Home condition for a VA Loan

[Scott Grover]

I am looking at buying a short sale home for my family and me. VA Loan financing is preferred so I can keep what little cash I have. My concern is whether it would qualify for a VA Loan. I've done the Google search for what the requirements are - adequate heating, no dry rot/termite damage, adequate living space, mechanical systems safe and usable, water availability, and a few more. And I believe it meets all these (though I haven't been in the crawl space yet).

The specific conditions that seem like they could jeopardize VA financing are this:

• Master bath is missing a shower insert.  It's all plumbed, and operational (if you wanted to get the studs wet).  There is another full bathroom in the house.
• The patio door has about a foot of siding around the border that is missing.
• Two sides of the exterior are in desperate need of paint.
• The oven has a crack on the top.
• Insulation is supposedly "inadequate", but home is able to meet minimum heating requirements.

If any of these things prevent the VA Loan financing, I could make repairs prior to or after closing.  So I'm also wondering how that would look.

Thanks BP community for your help!  It's incredible being able ask these questions to knowledgeable people.