If you are choosing between VA Loans Pro by Duane Buziak and another mortgage company, the short answer is structure. Duane Buziak is an independent broker with a 500 FICO floor and wholesale access to 500+ lenders, while most competitors sell one company’s products on one price sheet. This article explains what that difference means for your credit, rate, fees, and VA benefit, then gives you a checklist for testing any company, including the one you are weighing.
Written by Duane Buziak, NMLS #1110647, Coast2Coast Mortgage LLC NMLS #376205.
Broker or Single-Company Mortgage Shop: The Difference That Drives Everything
A direct lender funds loans with its own money or its own warehouse lines and sells you only its own products at its own prices. A broker does not fund the loan. A broker takes one application and places it with whichever wholesale investor, from a pool of hundreds, offers the best fit for your file. The investor underwrites and funds the loan, and you close in the investor’s name.
That structural split shapes everything downstream: which credit scores are accepted, which rate you see, and which fees appear on your Loan Estimate. Duane Buziak works as a broker with wholesale access to 500+ lenders (count as of 2026, confirmed with the company). He is a VA loan specialist licensed in Virginia, Florida, Tennessee, and Georgia. The 804 phone number routes to Richmond, but this is a multi-state practice, not a Richmond-only shop.
Credit flexibility is the clearest dividing line. VA Loans Pro works with VA borrowers down to a 500 FICO, subject to the investor’s guidelines and your full file. Veterans United publishes a 620 minimum. That is not a judgment on Veterans United, which is a large and capable VA-focused company. It means a 540 or 580 borrower may be turned away there before a conversation about the file even starts, while a broker can look for an investor whose rules fit.
The other model deserves fair credit. A single-company shop can offer a tightly streamlined process, one team and one system from application to closing, and deep VA specialization. The tradeoff is that you get one set of overlays (a company’s own credit and underwriting rules layered on top of the VA’s minimums) and one price sheet. If your file fits those overlays, that can work well. If it does not, you have nowhere else to go inside that company.
Brokers have a similar tradeoff in reverse: more options, but your file moves through a placement step. The practical question is whether your situation is the kind where options matter. For lower scores, prior VA loans still outstanding, or a file that does not look like the textbook case, they usually do.
The VA Loan Mechanics That Decide Which Company Fits You
Everything starts with your Certificate of Eligibility (COE), the document that confirms your VA benefit. You can request it through the VA.gov COE page, and a broker can often pull it for you through the VA’s system once you authorize it.
A common misconception: the VA sets a minimum credit score. It does not. The VA guarantees a portion of the loan, and each company decides what score it will accept. That is why the floor ranges from 500 at one place to 620 at another for the same government benefit.
Entitlement
Entitlement is the amount the VA will guarantee. With full entitlement, there is no VA loan limit and zero down is available. If you still have a VA loan being paid off, or you sold a home but did not restore entitlement, you have remaining (second-tier) entitlement. In that case, zero down applies only up to a limit tied to the county’s conforming loan limit, and a down payment may be required above it. The VA loan limits page explains the calculation. Not every company handles second-tier entitlement well, so ask directly.
Funding fee
The funding fee is a one-time VA charge that varies by down payment and by first or subsequent use. As of 2026, a first-use purchase with no down payment carries 2.15%, and the fee drops with 5% or 10% down. Subsequent use with no down payment is higher. Veterans receiving VA disability compensation, and certain others such as surviving spouses receiving DIC, are exempt. Confirm the current table on the VA.gov funding fee page before relying on any figure.
Products to match to your situation
- IRRRL (Interest Rate Reduction Refinance Loan): a streamlined refinance of an existing VA loan to a lower rate.
- Cash-out refinance: available up to 100% loan-to-value with the right investor, though many companies cap at 90%.
- Down payment assistance: Dynamo DPA (2.5% to 3.5%, 580 FICO minimum) and Turbo DPA (3.5% to 5%, 600 FICO minimum, up to 101.5% CLTV) are available per program specs. Which loan types pair with them varies, so confirm current specs for your scenario.
VA Loans Pro vs. Veterans United, Rocket, and Movement at a Glance
The table below compares the structural points that most affect a VA borrower. Figures reflect published or confirmed information as of October 2026; confirm with each company before you decide.
| Company | FICO Min (VA) | Lender Type | Loan Shelf | Fees | Pre-Approval Credit Pull | Program Range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| VA Loans Pro by Duane Buziak | 500 | Independent broker | 500+ wholesale lenders | Broker-negotiated and shoppable; zero-kickback policy | NoTouch Credit Pull (soft pull, no hard inquiry) | VA, FHA, USDA, Conventional, DSCR/Non-QM, Bank Statement, ITIN; cash-out to 100% LTV; Dynamo and Turbo DPA |
| Veterans United | 620 | Direct lender | Single VA-focused shelf | Charges an origination fee; compare on the Loan Estimate | Ask before applying | VA-centered, with other products |
| Rocket Mortgage | No public VA-specific floor | Direct lender | Single shelf | Company-set; compare on the Loan Estimate | Hard pull before real numbers | Broad retail product menu |
| Movement Mortgage | 580 | Direct lender | Single shelf | Company-set; compare on the Loan Estimate | Full application and hard pull | Broad retail menu with local branch process |
Real strengths sit on both sides. Veterans United’s VA-only focus means its staff handle VA files all day, and that experience shows. Movement’s retail branch network gives you a local team and a single point of contact. Duane Buziak counters on scale and technology: he ranked #114 nationally on the Scotsman Guide Top Originators list and was named VA Broker of the Year for 2024 and 2025, and NoTouch Credit Pull is a soft credit pull mortgage pre-qualification that gives digital convenience without the credit hit. NoTouch Credit Pull lets you see where you stand before any hard inquiry hits your report, unlike a standard pre-approval that pulls credit up front.
How to compare any other company
- Is the FICO floor published, and what is it for VA loans specifically?
- Is it a broker or a direct lender?
- How many rate sources will price your file?
- When does the hard credit pull happen, before or after you see numbers?
- Will it provide a written fee breakdown and Loan Estimate before you commit?
A company that answers all five plainly is worth a serious look, whichever model it uses.
Worked Example: A $400,000 VA Purchase at Two Different Prices
Suppose you are a first-use VA buyer purchasing a $400,000 home with 0% down. The rates below are hypothetical illustrations, not quotes.
The funding fee at 2.15% is $400,000 × 0.0215 = $8,600. Financed into the loan, your balance is $408,600 on a 30-year fixed term.
- At 6.00%: principal and interest is about $2,449.76 per month.
- At 6.25%: principal and interest is about $2,515.83 per month.
The difference is $66.07 per month, or about $793 per year, and roughly $3,964 over five years, before counting any difference in how much interest accrues on the balance. A quarter-point is easy to dismiss in conversation, but it is real money.
Now the same purchase for a borrower exempt from the funding fee, for example one receiving VA disability compensation. The loan is $400,000 with no fee. At 6.00%, principal and interest is about $2,398.20 per month, which is $51.56 less than the financed-fee version. At 6.25% it is about $2,462.88, a drop of $52.95.
The lesson is that one rate step or one fee line can outweigh any brand preference. A single-shelf company gives you one price. A broker shopping multiple investors gives you a spread to compare, and that spread is where the savings tend to come from. Neither model guarantees a lower rate, so the only way to know is to compare written estimates on the same day for the same loan.
What Broker Independence Looks Like in Practice
The process is simpler than the structure suggests. You complete one application. Duane Buziak then checks pricing and guideline fit across the wholesale pool and sends your file to the investor whose overlays and price suit it. A 540 FICO borrower and a 700 FICO borrower land with different investors, because the investors that accept 540 are not the ones with the sharpest pricing at 700. A single-shelf company has to fit every borrower into its one set of rules.
Before any of that, you can start with NoTouch Credit Pull, the VA Loans Pro soft-pull pre-qualification. It uses a soft credit pull mortgage inquiry, so there is no hard inquiry on your report, and you see where you stand before your score takes any hit. This matters most if you are close to a score threshold or you are comparing several companies, since multiple hard pulls add noise and stress. It is a way to get mortgage pre approval without hard pull exposure at the exploratory stage. A full approval later still requires a credit check.
Trust mechanics
- Zero-kickback policy: referral partners are not paid to steer you.
- Dare to Compare: a pricing challenge in which you bring a written quote from another company and see how the VA Loans Pro pricing stacks up, on the same terms.
- Total Cost Ecosystem: title, realtor, and insurance savings reviewed alongside the rate, since those line items change what you bring to the table.
- No-out-of-pocket closing options where eligible, so you may bring little to nothing to closing. Eligibility depends on your file and the transaction.
None of this promises a rate or an approval. It describes how the process works.
A state-level figure that affects your options
If you use second-tier entitlement, the county conforming loan limit sets how much zero-down room you have. As of 2026, FHFA’s conforming loan limit values set the one-unit baseline at $832,750 for most counties in Virginia, Florida, Tennessee, and Georgia, with higher limits in designated high-cost areas such as parts of Northern Virginia. Check your county’s current figure on that page.
Eight Questions Veterans Ask When Choosing a Mortgage Company
Can I get a VA loan with a 500 to 580 credit score?
Yes, it can be possible, but it depends on the investor and your full file. The VA sets no minimum score, so companies set their own. VA Loans Pro works down to a 500 FICO, while some direct lenders start at 580 or 620. Approval is never guaranteed, and income, debt, and residual income still matter.
Is a broker or a direct lender cheaper?
Neither model is automatically cheaper, but a broker can compare many price sheets while a direct lender shows one. Brokers are often assumed to cost more, which is a misconception. The only reliable test is comparing written Loan Estimates for the same loan on the same day.
Does pre-approval require a hard credit pull?
Not always. Many companies pull credit up front, but a soft-pull mortgage broker can pre-qualify you without a hard inquiry. VA Loans Pro’s NoTouch Credit Pull works this way. A hard pull is generally required later, when you move to full underwriting.
Do I need a COE before I start?
No, you can start before you have it, but you need it to close. You can request your Certificate of Eligibility through the VA.gov COE page, and a broker can often retrieve it for you with your authorization.
Does Duane Buziak work outside Virginia?
Yes. Duane Buziak is licensed in Virginia, Florida, Tennessee, and Georgia, and works with VA borrowers in all four states. The 804 phone number routes to Richmond, but the practice is multi-state.
Can I use a VA loan again with remaining entitlement?
Yes, if you have remaining entitlement. You can use a VA loan again with second-tier entitlement, though the zero-down amount is limited by the county conforming loan limit. Some borrowers can also restore full entitlement after the earlier loan is paid off and the property sold.
Are brokers paid by me or by the investor?
It depends on how the loan is structured, and it must be disclosed in writing. Compensation is typically paid by the investor or by the borrower, and the Loan Estimate shows which. VA Loans Pro operates under a zero-kickback policy, so no third party is paid to refer you.
How do I compare two quotes?
Compare Loan Estimates for the same loan amount, rate lock period, and date. Check the interest rate, APR, origination and third-party fees, and whether the funding fee is financed. The CFPB’s Loan Estimate guidance walks through each section.
Match the Investor to Your Credit, Then Test the Numbers
The right choice depends on your credit and which investor’s guidelines fit it. If your file sits comfortably in the middle of any company’s range, several options will work and price becomes the deciding factor. If your score is low, your entitlement is split, or your file has quirks, access to many investors is worth more than any single company’s brand. Whichever company you consider, ask for a written estimate and run the five-question checklist above.
To see where you stand without a credit hit, start with a NoTouch Credit Pull soft-pull pre-qualification with VA Loans Pro by Duane Buziak. Learn more about our services
Disclaimer: This article is for general information only and is not financial, legal, or tax advice. Rates, fees, program terms, and VA rules are subject to change, and all loans are subject to underwriting approval. Consult a licensed professional about your situation. Equal Housing Lender.
About the author: Duane Buziak, NMLS #1110647 (Coast2Coast Mortgage LLC NMLS #376205), is a Scotsman Guide Top Originator (#114 nationally, $51.2M), a VA Broker of the Year for 2024 and 2025, and a UWM PRO ELITE 2025 broker with more than 1,400 five-star reviews. He helps VA borrowers in Virginia, Florida, Tennessee, and Georgia. Read the full About page.