disabled veterans?

Yes. The Board of Equalization’s Disabled Veterans’ Exemption covers veterans who are blind in both eyes, have lost the use of two or more limbs, or are totally disabled from an injury or disease incurred in military service. Totally disabled means a 100% disability rating, or pay at the 100% rate due to unemployability. Some unmarried surviving spouses qualify too, and the home must be the claimant’s principal place of residence.

From Selling and Moving Up With Your VA Benefit

How much is the exemption, and how do I file in San Diego County?

For the 2026 lien date, the basic exemption is $180,671 and the low-income exemption is $271,009, with a household income limit of $81,131. The BOE has set 2027 amounts of $185,889 and $278,836, with an $83,474 income limit. You file with the San Diego County Assessor, who asks for your DD-214 and your VA rating decision letter. The basic exemption is a one-time filing while the home stays your primary residence, and the low-income version is filed every year by February 15.

From Selling and Moving Up With Your VA Benefit

If I move up, does the exemption move with me?

A new home needs its own claim, because the exemption applies to your principal place of residence. The Assessor treats a claim filed by the end of the calendar year as on time, and a later claim still gets 85% of the exemption for that year and 100% in the years after. For the home you leave, the BOE’s form BOE-261-GNT is how you tell the Assessor you no longer qualify there.

From Selling and Moving Up With Your VA Benefit