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PCSing to Fort Hood, retiring in Central Texas, or already a Killeen-area Veteran? Here’s what a VA loan looks like around “The Great Place”: where families live on each side of post, your 2026 BAH, what Bell and Coryell County taxes really cost, and every benefit that stacks if you have a disability rating.
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Short answer: Yes, you can buy in Killeen, Harker Heights, Copperas Cove and the rest of the Fort Hood area with a VA loan and no down payment. Your BAH counts as income, and my team grosses it up because it isn’t taxed. There’s no minimum credit score on a standard VA purchase. Around Fort Hood, the details that change your payment most are the property tax rate on the address and the condition of the home, since many have been rentals.
Fort Hood is home to III Armored Corps and the 1st Cavalry Division, and it’s big enough that the side of post you work on should drive where you look. US-190 is the main east-west route, so your gate and your drive matter more than the miles.
Right outside the main post, Bell County, Killeen ISD
Popular areas: Central and south Killeen, the Stan Schlueter Loop and Clear Creek Road areas, newer subdivisions on the south side
The most homes and the most choice. Many have been rentals through several PCS cycles, so condition varies a lot.
East of Killeen along US-190, Bell County
Popular areas: Harker Heights neighborhoods north and south of US-190, Nolanville, the areas near Stillhouse Hollow Lake
Often a little pricier than Killeen, with newer construction. Check each subdivision for HOA dues.
West side of post, near West Fort Hood, mostly Coryell County
Popular areas: Copperas Cove, Kempner, the US-190 corridor toward Lampasas
Coryell County averages a lower tax rate than Bell. A good fit if you work on the west side of post.
East along I-14 and I-35, Bell County
Popular areas: Belton, Temple, Morgan’s Point Resort, Salado
A longer commute, but closer to the VA medical center in Temple and to Austin. Popular with retirees and dual-income families.
The Central Texas VA Health Care System has VA clinics right in Killeen and Copperas Cove, and its main medical center is a short drive away in Temple.
Temple, about 30 miles east of Killeen
The main medical center for the Central Texas VA Health Care System. Belton and Temple put you closest.
East Veterans Memorial Boulevard, Killeen
Town Square Plaza, Copperas Cove
Fort Hood
For military retirees and families with TRICARE.
Locations from VA.gov. Services change, so confirm with the VA before you count on a specific clinic.
Killeen, Harker Heights and Copperas Cove use the Fort Hood housing allowance (DoD may still list it under the post’s name). These are the monthly 2026 rates, effective January 1. See every grade on the Texas BAH page.
| Pay grade | With dependents | Without dependents |
|---|---|---|
| E-4 | $1,662 | $1,374 |
| E-5 | $1,695 | $1,530 |
| E-6 | $1,920 | $1,626 |
| E-7 | $2,070 | $1,668 |
| E-8 | $2,238 | $1,746 |
| W-2 | $2,139 | $1,743 |
| O-2 | $1,917 | $1,689 |
| O-3 | $2,340 | $1,833 |
| O-4 | $2,577 | $2,076 |
| O-5 | $2,748 | $2,169 |
BAH is tax-free, so when my team qualifies you we gross it up by 25%. A $1,695 allowance counts like about $2,119 of taxable pay. Run your numbers with the residual income calculator.
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 Bell County, homeowners pay about 1.44% 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 Killeen: on a $275,000 to $325,000 home in Bell County at the county’s average 1.44% effective rate, a 100% rating eliminates about $4,000 to $4,700 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.
A lot of soldiers who PCS out of Fort Hood come back to retire. The post, the VA medical center in Temple, and home prices well below Austin all sit within an easy drive.
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 Killeen. 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 Killeen 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
PCSing out later? You can keep your Killeen home as a rental and keep its VA loan and rate in place.
Fort Hood’s constant PCS turnover means many homes have had several tenants. The VA appraisal checks roofs, peeling paint, heating, water heaters and safety items, so plan for repairs and a good inspection. VA property requirements
Central Texas clay swells and shrinks with the weather, so foundation movement is common. A foundation check during your option period is money well spent.
Homes near Nolan Creek, South Nolan Creek, the Lampasas River and the lakes can fall in a FEMA flood zone. If so, flood insurance is required and adds to your payment.
New subdivisions keep going up around Killeen and Harker Heights. The builder or seller can pay all your normal closing costs, plus up to 4% of the price in concessions, which can pay down your other debts. Seller-paid costs on a VA loan
Kempner, Lampasas, Salado and the country around Belton Lake and Stillhouse Hollow Lake draw a lot of Fort Hood families who want acreage. 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. With PCS orders to Fort Hood you can be pre-approved, shop remotely and close before you arrive, as long as you intend to move in and make it your primary residence, usually within about 60 days. Your orders can document your income for the new duty station.
Yes. BAH and BAS count as income. Because BAH is not taxed, my team grosses it up when we qualify you, which helps your numbers. Fort Hood BAH for 2026 ranges from $1,662 for an E-4 with dependents to $2,748 for an O-5 with dependents.
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 Killeen 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.
Fort Hood. The post was renamed Fort Cavazos in 2023 and redesignated Fort Hood on June 10, 2025, this time honoring Col. Robert B. Hood, a World War I hero. Older listings and documents may still say Fort Cavazos, but it’s the same post.
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