Zero down payment
No down payment required for eligible borrowers with full entitlement, which is the reason many veterans buy years earlier than they expected to.
Your VA benefit is worth more than most agents know how to use.
Mike used the benefit himself and now runs VA home buyer seminars across Dallas-Fort Worth. Several of his clients met him at one before they ever saw a house.
The Benefit
What the VA loan actually gets you.
Numbers below apply to eligible borrowers with full entitlement. Your lender confirms your specific situation in writing.
No monthly mortgage insurance
A line item a conventional borrower with a small down payment pays every month is simply not there. Run it yourself on the calculator.
Reusable, and often fee exempt
Entitlement can be restored and reused. Borrowers receiving compensation for a service-connected disability are frequently exempt from the one-time funding fee.
Relocation Timelines
Orders do not care whether the market is convenient.
NAS Fort Worth Joint Reserve Base sits about 23 miles from Burleson, roughly a 30-minute drive. Five branches operate out of that base, including the 301st Fighter Wing, the 136th Airlift Wing, and Marine Aircraft Group 41. A lot of house hunting in Burleson starts with a set of orders.
Mike works backward from your report date. If you are still at your current duty station, the search happens by video, the offer happens by phone, and the signing happens digitally. He has closed a California sale for a client who was living in North Carolina at the time.
If your timeline is tight, say so on the first call. Sixty days of runway is comfortable, thirty is tight but workable. Most PCS families start in Burleson or Crowley, and a few land in Fort Worth itself to be closest to the base.
The Seminar
Where a lot of his clients met him first.
Free, and the reason three of the reviews on this site mention meeting him before they met a house.
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1
What the benefit really covers
Entitlement, the Certificate of Eligibility, the funding fee, and the exemptions people miss.
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2
What lenders get wrong
Which VA rules are real and which are lender overlays that another lender would not apply.
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3
What the offer looks like
How a VA-backed offer is written and presented so a seller reads it as strong, not as a risk.
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4
What to line up first
The order of operations, so you are not scrambling for a document the week of closing.
From Veterans
Reviews from people who used the benefit with him.
It started with a seminar for the VA loan and he gave me the run down on the whole buying process which helped me to feel comfortable and ready to buy a home. He helped get into a home that we loved within one month.
My family and I moved here from Ohio and I am a retired Army Veteran and this is the first time that I have bought a home and was unsure of how anything worked. We met Mike at a VA seminar and from the beginning he was great. We were rather indecisive and he was extremely patient with us and we found our home that we wanted. I would definitely recommend him to anyone that is looking for a great and honest experience.
Mike Ritrovato is one of the best realtors I know. He's knowledgeable, well experienced, and an expert negotiator. He's the VA home loan expert! You can't make a mistake with Mike on your side!
Mike helped every step of the way! If we had any questions they were answered very fast. Any issues, he did whatever he could to solve them or figure them out. If you need a good agent, especially if you're a service member, I highly recommend using Mike!
He stays on top of the whole process and if you've got questions, he's got the answers! He's also experienced in dealing with veterans and the VA. Knowledgeable, resourceful, and straight forward. Highly recommend Mike!
Mike was a great help in the home buying process and I will be for sure recommending him to all my friends looking to buy a house. Him coming from a military environment as well as me made it very relaxed and made me very comfortable throughout the whole process.
Common Questions
VA loan questions, answered without the sales gloss.
How much down payment does a VA loan require?
Zero, for eligible borrowers with full entitlement. That is the single biggest advantage of the benefit and the reason many veterans buy years earlier than they thought they could. Your lender confirms your entitlement with a Certificate of Eligibility before you make an offer.
Does a VA loan have mortgage insurance?
No. VA loans carry no monthly mortgage insurance premium, so a line item that a conventional borrower with a small down payment pays every month is simply not there. There is a one-time VA funding fee instead, and it can be rolled into the loan.
Am I exempt from the VA funding fee?
Often yes, if you receive VA compensation for a service-connected disability. Surviving spouses receiving dependency and indemnity compensation are also commonly exempt. Your lender verifies exemption status directly with the VA, so do not take a guess as an answer.
Can I use my VA loan more than once?
Yes. The benefit is reusable. Entitlement can be restored after you sell and pay off a prior VA loan, and in some cases you can hold two VA loans at once with remaining entitlement. This is exactly the situation worth a phone call before you list anything.
Will sellers in Burleson accept a VA offer?
Yes, routinely. The old story that VA offers are hard to close is mostly outdated, and a well-written offer backed by a lender who actually does VA volume competes fine. How the offer is presented matters more than the loan type.
I have PCS orders to NAS Fort Worth JRB. When should I start?
As soon as you have orders in hand. Burleson sits about 23 miles from the base, and the search plus a typical 30 to 45 day close means 60 days of runway is comfortable and 30 is tight but workable.
Free Download
Moving to the DFW area? Start with the free relocation guide.
Neighborhoods, commutes, schools, and VA loan basics from a Marine who made the same move.
Get the Free GuideBring your questions, not your paperwork.
The first call is about whether the benefit fits what you are trying to do. Nobody needs a Certificate of Eligibility in hand to have that conversation.
