Legislation designed to give veterans equal footing in the national home-buying market has been approved in Congress and signed into law by President Trump.
The VA Home Loan Reform Act, which was introduced in the House in March, is designed to safeguard the ability of veterans to directly compensate their real estate agents, just as any would-be homebuyer might.
“Veterans deserve the same shot at homeownership as every other buyer,” Shannon McGahn, executive vice president of the National Association of Realtors, remarked in referencing the legislation otherwise known as House Bill 1815.
The lack of full market competitive access for veterans originates from the very creation of the VA’s Home Loan Guaranty program itself.
That program, which allows veterans to purchase a home without a down payment, provided financing in 2023 for some 400,000 transactions. Of that number, well over half helped to fund the dreams of first-time buyers.
The new legislation, besides allowing for veterans to directly pay for various real estate broker/buyer fees, also establishes a permanent Partial Claims Program. That program will now make it possible for the Veterans Administration to purchase a portion of a veteran’s home in efforts to avoid foreclosure.
It is thought that the Partial Claims Program may immediately provide assistance to up to 70,000 veteran homeowners who are currently more than three months behind on their mortgage payments.
The legislation won the support of the American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars, among several other veterans’ advocacy groups.
August 5, 2025
By Garry Boulard
Photo courtesy of Unsplash
