It depends. VA told me that I personally needed a 620 credit score which I already head. They were able to help repair my credit and bump it up another 20 points to 640 to get me an even better deal. Talk with VA. Stay local. Do not do deals with VA if the person on the other end of the line is out of state. 2 reasons. 1: It helps prevent fraud. 2: it’s easier to work local and gives you better odds of closing on the home you want. VA has programs for credit repair to help get your score up if it is too low. They WANT to loan you the money so you can trust the advice they are giving is good. Contact VA and they will guide you. They will need to do a credit check in order to find out where your score is at and get you prequalified. Circumstances depending this check can be soft or hard.
Note: WHEN and only when your score is at an appropriate level shop around. You will have a 30-45 day window where you can do hard check after hard check without destroying your score. Credit agencies understand you are shopping around. Trust VA and (hopefully you have a great realtor you can trust too). They will guide you through the process. Understand what you are paying TOTAL. After mortgage, insurance, trash, water, electric, etc... can you afford it?
