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Retiring near the Doris Miller VA Medical Center, starting a job in Waco, or looking for a fixer-upper with character? Here’s what a VA loan looks like in Waco: the towns around the city, how the VA appraisal treats older and freshly renovated homes, living near Lake Waco and the Brazos, and every benefit that stacks if you have a disability rating.
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Short answer: Yes. A VA loan works across Waco and McLennan County with no down payment, as long as you’ll live in the home. There’s no minimum credit score on a standard VA purchase. Waco has a lot of older and recently renovated houses, so the VA appraisal and inspection deserve extra attention here.
Waco has its own full VA medical center, the Doris Miller VA Medical Center on Memorial Drive, and I-35 puts the Olin E. Teague Veterans’ Center in Temple within reach too.
Southwest Waco along SH 6 and Hewitt Drive
Popular areas: Woodway, Hewitt, the neighborhoods off Highway 84 and Hewitt Drive
A short drive to the Doris Miller VA Medical Center, with established neighborhoods and some newer subdivisions.
North of Lake Waco along SH 6 and FM 185
Popular areas: China Spring, the rural area northwest of Lake Waco
Bigger lots and country homes northwest of the city. Some properties use septic or a private water supply.
South along I-35 and Loop 340
Popular areas: Robinson, Lorena, the subdivisions off I-35 south of Waco
Newer homes and easy I-35 access south toward Temple. Robinson sits along the Brazos River, so check flood zones near the water.
Inside Loop 340 and east along I-35
Popular areas: Central Waco, Sanger Heights, Castle Heights, Bellmead, Lacy Lakeview
The most older and renovated homes in the area, from bungalows to two-story homes near downtown. Ask what was updated and who did the work.
Waco’s older neighborhoods have drawn a lot of renovation in recent years, and many homes for sale have been freshly updated. A remodel can look great and still hide problems. The VA appraiser checks the home against the VA’s minimum property requirements, and your own inspector looks deeper.
On a recently flipped home, ask the seller for the permits and the contractors’ names for electrical, plumbing and foundation work. Cosmetic updates don’t need them; major systems often do.
If a home was built before 1978 and the appraiser sees chipping or peeling paint, it must be fixed before closing.
A VA loan needs the home to meet VA property requirements at closing. If it needs more than small repairs, ask my team early what has to be finished before closing. VA property requirements
Lake Waco, a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers lake, is the city’s water supply and sits on Waco’s west side, with parks around much of it. Homes near the lake are usually set back on the roads and neighborhoods around it rather than on the water. The Brazos River runs through downtown past Baylor University and Cameron Park.
Homes in low areas near the Brazos and the Bosque can fall in a FEMA flood zone. If one does, the VA loan requires flood insurance, so my team checks the map on every address.
Waco-area district lines don’t follow city limits; much of Woodway and Hewitt is in Midway ISD, not Waco ISD. Listed here are the districts that serve the four McLennan County areas above, with the overall A–F grade from the Texas Education Agency for each.
| School district | Serves | TEA rating (2026) |
|---|---|---|
| Waco ISD | Most of the City of Waco, including central Waco | See TEA |
| Midway ISD | Woodway, Hewitt and parts of southwest Waco | See TEA |
| China Spring ISD | China Spring and northwest McLennan County | See TEA |
| Robinson ISD | Robinson | See TEA |
| Lorena ISD | Lorena | See TEA |
| La Vega ISD | Bellmead and parts of east Waco | See TEA |
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: Doris Miller VA Medical Center (Memorial Drive, Waco) · Olin E. Teague Veterans’ Center (Veterans Memorial Drive, Temple), plus VA clinics nearby.
Memorial Drive, Waco
Veterans Memorial Drive, Temple
South General Bruce Drive, Temple
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 McLennan County, as everywhere in Texas, my team uses the full rate for the exact address. 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 |
You apply with the appraisal district once you own and live in the home. How the exemptions work
Waco gives Veterans a full VA medical center in town, home prices below Austin and Dallas, and no state income tax on retirement pay, with Fort Hood about an hour away.
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 Waco. 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 Waco 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 Waco home as a rental and keep its VA loan and rate in place.
Many older Waco homes sit on pier-and-beam foundations that can settle over time. Look under the house, or have a foundation company do it, during your option period.
Spring storms bring hail and the occasional tornado to Central Texas. Ask the roof’s age and get a homeowners insurance quote early, because it counts in your payment.
Baylor football and big events downtown fill the roads near the river. If you’re looking near campus, visit on a busy weekend.
Outside city limits, homes may use septic or a rural water supply corporation. Ask who provides water and whether a septic inspection is needed.
McLennan, Bosque, Hill and Falls counties still have acreage for Veterans who want to build a new home on their own land, with a VA construction loan starting at a 620 credit score. 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 Waco 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 VA appraisal must support the price, and the home has to meet VA property requirements. If the seller bought the home recently, the appraiser looks closely at what changed to support the new value. My team helps you ask for permits and repair receipts before your option period ends.
VA construction loan
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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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