Ten Months From ETS, Job Offer in Hand, and Still Denied

He did everything right.

A Coast Guard member with steady pay, a wife and kids ready to move in, and a signed, non-contingent job offer waiting for him the day his enlistment was up. His ETS was about 10 months out. So was the new job.

Another lender looked at that and said no. The job started “too far in the future.”

Here’s the problem with that answer: it isn’t VA’s rule.

VA’s Lender’s Handbook (VA Pamphlet 26-7, Chapter 4) says that when you’re within 12 months of ETS, the file needs a valid civilian job offer for after you separate (or proof you’re staying in). That’s it. There’s no 60-day or 90-day start window in VA’s handbook. Those deadlines come from FHA and conventional loans, and some lenders borrow them as an overlay.

So, if you hear “no,” ask one question: “Is that a VA guideline or your company’s overlay?” The answer tells you whether the door’s actually closed, or whether you just knocked on the wrong one.

His family’s in the house now.

I walked through exactly what VA requires, where the 60-day myth comes from, and what to bring to a second opinion in the full post: Buying a house before ETS: what VA actually requires

Cheers!