Mortgage Broker
in Virginia
Channel Marker Mortgage is licensed across the Commonwealth of Virginia. We close loans for active-duty service members at the Pentagon and Quantico, federal employees in Arlington, jumbo buyers in McLean and Great Falls, first-time buyers in Spotsylvania, and waterfront purchases on the Tidewater. Northern Virginia, Richmond, Hampton Roads, Charlottesville, Roanoke, the Shenandoah — if you're shopping in Virginia, we close there.
Why Channel Marker for a Virginia mortgage
We're a multi-state mortgage broker with deep Virginia expertise. The difference matters in a market this varied.
Wholesale rates
As a broker, we shop your loan across 100+ wholesale lenders. The same loan that costs you 7.0% at a retail bank often costs 6.5% through us — because retail banks layer their own margin on top of the wholesale rate.
Military and federal expertise
Virginia has the highest density of active-duty service members and federal civilians on the East Coast. We close VA loans every week — Pentagon, Quantico, Norfolk, Pax River, Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Andrews. The federal pay structures, deployment income, and PCS timelines are routine for us.
Real loan officers
Book a call, talk to one of seven licensed Virginia loan officers. The same person who pre-approves you walks the deal to closing — no transfers to a corporate processor on the other side of the country.
The Virginia mortgage market in 2026
Virginia is one of the most economically diverse housing markets in the United States — and one of the toughest to underwrite if you don't know it. Northern Virginia is jumbo territory; Hampton Roads is military-buyer territory; the Shenandoah Valley and Southwest Virginia are first-time-buyer and USDA territory. The same lender doesn't excel at all of these.
Top metros we cover: Arlington, Alexandria, Fairfax, Reston, McLean, Falls Church, Tysons, Sterling, Manassas, Fredericksburg, Richmond, Williamsburg, Virginia Beach, Norfolk, Chesapeake, Newport News, Hampton, Charlottesville, Roanoke, Lynchburg, Blacksburg, Harrisonburg, Winchester.
Virginia has the lowest closing costs in the DMV — total buyer-side transfer and recording costs run roughly 0.42% of purchase price, meaningfully cheaper than Maryland's 1.25–1.7% or DC's 1.45%. The regional congestion relief tax (an extra 0.10% in NoVA counties) is paid by the seller, not the buyer. We cover the full math in our DMV closing costs guide.
Loan programs available in Virginia
We're licensed for and regularly close every major loan product in the Commonwealth.
- Conventional loansThe 2026 conforming loan limit is $832,750 across most of Virginia. The high-cost ceiling of $1,249,125 applies to Northern Virginia and the broader Washington metro: Arlington, Fairfax County, Loudoun, Prince William, Stafford, Spotsylvania, Fauquier, plus the independent cities of Alexandria, Fairfax, Falls Church, Manassas, Manassas Park, and Fredericksburg.
- FHA loansLow down payment (3.5%), more flexible credit. FHA limits in Virginia mirror the conforming-county pattern.
- VA loansZero down for eligible veterans, active duty, and surviving spouses. With full entitlement there's no upper loan limit. Virginia is our highest-volume VA loan state — see our VA Home Loans in the DMV guide for the rules.
- USDA loansZero-down financing for properties in USDA-eligible areas. Significant portions of central, southern, and western Virginia qualify — Madison, Greene, Orange, Louisa, Culpeper, Fauquier, Rappahannock, Bedford, Botetourt, Nelson, and most of the Shenandoah Valley.
- Jumbo loansAbove the conforming cap. Critical for the McLean, Great Falls, Vienna, Arlington, and Old Town Alexandria markets — we work with jumbo lenders offering competitive rates and asset-based qualification options.
- Bridge loansFor buyers who need to purchase before selling. Particularly relevant in NoVA where contingent offers don't compete in tight inventory.
Special Virginia situations — where a broker beats a bank
A retail bank pre-approves you against its single underwriting box. If you fit, you get the loan. If you don't, you don't. A multi-lender broker has access to over 100 wholesale lenders, each with its own underwriting criteria. We use that to close loans for situations a retail bank either can't or won't.
Active duty and PCS buyers
Pentagon, Quantico, Norfolk, Pax River, Langley-Eustis, Belvoir, Andrews. We close VA loans during PCS moves regularly — including buyers who haven't physically arrived in Virginia yet. We know the BAH math, the deployment income rules, and the entitlement restoration paths.
Federal employees
Federal pay grades, locality pay, special-rate tables, GS-to-SES bridges, and federal benefit packages factor into qualification. Most Virginia federal civilians qualify for more than a vanilla retail-bank pre-approval suggests — we know how to underwrite the file.
Self-employed and 1099 buyers
Bank statement loans qualifying you on 12 or 24 months of business deposits rather than tax returns. Common for NoVA tech contractors, Charlottesville consultants, and Hampton Roads small business owners — exactly the kind of file a retail bank tends to bounce.
Tidewater waterfront properties
Chesapeake Bay, Eastern Shore of Virginia, Lynnhaven, Lafayette River — flood insurance, elevation certificates, and FEMA documentation are routine but require lenders comfortable with the file. We work with the ones who are.
Historic homes
Old Town Alexandria, Williamsburg, Fredericksburg, Lexington, Staunton. Some lenders won't finance pre-1900 construction; some require historic designation paperwork. We work with the ones who don't get spooked.
Bridge loans and move-up buyers
Selling a townhouse in Reston to step up to McLean, or selling a starter home in Henrico to land in Charlottesville — we structure financing that wins in tight Virginia markets where contingent offers struggle.
If your file doesn't fit a vanilla 30-year-fixed at 20% down, the brokerage model is built for you. We close the deals retail banks call "complicated."
Counties and cities we serve
Channel Marker is licensed across all of Virginia — 95 counties and 38 independent cities. The major markets we work daily, organized by region.
Northern Virginia
Arlington, Fairfax County, Loudoun, Prince William, Stafford, Spotsylvania, Fauquier, Culpeper. Independent cities: Alexandria, Fairfax City, Falls Church, Manassas, Manassas Park, Fredericksburg.
Greater Richmond
Henrico, Chesterfield, Hanover, Goochland, Powhatan, New Kent, Caroline. Cities: Richmond, Petersburg, Colonial Heights, Hopewell.
Hampton Roads / Tidewater
James City, York, Isle of Wight, Gloucester, Mathews. Cities: Virginia Beach, Norfolk, Chesapeake, Hampton, Newport News, Suffolk, Portsmouth, Williamsburg, Poquoson.
Central Virginia
Albemarle, Madison, Greene, Orange, Louisa, Nelson, Fluvanna. Cities: Charlottesville.
Western and Southwest Virginia
Roanoke County, Botetourt, Bedford, Franklin, Montgomery, Pulaski. Cities: Roanoke, Salem, Lynchburg, Blacksburg.
Shenandoah Valley
Frederick, Warren, Clarke, Shenandoah, Page, Augusta, Rockingham. Cities: Winchester, Harrisonburg, Staunton, Waynesboro.
Virginia-licensed loan officers
Every member of the Channel Marker team is licensed in Virginia. Book directly with whoever fits your situation.
Frequently asked questions about Virginia mortgages
What's the minimum down payment for a Virginia home?
Zero for VA-eligible borrowers and qualifying USDA properties. 3.5% for FHA. 3% for some conventional first-time-buyer programs. 5% for standard conventional. Active-duty military can almost always go zero down with a VA loan.
How does a VA loan work in Virginia?
Zero down for eligible service members, veterans, and surviving spouses. With full entitlement there's no upper loan limit — even on Northern Virginia jumbo prices. Virginia is the highest-volume VA loan state in the country, and we close VA loans for buyers around every major Virginia base. Our VA Home Loans in the DMV guide walks through the funding fee, exemptions, and entitlement rules in detail.
What are Virginia's transfer and recordation taxes?
Virginia has the lowest transfer and recordation taxes in the DMV. Buyer-side total runs roughly 0.42% of purchase price (state recordation 0.25%, grantee tax 0.083%, local recordation 0.083%). The regional congestion relief tax adds another 0.10% in NoVA counties — but that's paid by the seller, not the buyer.
What's the 2026 conforming loan limit in Northern Virginia?
Northern Virginia and the broader Washington metro use the high-cost conforming limit of $1,249,125 for 2026. That covers Arlington, Fairfax County, Loudoun, Prince William, Stafford, Spotsylvania, Fauquier, plus Alexandria, Fairfax City, Falls Church, Manassas, Manassas Park, and Fredericksburg. The rest of Virginia uses the standard $832,750 limit.
Can a self-employed buyer get a mortgage in Virginia without two years of tax returns?
Yes. Bank statement loans qualify self-employed and 1099 borrowers on 12 or 24 months of business deposits rather than tax returns. Rates are slightly higher than conventional but the underwriting is built for the income profile most retail banks reject. Common file for NoVA tech contractors, Charlottesville consultants, and Hampton Roads small business owners.
How long does it take to close a Virginia mortgage with Channel Marker?
Our average closing timeline runs about 11.5 days from clear-to-close — meaningfully faster than the 30-to-45-day industry standard. As a broker, we route each file to the wholesale lender best positioned to close it quickly, and our team manages the file actively from contract through funding so the small things that slow most closings down get caught early.
Get a Virginia-specific loan estimate
Online calculators get you in the right ballpark. They miss the local nuances — NoVA jumbo break points, VA loan funding fee math, federal employee qualification, lender credits, and seller concessions. We model your specific scenario in writing and give you the number that actually shows up at closing.
Book a 15-minute call