VA loans in San Diego.
This guide covers buying a home in San Diego, with local records and budgeting checks to use alongside your VA loan review. The San Diego County FHFA figure is a county reference, not an address-based lookup. Confirm the property's county and permitting jurisdiction before relying on it.
San Diego County reference value. County reference, not an address-based lookup. Confirm the county of the property before using this value; city and metro boundaries can cross counties.
Source: FHFA Full County Loan Limit List for 2026 (HERA-based, final). One-unit limit; applies to mortgages acquired in calendar year 2026. Source checked 2026-09-16. · San Diego County (FIPS 06073)
County reference, not an address-based lookup. Confirm the county of the property before using this value; city and metro boundaries can cross counties. Look the property's county up at FHFA.
What the county figure means here.
A borrower with full VA entitlement does not have a VA loan limit, subject to lender approval, ability to repay, and the appraised value or purchase price. The FHFA one-unit county conforming loan limit matters primarily when calculating remaining bonus entitlement for a borrower who does not have full entitlement, and it may affect whether a down payment is required.
San Diego County carries a $1,104,000 one-unit conforming loan limit value for 2026, and that is the county figure we reference for San Diego. County reference, not an address-based lookup. Confirm the county of the property before using this value; city and metro boundaries can cross counties. Whichever county your property is in, the value is used in remaining-entitlement calculations — including on a 2–4 unit property — and is not a cap on what a fully-entitled buyer can finance.
Planning around BAH? Rates vary by pay grade, dependency status, and ZIP-based Military Housing Area — verify yours on the official DoD BAH calculator.
This site does not publish current rates or APRs. Your rate and terms depend on your credit profile, income and assets, the property, market conditions, lock timing, points or lender credits, underwriting, and final lender approval. Request a personalized quote from Bolt Home Loans LLC.
Estimate a payment with your own rate assumptionSan Diego permit records: use the right system for the year
San Diego Development Services directs buyers to OpenDSD, Permit Finder and Accela for permits and applications from 2003 onward. Archived building plans and records after 1955 require a Records Review appointment. For property records before 1955, the City directs you to the County Assessor. Building plans are not available through the self-service option.
For an addition or converted garage, search the address and ask for the corresponding plans when the online record leaves questions unanswered. Start while your purchase contingencies still allow time to investigate. The City warns that records may be unavailable because procedures changed over time; a missing result alone does not establish that work was unpermitted.
A supplemental tax bill is separate from your regular escrow payment
San Diego County explains that a purchase or completed construction can change the assessed value and produce a separate supplemental tax bill. This is an adjustment following reassessment, not a duplicate of the annual bill. A downward assessment can instead produce a negative supplemental bill.
The Treasurer states that supplemental bills are not sent to the lender for payment. The owner remains responsible for paying them on time. Before closing, ask your loan officer how this separate obligation would be handled and keep room in your budget for it. When a bill arrives, confirm the payment arrangement rather than assuming your regular mortgage escrow payment covered it.
Check Mello-Roos by parcel, not by neighborhood name
The County Assessor sets out a specific search: find the secured parcel number on the tax bill, use the County Special Assessments lookup, then contact the administrator of any Community Facilities District listed. That administrator can explain the services funded, bond maturity and permitted increases for the special tax.
Ask for the assessment details for the actual parcel before finalizing your payment estimate. A nearby property or neighborhood description is not a substitute. Give the results to your loan officer and ask which charges are included in the estimate. This guide does not assume every San Diego home has Mello-Roos or calculate an amount without a parcel record.
- FHFA: conforming loan limit values
- City of San Diego: permit and building records
- San Diego County Treasurer: supplemental property taxes
- San Diego County Assessor: Mello-Roos and special assessments
- VA: home loan entitlement and limits
Sources checked 2026-09-24. Educational information only, not legal, tax or underwriting advice.
Owner-occupied 2–4 units are eligible.
VA allows purchases up to four units as long as you occupy one of them. Whether any projected rental income counts toward your qualifying ratios is a lender and VA underwriting decision, not an automatic allowance. The one-unit county value above is still the figure used in entitlement calculations on a 2–4 unit property.
Run the house-hack calculatorVA loan programs available in CA.
$0 down in San Diego. No PMI.
Lower your rate. Minimal paperwork.
Up to 100% LTV — conventional caps at 80%.
$0 down above conforming.
Finance repairs into your purchase.
Roll energy upgrades into the loan.
Widows and widowers of CA veterans qualify.
Zero down, no PMI, and a 100% funding-fee waiver on a home in San Diego, subject to eligibility verification and Certificate of Eligibility issuance.
Surviving spouse guideDisabled veteran? Stack the SAH grant on your San Diego purchase.
Up to $126,526 in FY 2026 toward a VA-approved plan to acquire, construct, or adapt a suitable home. VA approves eligibility and use; the grant is separate from your VA home loan.
SAH grant guideVA loans in San Diego — answered.
No. The County Treasurer says supplemental bills are not sent to lenders. You remain responsible for timely payment. Confirm with your servicer how a separate bill will be handled rather than assuming it is covered by escrow.
Use the secured parcel number in the County Special Assessments lookup. If a district appears, ask its administrator about the current charge, bond term and permitted increases for that parcel.
FHFA sets conforming loan limit values by county, not by city, and there is no single published figure for a city as such. The county we reference for San Diego is San Diego County (FIPS 06073), whose official 2026 one-unit value is $1,104,000 per the FHFA Full County Loan Limit List. County reference, not an address-based lookup. Confirm the county of the property before using this value; city and metro boundaries can cross counties. The figure only matters for remaining-entitlement calculations — with full entitlement there is no VA loan limit, subject to lender approval, ability to repay and appraised value.
BAH varies by pay grade, dependency status, and ZIP-based Military Housing Area, and DoD updates rates annually. Check your exact rate on the official DoD BAH calculator. Lenders may count BAH as qualifying income, subject to underwriting.
A VA-eligible borrower with full entitlement may be able to pursue a primary-residence purchase in San Diego with no down payment and no monthly PMI. Eligibility, credit, income, the VA appraisal, and final lender approval all apply, and closing costs and prepaids are still due.
An unremarried surviving spouse of a veteran who died in service or from a service-connected disability may qualify for the full VA benefit in San Diego — zero down, no PMI, and a 100% funding-fee waiver, subject to eligibility verification.