Buying, selling and owning a home
Your VA home loan benefit is one of the most valuable things you earned. Here is what WNC veterans most often miss.
- Zero down, no loan limit with full entitlement.If you have full entitlement, the VA does not cap the loan amount. Your lender and income decide what you can buy.
- The funding fee may be waived.Veterans receiving VA disability compensation, eligible Purple Heart recipients and qualifying surviving spouses are exempt. Your Certificate of Eligibility shows whether you are exempt, and your lender confirms your fee.
- VA loans are assumable.When you sell, a buyer may be able to take over your lower rate. That can be a real selling point in a higher rate market. Know how it affects your entitlement before you agree to it.
- Seller concessions up to 4%.On a VA purchase, the seller can pay your normal closing costs. The seller can also pay up to 4% of the price in concessions, such as prepaid taxes and insurance.
- You can use it more than once.Entitlement can be restored after you sell and pay off the loan. Some veterans who move use remaining entitlement on their next home, or on a small multifamily where they live in one unit. A VA loan is always for a home you will live in.
| Down payment | First use | After first use |
|---|---|---|
| Less than 5% | 2.15% | 3.30% |
| 5% to under 10% | 1.50% | 1.50% |
| 10% or more | 1.25% | 1.25% |
| Loan assumption | 0.50% | |
Free for WNC veterans
- Equity review: what your home could sell for today, and whether your VA loan is assumable.
- Buying power check: how far your entitlement goes in Asheville, Hendersonville and the surrounding counties.
- Property tax check: whether you qualify for the NC disabled veteran exclusion.
VA loan terms as of October 2026. Fees and rules can change; confirm your numbers with a VA-approved lender. Your Certificate of Eligibility is available at va.gov/housing-assistance/home-loans.
Benefits and claims help
Filing a claim, raising a rating, survivor and burial benefits: start with your county Veterans Service Office. Their help is free. You should never pay anyone to file a VA claim.
| County | Veterans Service Office | Phone |
|---|---|---|
| Buncombe | 40 Coxe Ave, Asheville | (828) 250-5726 |
| Henderson | Hedrick-Rhodes Veterans Center, 900 N Main St, Hendersonville | (828) 697-4817 |
| Haywood | 215 N Main St, Waynesville | (828) 452-6634 |
| Madison | 462 Long Branch Rd, Marshall | (828) 649-0767 |
| McDowell | 100 Spaulding Rd, Marion | (828) 659-0833 |
| Transylvania | 106 E Morgan St, Room 237, Brevard (walk-ins Tue and Thu) | (828) 884-3276 |
NC disabled veteran homestead exclusion
The first $45,000 of your home's assessed value is excluded from property tax if you have a 100% permanent and total service-connected disability or receive specially adapted housing benefits. Qualifying never-remarried surviving spouses may also apply.
Have your VSO certify Form NCDVA-9, then file it with Form AV-9 at your county tax office by June 1.
More benefits help
VA Benefits Hotline: 800-827-1000 for claims status, disability compensation, pension and survivor benefits.
NC DMVA lists state benefits, including education benefits for children of qualifying veterans and state veterans homes, at milvets.nc.gov.
Burial and memorial benefits are explained at va.gov/burials-memorials.
Health care and mental health
The Charles George VA Medical Center on Tunnel Road anchors care for the region, with clinics in Franklin, Forest City and Hickory.
Charles George VA Medical Center
1100 Tunnel Road, Asheville, NC 28805
Main: 828-298-7911
Behavioral Health Call Center
Walk-in mental health care at the Asheville VA Medical Center, Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Call: 828-299-2519
VA Health Connect
Nurse advice, scheduling, pharmacy questions and virtual care, any hour.
Call: 855-679-0074
Vet Center Call Center
Free, confidential readjustment and bereavement counseling for eligible veterans, service members and families, separate from your VA medical record.
Call 24/7: 877-927-8387
VA Caregiver Support Line
Help and training for family members caring for a veteran.
Call: 855-260-3274
Apply for VA health care
Not enrolled yet? Apply online at va.gov or by phone.
Call: 877-222-8387
Housing help and emergency assistance
If you or a veteran you know is about to lose housing, or already has, call right away. These programs move faster the sooner they hear from you.
ABCCM Veterans Restoration Quarters
Emergency shelter, transitional housing and permanent supportive housing, with meals, case management, job training and rides to VA appointments.
1329 Tunnel Rd, Asheville · Veterans intake: (828) 398-6628
ABCCM Transformation Village
Similar services for women veterans and mothers with children.
ABCCM main line: (828) 259-5333
Homeward Bound SSVF
Supportive Services for Veteran Families: short-term financial help and case management for veterans at risk of losing housing or already homeless in Buncombe County.
SSVF outreach: (828) 259-5300
National Call Center for Homeless Veterans
Connects you to the local VA homeless program team, day or night.
Call: 877-424-3838
Jobs, education and training
Help for veterans and military spouses finding work, going back to school or changing careers.
NCWorks Career Center Asheville
Job search help, training referrals and veteran priority of service.
53 Asheland Ave, Suite 105 · (828) 920-6670
GI Bill and education benefits
Check your remaining benefit and approved schools, including local colleges and apprenticeships, at va.gov/education.
Education line: 888-442-4551
Veteran Readiness and Employment
Training, education and job support for veterans with a service-connected disability. Learn more at va.gov.
Community and ways to connect
Find your people, honor those who served before you, or give some time back.
Blue Ridge Honor Flight
Free trips to the memorials in Washington, D.C. for WNC veterans. Veterans can apply, and volunteers serve as guardians.
VFW and American Legion
Posts across all six counties host meetings, meals and service projects. Find the closest one with the VFW post finder or the American Legion site.
Wreaths Across America
Every December, volunteers lay wreaths on veterans' graves at cemeteries across WNC. Find a local location at wreathsacrossamerica.org.
Brothers and Sisters Like These
Free creative writing workshops where veterans put their service into words and share them with others who understand. Founded by a Charles George VA Medical Center physician and a former NC Poet Laureate, the group also hosts public readings, a podcast and a published anthology. No writing experience needed.
Run a veteran organization in WNC and want it listed, or spot a number that changed? Send an update and it will be checked and added.
