JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – According to a recent study conducted by Upgradedpoints.com, Jacksonville was named the best city in the nation for VA loan accessibility, topping the study at a whopping 85%.
Deborah Holmes is a financial readiness manager with the Wounded Warrior Project.
“Why wouldn’t you want to retire in Jacksonville? And the beach is beautiful. It’s a nice place to live. There’s also, the market is affordable. You get more home for your money,” Holmes said.
That desirability she’s talking about is what makes Jacksonville the number one city in the country for VA loan accessibility and with no state income tax, plus some property tax exemptions for veterans.
“So that makes a really wonderful combination and makes it a very attractive place to go live if you are a veteran or active-duty military member,” Holmes said.
Something Mario Gonzalez, a Navy veteran and now the broker and owner of Navy to Navy Homes says was how he was so easily able to make Jacksonville home and he sees veterans doing the same.
“So really, you can work at any of those bases and live in the greater Jacksonville area or surrounding areas and and if you’re going to interchange in between those bases, it makes it pretty simple. We also see that a lot of people that live at or station in Jacksonville like to retire in Jacksonville, like, hey, this Florida gig is not so bad,” Gonzalez said.
The survey was conducted across the 100 most populated cities in the US, then the amount of listings accepting VA loans, the loan coverage ratio, the total number of loans issued per capita and interest rates. While Jacksonville landed the number one spot, Deborah said there are some things to consider when buying a home.
“First, research Jacksonville,” she said. “If that’s where you’re thinking of you know you have friends or people told you that Jacksonville is a great place. Research it. Make sure that it fits you and your lifestyle.”
Mario now advocates for veterans and helps them out with his company, which he says is really what helped him when he bought his home back in the 90’s.
“I had a real estate agent that knew and understood the process. They were able to coordinate me, or connect me, I should say, with a lender that knew and understood the process. Because not all lenders are alike, and not all real estate agents are alike. So to have two people like that in your corner that truly understand the process really helped streamline and, you know, smooth things out along the way.”
Deborah also said to have the conversation about realistic goals and the job market.
“Ask for references on you who is a good realtor. Interview them. Don’t just okay, this person, my best friend, liked them. That doesn’t mean that they fit you.”
If your goals are in line and you’re ready for the next big step Mario says, “Every veteran that is eligible, they should really explore the options with a real estate and a mortgage professional that know and truly understand the process, who have done this over and over and over again, because they’re your advocates.”
VA loans can be accessed anywhere nationwide, whether you decide elsewhere or on Jacksonville, there are tons of programs that can help you.
