Who Pays Closing Costs on a VA Loan in Columbus, GA?

Who pays closing costs on a VA loan in Columbus, GA?

On a VA loan, you pay a short list of VA-allowable closing costs, the lender absorbs certain fees inside a capped origination charge, and the seller is allowed to pay your closing costs with no dollar cap. Other seller-paid items, like your funding fee or prepaid taxes and insurance, count toward a separate 4% concession limit measured against the home's VA appraised value. In Georgia, plan on roughly 2% to 5% of the price in total closing costs, plus a funding fee you can finance. Ask for seller help in your offer, not after the inspection.

By Matt Horne, REALTOR® | November 9, 2026

You found the house. Your lender sent a Loan Estimate. Then you hit the closing costs line and wondered how a zero-down loan turned into a five-figure number.

It's one of the most common questions VA buyers ask online, and most of the answers you'll find are national and generic. They don't tell you what a Georgia closing looks like, what the Alabama side adds, or how to actually get a seller to help. Here's how I walk my clients through it.

Three buckets: you, your lender, and the seller

VA rules decide who is allowed to pay what. Think of it as three buckets.

What you can be charged

VA limits the fees a veteran can be charged to a defined list of allowable costs. The usual ones:

• Origination fee (capped at 1% of the loan when the lender charges a flat fee)
• Appraisal and credit report
• Title search, title insurance, and recording fees
• Hazard insurance and the first deposits into escrow for taxes and insurance
• Georgia's intangible tax on the mortgage (more on that below)

What VA won't let a lender pass to you

Lenders can't bill you for application, processing, document preparation, or rate lock fees, among others. Those get absorbed inside the lender's flat origination fee, or the seller pays them. Which fees fall in which bucket on your loan is your lender's call, so ask for the allowable-fee breakdown in writing.

What the seller can pay

This is where VA buyers have real leverage. A seller may pay your closing costs with no VA dollar cap. The separate 4% limit applies to other concessions, covered next.

The 4% rule, with Columbus numbers

VA caps seller concessions at 4% of the home's reasonable value, which is the number on the VA appraisal (the Notice of Value). Some lender websites say 4% of the price or the loan amount. VA's own guidance uses reasonable value, so that's the number to ask your lender about.

Here's what that looks like on a home with a reasonable value of $265,000, close to the metro's median sale price of about $264,000 this spring:

• 4% cap on concessions: $10,600
• Ordinary closing costs the seller pays on your behalf: not counted toward the cap
• Your VA funding fee, if the seller pays it: counts
• Paying off your debts so you qualify: counts
• Prepaid property taxes and homeowners insurance the seller pays: counts
• A seller-funded temporary rate buydown: counts
• Discount points beyond what's customary: counts

The funding fee is the one that surprises people. On a zero-down first-use purchase it's 2.15% of the loan, about $5,700 on $265,000. That's more than half of the concession cap on this example, which is why most buyers finance it into the loan instead of asking the seller to cover it.

The current VA funding fee tiers for a purchase:

• First use: 2.15% with under 5% down, 1.5% with 5% to under 10% down, 1.25% with 10% or more down
• After first use: 3.3% with under 5% down, 1.5% with 5% to under 10% down, 1.25% with 10% or more down

You're exempt if you receive VA disability compensation, so confirm your status before you build your numbers.

What closing costs look like on each side of the river

I work both sides of the Chattahoochee, and the line items change at the state line. Our cross-state buyer's guide goes deeper on taxes and process in each state.

Georgia (Columbus, Midtown, North Columbus, Harris County):

• Total buyer closing costs typically run 2% to 5% of the price. On $265,000, that's roughly $5,300 to $13,250
• Georgia's intangible tax on the mortgage is 0.30% of the loan, about $795 on a $265,000 loan
• A closing attorney handles the closing, so budget for that fee
• The state transfer tax is $1 per $1,000 of price, about $265 here, and the seller is liable for it by default

Alabama (Phenix City, Lee and Russell Counties):

• Alabama's mortgage recording tax is 15 cents per $100 borrowed, about $398 on a $265,000 loan
• Alabama also has a deed tax. Who pays it can depend on the contract and local custom, so confirm with your closing attorney or title company rather than assuming

If you're new to the process, my first-time buyer guide walks through the steps from pre-approval to keys.

How to actually get the seller to pay

Knowing the rules doesn't help if the offer doesn't use them. The order I follow with clients:

1. Get your lender's allowable cash-to-close number before you write the offer. Ask for a Loan Estimate on the specific price you're considering.
2. Put a dollar amount in the offer. "Seller to pay up to $X toward buyer's closing costs and prepaids" is cleaner than "seller pays all closing costs."
3. Get a homeowners insurance quote now. One 2025 estimate put the average Columbus premium around $2,365 a year for a $300,000 dwelling, which is about $200 a month and a prepaid item at closing. Your real quote depends on the home, so get it early.
4. Settle the termite question. If the VA appraisal calls for a wood-destroying insect inspection, decide in the contract who pays before the report shows up.
5. Budget cash for what zero down doesn't cover. Earnest money, due diligence money, your inspection, and often the appraisal are paid up front.

If you're buying new construction, builder credits are seller concessions too, so the same rules apply to them.

Does the market give you room to ask?

More than it did a year ago. Active listings in the Columbus metro were up about 13% year over year as of May 2026, and Realtor.com's median days on market rose to 62 days in September, up from 55 a year earlier. A seller whose house has been sitting is often more open to a concession than one with three offers in a weekend. But it depends on the house, the price, and the seller, which is why I look at how long a specific listing has been on the market before I write the offer.

If you're also selling a home you own because of orders, our sell-or-rent breakdown for PCS families covers that side. And once you're under contract, here's how long closing takes in Columbus.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can the seller pay all of my closing costs on a VA loan?

Yes. VA doesn't cap what a seller can pay toward your actual closing costs. Concessions beyond those, such as your funding fee or prepaid items, count toward the 4% limit. The seller still has to agree, so the request belongs in your offer.

What is the VA 4% seller concession rule?

VA limits certain seller-paid items, like the buyer's funding fee, debt payoffs, prepaid taxes and insurance, and temporary buydowns, to 4% of the home's reasonable value. Ordinary closing costs sit outside that limit.

How much are closing costs on a VA loan in Georgia?

Georgia buyer closing costs typically run 2% to 5% of the purchase price. On a $265,000 home, that's about $5,300 to $13,250 before any seller help. Your lender's Loan Estimate gives you the real number for your loan.

How much is the VA funding fee?

For a first-use purchase, it's 2.15% with under 5% down, 1.5% with 5% to under 10% down, and 1.25% with 10% or more down. It's higher after first use if you put less than 5% down. Veterans who receive VA disability compensation are exempt.

Can I buy a home in Columbus with no money down on a VA loan?

Yes, if you have the entitlement. Zero down doesn't mean zero cash, though. Plan for earnest money, due diligence money, inspections, and the appraisal, plus whatever closing costs the seller doesn't cover.

VA benefits only help if your offer uses them. The right ask depends on the house, the seller, and how much cash you'd rather keep.

Every move in the Chattahoochee Valley has its own costs, deadlines, and fine print, especially when your orders have you choosing a side of the river. Book a free 15-minute strategy call and I'll walk through your VA numbers with you: your funding fee, what to ask the seller for, and a cash-to-close estimate for the home you're considering.

About Matt Horne

Matt Horne is a REALTOR® with Coldwell Banker Kennon & Parker, licensed in Georgia and Alabama since 2017 and a member of Coldwell Banker's International President's Circle every year since 2019. He helps buyers and sellers across Columbus, Phenix City, Harris County and Lake Harding make confident real estate decisions, with a focus on new construction, corporate relocation and PCS military moves. Before becoming an agent, he ran his own business and bought, renovated and sold a blighted commercial building in Midtown himself.

This article is general information, not lending, tax, or legal advice. VA rules and fees change, so confirm current requirements with your lender and closing attorney.