Often sooner than you'd expect. As a general guideline the VA looks for about a 2-year wait after a foreclosure or a Chapter 7 bankruptcy discharge; a Chapter 13 may qualify after about 12 months of on-time plan payments with trustee approval; and a short sale has no VA-mandated waiting period at all. Individual lenders add their own stricter rules on top, so the real answer depends on who handles your file. Sam Timlick, NMLS# 2776469, a Marine Corps veteran, tells you exactly where you stand — at no cost.
The general VA guidelines
The VA itself is more forgiving than most people assume. As a rule of thumb: about two years after a foreclosure (measured from when the title actually left your name), about two years after a Chapter 7 discharge, and roughly twelve months into a Chapter 13 repayment plan if you've made your payments on time and your trustee approves. A short sale carries no VA-set waiting period. These are general guidelines, not promises — your full picture matters, and that's exactly what I review with you.
Why two veterans get different answers: lender overlays
Here's what trips people up. The VA sets a floor, but individual lenders pile their own stricter rules on top — called "overlays" — sometimes requiring three to five years where the VA would allow two. That's why one lender says no and another says yes on the same file. It pays to work with someone who knows the actual VA guideline and isn't hiding behind an overlay. Worth knowing: even at the VA's two-year mark, you can often qualify years sooner than you could with a conventional loan.
How I help you come back
A comeback file — rebuilt credit, a past loss, a story behind the numbers — is where preparation and a lender who'll actually dig in make all the difference. I've helped buyers most lenders turned away get to the closing table (see how a no-credit-score buyer got cleared to close). If you've had a setback, let's look at where you really stand on the VA loan — you may be closer than you think.