North Muskegon · VA / Military
Buying With a VA Loan in North Muskegon
You earned it. The part that goes wrong out here is rarely the loan, it is the property, and that is the part I read before you offer.
The Housing Here Is Older Than the Price Tag Suggests
Most of what comes up on this peninsula in a normal price range was built decades ago, and that is the single thing most likely to meet a VA appraisal awkwardly.
VA's basic requirement is that a property be safe, sanitary and structurally sound. The appraisal comes back with a notice of value, and anything that falls short of that lands on it as a repair item before the loan can close.
That is not a reason to avoid older houses here, because older houses are most of the market. It is a reason to know what you are looking at before you write, rather than after an appraiser has written it down and a seller has to decide whether to fix it.
A roof near the end of its life, flaking paint on a pre-1978 house, a step with no rail: none of those make a house unbuyable. They make it a conversation that is much easier to have early.
Where would you like to start?
Scarcity Means the Seller Has Options, So the Offer Has to Be Clean
There is very little ground on a peninsula and nobody is adding more, so good properties here often have more than one interested party.
That is where a seller's assumptions about VA financing start to cost you. Plenty of sellers believe a VA offer means paying more, and that is simply not what the rules say. Seller concessions are capped at 4% of the property's reasonable value, and several ordinary costs, including title insurance, the appraisal, the origination fee and normal discount points, do not count toward that cap at all.
A listing agent who knows that treats your offer on its merits. One who does not may quietly steer their seller elsewhere, and you will never hear why.
So part of my job on your side is making sure the other side understands what they are actually being asked for.
What I Read Before You Write Anything
I go and look at the property myself and tell you what I find, including when what I find means not bothering.
On this peninsula that means which shore it is on and what that does to value, the age and condition of the things an appraiser will look hardest at, usable frontage against the recorded figure where there is water, and what the access is like in February rather than July.
If you are still at a distance, that is the whole point of it. You should not be spending leave on a property that was never going to work.
More than $4 million in closed sales over my last twelve months, up from under a million the year before. I hold the Accredited Buyer's Representative designation from the National Association of REALTORS®.
This describes the property questions I check. It is not lending, legal or tax advice, and nothing here is a statement of VA program rules. Those belong to your lender or to the VA directly.
Before You Offer
Tell me which shore you are after and what the timeline looks like, and I will tell you honestly what is realistic here.
More about the town is on the North Muskegon area page, the wider approach is at VA and military buyers, and the buying process is at how buying works.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will an older house here pass a VA appraisal?
Often yes, and age by itself is not the test. VA asks that a property be safe, sanitary and structurally sound, and anything short of that comes back on the notice of value as a repair item. Since most of the housing here is older, the useful move is knowing what is likely to land on that list before you write rather than after.
Do sellers avoid VA offers?
Some do, usually on a belief about cost that the rules do not support. Seller concessions are capped at 4% of the reasonable value, and several ordinary costs including title insurance, the appraisal and the origination fee do not count toward that cap. Part of my job is making sure the listing side knows that rather than guessing.
Can you look at properties before I travel?
Yes, and it matters more when your time off is finite. I read the property and tell you what is actually there, including when the answer is that it is not worth the trip. For anything about your entitlement, funding fee or what you qualify for, that is your VA lender's work and I will not guess at it.
North Muskegon
What va / military looks like in North Muskegon
A peninsula with water on both sides: Bear Lake to the north, Muskegon Lake and the route to Lake Michigan to the south.
The two shores are not the same purchase. Muskegon Lake to the south is the larger, more open water and it connects through to Lake Michigan, so a boat there has a route out to the big lake. Bear Lake to the north is smaller and quieter in the evening.
A peninsula is also finite. There is a fixed amount of it and no way to make more, which is why being ready before you need to be matters more here than it does further inland.
VA / Military: keep exploring
Ready to make your move with Tamara Hekkema?