Washington
Washington VA IRRRL: JBLM, Kitsap and the Dry-Funding Clock
Washington is a dry-funding, community-property state, and both facts shape a VA streamline. Home Loans Inc is not licensed in Washington, so use this to understand the loan, then hire a local lender.
Home Loans Inc is not licensed in Washington and cannot take a Washington application. We lend in South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia, Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Iowa and Wyoming.
Up front
Not licensed here, still worth your read
Home Loans Inc is not licensed in Washington. I cannot take your application, and I would rather say it in the first paragraph than the last. What I can give you is a straight briefing on how the VA streamline works in Washington, so the lender you do pick has to earn your business.
Washington has an enormous military footprint, which means an enormous number of VA loans. A lot of them are sitting at rates their owners would love to lower. The IRRRL is the tool for that.
Puget Sound and east
Bases and the markets around them
Joint Base Lewis-McChord
Tacoma area. The largest military base on the West Coast by population, with McChord Field in Lakewood flying C-17s.
Naval Base Kitsap
Bangor and Bremerton. Trident submarines and aircraft carriers.
Naval Station Everett
An aircraft carrier home port north of Seattle.
Whidbey Island NAS
Oak Harbor. EA-18G Growler electronic warfare.
Fairchild AFB
Spokane. KC-135 tankers and the SERE school.
Olympia and Vancouver
The state capital, and the growing Portland-side suburbs.
Seattle and Tacoma are expensive. Spokane is far more affordable. Kitsap is a Navy town, and Whidbey is an island market all its own. For a purchase those differences matter a lot. For an IRRRL they matter much less, because VA usually does not order an appraisal on a streamline. What matters is your rate, your costs and your savings.
How funding works
Sign, record, wait, fund
Washington closes refinances through escrow or limited practice officers, and it is a dry-funding state. Your documents get signed and recorded first. The funds disburse a few days later, after the rescission window. Dry funding plus the federal three-day rescission can stretch the time from signing to payoff.
Budget for that. Your old loan keeps charging interest until it is paid off, so ask the lender for the projected funding date and a payoff that matches it.
Washington is a community-property state. Both spouses generally must join to encumber community real estate under RCW 26.16.030, unless the property is separate and quitclaimed. If you are married, assume both of you sign and let the title underwriter tell you otherwise.
On costs, Washington's real estate excise tax is a deed tax and does not apply to a refinance. You pay recording fees, though recording surcharges went up in mid-2025, so verify the amount with your county.
VA's rules
The streamline checklist
- Your current mortgage must be a VA loan.
- Seasoning: 210 days from the first payment due date and at least six payments, whichever is later.
- Costs must be recovered through lower payments within 36 months.
- A net tangible benefit is required, such as a lower rate or trading an ARM for a fixed rate.
- Prior occupancy only. A sailor who moved from Bremerton to another coast can still streamline the Kitsap house.
- Funding fee of 0.5%, waived for veterans receiving VA disability compensation.
- Usually no appraisal and no income verification, though lenders may add overlays.
Washington also bans prepayment penalties on most loans, with some ARMs excepted, and uses non-judicial foreclosure.
Shopping tip
Read the APR, not the headline
Washington advertising rules require the APR to be at least as prominent as the rate, and they ban superlatives. Use that. When a lender flashes a low rate, the APR next to it tells you how much fee is baked in. A big gap between rate and APR usually means costs that will strain your 36-month break-even.
Get two or three quotes from Washington licensed lenders, line up the APRs, and ask each for the funding date. The one with the clearest answers usually has the cleanest loan.
Washington VA IRRRL questions
Why does my Washington refinance fund days after I sign?
Washington is a dry-funding state. Documents are signed and recorded first, then funds disburse a few days later, after the rescission window. Dry funding plus the federal three-day rescission can lengthen the time to fund, so ask for the projected payoff date.
Does Washington's excise tax apply to a VA streamline?
No. The real estate excise tax is a deed tax and does not apply to a refinance. You pay recording fees, though recording surcharges rose in mid-2025, so check the current amount with your county before trusting a closing cost estimate.
Does my spouse have to sign since Washington is community property?
Generally yes. Both spouses usually must join to encumber community real estate under RCW 26.16.030, unless the property is separate and quitclaimed. Your title underwriter confirms vesting and who signs at the closing.
We moved from JBLM but kept the house. Can we still do an IRRRL?
Usually yes, if the existing loan is VA. A streamline only requires certifying prior occupancy, so a Tacoma-area home you lived in before orders can still qualify, as long as seasoning, the 36-month recoup and net tangible benefit are satisfied.
Can Home Loans Inc do my Washington VA streamline?
No. Home Loans Inc is not licensed in Washington and cannot take the application. This page is education. Compare Washington licensed lenders, line up their APRs, and ask each one for the break-even month and funding date.