VA loans in Columbia.
The Richland County figure on this page is a county reference only; it is not an address-based lookup for Columbia. Confirm the property's county before relying on it.
Richland 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. · Richland County (FIPS 45079)
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.
Richland County carries a $832,750 one-unit conforming loan limit value for 2026, and that is the county figure we reference for Columbia. 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 assumptionCity of Columbia permits: Access Portal filing and area-specific rule changes
The City of Columbia's Development Center and Building Inspections Division accept permit applications through the Access Portal or by email, with residential guidance for one- and two-family projects and separate commercial guidance. The City has posted notices about area-specific pauses on some residential intensification while rules are studied; whether any such pause is in effect for a given property must be confirmed with the City.
Practical step: if your plans after buying include adding a unit or otherwise increasing residential use, ask the Development Center whether any current zoning restriction or pause applies to that address before relying on those plans. For ordinary one- or two-family work, use the residential guidance, and ask for the permit and final inspection records for recent work the seller describes.
Richland County legal residence: the definition behind the 4% application
Richland County's Assessor lets owners find their record by address, tax map number or mobile home decal and open the legal residence form that applies. It quotes the South Carolina definition: a permanent home owned and occupied by the owner where they intend to remain indefinitely, even if temporarily living elsewhere, and not a residence kept mainly for vacation or recreation.
Practical step: for a Richland County parcel, look up the record after closing and file the form yourself; if the property is in the portion of Columbia outside Richland County, file with that county's assessor instead.
- FHFA — Conforming loan limit values
- City of Columbia — Development & Inspections
- Richland County Assessor — Legal Residence
- VA — Home loan entitlement and limits
Sources checked 2026-09-23. Educational information only, not legal, tax or underwriting advice.
VA loan programs available in SC.
$0 down in Columbia. 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 SC veterans qualify.
Zero down, no PMI, and a 100% funding-fee waiver on a home in Columbia, subject to eligibility verification and Certificate of Eligibility issuance.
Surviving spouse guideDisabled veteran? Stack the SAH grant on your Columbia 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 Columbia — answered.
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 Columbia is Richland County (FIPS 45079), whose official 2026 one-unit value is $832,750 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 Columbia 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 Columbia — zero down, no PMI, and a 100% funding-fee waiver, subject to eligibility verification.