Wilmington · VA / Military
VA and Military Buyers in Wilmington, NC
VA financing and PCS timing explained plainly, with the search and the closing built around your report date.
A Quick Note
This page is general information, not legal, tax, insurance, or lending advice. VA loan rules and insurance requirements change, and only the VA, your lender, your insurance agent, and the county tax office can decide what applies to you. I am a real estate professional, and my part is the search, the contract, and keeping your timeline on track.
VA and Military Buyers in Wilmington
VA and military buyers in Wilmington are buying on the coast, which adds flood and wind insurance to every VA conversation. Local to Coastal Realty handles the house side and puts those questions first. I talk with your lender early so your offer fits what a VA loan requires, I walk every serious house with you, and I run the comps so you see what it is worth before you offer.
New Hanover County Veteran Services
New Hanover County Veteran Services is at 1650 Greenfield Street in Wilmington, 910-798-7611, with walk-in hours from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Thursday and Fridays by appointment. It is a good first stop for benefits questions and the place to get the property tax form below certified.
Your VA Loan, in Short
According to the VA, a VA-backed purchase loan requires no down payment as long as the sales price does not exceed the appraised value, carries no private mortgage insurance, and has no prepayment penalty. You need a Certificate of Eligibility and must intend to live in the home, so a weekly beach rental is not what a VA loan is for. With full entitlement, the VA says you have no VA loan limit, as long as you can afford the loan and the appraisal supports the price.
Most borrowers pay a one-time funding fee: 2.15 percent for a first-use purchase loan with less than 5 percent down, which is $7,525 on a $350,000 loan. You are exempt if you receive VA compensation for a service-connected disability, along with a few other exemptions the VA lists. My page on buying a home with a VA loan covers entitlement, the appraisal, and paying your buyer's agent.
Flood and Wind on a VA Purchase
A VA loan is federally backed, so if the house sits in a Special Flood Hazard Area, the lender will require flood insurance. FEMA says a policy bought in connection with making the mortgage takes effect without the usual 30-day wait if the application and premium are paid at or before closing. Wind coverage near the water may come through the Coastal Property Insurance Pool, which the NC Department of Insurance describes as covering the state's 18 eligible coastal counties. Get both quotes during your due diligence period, because they belong in the payment your lender approves.
The $45,000 Exclusion
North Carolina law excludes the first $45,000 of a home's appraised value from property tax for a veteran with a service-connected, permanent, and total disability, or one who has received specially adapted housing benefits, and an unremarried surviving spouse can qualify. The home has to be your permanent residence. Take Form NCDVA-9 to a veterans service office for certification, then file it with Form AV-9 at the county tax office by June 1 of the tax year. At New Hanover County's 2026 combined rate of 0.6375 per $100 of value in Wilmington, that exclusion is worth about $287 a year.
North Carolina also lets you deduct military retirement pay on your state return if you served at least 20 years or were medically retired under 10 U.S.C. Chapter 61.
How I Work With You
We sign a written buyer agreement before touring, as the National Association of REALTORS has required of MLS participants since August 17, 2024. A VA-approved appraiser checks value and the VA's minimum property requirements, and I still recommend a full inspection, because the inspector works for you. On orders? My page for VA and military buyers in Fayetteville covers PCS timing and the Fort Bragg housing office. Read buying a home in Wilmington and my Wilmington guide, then call me.
Sources
The rules and figures above come from these sources, checked in October 2026. VA fees, insurance rules, and rates change, so your lender, insurance agent, and the tax office have the final word.
- New Hanover County Veteran Services
- U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, VA-backed purchase loans
- U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, VA home loan limits and entitlement
- U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, funding fee and closing costs
- FEMA, flood risk and lending requirements
- FEMA, flood insurance waiting period and loan exception
- NC Department of Insurance, Coastal Property Insurance Pool
- N.C. G.S. 105-277.1C, disabled veteran homestead exclusion
- NC Department of Military and Veterans Affairs, veterans property tax relief
- New Hanover County Tax Department, historic tax rates
- NC Department of Revenue, military retirement
- National Association of REALTORS, settlement FAQs, practice changes effective August 17, 2024
Frequently Asked Questions
Will a VA loan require flood insurance in Wilmington?
If the house is in a Special Flood Hazard Area, yes. A VA loan is federally backed, and lenders require flood insurance on those buildings.
Can I buy a beach rental with a VA loan?
No. The VA says a VA loan buys a home you intend to live in.
Where is the veterans service office in New Hanover County?
New Hanover County Veteran Services is at 1650 Greenfield Street in Wilmington, 910-798-7611.
Wilmington
What va / military looks like in Wilmington
Historic downtown on the Cape Fear River, a nearly two-mile Riverwalk, and three island beaches nearby: Wrightsville, Carolina, and Kure.
Wilmington's Riverwalk follows the Cape Fear River for nearly two miles, with the Battleship NORTH CAROLINA moored across the water. Airlie Gardens spans 67 acres, and the Bellamy Mansion Museum shows Victorian-era architecture.
Wrightsville Beach is one of the area's three island beaches, along with Carolina Beach and Kure Beach. Carolina Beach State Park covers 761 acres, and the Venus flytrap grows natively only around Wilmington.
VA / Military: keep exploring
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