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Retiring in the Panhandle, starting a job at one of Amarillo’s big employers, or already an Amarillo Veteran? Here’s what a VA loan looks like here: which side of the county line you’re buying on, how commutes to Canyon and the plants east of town work, what Panhandle winters do to a house, and every benefit that stacks if you have a disability rating.
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Short answer: Yes, you can buy anywhere in Amarillo, Canyon and the towns around them with a VA loan and no down payment, as long as it’s the home you live in. There’s no minimum credit score on a standard VA purchase. Amarillo also has a full VA medical center in town. The details that change your payment most are which county the home is in, any PID assessment in newer subdivisions, and homeowners insurance in hail country.
Amarillo straddles two counties: the north side is in Potter County and the south side is in Randall County. Most new building has gone south and southwest, toward Canyon and the edge of Randall County.
Randall County, Canyon ISD and Amarillo ISD
Popular areas: Far south Amarillo and the neighborhoods out along Soncy Road and Hillside Road
The newest homes in the city. Some subdivisions carry a PID assessment, so ask before you make an offer.
About 15 miles south on I-27
Popular areas: Canyon, the area around West Texas A&M, the road toward Palo Duro Canyon
A college town with its own downtown and a straight drive into Amarillo.
Potter County, near the VA medical center
Popular areas: Northwest Amarillo near Amarillo Boulevard, the neighborhoods north of I-40
Older brick homes and the lowest prices in the city, close to the Thomas E. Creek VA Medical Center.
Small towns west and east of the city
Popular areas: Bushland (west on I-40), Panhandle (northeast on US-60)
Acreage and country homes. Panhandle sits on the road toward the Pantex Plant.
Many Amarillo jobs sit at the edges of the city. The Pantex Plant is northeast of Amarillo off US-60, so workers often live on the east side, in Panhandle, or in north Amarillo for a straight shot out the highway. Bell’s aircraft plant is next to Rick Husband Amarillo International Airport on the east side, a short drive from most of the city along I-40.
The Medical Center district on the west side and West Texas A&M in Canyon pull in the other direction. A Canyon home and a Medical Center job make an easy I-27 commute. Panhandle roads are wide and traffic is light, so even the longer drives are usually 20 to 30 minutes.
Amarillo gets real winters: hard freezes, snow and ice storms, plus strong wind most of the year and spring hail. That shapes what you check before you buy, and what your insurance costs.
Hail claims are common here. Impact-resistant shingles can lower some premiums. Ask the roof’s age and get a quote early, because insurance counts in your payment.
Look for insulated pipes, especially on exterior walls and in crawl spaces. Freeze damage in the history is worth asking about.
The VA appraisal checks that the heating works. On older homes, have the furnace inspected during your option period.
Amarillo is split between two large districts, Amarillo ISD and Canyon ISD, and their boundary doesn’t follow the Potter–Randall county line. Each row lists the district’s overall A–F rating from the Texas Education Agency.
| School district | Serves | TEA rating (2026) |
|---|---|---|
| Amarillo ISD | Most of central, north and east Amarillo and parts of south Amarillo | B |
| Canyon ISD | Canyon and much of south and southwest Amarillo | B |
| Bushland ISD | Bushland and the area west of Amarillo | B |
| River Road ISD | The area just north of Amarillo | B |
| Highland Park ISD | The area east of Amarillo | B |
| Panhandle ISD | Panhandle | A |
District ratings are the Texas Education Agency’s A–F accountability ratings. Attendance zones follow the address, not the city name, so check the district and campus for any home before you make an offer.
Nearest VA care: Thomas E. Creek VA Medical Center (Amarillo Boulevard West, Amarillo), plus VA clinics nearby.
Amarillo Boulevard West, Amarillo
Dalhart to the northwest, Childress to the southeast
4th Street, Lubbock, about 120 miles south
Locations from VA.gov. Services change, so confirm with the VA before you count on a specific clinic.
Texas has no state income tax, so local property taxes carry more of the load. Your bill is the sum of the county, city, school district and any special districts for that exact property. In Randall County, homeowners pay about 1.51% of their home’s value in property tax each year on average. A newly purchased home often runs higher, because its value isn’t yet held down by the 10% yearly homestead cap, and two homes a mile apart can differ a lot.
| VA disability rating | Off your home’s taxable value |
|---|---|
| 10% to 29% | $5,000 |
| 30% to 49% | $7,500 |
| 50% to 69% | $10,000 |
| 70% to 99% | $12,000 |
| 100% or individual unemployability | Full homestead exemption |
What that’s worth in Amarillo: on a $225,000 to $275,000 home in Randall County at the county’s average 1.51% effective rate, a 100% rating eliminates about $3,400 to $4,200 a year in property taxes, and often more on a home you just bought.
You apply with the appraisal district once you own and live in the home. How the exemptions work
Average effective rates are median property taxes paid divided by median home value for owner-occupied homes, from the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates. They include exemptions current owners already receive.
The City of Amarillo uses public improvement districts in a number of newer subdivisions, largely on the south and west sides. Owners there pay a yearly PID assessment, on top of the county, city and school taxes, for things like neighborhood landscaping, walls, lighting and drainage.
A VA medical center in town, low home prices and Palo Duro Canyon down the road make Amarillo an easy place for Veterans to settle.
Disabled Veterans can combine federal and Texas benefits that most buyers never hear about. Together they can lower your cash to close, your rate and your yearly taxes.
Waiting on a claim? Tell my team. Your expected rating can change your funding fee and your taxes, so we plan around it.
You can earn VA loan eligibility through six years of Guard or Reserve service, or through qualifying active-duty time such as a federal activation. Your Certificate of Eligibility confirms it, and my team can pull it for you. Reservists and VA loans in Texas
If your spouse died in service or from a service-connected disability, you may be eligible for a VA loan with the same $0 down benefit. Surviving spouses who receive Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC) don’t pay the funding fee, and a Texas disabled Veteran property tax exemption can continue for a surviving spouse who hasn’t remarried. We handle these files with extra care and can walk you through the paperwork.
You don’t have to sell it to buy in Amarillo. Your remaining entitlement can often buy your next home with $0 down while the first one stays a rental. Second VA loan calculator
A VA streamline refinance (IRRRL) can lower the rate on your current VA loan with less paperwork. A VA cash-out refinance lets you use your equity for repairs or debts.
Some Amarillo sellers have older VA loans with low rates you may be able to take over. The seller’s loan servicer handles the assumption itself. My team can finance the second loan that covers the gap between the loan balance and the price. VA assumable loans
Moving again later? You can keep your Amarillo home as a rental and keep its VA loan and rate in place.
The county line runs through Amarillo, and the two counties average different tax rates. Check which county, city and school district each address falls in.
Central Amarillo’s older homes are good values, but the VA appraisal looks hard at roofs, wiring and heating. VA property requirements
Bushland, Panhandle and the county often rely on private wells and septic. Plan for a water test.
In new south-side subdivisions, the builder can pay your normal closing costs plus up to 4% in concessions. Seller-paid costs on a VA loan
Canyon, Bushland and the land south toward Palo Duro have room for new homes. A VA construction loan can cover your lot and home in one closing. A VA one-time-close construction loan covers the land and the build in one loan: $0 down up to $1 million, with a 620 minimum credit score. In Texas, a Texas Vet loan can also pay off a separate construction loan once the home is finished. It’s treated as a purchase of a never-occupied home, and my team can handle that too.
The Texas Vet loan from the Texas Veterans Land Board is available to eligible Texas Veterans and can be paired with a VA loan. Its rate is set weekly, and Veterans rated 30% or more disabled get a lower rate. My team prices both and shows them side by side so you can pick on total cost, not a headline rate. Texas Vet vs. VA loan
Nothing, if you have full VA entitlement. There is no VA loan limit with full entitlement and no monthly mortgage insurance. The VA funding fee can be rolled into the loan, and Veterans who receive VA disability compensation are exempt from it.
Yes. You can be pre-approved, shop remotely and close before you arrive, as long as you intend to move in and make the home your primary residence, usually within about 60 days. Retirement pay, VA disability pay and Social Security all count as income.
There is no minimum credit score on a standard VA purchase or refinance with my team. We look first at your residual income, the money left each month after your housing payment and bills. VA construction loans start at a 620 score.
Texas Veterans rated 100% disabled, or paid at the 100% rate for individual unemployability, can get a total exemption on their homestead. Veterans rated 10% to 99% get a partial exemption off the home’s taxable value: $5,000 at 10% to 29%, $7,500 at 30% to 49%, $10,000 at 50% to 69% and $12,000 at 70% to 99%.
Often, yes. If you keep your current VA home as a rental, your remaining entitlement can usually buy your Amarillo home with $0 down up to a certain price. Above that, you put 25% down on the difference. My team checks your exact numbers from your Certificate of Eligibility.
Yes, if you are an eligible surviving spouse, for example of a service member who died in service or from a service-connected disability. Surviving spouses who receive DIC are exempt from the VA funding fee.
Often both. The Texas Vet loan from the Texas Veterans Land Board can be paired with a VA loan, and its rate is set weekly. My team compares your options side by side so you can see which costs less over the time you plan to own.
Yes. The Thomas E. Creek VA Medical Center on Amarillo Boulevard West is the main VA medical center for the Texas Panhandle, with VA clinics in Dalhart, Childress and Lubbock.
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Working with the VALoansTx team to purchase our home in Texas was an amazing experience. Shirley, Angie, Ashley, and their team were in constant communication with us, making sure that we knew what to expect with every step of the complicated process. In today’s crazy housing market, it was comforting to know that we had an entire team that was only a phone call away. They were quick to answer calls, emails and always very friendly and personable. We could not have achieved this dream without VALoansTx on our team. We will highly recommend to everyone we know buying a home with a VA loan.
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