SIX INSTALLATIONS · ONE TEAM THAT KNOWS THEM
Start with your base.
Buying a home near a Virginia military base isn't a generic transaction. Each installation has its own BAH, its own neighborhoods, its own commute realities, and its own quirks that lenders outside Virginia miss. Pick your base — the playbook for it is on the next page.
Choose your Virginia base
Each guide is the actual length the topic deserves — usually 5,000-8,000 words. BAH by rank, where people actually live, schools, commute by gate, on-base housing waitlist reality, and the local market dynamics that matter when you're working with a 60-day PCS clock.
Naval Station Norfolk · Norfolk, Virginia
The biggest section on the site. Norfolk vs Virginia Beach vs Chesapeake vs across-the-water Newport News — which works for your rank and your gate, and how tunnel traffic shapes the commute. Coastal flood and hurricane insurance reality. The model guide.
Open the Naval Station Norfolk guide →JB Langley-Eustis · Hampton, Virginia
The Peninsula side of Hampton Roads. Hampton, Newport News, Yorktown, and Williamsburg, plus where the full disabled-Veteran exemption (Va. Code §58.1-3219.5) saves 100% P&T Veterans the most. The Peninsula playbook.
Open the JB Langley-Eustis guide →Pentagon / JB Myer-Henderson Hall · Arlington, Virginia
The DC-metro corridor — the state's highest BAH and FHFA high-cost loan limits to $1,249,125. Arlington, Alexandria, and Fairfax, plus when a VA jumbo makes sense. The Northern Virginia deep-dive.
Open the Pentagon guide →NAS Oceana · Virginia Beach, Virginia
Virginia Beach and Chesapeake living near the oceanfront. BAH math, the AICUZ noise zones to know before you buy, and coastal wind and flood insurance. The full VA loan NAS Oceana guide has the numbers. The Virginia Beach playbook.
Open the NAS Oceana guide →MCB Quantico · Prince William, Virginia
Woodbridge, Stafford, and the I-95 corridor south of DC. Northern Virginia BAH with somewhat more attainable prices than Arlington. The Quantico guide.
Open the MCB Quantico guide →Fort Lee · Prince George, Virginia
The Richmond-area post (briefly Fort Gregg-Adams, restored to Fort Lee in 2025). Lower-cost central Virginia living near the Hunter Holmes McGuire VA Medical Center. Start with the Fort Lee Virginia home loan guide. The Richmond-area guide.
Open the Fort Lee guide →Buying on Native American land? Use NADL.
Virginia has seven federally recognized tribes (the Pamunkey, Chickahominy, Eastern Chickahominy, Monacan, Nansemond, Rappahannock, and Upper Mattaponi), though most hold little or no land in federal trust so far. If you're a Native Veteran buying on participating tribal trust land — most often on participating trust land in another state — the right product isn't a regular VA loan. It's the Native American Direct Loan (NADL) program, run directly by the VA.
Mike doesn't fund NADL loans (no private lender does — the VA itself is the lender). But the NADL guide on this site explains who qualifies, how the tribal MOU process works, and what the rate and term advantages look like.
Not sure which base guide applies to you
If you're in the in-between — you've got orders to "Norfolk area" but no base assignment yet, or you're a retired Veteran looking at multiple Virginia markets, or you're a surviving spouse trying to figure out where to settle — start with a call. Five minutes will sort which guide applies.
Useful resources outside this site
Some of what you need isn't a lending question — it's an official VA process. Here's where to go for the things we don't run ourselves.
- BAH lookup (official DoD tool). defensetravel.dod.mil → BAH Rate Lookup — every MHA, every rank.
- VA base finder. va.gov/find-locations — official VA facility directory.
- Request your Certificate of Eligibility (COE). va.gov COE request portal — self-serve, or Mike can pull it through his origination platform in 24-48 hours.
- VA disability rating & claims. va.gov/disability — for claim filing or rating questions. Mike doesn't file claims; he helps you use the rating once you have it.
- Veterans Service Organizations (VSOs). va.gov accredited representatives — find a free, accredited VSO if you need help with anything claims-related. American Legion, VFW, DAV, and IAVA are all good places to start.