For listing agents and sellers
Selling to a VA buyer.
A VA offer can compete with any other. What a seller agrees to, how the VA appraisal and required repairs work and what the buyer's team does to keep the deal on schedule, sourced from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Brian Huie, a U.S. Air Force veteran and Principal Broker and Realtor at Compass, walks listing agents through these terms before offers are compared.
At a glance
A VA offer in four points
- AppraisalIf the value looks low, the appraiser gives the buyer's side 2 business days to send sales data before the report is final.
- RepairsVA requires a home that is safe, structurally sound and sanitary. Who pays for a required repair is negotiated, and some can be waived with the lender's agreement.
- Seller creditsVA does not limit seller credits toward the buyer's closing costs. Other concessions are capped at 4% of the home's reasonable value.
- The loanEddie Huynh at Movement Mortgage (NMLS #1975833) works the loan side and answers listing agents' VA questions.
Appraisal
The VA appraisal, step by step
Value and condition
A VA appraisal sets the home's reasonable value and checks it against VA's minimum property requirements, the list in the VA Home Check. The result is the Notice of Value.
A window to support the price
If the value looks likely to come in below the price, the appraiser tells the buyer's side before finishing and allows 2 business days for more sales data (VA's Tidewater procedure). The data can come from the requester or from parties to the sale, so recent sales the listing agent knows about can help.
Reconsideration of value
After the Notice of Value, the buyer can ask VA to reconsider. VA staff review the request within 5 business days and issue an amended Notice of Value if the market supports it.
Repairs
Required repairs, and what can be waived
Repairs the appraiser lists are conditions of the VA loan. Who completes and pays for them is part of the negotiation between buyer and seller.
| The standard | The home must be safe, structurally sound and sanitary: access, water and sewer, permanent heat, a sound roof, a dry and vented crawl space, no rot or insect damage. |
|---|---|
| Waivers | With the lender's agreement, the buyer can ask VA to waive listed repairs, as long as the home stays habitable from a standpoint of safety, structural soundness and sanitation. |
| Paint, built before 1978 | VA presumes lead-based paint. Defective paint must be fixed, and cost is not an accepted reason to waive it. |
| Paint, built 1978 or later | Defective paint is normally treated as cosmetic. |
Seller credits
Closing costs and concessions
| Closing costs | A seller may credit some or all of the buyer's closing costs. VA does not limit these credits. |
|---|---|
| Concessions | Anything of value added at no cost to the buyer, such as a credit toward the VA funding fee, paying off a buyer's debt or prepaying hazard insurance. Capped at 4% of the home's reasonable value. |
| Reasonable value | The figure on VA's Notice of Value, which the lender shares once the appraisal is done. |
Credits are negotiated like any offer term. Nothing here requires a seller to pay a VA buyer's costs.
The buyer's team
What the buyer's side does
Before the offer
Known issues, early
Brian confirms a condo building's VA status before a tour and reads the home against VA's property rules, so likely repairs are known before terms are set.
With the offer
Terms explained
Brian walks the listing agent through the VA appraisal and terms before offers are compared, so the offer is judged on its strengths.
The loan
A VA specialist
Eddie Huynh at Movement Mortgage works the loan and answers listing agents' VA questions. Eddie at Movement Mortgage.
FAQ
Questions listing agents ask
Does the seller have to pay a VA buyer's closing costs?
Seller credits are negotiated like any other term, and a seller is not required to offer them. VA does not limit credits toward closing costs and caps other concessions at 4% of the home's reasonable value.
What happens if the VA appraisal comes in below the price?
Before the value is final, the appraiser gives the buyer's side 2 business days to send sales data that supports the price (VA's Tidewater procedure). After the Notice of Value, the buyer can ask VA to reconsider, and VA staff review the request within 5 business days.
Does the seller have to make every repair the appraisal lists?
Listed repairs are conditions of the VA loan, and who completes and pays for them is negotiated. With the lender's agreement, the buyer can ask VA to waive some, as long as the home stays safe, structurally sound and sanitary. Defective paint on a home built before 1978 is not waived because of cost.
Buying with a VA loan?
This is how Brian presents your offer. It starts with a free 30-minute consult.
Sources
- VA funding fee and loan closing costs, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, page updated Oct. 5, 2026.
- VA appraisal policies: Tidewater, reconsideration of value and repair waivers, VA Loan Guaranty Service, Dec. 16, 2021.
- VA Lenders Handbook (VA Pamphlet 26-7), Chapter 12: Minimum Property Requirements, for appraisals ordered after May 1, 2026.
General information as of November 2026, not legal or lending advice. VA and the lender decide value, repairs and loan approval; the purchase contract sets who pays for what.
Brian Huie
U.S. Air Force veteran
Your VA plan, in one call.
A free 30-minute consult on eligibility, budget and the homes that fit. Pick a time right here, without leaving the page.
Pick a time Or send Brian a notePrincipal Broker and Realtor, Compass. Eddie Huynh at Movement Mortgage handles the loan side. No cost, no commitment.