Your Benefit Doesn’t Stop At The County Line.
VA financing above the standard county limit, for eligible veterans and service members buying where prices run high. Credit eligibility starts at a 500 score with at least one program.*
Quick answer
Saxton Mortgage does. At least one VA program we offer starts at a 500 credit score, including high balance loans. Another starts at 580 on loans up to $1,000,000, 680 up to $1,500,000, 700 up to $2,000,000, and 720 up to $2,500,000. On at least one program, nontraditional credit is not allowed on high balance loans.
When the price runs past the local limit.
Same benefit, larger balance, and a few rules that tighten as the loan grows.
- Full entitlement available to eligible veterans
- Credit eligibility starts at a 500 score, with an established credit history required*
- One-unit high balance begins at a base loan of $832,751
- Base loans over $1,500,000 require full entitlement at one program
- Condominiums and manufactured condominiums are eligible
- Residual income must clear the VA requirement for your household*
Loan amounts above the standard county limit*
One program lends to a $2,500,000 base loan
Two-unit high balance starts at $1,066,251
Full entitlement carries the most borrowing power
Established credit required, non traditional credit is not accepted here*
Residual income is weighed as closely as the debt ratio
What is the Saxton VA High Balance Loan?
The VA benefit, sized for markets where the standard county limit runs out
The Saxton VA High Balance Loan is the same VA benefit applied to a larger balance. In higher priced counties the standard limit stops well short of what an ordinary house costs, and this is the version of the loan that keeps going.
Two things decide how large the loan can go: your entitlement, and the standard limit published for the county you are buying in. Where that limit stops short of local prices, this is the version of the benefit that keeps going.
The rules tighten as the balance grows. Non traditional credit is not accepted on a high balance file, so an established credit history is required. Residual income and the debt ratio are reviewed together, and a file carrying a higher ratio has to show stronger residual income to balance it.*
Why choose the Saxton VA High Balance Loan?
Built for veterans buying in the markets where prices ran ahead of the standard limit.
Expensive Counties
The standard limit was written for the whole country. In some markets an ordinary house passes it without being remarkable.
Full Entitlement
Veterans who have not used the benefit, or who restored it by paying off a previous VA loan, carry the most borrowing power into a high balance file.
No Monthly Insurance
VA financing carries no monthly mortgage insurance, and that does not change because the balance is larger.
Established Credit
A high balance file needs a real credit history behind it. Non traditional credit is not accepted on this one.*
Residual Income
The money left after the bills is weighed carefully here, and a strong figure can carry a file with a higher debt ratio.
Unit Count Raises The Ceiling
At one program the standard VA limit climbs from $832,750 on a single-unit home to $1,601,750 for four. Anything above that is high balance, which the same program limits to $2,000,000 whatever the unit count*.
Hear From Homeowners Like You
Frequently Asked Questions
Straight answers about VA financing above the county limit.
Saxton Mortgage does. At least one VA program we offer starts at a 500 credit score, including high balance loans. Another starts at 580 on loans up to $1,000,000, 680 up to $1,500,000, 700 up to $2,000,000, and 720 up to $2,500,000. On at least one program, nontraditional credit is not allowed on high balance loans.
A VA high-balance loan has a base amount above the standard limit, set at $832,750 on a single-unit home by one program. The same lender then raises the bar, requiring a 700 score, debt-to-income capped at 45% and processed tax transcripts on high-balance purchases*.
Yes, a VA high-balance loan follows the same funding fee rules as any VA loan, with no monthly premium added. One program’s guide includes high-balance loans and calls the fee a one-time charge, applied to the base loan, that the borrower or seller may pay or that can be financed*. Exempt veterans skip it.
Full entitlement means VA’s maximum guaranty is 25% of any loan above $144,000, with no reference to the county conforming limit, so the county limit does not cap your VA high-balance loan. The program sets the ceiling instead: one allows no down payment up to a $2,000,000 base loan and requires one above that, to $2,500,000*.
One program says no, barring non-traditional credit on VA high-balance and jumbo loans. Another program accepts non-traditional credit only under its manual underwriting rules, which stop at loans of $1,000,000*. So a borrower without traditional credit lines is limited to the lower end of high balance there.
Residual income is your net effective income minus monthly shelter expenses, and VA checks it against a regional table in addition to debt-to-income. On loans of $80,000 and up, one program’s table sets $1,117 for a family of four in the West. A debt-to-income ratio above 41% is allowed when residual income tops the table by 20%*.
Yes, VA high balance covers multi-unit homes up to four units, and the threshold climbs with each added unit: one program treats a three-unit home as high balance from $1,288,801. You occupy a unit yourself, and the file needs six months of reserves when rent from the others helps you qualify*.
Yes, a home bought with a VA high-balance loan must be the place you live as your primary residence. The one exception in our guidelines is a VA IRRRL, which one program allows on a vacation home or rental if you sign a letter certifying you once lived there as your primary residence*.
Find out what you qualify for
Send us the county, the price and your entitlement status. A loan officer matches your VA high-balance purchase to a program while you are still house hunting.
Get Pre-Qualified- Department of Veterans Affairs, eligibility for VA home loan programs
- Department of Veterans Affairs, VA home loan types
- Department of Veterans Affairs, VA funding fee and closing costs
*Loan amounts, rates, terms, and down payment requirements are subject to credit approval, income and asset verification, and program eligibility. VA financing is governed by VA entitlement rules and by the loan limit published for the county, rather than by conforming loan limits. Requirements vary by occupancy, credit profile and documentation type. Not all applicants will qualify. Saxton Mortgage, LLC is an Equal Housing Lender.