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Fort Gordon

VA Home Loans | Fort Gordon, Georgia

VA Home Loans Fort Gordon: $0 Down for Buyers in Augusta, Grovetown, Evans and Martinez

Buying near Fort Gordon with a VA home loan? Here is what it costs and how it works before anyone asks you to apply: most first time VA buyers pay a one time VA funding fee unless they are exempt, and the underwriter still reviews your income, credit and VA residual income.

Based in Atlanta. Serving VA buyers across Georgia.

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Find Your Situation

What are you trying to figure out at Fort Gordon?

This page covers a lot of ground. Jump to the part written for you.

PCSing to Fort Gordon

Starting the loan before your report date, and what the occupancy rule allows when you deploy.

Here for a signal or cyber course

Temporary orders, BAH and why many students rent instead of buy.

Does my BAH cover a payment?

2026 BAH for the Fort Gordon housing area next to a real payment.

Already own a home and buying again

Remaining entitlement when the last house is still on a VA loan.

Have a service connected rating

Funding fee exemption and the Georgia disabled veteran homestead exemption.

Richmond County or Columbia County?

Augusta and Hephzibah, or Grovetown, Evans and Martinez, and what changes between them.

The Honest Picture

VA Loan Benefits and Trade Offs Near Fort Gordon

Benefits

No down payment with full entitlement, subject to the underwriter and the appraisal.
No monthly mortgage insurance on a VA loan.
Funding fee waived for veterans receiving VA disability compensation and other exempt groups.
Plan your closing around your report date, your course dates and the VA occupancy rule.

Trade Offs

Most first time VA buyers pay a one time VA funding fee of 2.15 percent of the loan unless they are exempt. On a $300,000 purchase near Fort Gordon that is $6,450 (illustration only).
No down payment with full entitlement, but the underwriter still reviews income, credit, debts and VA residual income. Eligibility is not approval.
The home has to appraise and meet VA minimum property requirements, and you have to intend to live in it. A course on temporary orders is usually not a reason to buy.
Exempt from the fee: veterans receiving VA compensation for a service connected disability, and the other groups listed in the cost section below.

No loan program is best for everyone. The right answer comes from your complete situation, and our team will tell you plainly when a different program serves you better.

Where Families Buy

Where Fort Gordon families buy

Fort Gordon sits southwest of Augusta, mostly in Richmond County, and covers about 55,596 acres. It is home to the U.S. Army Cyber Center of Excellence, which runs the Signal School and the Army's cyber training, along with Army Cyber Command headquarters, the 513th Military Intelligence Brigade and Dwight David Eisenhower Army Medical Center. The Army counts more than 16,000 military members and about 13,500 civilian employees and contractors on post.

The post was named Fort Eisenhower from October 27, 2023 until June 2025, when the Army restored the Fort Gordon name, now honoring Medal of Honor recipient Master Sgt. Gary I. Gordon.

Military OneSource names Augusta and Hephzibah in Richmond County, and Martinez, Evans and Grovetown in Columbia County, as where Fort Gordon families live. It also notes that Columbia County homes are generally newer and more expensive, with higher property taxes, than Richmond County homes.

The VA loan works the same way in every one of these towns. What changes is the price range, the property tax bill and the drive, so compare those before you compare loans.

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Town	County	Drive to Gate 6	What changes
Grovetown	Columbia	About 8 minutes	Closest town to Gate 6; Columbia County tax office
Martinez	Columbia	About 22 minutes	Established suburb toward Augusta; Columbia County tax office
Evans	Columbia	About 23 minutes	Newer subdivisions north of the post; Columbia County tax office
Augusta	Richmond	About 28 minutes from downtown	Consolidated city and county; Richmond County Tax Commissioner
Hephzibah	Richmond	On the Tobacco Road side of post	Gate 5 on Tobacco Road is the nearer gate; Richmond County Tax Commissioner

Grovetown

County: Columbia
Drive to Gate 6: About 8 minutes
What changes: Closest town to Gate 6; Columbia County tax office

Martinez

County: Columbia
Drive to Gate 6: About 22 minutes
What changes: Established suburb toward Augusta; Columbia County tax office

Evans

County: Columbia
Drive to Gate 6: About 23 minutes
What changes: Newer subdivisions north of the post; Columbia County tax office

Augusta

County: Richmond
Drive to Gate 6: About 28 minutes from downtown
What changes: Consolidated city and county; Richmond County Tax Commissioner

Hephzibah

County: Richmond
Drive to Gate 6: On the Tobacco Road side of post
What changes: Gate 5 on Tobacco Road is the nearer gate; Richmond County Tax Commissioner

Drive times from Google Maps to the Fort Gordon Gate 6 Visitor Center on Gordon Highway, read October 29, 2026 at about 6:30 a.m.; your time will vary. Hephzibah sits on the Tobacco Road side of post, where Gate 5 is open 4:45 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily.

Pay and Qualification

2026 BAH at Fort Gordon, next to what it buys

BAH is paid by your duty station ZIP code and your pay grade. It does not change based on the price of the house you buy, so a home that costs more than your BAH comes out of the rest of your pay.

How the underwriter treats it:

VA's rule lets a quarters allowance count as continuing income when it is documented the way the rule requires.
Because BAH is not taxed, it can be grossed up, counted at a higher figure, for the debt ratio, but not for residual income.
VA's debt ratio standard is 41 percent or less, and the file also has to meet residual income: the money left each month after the housing payment, maintenance and utilities, taxes, debts and other required expenses. In the South region, which includes Georgia, a family of four needs at least $1,003 on loans of $80,000 or more. For active duty or retired members who will keep using facilities on a nearby base, VA lets the underwriter reduce that figure by at least 5 percent.

The useful comparison is your BAH against the full housing payment on a Loan Estimate, the standard cost form every buyer receives: principal, interest, Richmond or Columbia County property taxes, homeowners insurance and any HOA dues.

Fort Gordon housing area	With dependents	Without
E5	$1,890	$1,644
E6	$2,157	$1,731
E7	$2,190	$1,809
O3	$2,250	$2,058

E5

With dependents: $1,890
Without: $1,644

E6

With dependents: $2,157
Without: $1,731

E7

With dependents: $2,190
Without: $1,809

O3

With dependents: $2,250
Without: $2,058

2026 monthly BAH for military housing area GA073, Fort Gordon (ZIP 30905). Source: Defense Travel Management Office BAH rate lookup, checked October 29, 2026. BAH is set by your duty station ZIP code, not by where you buy, so a Grovetown, Evans or Augusta home uses the same Fort Gordon rate.

The Core Concept

Your entitlement, with the math shown

Entitlement is the amount VA will guarantee for you. On loans above $144,000, VA guarantees 25 percent of the loan. With full entitlement there is no VA county loan limit, as of January 1, 2020. If part of your entitlement is still tied to a house from your last duty station, your remaining entitlement is 25 percent of the county conforming limit minus what is still in use. For 2026, Richmond, Columbia and McDuffie counties all use the baseline limit of $832,750.

Worked example: second VA loan near Fort Gordon

The first VA loan, $200,000, is still open on a rental at the last duty station. Entitlement in use: 25 percent of $200,000, or $50,000.

25 percent of the 2026 Richmond County limit of $832,750: $208,187.50.

Remaining entitlement: $208,187.50 minus $50,000, or $158,187.50.

Largest loan with no down payment, including any financed funding fee: four times $158,187.50, or $632,750. Above that figure, VA generally requires a down payment of 25 percent of the amount above it, subject to the underwriter.

Illustration only. These examples are not an offer, a loan approval or a commitment to lend. Actual fees, taxes, entitlement and approval depend on your Certificate of Eligibility, the underwriter's review, the appraisal and the final loan amount.

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Using Your Benefit Again

Already have a VA loan?

If you bought earlier and want a lower rate, the VA IRRRL, the Interest Rate Reduction Refinance Loan, carries a 0.5 percent funding fee. To take cash out, see the VA cash out refinance. Cash at closing depends on the appraised value and the final loan amount.

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Service Connected Disabilities

Who does not pay the funding fee

You do not need a 100 percent rating. A 0 percent rating that pays no compensation does not waive the fee. The fee is waived for:

Veterans receiving VA compensation for a service connected disability
Veterans eligible for that compensation who receive retirement or active duty pay instead
Surviving spouses receiving Dependency and Indemnity Compensation
Service members with a proposed or memorandum rating, from a pre discharge claim, issued before closing
Active duty members who show proof of a Purple Heart on or before closing

If a rating is awarded later with an effective date before closing, a refund may be available. On the $300,000 example below, that is $6,450 you never pay. Raise it on the first call so the file is set up right from the start.

Georgia Is a Separate Conversation

Disabled veteran homestead exemption: up to $126,526 for 2026 for honorably discharged veterans rated 100 percent disabled, paid at the 100 percent rate for unemployability, or with certain loss of limb or sight awards. Georgia's exemption follows the federal amount VA sets each year; the Georgia Department of Revenue page still listed the 2025 amount, $121,812, when this page was reviewed. Active duty members do not qualify until after discharge.

You must own and live in the home on January 1 and apply by April 1 of that year, through the Richmond County Tax Commissioner or the Columbia County Tax Commissioner in Evans, where new applications are filed in person.

Relocating on Orders

Closing around your report date and deployments at Fort Gordon

VA loans are for a home you will live in. You certify that you intend to occupy it, and VA guidance generally treats a reasonable time as within 60 days after closing. A later, specific move in date up to 12 months after closing may be accepted at the underwriter's discretion.

Signal, cyber and intelligence units at Fort Gordon deploy. If you are deployed, at a school elsewhere or still at your last duty station, federal law lets your spouse, or a dependent child, meet the occupancy requirement by living in the home. A soldier without dependents who closes right before a deployment should settle the move in timing with the loan officer before the contract is signed.

Buy or rent on a short assignment? Closing costs on the way in and selling costs on the way out can outweigh the equity you build in two or three years. Many families keep the home as a rental instead of selling, but a VA loan that stays open keeps part of your entitlement in use, which lowers what you can borrow with no down payment at the next post. The second example above shows how much.

Georgia military communities we serve include:

Fort Stewart and Hunter Army Airfield
Savannah, Pooler, and Richmond Hill
Robins Air Force Base and Warner Robins
Fort Benning and Columbus
Moody Air Force Base and Valdosta
Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay and St. Marys
Marine Corps Logistics Base Albany
Dobbins Air Reserve Base and Marietta
Fort Gordon and Augusta

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Specific to Fort Gordon

Here for a course or here to stay?

Fort Gordon is a training post as much as a duty station. The Army says about 20,000 signal and cyber soldiers train there each year, and a new cyber training facility was accepted on May 29, 2026, with fit out continuing into 2028.

BAH is set by your permanent duty station ZIP code, so a course at Fort Gordon on temporary duty orders does not change your housing allowance, and a VA loan is for a home you intend to live in. Students on temporary orders usually rent or live on post instead of buying.

Longer courses are often on PCS orders, the orders for a permanent change of station, which make Fort Gordon your duty station. Then the VA loan works the same way it does for any soldier assigned to the post. Your orders say which one you have; read them before you look at houses.

If you are assigned to Fort Gordon after the schoolhouse, or you are cross training into a cyber or signal job and staying, start the Certificate of Eligibility early and time the closing to the date you sign in, not the date the course ends.

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Know the Cost

The VA funding fee, with the math shown

The funding fee is the cost that comes with no down payment and no mortgage insurance. It is a percentage of the loan, it depends on your down payment and whether you used a VA loan before, and it can be financed into the loan. For the full program, see VA home loans in Georgia.

Worked example: first time VA buyer near Fort Gordon, no down payment

Purchase price: $300,000. Down payment: none.

Funding fee at 2.15 percent of $300,000: $6,450.

If the fee is financed, the loan becomes $306,450.

If the buyer receives VA disability compensation, there is no funding fee and the loan stays at $300,000.

Loan type	First use	After first use
Purchase, less than 5 percent down	2.15%	3.3%
Purchase, 5 percent or more down	1.5%	1.5%
Purchase, 10 percent or more down	1.25%	1.25%
VA cash out refinance	2.15%	3.3%
VA IRRRL	0.5%	0.5%

Purchase, less than 5 percent down

First use: 2.15%
After first use: 3.3%

Purchase, 5 percent or more down

First use: 1.5%
After first use: 1.5%

Purchase, 10 percent or more down

First use: 1.25%
After first use: 1.25%

VA cash out refinance

First use: 2.15%
After first use: 3.3%

VA IRRRL

First use: 0.5%
After first use: 0.5%

Source: VA funding fee and closing costs page, va.gov, checked October 29, 2026. Fee percentages effective April 7, 2023; 38 U.S.C. 3729 sets them until June 9, 2034.

Two Different Jobs

What the VA appraisal does

Every VA purchase needs a VA appraisal. It gives an opinion of value and checks VA minimum property requirements, which are about safety, sanitation and structure. You receive a Notice of Value with the value and any required repairs. If the value may come in below the price, the Tidewater process, VA's low value warning step, gives your real estate agent two business days to send more sales data, and after the report you can request a reconsideration of value. An appraisal is not a home inspection.

Cash to Close

What buying in Richmond or Columbia County adds

Intangible recording tax: Georgia charges $1.50 for each $500, or part of $500, of the note, capped at $25,000, and VA loans are not listed as exempt. On the $306,450 note in the first example, that is $919.50 (illustration only; actual tax depends on the final loan amount). The closing attorney confirms the tax at closing.
Attorney closing: a licensed Georgia attorney has to close a Georgia purchase.

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VA Compared With Conventional and FHA

A short qualitative comparison. None of this replaces a conversation about your specific numbers.

Qualitative comparison of VA, conventional, and FHA purchase loans
Criteria	You Are Viewing This ProgramVA Loan	Conventional Loan	FHA Loan
Who it serves	Eligible Veterans, service members, and certain surviving spouses	Any qualified borrower	Any qualified borrower, often those seeking flexible credit terms
Down payment	Potentially none for eligible borrowers with sufficient entitlement	Required, with the amount depending on the loan profile	Required, generally lower than many conventional options
Monthly mortgage insurance	None	Applies with smaller down payments until it can be removed	Applies, and for many loans it lasts the life of the loan
Upfront program cost	VA funding fee, unless exempt	None from the program itself	Upfront mortgage insurance premium
Occupancy	Generally a primary residence	Primary residence, second homes, and investment properties	Generally a primary residence
Repeat use	Reusable benefit, with entitlement rules covered above	No usage limits tied to a benefit	Usable again subject to program rules

You Are Viewing This Program

VA Loan

Who it serves: Eligible Veterans, service members, and certain surviving spouses
Down payment: Potentially none for eligible borrowers with sufficient entitlement
Monthly mortgage insurance: None
Upfront program cost: VA funding fee, unless exempt
Occupancy: Generally a primary residence
Repeat use: Reusable benefit, with entitlement rules covered above

Conventional Loan

Who it serves: Any qualified borrower
Down payment: Required, with the amount depending on the loan profile
Monthly mortgage insurance: Applies with smaller down payments until it can be removed
Upfront program cost: None from the program itself
Occupancy: Primary residence, second homes, and investment properties
Repeat use: No usage limits tied to a benefit

FHA Loan

Who it serves: Any qualified borrower, often those seeking flexible credit terms
Down payment: Required, generally lower than many conventional options
Monthly mortgage insurance: Applies, and for many loans it lasts the life of the loan
Upfront program cost: Upfront mortgage insurance premium
Occupancy: Generally a primary residence
Repeat use: Usable again subject to program rules

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How It Works

The VA Purchase Process With UHome

Before orders
Request the Certificate of Eligibility and see numbers. No documents needed for a ballpark.
Orders in hand
A statement of service and a recent Leave and Earnings Statement, the military pay stub, document active duty income.
Under contract
VA appraisal, Notice of Value and underwriting. A Georgia attorney closes the purchase.
Report date
Closing is usually timed close to it so the 60 day move in window is comfortable.

Local Offices

Who to call near Fort Gordon

Richmond County Tax Commissioner
535 Telfair Street, Suite 100, Augusta, GA 30901. 706-821-2391. Homestead and disabled veteran exemptions for Augusta and Hephzibah.
Columbia County Tax Commissioner, Property Tax Office
630 Ronald Reagan Drive, Building C, Evans, GA 30809. 706-261-8299. New homestead applications are filed in person.
Charlie Norwood VA Medical Center
950 15th Street, Augusta. 706-733-0188. Part of the Augusta VA Health Care System, with a second campus at One Freedom Way.
Georgia Department of Veterans Service, Augusta office
Inside the Charlie Norwood VA Medical Center, 950 15th Street. 706-733-0188, extension 32277. Help with the homestead exemption and state benefit claims.
Augusta Vet Center
2050 Walton Way, Suite 100, Augusta, GA 30904. Readjustment counseling for veterans and families; see va.gov for the phone number.
Fort Gordon Army Housing Office
Darling Hall, Building 33720, 307 Chamberlain Avenue, Fort Gordon, GA 30905. 706-791-5116. Ask about on post options before you decide to buy.
Visitor Control Center
By Gate 6 on Gordon Highway. 706-791-3071, Monday to Friday 6 a.m. to 5 p.m. Visitors without a DoD ID get passes here; Gate 1 at Jimmie Dyess Parkway is for DoD ID card holders.

Real Questions

VA loan questions near Fort Gordon

Can I start a VA loan before my PCS move to Fort Gordon?

Yes. You can request your Certificate of Eligibility and look at numbers near Fort Gordon at any time. For the loan itself, the underwriter documents active duty income with your orders and a recent Leave and Earnings Statement, and you certify that you intend to live in the home. VA guidance generally treats a reasonable time to move in as within 60 days of closing, so many buyers time the closing close to their report date at Fort Gordon.

What is the 2026 BAH at Fort Gordon?

For 2026, BAH for the Fort Gordon military housing area, GA073, is $1,890 a month with dependents and $1,644 without for an E5; $2,157 and $1,731 for an E6; $2,190 and $1,809 for an E7; and $2,250 and $2,058 for an O3. BAH follows your permanent duty station ZIP code, 30905, not the town where you buy.

Should I buy a home while I am at Fort Gordon for a signal or cyber course?

Usually not on temporary duty orders. BAH is set by your permanent duty station, so a course at Fort Gordon on temporary orders does not change your housing allowance, and a VA loan is for a home you intend to live in. If your orders make Fort Gordon your permanent duty station, the VA loan works the same way it does for any soldier assigned to the post.

How much is the VA funding fee for a home near Fort Gordon?

The VA funding fee is the same near Fort Gordon as anywhere else. For a purchase with less than 5 percent down, it is 2.15 percent of the loan on first use and 3.3 percent after first use. It drops to 1.5 percent with 5 percent or more down and 1.25 percent with 10 percent or more down. You can pay it at closing or finance it into the loan.

Who does not pay the VA funding fee when buying near Fort Gordon?

Near Fort Gordon, the VA funding fee is waived for veterans receiving VA compensation for a service connected disability, veterans eligible for that compensation who receive retirement or active duty pay instead, surviving spouses receiving Dependency and Indemnity Compensation, service members with a proposed or memorandum rating issued before closing on a pre discharge claim, and active duty members who show proof of a Purple Heart on or before closing.

Is there a VA loan limit in Richmond or Columbia County near Fort Gordon?

Not if you have full entitlement. Since January 1, 2020, VA has had no county loan limit for borrowers with full entitlement. If part of your entitlement is still in use, the 2026 one unit conforming limit of $832,750 for Richmond and Columbia counties is used to figure how much you can borrow with no down payment. McDuffie County, near Fort Gordon, uses the same 2026 figure.

Is it Fort Gordon or Fort Eisenhower?

Fort Gordon. The post was named Fort Eisenhower from October 27, 2023 until June 2025, when the Army restored the Fort Gordon name, now honoring Medal of Honor recipient Master Sgt. Gary I. Gordon. Older paperwork that says Fort Eisenhower refers to the same post, and the ZIP code is still 30905.

Can a spouse live in the house to meet the VA occupancy rule during a deployment from Fort Gordon?

Yes. Federal law lets an active duty member meet the VA occupancy requirement when a spouse, or a dependent child, occupies or intends to occupy the home while the member is unable to because of active duty, including a deployment from Fort Gordon.

Are VA loans near Fort Gordon exempt from the Georgia intangible recording tax?

No. Georgia charges $1.50 for each $500, or part of $500, of the note, capped at $25,000, and VA guaranteed loans are not listed as exempt in the Department of Revenue rule. On a $306,450 VA loan for a home in Richmond or Columbia County near Fort Gordon, that is $919.50 (illustration only). The closing attorney confirms the exact tax at closing.

Where do veterans near Fort Gordon apply for the disabled veteran homestead exemption?

Georgia's disabled veteran homestead exemption is up to $126,526 for 2026 for honorably discharged veterans rated 100 percent disabled, paid at the 100 percent rate for unemployability, or with certain loss of limb or sight awards; active duty members qualify only after discharge. Near Fort Gordon, apply by April 1 through the Richmond County Tax Commissioner at 535 Telfair Street in Augusta, or the Columbia County Tax Commissioner at 630 Ronald Reagan Drive in Evans. The Georgia Department of Veterans Service office inside the Charlie Norwood VA Medical Center helps with the paperwork.

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