VA's minimum property requirements exist to make sure the house is safe, structurally sound and sanitary. They are not a home inspection, and the appraiser is told not to flag cosmetic wear. What they do catch tends to cluster in particular parts of town.
Age is the big one. For any house built before 1978, the VA presumes lead-based paint, so chipping or peeling paint has to be scraped and repainted, or covered, before closing, and the VA appraiser has to certify the work. Cost is not accepted as a reason to waive it. The Old North End, the Westside and most of the neighborhoods around downtown are full of houses that age. On a house built in 1978 or later, the same peeling paint is normally treated as cosmetic.
Roofs come next. The roof has to keep moisture out and have reasonable life left in it, which is a real question on the Front Range after a few hail seasons. The appraiser does not have to climb up, and when snow covers the roof in winter, documentation of its age does the job the appraiser's eyes cannot.
Soil is the local one. Much of Colorado Springs sits on clay that swells and shrinks with moisture, and the VA handbook's own example of a settlement repair is step-cracking in an exterior wall. When the appraiser sees it, a licensed contractor has to repair it before the loan closes.
Much of Black Forest and parts of Falcon and Peyton run on private wells and septic systems. A VA loan works there. The well water has to meet the county health authority's standard, and the sample has to be collected and delivered by a disinterested third party, never by you, the seller or either agent. A well shared with a neighbor needs a recorded agreement that covers repair costs. The VA sets no limit on how many acres come with the house.
For years VA rules generally barred veterans from paying any real estate commission. Since August 10, 2024, the VA has allowed veterans to pay reasonable and customary charges for their own buyer's agent. Those charges cannot be rolled into the loan, and your lender counts them when checking that you have enough cash to close.
The seller can still pay them, and often does. The VA does not count a seller paying your agent toward its limit on seller concessions, which leaves that room for closing costs. Who pays, and how much, goes in the written buyer agreement before we tour homes, so nothing about it surprises you at the closing table.
Arriving on orders? Our page on military relocation to Colorado Springs covers timing the search around a report date. Selling a VA-financed house first? See how we sell homes for veterans in Colorado Springs.
Sources: VA Pamphlet 26-7, Chapter 12 (minimum property requirements, current version effective May 1, 2026); VA Circular 26-24-14. Last updated October 8, 2026.
Any licensed agent can write a VA offer. The difference shows up at the appraisal: whether the contract already has a plan for a low value, whether the agent is named as the appraiser's point of contact, and whether repairs were spotted before the offer or after it. Ask any agent you interview how their last VA appraisal went.
Only the ones the VA appraiser requires, and the appraiser requires a repair only when something fails VA's minimum property requirements for a safe, sound and sanitary home. Cosmetic items and normal wear are not supposed to be flagged. A required repair has to be done before closing, and who pays for it is part of the negotiation. You can also ask the VA, through your lender, to waive a repair that is not a safety issue, though the VA may lower the value to match.
You are not obligated to buy. The amendatory clause in every VA contract lets you cancel and get your earnest money back, or go ahead and pay the difference in cash. Before it gets that far, the appraiser has to give the point of contact two working days to send more sales data, and your lender can request a reconsideration of value afterward. Renegotiating the price with the seller is the other common outcome.
The seller, you, or a split of the two, agreed in writing before you tour homes. Since August 2024 the VA has allowed veterans to pay reasonable and customary charges for their own agent, paid in cash at closing. They cannot be added to the loan. When the seller pays them, the VA does not count it as a seller concession.
Yes, and plenty of buyers do it in Black Forest. The appraisal will require a water test that meets the county health authority's standard, run on a sample that someone with no stake in the sale collects. If the well serves more than one house, the lender will want the recorded well-sharing agreement. Acreage is not a problem: the VA has no cap on it.
Yes, with no limit on the number of times. Selling the house and paying off the loan lets you apply to have your full entitlement restored. You can also keep a house from a previous duty station and buy here with the entitlement you have left, which our guide to buying a second home with VA bonus entitlement works through with real numbers.