The Florida VA Loan Playbook — Free Guide for Veterans & Active Duty

The problem

Too many veterans get talked out of the best loan they'll ever qualify for

You've heard it: "VA loans are complicated." "Sellers won't take a VA offer." "You'll pay more." Most of that comes from people who don't write VA loans and don't want to learn — and it costs veterans homes every month.

What it costs to get wrong: a down payment you didn't need to make, mortgage insurance you didn't need to carry, or a funding fee you were exempt from and paid anyway. On a $400,000 loan the funding fee alone is $8,600.

There's a better way: know exactly how the benefit works before you talk to anyone — entitlement, the fee and the exemptions, what to have ready, and the timeline — so you walk in as the most prepared buyer in the stack.

What it's worth

$0Down payment, with full entitlement

$8,600Funding fee on a $400,000 loan — that many veterans are exempt from

4%Seller concessions VA allows, on top of customary closing costs

Funding fee rates and exemptions from VA.gov. Rates set April 7, 2023.

What's inside

Eight pages. What I'd tell you before you ever call a lender.

Your VA loan benefit, explained plainly — zero down, no PMI, the fee limits, no prepayment penalty, and why "reusable" matters more than people think
Entitlement — why most veterans have no loan limit at all, and the one case where county limits still apply
The funding fee table, current from VA.gov — and the five exemptions that get missed. I carry a service-connected rating myself, so this page is personal
Getting ready — the Certificate of Eligibility, what "no VA minimum credit score" really means, residual income, and the exact documents to have on hand

The Florida timeline, week by week — pre-approval to clear-to-close, the VA appraisal versus a home inspection, and the Florida MPR items that trip deals
Closing day — what to bring, the Closing Disclosure check, the wire-fraud rule, and the Homestead Exemption you file after
The one thing sellers get wrong about VA offers — and how to make sure it doesn't cost you the house
Five things you can hold me to — in writing

Why it's worth more than free: no rate promises, no hype, and nothing you'll have to un-learn. Every rule cites VA.gov, every market figure carries a source and a date, and it says plainly when the answer is "not right now."

About Garrett

I've had orders, I've used the benefit, and I can write your loan

I'm Garrett Decker — Marine Corps disabled combat veteran, former wildland firefighter and sheriff's deputy. I'm a licensed Florida Broker Associate and a licensed Mortgage Loan Originator with FLO Mortgage, and I hold the National Association of REALTORS® Military Relocation Professional certification. My brokerage is Navy To Navy Homes, which was named Homes for Heroes 2026 Real Estate Specialist Team — #1 in Florida and #2 nationwide. The Decker Group is part of that program.

One person handles the house and the loan, so nothing gets lost between two offices. For a VA buyer on a PCS clock, that's often the difference between closing on time and not. And the mortgage side is always your choice — never a condition of working with me.

Why I'm qualified: licensed since November 2019, 180+ homes sold, #6 by volume in Palm Coast in 2025 (RealTrends Verified), 2022 REALTOR® of the Year for Flagler County, 96 verified reviews at 4.9 stars.

My process

Straight answer first.

Your report date, your entitlement, your exemption status, and whether buying makes sense right now — before we tour anything.

The whole number before the search.

Mortgage, taxes, insurance, flood, HOA, utilities and the commute to base — run against your real budget, not the app's guess.

Every date tracked, backwards from your orders.

COE, pre-approval, offer, appraisal and inspection in the same window, clear to close. You'll know what's happening before it happens.

Why work with Garrett

What working with me actually gets you

One person for the house and the loan.

The number I show you before we tour is the number I'd underwrite — not a handoff to somebody else's spreadsheet.

The funding fee exemption, checked first.

Because I carry a rating myself, I ask about it on the first call. If nobody has asked you, that's your sign.

Fully remote if you're still out of state.

Whole transactions handled while you're at your current duty station — video tours, remote signing, one timeline.

I've sat on the builder's side.

If you go new construction, I know what incentives are really on the table and where the contract protects the builder.

Both hero programs, as an approved vendor.

Florida Hometown Heroes and Homes for Heroes through Navy To Navy Homes. Whether you qualify is the program's decision — I'll check and tell you either way.

I answer.

Eleven separate clients across six years have said the same thing in writing: after hours, weekends, across time zones.

Proof

People who bought without the drama

"Garrett and his wife were the absolute BEST Real Estate agents. They took great care of us and their follow through was outstanding (especially since we're not in the State just yet). Service like that was extraordinary, to say the least."

Buyer, out of state · 2026

"He was always prepared and ready to do whatever and whenever something came up that needed to be done or checked into. He also always responded immediately, and I called him often, after hours, weekends."

Buyer · 2025

"Garrett was instrumental in getting our designing our custom home and as our lender he was our advocate in getting closed while dealing with adversity from the builder."

Buyer, new construction · 2025 · Garrett acted as both agent and loan originator, disclosed

The Florida VA Loan Playbook — use the benefit you earned, fully and correctly.