The VA Lender J.D. Kameen
(443) 904-6160
J.D. Kameen with his family in the Lowcountry, USNA graduate and USMC Captain (Ret.)
J.D. Kameen USMC Capt. (Ret.) · Annapolis
J.D. Kameen · The VA Lender

A Marine officer who built a practice around one benefit.

Your VA loan, handled by people who do this every day. Real pre-approvals in a day or two. J.D. on the file with you from the first call through closing.

Call J.D. (443) 904-6160 Get the Playbook
Or check VA eligibility in 60 seconds →
One direct line to J.D. and his team. Texts get answered after hours and on weekends, which matters when you're on a PCS clock. If J.D. isn't personally licensed in your state, you'll work with a team member who is.
Read Further

The field guide J.D. wrote.

Twenty-four pages on how the VA loan benefit actually works, written in the same voice as the rest of this site. Eligibility, entitlement, the funding fee, manual underwriting, jumbo, construction, PCS timelines, refinancing, the credit-event playbook, and the questions worth asking any lender before you sign anything.

Free, written by J.D. directly. Drop your name and email and we'll send the PDF over. If you want to talk through your situation after reading it, his number is on the last page.

Send Me the Playbook
First Step

Confirm eligibility in 60 seconds.

Three quick questions and you'll know where you stand. Or skip the quiz and just give us a call.

USNA '15
·
USMC Captain (Ret.)
·
NMLS #2345000 Evolution Mortgage
·
Licensed in 30+ states
What J.D. Does

Every VA loan type. By the hundreds.

VA loans are the main thing we do, which is why the files most lenders find complicated are routine here. PCS timelines, full-entitlement jumbo, construction one-time-close, multi-unit, post-credit-event.

01

First-time VA purchase

Zero down, no PMI, and a real pre-approval in a day or two. You'll have what you need to compete in a multiple-offer situation, with documentation that actually holds up.

02

PCS purchases

If you have a hard report date, we've closed 48 hours before report and we don't go quiet after 5pm. Texts get returned. OCONUS isn't unusual for us.

03

IRRRL refinance

The VA streamline. When rates move, the math is usually straightforward. We'll run the numbers on a break-even and tell you honestly whether it's worth doing or whether you should wait.

04

Cash-out refinance

VA cash-out up to 100% LTV. We'll compare it honestly to a HELOC, and there are situations where the HELOC is the better play. We'll tell you when that's the case.

05

Construction one-time close

The lot, the build, and the permanent mortgage all funded at one closing, with a single rate lock and one set of closing costs. We run several of these every quarter.

06

Jumbo & multi-unit

With full entitlement, the VA doesn't impose a loan limit, so you can pick up a 2-to-4 unit, live in one, and keep the others as income. These are a real chunk of our weekly volume.

How J.D. Works

One product. Run weekly. The phone answered.

VA is the main product I work in. Residual-income manual files, PCS sprints with a hard report date, construction one-time-close, jumbo at full entitlement, files where there was a credit event a couple years back. I run them every week.

That's how the language stays honest. Tidewater, ROV, residual-income compensating factors, COE entitlement restoration: these aren't terms I'm reaching for to sound technical. They're how a real VA file moves. Our pre-approvals get a real underwriting look. We'll get you a Loan Estimate before you formally apply, and if you're funding-fee exempt, we pull your COE and confirm it before pricing the loan, so the exemption is in your first quote instead of showing up later as a "correction."

You call our team. I'm on every file. Texts come back after hours. PCS calls come back on weekends. None of that is going above and beyond on our end. It's how this kind of work gets done.

Top 1%1
VA loan originators nationally
2025 Scotsman Guide
Hundreds2
VA loans closed annually
Combined team production
18–263
Days to close on PCS files
Typical, qualifying files
30+
States the team is licensed to lend in
Verify at NMLS Consumer Access
A Note From J.D.

Six years a Marine. Now a VA lender.

I graduated from the Naval Academy in 2015 and spent the next six years as a Marine officer. When I left active duty, I built my mortgage practice with the VA loan at the center of it. It's the benefit I know cold, and it's the work I want to do every day.

Together, my team and I close hundreds of VA loans a year for service members, veterans, and military families across more than thirty states. We work with first-time buyers and fifth-time buyers. We've closed PCS files with the report-date clock running, jumbo files with full entitlement, manual underwrites on residual income, and one-time-close construction loans. Whatever your file looks like, we've probably seen something close to it.

When you talk to me, you'll get the same explanation I'd give you over the phone. Plain English, with anything technical defined as we go. I won't assume you already know how this works, because most people don't, and there's no reason you would.

If you want to talk through your situation, our number is on this page. You'll reach my team, and from there I'll be on the file with you.

— J.D.
P.S.

I put together a 24-page playbook on how the VA loan benefit actually works. Eligibility, entitlement, the funding fee, manual underwriting, all of it. Get a copy

Questions Borrowers Ask

The 12 most common, answered directly.

These come up on almost every first call. The answers below are what I'd actually tell you on the phone, just typed out instead.

01
How many VA loans does your team close in a year?
Hundreds annually, combined team production. We finished 2025 in the Top 1% nationally per Scotsman Guide. VA is our primary practice.
02
Do you manually underwrite VA files in-house?
Yes, every week. A "refer" from the automated system isn't a rejection. It just means a human underwriter needs to look at the file. With residual income and properly documented compensating factors, those files often move forward, and we've gotten very used to making the case for them.
03
What's a typical PCS close timeline?
On a qualifying file, 18 to 26 days is the norm. The fastest we've ever closed was 48 hours before the borrower's report date. That kind of pace takes a borrower who gets documentation in quickly and a team that's willing to work nights and weekends to make it happen.
04
Do you handle the VA construction one-time close?
Yes, several a quarter. The lot, the build, and the permanent mortgage all funded at one closing. One rate lock, one set of closing costs. Most builds run nine to twelve months from groundbreaking to final inspection.
05
How does a jumbo VA work with full entitlement?
With full entitlement, the VA doesn't put a cap on your loan amount. You can borrow whatever your income, credit and the appraisal will support, well into jumbo territory, at zero down with no PMI. The county loan limits you sometimes read about only apply when your entitlement is partial.
06
Can I see a sample Loan Estimate before I apply?
Yes. Just ask. We can have one to you before any formal application, and if you're funding-fee exempt, it's already priced in (we pull your COE and confirm the exemption before quoting).
07
Who's my loan officer through closing?
J.D. is on every file, application through closing. The team handles intake, document collection, status updates, and most of what happens between milestones. One number, one email address, one shared workflow. If J.D. isn't personally licensed in your state, a team member who is signs the loan, but J.D. still leads the file.
08
What happens if my appraisal comes in low?
Four real options, and we walk you through all of them the day the appraisal comes back. You can renegotiate the price, pay the gap in cash, submit a Reconsideration of Value (an ROV), or walk away. There's also Tidewater, which is the VA's 48-hour window to get better comps to the appraiser before the low value gets finalized. We use that proactively, not as a last resort.
09
I'm funding-fee exempt. How does that show up?
On the first quote. If you have a service-connected disability rating, a Purple Heart received on active duty, or you're an eligible surviving spouse receiving DIC, you're exempt. We pull your COE and confirm the exemption before we price anything, so it's in your initial Loan Estimate.
10
What's the communication standard, including after hours?
Texts get answered after hours. PCS calls get answered on weekends. When you're working against a hard timeline, that's just part of doing the job right.
11
I've used my VA loan before. Can I use it again?
Almost always. If you sold the property and the VA loan was paid off, your entitlement is usually fully restored. If you still have an active VA loan, you may have partial entitlement available for a second purchase. So "you've already used your VA loan" is rarely the actual end of the discussion.
12
Can I talk to two recent borrowers as references?
Yes, just ask. Whatever your situation looks like (PCS, construction, jumbo, post-credit-event), we can usually put you in touch with someone who's been through something similar.

If your situation isn't on this list, that's the right reason to call. Every file has its quirks, and most of them get sorted out on the phone in less time than this list takes to read.

Call J.D. · (443) 904-6160 Check Eligibility
References

From recent borrowers.

Names and ranks shared with permission. Full references available on request.

Nineteen days from when my first orders dropped to keys in the door. J.D.'s team had most of the file half-built before I even had a house picked out, which is the only reason that timeline was possible.
2nd Lt. M.R., USMC
First duty station PCS · 2025
J.D. ran the break-even math, told me the refinance didn't pencil out for my timeline, and walked me through exactly why. It cost him a deal and saved me a few thousand dollars. That's the call I needed.
LT J.L., USN
Norfolk, VA · IRRRL consultation · 2024
Did a one-time-close construction loan on our forever home. J.D. answered texts on a Saturday during the framing inspection, and helped us run down a permit issue first thing Monday morning. We couldn't have asked for a better partner on a build.
Maj. A.T., USMC & spouse
Construction one-time close · 2025
Before You Call

Common questions.

Will I have to pay PMI on my VA loan?
No, never. VA loans don't carry private mortgage insurance, no matter what you put down, even if it's zero. That's one of the biggest financial differences between VA and the other programs (conventional needs PMI under 20% down, and FHA usually requires MIP for the life of the loan).
Do I need a down payment?
For most borrowers with full entitlement, no. You can finance the entire purchase price. If you've used your VA loan before and only have partial entitlement, you might need a down payment on whatever portion sits above your remaining entitlement. We'll walk you through the math once we've looked at your file.
What credit score do I need?
The VA itself doesn't set a minimum credit score. Lenders set their own overlays. Ours are looser than most, and we routinely close loans for borrowers with scores down to 580, sometimes lower when there are good compensating factors on the file. The right move is usually to have a conversation about your specific situation before assuming you don't qualify.
I've used my VA loan before. Can I use it again?
Almost always, yes. If you sold the previous property and the VA loan was paid off, your entitlement is usually restored in full. If you still have an active VA loan, you may still have partial entitlement available for a new purchase. So when somebody says "you've already used your VA loan," that's rarely the end of the discussion.
I had a bankruptcy or foreclosure. Am I out?
Probably not. The VA's waiting periods are noticeably shorter than conventional and FHA. Two years after a Chapter 7, two years after a foreclosure or short sale, and twelve months of on-time Chapter 13 payments with court approval. If the rest of your file is strong, manual underwriting can sometimes shorten those windows even further.
How quickly can you close?
Standard VA purchases close in 21 to 45 days. Our PCS files routinely close in 18 to 26. The fastest we've ever done one was 48 hours before the borrower's report date, though that requires front-loaded documentation and a team that's willing to work weekends.
What states are you licensed in?
J.D. is personally licensed in 14 states: AL, AZ, CA, DC, FL, HI, KS, MD, MO, NC, PA, SC, VA, and WA. Evolution Mortgage is licensed in 30+ states, so loans outside J.D.'s personal licenses are handled by another licensed loan originator on the team, with J.D. still leading the file.
One Direct Line

If you want to talk, here's the number.

Pre-approval, eligibility, refinance math, or just a sanity check on your file. Whichever it is, a phone call almost always gets there faster.

Call (443) 904-6160 Download the Playbook
jkameen@evolutionmortgage.com  ·  NMLS #2345000  ·  Evolution Mortgage #2432729
J.D. & Team
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