California VA Loan Resources Hub

Every free tool, guide, and resource Mike publishes, all in one place.

Downloadable PDFs

• The VA Loan Playbook: our guide to using the VA home loan benefit, start to finish. Eligibility and the Certificate of Eligibility, how entitlement decides whether a loan limit applies to you, the current funding fee figures and who is exempt, what the VA appraiser checks, buying around a move, refinancing later, and the pitfalls that cost Veterans money. Federal rules, so it reads the same wherever you buy.

Calculators (8 total)

• BAH → Purchase Price: base + rank → max CA home price with CA summer utility reality
• Funding Fee Calculator: first use vs subsequent + disability waiver
• PITI Payment Calculator: full monthly with CA county property tax + insurance + HOA
• Max $0-Down Purchase Calculator: income → max VA home price at 41% DTI guideline
• CA disabled Veteran tax exemption Tax Savings Calculator: disabled Veteran property tax exemption $ savings
• IRRRL Recoupment Calculator: 36-month VA rule pass/fail
• Disability Gross-Up Calculator: 25% boost to qualifying income
• Residual Income Calculator: VA's West region 2026 thresholds
• All calculators in one place

Core CA VA loan guides

• Home: site index + base routing
• Eligibility: COE, service requirements, entitlement
• 2026 CA Loan Limits: all 58 counties + jumbo
• CA disabled Veteran tax exemption Disabled Veteran Property Tax: 2026 expansion in-depth look
• Funding Fee + Waiver: disability-compensation waiver
• IRRRL Simplify Refi
• First-Time VA Buyer
• Assumable VA Loans

CA-specialist content (zero-national-coverage)

• CA DPA + VA Stacker: Chenoa Fund + Arrive Home + Essex/NHF Sapphire with Veteran bonuses
• VA Construction Loans in CA: single-close vs two-close + CA builder list
• Tribal Lands + NADL: 100+ CA tribes, six with current VA MOUs + Native American Direct Loan
• Wildfire + Insurance Reality: Sierra foothills, San Diego backcountry, wine country
• San Diego vs Los Angeles vs Sacramento: CA metro comparison
• Summer PCS Playbook: June-August buyer competition tactics
• CA Retiring Veteran Guide: benefits, taxes, and VA-loan use in retirement
• VA Loan Glossary: 75+ CA-relevant terms

Comparison pages

• VA Loan vs FHA in California
• VA Loan vs Conventional in California
• VA Loan vs USDA in California

Base hubs (deep PCS guides)

• Camp Pendleton: I Marine Expeditionary Force, Marines, Oceanside
• Naval Base San Diego: U.S. Pacific Fleet, Navy, San Diego
• Travis AFB: 60th Air Mobility Wing, Air Force, Fairfield
• Edwards AFB: 412th Test Wing, Air Force, Kern County

City guides

• San Diego · Los Angeles · Sacramento · San Francisco · San Jose · Oceanside · Fresno

Veteran discounts

• Statewide CA Veteran discounts: state programs + federal benefits + national chains
• San Diego metro discounts
• Los Angeles area discounts
• Marysville + Beale AFB discounts

Free services

• CA VA Credit Tune-Up: free credit coaching for Veterans planning to buy in 6-12 months
• 60-Second Eligibility Check: 3-step intake, no credit pull

Connect with Mike

• About Mike: credentials, NMLS, philosophy
• Contact: phone, email, contact form
• For Real Estate Agents: Realtor referral playbook

External resources worth knowing

• NMLS Consumer Access: verify Mike's license + Cornerstone's license
• VA Home Loan Benefits (VA.gov): official VA loan documentation
• CA Department of Veterans' Services: state Veteran programs
• California Housing Finance Agency (CalHFA): MyHome Assistance + ZIP programs
• CalHFA MyHome Assistance Program: 3.5% deferred-payment junior loan statewide