Home / Texas cities & bases / Midland & Odessa
Working in the Permian Basin, separating from the service into an oilfield job, or already a Midland or Odessa Veteran? Here’s what a VA loan looks like between the two cities: how my team counts overtime and rotation pay, where homes cost less, the closest VA care, and every benefit that stacks if you have a disability rating.
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Short answer: Yes, you can buy in Midland, Odessa or 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. In the Permian Basin, the things that shape your approval most are how your oilfield pay is documented and which side of the county line you buy on, because tax rates and prices differ between Midland and Ector counties.
Midland and Odessa sit about 20 miles apart along I-20 and State Highway 191, with Midland International Air & Space Port in between. Plenty of households live in one city and work in the other, so the drive between them is part of everyday life.
Midland County, Midland ISD and Greenwood ISD
Popular areas: Northwest Midland, the neighborhoods off Loop 250 North, Greenwood east of town
The newest subdivisions and the highest prices in the area. Greenwood homes sit on bigger lots just outside the city.
Ector County, Ector County ISD
Popular areas: Northeast Odessa off Loop 338, central Odessa, the neighborhoods near UT Permian Basin
The same home often costs noticeably less than in Midland, and the VA clinic on Highway 191 is close by.
Unincorporated Ector County
Popular areas: Gardendale, West Odessa
Acreage and manufactured homes outside city limits. Many rely on wells and septic, which the VA appraisal checks.
Small towns within commuting range
Popular areas: Andrews (northwest of Odessa), Stanton (east of Midland on I-20)
Quieter towns with lower prices for buyers who don’t mind a longer drive to the oil patch.
Permian Basin paychecks often mix a base wage with overtime, per diem, rotation pay and bonuses, and they can swing with the price of oil. For a VA loan, steady base pay counts right away. Overtime and bonus income usually needs about a two-year history, and we average it, so a big recent month doesn’t carry the whole file. Per diem that only reimburses travel costs generally isn’t counted as income.
If you’re leaving the military for a field job, your new offer letter and first pay stubs can start the file, and military pay history shows you’ve held steady work. If you’re a contractor paid on a 1099, plan on two years of tax returns.
Two-weeks-on, two-weeks-off work is fine. What matters is that the pay is consistent and likely to continue.
Moving from one operator or service company to another in the same line of work usually isn’t a problem, even mid-process. Tell my team before you switch so we can update your file.
We look at what’s left each month after your housing payment and bills. Steady, documented income gives you the most room. Run your numbers
Census figures show the typical owner-occupied home in Midland County valued at roughly $313,000, against about $200,000 in Ector County. Midland’s newer neighborhoods and office jobs push prices up, while Odessa has more older homes and more inventory. Because the cities are only a 25-minute drive apart, many Veterans weigh a lower price in Odessa against a longer daily drive.
Midland County also averages a slightly lower property tax rate than Ector County, so compare the full payment, not just the price. With full entitlement there’s no VA loan limit, so a higher Midland price is a question of income, not a cap.
Midland and Odessa each have one large district, with smaller districts in Greenwood and the nearby towns. The grade shown is each district’s overall Texas Education Agency A–F rating.
| School district | Serves | TEA rating (2026) |
|---|---|---|
| Midland ISD | Most of the City of Midland | C |
| Greenwood ISD | Greenwood and parts of east Midland County | C |
| Ector County ISD | Odessa, Gardendale and West Odessa | C |
| Andrews ISD | Andrews | C |
| Stanton ISD | Stanton and Martin County | B |
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: George H. O’Brien Jr. VA Medical Center (Veterans Boulevard, Big Spring, about 40 miles east of Midland), plus VA clinics nearby.
East Highway 191, Odessa, between Midland and Odessa
Veterans Boulevard, Big Spring, about 40 miles east of Midland
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 Midland County, homeowners pay about 1.23% 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 Midland & Odessa: on a $275,000 to $325,000 home in Midland County at the county’s average 1.23% effective rate, a 100% rating eliminates about $3,400 to $4,000 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.
For many Veterans, Midland and Odessa are a second career more than a retirement: field, logistics, maintenance and trucking jobs reward the skills you learned in uniform.
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 Midland & Odessa. 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 Midland & Odessa 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 Midland & Odessa home as a rental and keep its VA loan and rate in place.
When drilling picks up, rents and home prices in the Permian can jump fast, and they can soften when activity slows. Buy a payment you’d still be comfortable with in a slower year.
Homes outside city limits often have private wells and septic systems, and rural tracts may carry pipeline or mineral easements. Read the title commitment and plan for a water test if it’s a well.
In much of the Permian, the minerals under a home were separated from the surface long ago. You can buy the house without them, so don’t pay extra expecting royalties unless the title shows they convey.
Spring wind and hail are hard on roofs and siding here. Ask the roof’s age and get an insurance quote early, because it counts in your payment. VA property requirements
Builders stay busy on the north side of Midland and in northeast Odessa, and acreage is easy to find in Gardendale and the county. 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 Midland & Odessa 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.
Usually, yes, when you have about two years of overtime history and it’s likely to continue. My team averages it over that time rather than using your best months. Base pay counts from day one.
VA construction loan
Shirley and her team were an absolute pleasure to work with. They helped my wife and I obtain a VA Construction Loan which gave us the ability to build our dream home.
Agent referral · VA purchase in Houston
It was great working with Shirley Mueller and team on my buyer’s home purchase in Houston, TX. The VA home loan process isn’t always easy so, it was great to work with someone who specializes in VA loans. Shirley made the process easy. I highly recommend her. Jamie Terry- Priority One Real Estate
Agent referral · VA purchase
Shirley was excellent to work with on our client’s VA home loan. VA loans can be tricky and it is so important to work with a loan officer that knows them well. Shirley did an excellent job!
Switched from another lender
We had a nightmare of an experience with a previous lender but Shirley and Karolina went above and beyond to not only get us into our home, but provide the best customer service possible! They fought hard for us and thanks to them, we are finally living in our dream home. I highly recommend valoanstexas!
VA purchase
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.
VA purchase
Ms. Shirley and her team are the BEST. Clear communication, specialized VA knowledge, responsiveness, and reduced stress. Thank you all for your help .
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