Residential / Loan Programs / Zero down
Zero-down home loans in Georgia
Buying with no money down in Georgia.
There are three real ways to do it: a VA loan if you've served, a USDA loan if the address qualifies, or a lender's down payment assistance program covering the down payment on an FHA or conventional loan. None of them makes closing costs disappear, so the plan for those matters as much as the program.
The three paths
- VAVeterans, active duty, eligible Guard and Reserve
- 0% down
- USDAEligible addresses, income limits apply
- 0% down
- Down payment assistanceLender programs, with FHA or conventional
- 3 to 5%
Program reference: August 2026.
VA
The strongest zero-down loan in Georgia is the one you earned.
No down payment, no monthly mortgage insurance, and with full entitlement there's no loan limit at all. There isn't another program that does all three of those things, and most veterans I work with are using less of it than they're entitled to.
If you're on active duty, a few things work differently than people expect:
- BAH counts as income. Your housing allowance goes toward qualifying, not just your base pay.
- You can buy before you arrive. PCS orders are enough to close on a home near your next installation.
- Deployed? Your spouse can occupy the home. That satisfies the occupancy requirement while you're away.
- One VA loan isn't the last. Depending on entitlement, you may be able to buy again at your next duty station while keeping this home.
What listing agents get wrong
Some sellers still treat a VA offer as the weaker one because of the appraisal and inspection rules. In practice the VA appraisal checks that the home is safe and sound, the same thing any buyer should want, and the seller can pay your closing costs without that counting against the 4% concession limit. A clean VA offer with a prepared buyer competes fine. Getting your COE and a real approval in hand before you shop is what makes that true.Structure
- Down payment
- None
- Monthly mortgage insurance
- None
- Loan limit, full entitlement
- None
Funding fee, purchase
- First use, under 5% down
- 2.15%
- First use, 5–9.99% down
- 1.50%
- First use, 10%+ down
- 1.25%
- Used before, under 5% down
- 3.30%
Funding fee exemption
- Service-connected disability compensation
- Exempt
- Purple Heart, active duty
- Exempt
- Surviving spouse receiving DIC
- Exempt
Seller help
- Normal closing costs
- Seller may pay
- Concessions on top
- Up to 4%
- Occupancy
- Primary residence
Funding fee exemptions in full: VA funding fee and closing costs.
Near a Georgia installation
Buying near a base in Georgia.
I'm based in Gwinnett, but I'm licensed across Georgia and work with military buyers statewide. Here's where families usually look around each installation and which counties that puts you in.
Fort Stewart & Hunter Army Airfield
Hinesville, Richmond Hill, Pooler and Savannah. Most families on the Fort Stewart side look in Liberty and Bryan counties; Hunter puts Chatham and Effingham within reach.
Liberty · Bryan · Chatham · Effingham
Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay
Kingsland and St. Marys, with some families commuting from Brunswick or north Florida.
Camden · Glynn
Fort Gordon
Augusta, Grovetown, Evans and Martinez. Columbia County is where a lot of Fort Gordon families end up.
Richmond · Columbia
Fort Benning
Columbus and the surrounding area, with some families across the river in Phenix City, Alabama.
Muscogee
Robins Air Force Base
Warner Robins, Perry, Bonaire and Kathleen.
Houston
Moody Air Force Base
Valdosta, Hahira and Lake Park.
Lowndes
Dobbins Air Reserve Base
Marietta and the rest of Cobb County. Metro Atlanta limits apply here.
Cobb (Atlanta metro)
Gwinnett & metro Atlanta
Reservists, Guard members, recruiters and veterans across the metro. The Gwinnett guide covers every city in the county. Open the Gwinnett guide
Gwinnett · Atlanta metro
VA, full entitlement
No limit
The lender still sets what you qualify for, but VA doesn't cap the loan.
VA, remaining entitlement
$832,750
The 2026 county limit used to size what's left. It's the same in every Georgia county.
FHA, 2026
$541,287
Every county listed above except Cobb and Gwinnett, which use the metro Atlanta limit of $718,750.
USDA
No money down, if the address qualifies.
USDA is 100% financing for homes in designated eligible areas, and those areas cover more of Georgia than most people assume.
No down payment, and the monthly fee is meaningfully lower than FHA's. The constraint is income: eligibility runs on total household income rather than just the borrowers' income, and it's capped at 115% of the area median.
Around Savannah, Augusta, Columbus and Warner Robins, the edges of town are where USDA tends to show up. That's worth checking if a VA loan isn't an option for you.
Worth knowing
Eligibility is checked at the address, not the county. Two houses a mile apart can come back differently. Worth checking before anyone falls in love with a listing.Structure
- Down payment
- None
- Upfront guarantee fee
- 1.00%
- Annual fee
- 0.35%
Qualifying
- Household income cap
- 115% of area median
- Agency credit minimum
- None stated
Property
- Location
- USDA-eligible areas
- Occupancy
- Primary residence
Down payment assistance
When the lender covers the down payment.
If VA and USDA don't fit, down payment assistance is the other way to buy with little or nothing down. I work with lenders who run their own programs, usually covering 3% to 5% of the loan amount, paired with an FHA or conventional first mortgage.
Because they're lender programs, the terms differ from one lender to the next. That's the reason to compare them side by side rather than take the first one you're offered.
The size of the number matters less than how it's structured. A grant, a forgivable second and a repayable second can all be called assistance. For someone who expects to PCS in three years, a second that comes due when you sell is a different trade than it looks.
Ask these four questions
Whatever program you're shown, the answers to these determine what it actually costs you: Is it a grant, forgivable, or repayable? If forgivable, over how many years and is it prorated? Does it carry a monthly payment? And what happens if I refinance rather than sell?Grant
- Paid back
- Never
- Lien recorded
- No
Forgivable second
- Paid back
- Only if you leave early
- Typical term
- 5–10 years
Repayable second
- Paid back
- Yes, in full
- Monthly payment
- Sometimes
Sizing
- Typical range
- 3% to 5%
- Percentage of
- Loan amount
- Paired with
- FHA or conventional
Side by side
VA with nothing down next to FHA with 3.5% down.
Same house, same example rate. Change the price or the funding fee to see how the numbers move. Taxes, insurance and closing costs aren't included because they're the same on both.
One example rate for both loans so the structure is the only difference. Real rates differ by program and borrower; this isn't a quote.
VA
No down payment
- Down payment
- Funding fee, financed
- Loan amount
- Principal & interest
- Mortgage insurance
- Monthly, before taxes & insurance
About a month less than FHA in this example, with no cash for a down payment.
FHA
3.5% down
- Down payment
- Upfront MIP, financed
- Loan amount
- Principal & interest
- Monthly MIP, for the life of the loan
- Monthly, before taxes & insurance
Lender down payment assistance of 3% to 5% of the loan would be to here.
FHA monthly MIP is estimated at 0.55% of the base loan per year. The VA funding fee and FHA upfront MIP are shown financed into the loan, which is how most buyers handle them.
Questions
What people ask about zero down.
Can you really buy a home in Georgia with no money down?
Yes. VA and USDA loans both allow 100% financing for eligible buyers, and lender down payment assistance can cover most or all of the down payment on an FHA or conventional loan. You still need money for closing costs unless the seller or a lender credit covers them.
Does zero down mean zero cash to close?
No. Closing costs, prepaid taxes and insurance, and your earnest money are separate from the down payment. On a VA loan the seller can pay your normal closing costs plus concessions of up to 4% of the price. On FHA, sellers can contribute up to 6%. How much you can ask for depends on the market and the offer.
Can I use my VA loan while I'm on active duty?
Yes. Active-duty service members use VA loans all the time. BAH counts as income, you can buy with PCS orders before you arrive, and a spouse can meet the occupancy requirement while you're deployed.
How much down payment assistance can I get?
The lenders I work with run their own programs, usually 3% to 5% of the loan amount, paired with an FHA or conventional loan. Whether it's a grant, a forgivable second or a repayable second matters more than the size, so compare the structure before the number.
Is USDA available near Savannah or Augusta?
Possibly. USDA eligibility is decided at the address, not by city or county. Some neighborhoods outside city centers qualify and others a mile away don't. Check the exact address on USDA's eligibility map before making an offer.
Comparing more than zero-down options? See every loan program. Weighing FHA? FHA loans in Georgia.
Find out what your benefit covers
Bring your installation, your timeline and whatever you already know about your entitlement. We'll work out which path fits and what you need before you start looking.