Between Two Doors

  VA Loans in Texas: Do I Qualify, and How Much Entitlement Do I Have Left? If you’re a Veteran or currently serving and thinking about buying a home in Texas, two questions usually come up first: Do I qualify for a VA home loan ? How much VA entitlement do I have left—especially if I’ve used it before? Let’s walk through both in a way that makes sense, without the jargon. Question 1: Do I Qualify for a VA Home Loan? Step 1: Check your service and discharge You may be eligible for a VA home loan if you served on active duty , in the Guard/Reserves, or are an eligible surviving spouse , and you meet VA’s minimum service requirements and discharge rules. In general, you’re likely eligible if. You served at least 90 days of active duty during wartime periods, or You served 181 days of active duty during peacetime, or You’ve had at least 6 years in the National Guard or Reserves (with certain criteria), or You’re a surviving spouse of a Veteran who died i...

  In most cases, no down payment is required : VA allows the loan to go up to 100% of the home’s reasonable value (the value on the VA appraisal / Notice of Value). Benefit No down payment is required by VA unless: The purchase price is higher than the VA appraised value, or You’re using certain specialty products (like GPMs), or You don’t have enough remaining entitlement and the lender needs a down payment to meet secondary market rules. Benefit So a typical first-time VA buyer with full entitlement can buy a home with 0% down , as long as the numbers and the property meet VA and lender guidelines. If there’s no down payment, what are my other costs? Even with 0% down, most VA buyers see three buckets of costs: Standard closing costs (typically ~3–5% of the purchase price or loan amount)  Appraisal Credit report Title insurance & settlement Recording fees, lender fees, etc. Prepaids and escrows Prepaid interest (from clos...

  If you’ve ever felt like homeowners insurance is a black box that just makes your mortgage payment higher, this conversation is for you. On this episode of Between Two Doors , I sat down with Alyssa Kapinos , a Goosehead Insurance agent based in Flower Mound, serving clients across Texas, Oklahoma (coming soon), Utah, Montana, Missouri, and North Carolina . She’s the person behind the scenes helping buyers actually understand what they’re paying for—and how to avoid some very expensive surprises later. Podcast: https://www.betweentwodoors.com/episode-50-alyssa-kapinos-on-smarter-insurance-for-your-new-home/ Youtube:  https://youtu.be/JMN_H1PCqL0 From Charleston Steeples to North Texas Storms Alyssa’s story starts in Charleston, South Carolina , where downtown buildings can’t outgrow the historic church steeples that define the skyline, giving the city a “big but small” feel. Wikipedia +2 Going +2 She’s a proud Clemson Tiger , where she worked in Clemson Ath...

Mortgage Market Update – November 21, 2025 Why Affordability Just Hit a Three-Year High If you’ve felt like the housing market has been working against you the past few years, today’s data brings a different story: buyers finally have some tailwind. A new jobs report, easing mortgage rates, and fresh numbers from Zillow all point to something we haven’t seen in a while—a real improvement in affordability, especially in places like Texas and Florida . Let’s break down what’s happening and how to talk about it with your buyers and sellers. 1. The Jobs Report, the Fed, and Why Bonds Are Smiling The delayed September jobs report finally hit this week. The headline: Roughly 116,000–119,000 new jobs added – more than forecasters expected (around 50–55k).  Unemployment ticked up to 4.4% from 4.3% – the highest in several years, but still low by historical standards.  Markets read that as “cooling, but not crashing.” Bond traders liked it, and when bonds improve, ...