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Moving to Broward County for a job, retiring near the water, or already a Fort Lauderdale Veteran? Here’s how a VA loan works from Las Olas and the canals out to Weston and Coral Springs: what to check on a waterfront home and its seawall, getting to work by train or interstate, Broward’s rules for older condo buildings, the four VA clinics in the county, and every benefit that stacks if you have a disability rating.
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Can I use a VA loan on a canal home with a dock? Yes. A waterfront home qualifies like any other single-family home, with $0 down if you have full entitlement, as long as you’ll live in it. The dock and seawall come with the property, so have both inspected, find out the seawall’s age and permits, and get flood and wind quotes early, since most canal lots sit in a FEMA flood zone.
Broward runs from Hallandale Beach in the south to Deerfield Beach in the north, with the older cities along the coast and newer suburbs stretching west toward the Everglades. Fort Lauderdale itself sits in the middle, built around its canals and the New River.
Las Olas, the canals and the Galt
Popular areas: Victoria Park, Rio Vista, Las Olas Isles, Coral Ridge, Galt Ocean Mile
Canal-front homes, older ranch houses and a lot of oceanfront and Intracoastal condos. Waterfront prices and insurance run well above inland Broward.
Hollywood down to the county line
Popular areas: Hollywood, Dania Beach, Hallandale Beach, Pembroke Pines, Miramar
Near Port Everglades and the Hollywood and Pembroke Pines VA clinics. A mix of 1950s and 1960s neighborhoods by the coast and newer subdivisions to the west.
Along I-595 and the Sawgrass
Popular areas: Plantation, Sunrise, Davie, Weston, Cooper City
Closest to the Bill Kling VA Clinic on West Commercial Boulevard in Sunrise. Mostly single-family homes and townhomes, many inside HOAs.
Pompano up to the Palm Beach line
Popular areas: Pompano Beach, Deerfield Beach, Coconut Creek, Coral Springs, Parkland
Near the Deerfield Beach VA Clinic. Coastal condos and canal homes in Pompano and Deerfield, with larger planned communities to the west.
The city counts more than 165 miles of waterways running through its neighborhoods, which is why it calls itself the “Venice of America.” A canal home with a dock is a big draw for boaters, and a VA loan covers it the same way it covers any other house. The part buyers tend to skip is the seawall.
Fort Lauderdale updated its seawall ordinance on March 23, 2023, setting a minimum height for seawalls and other tidal barriers. A wall may have to be raised to that height when it’s rebuilt, when more than half of it is damaged, or when the city cites the owner because tidal water came over it. Broward County’s own standard calls for tidal flood barriers to reach five feet above the NAVD88 datum, with a temporary four-foot option for walls permitted before 2035 that are designed to be raised later.
How old is the seawall, when was it last repaired, and are there permits? Has the city ever cited the property for tidal water coming over the wall?
If you’re buying for the boat, check the fixed bridges between the dock and open water. Clearance, not just canal depth, decides what you can keep behind the house.
Broward sits between Miami and Palm Beach, and plenty of households here work in one of the other counties. Two rail lines help. Brightline stops downtown on NW 2nd Avenue, and Tri-Rail runs commuter trains from Mangonia Park in Palm Beach County down to Miami, with Broward stops in Deerfield Beach, Pompano Beach, Cypress Creek, Fort Lauderdale, the Fort Lauderdale airport, Sheridan Street and Hollywood.
By car, I-95 and Florida’s Turnpike carry most north-south traffic, and I-595 links the coast to the western suburbs. If you’ll drive every day, try the trip at rush hour before you settle on a neighborhood.
Broward County Public Schools is one countywide district, serving every area on this page from Hallandale Beach to Parkland.
| School district | Serves | State grade (2025–26) |
|---|---|---|
| Broward County Public Schools | Fort Lauderdale, Hollywood, Pembroke Pines, Plantation, Sunrise, Weston, Pompano Beach, Coral Springs | A |
District grades are the Florida Department of Education’s A–F school grades. Attendance zones follow the address, not the city name, so check the district and school for any home before you make an offer.
Nearest VA care: Bruce W. Carter VA Medical Center (NW 16th Street, Miami), plus VA clinics nearby.
NW 16th Street, Miami
West Commercial Boulevard, Sunrise
Washington Street, Hollywood
Sheridan Street, Hollywood
SW 10th Street, Deerfield Beach
Locations from VA.gov. Services change, so confirm with the VA before you count on a specific clinic.
In Broward County, as everywhere in Florida, what current owners pay is held down by the homestead exemption and the Save Our Homes cap, which limits how fast a homestead’s assessed value can rise. When a home sells, its value resets to market value, so a new buyer usually pays more than the seller did, and two homes a mile apart can differ a lot.
| Who qualifies | Florida exemption |
|---|---|
| Service-connected disability of 10% or more | $5,000 off assessed value |
| Age 65 or older with a combat-related disability | Tax discount equal to your disability percentage |
| Service-connected total and permanent disability | Full exemption on your homestead |
What that’s worth in Fort Lauderdale: a full exemption removes the property tax on your homestead itself, which on a new purchase is usually one of the biggest lines in your monthly payment. My team shows you the dollar figure for the address you choose.
You apply with the county property appraiser once you own and live in the home. How Florida’s exemptions work
In Florida, insurance often changes your payment more than the interest rate does. Get quotes early, while you can still walk away. Homeowners insurance on a Florida VA loan
A wind mitigation report documents features like roof shape, roof-to-wall connections and storm shutters or impact windows. Insurers give credits for them, and the savings can be large. Ask the seller for a recent one or order your own.
On older homes, insurers often require a 4-point inspection of the roof, electrical, plumbing and heating and cooling. An older roof can make a home hard to insure, so ask its age first. The VA appraisal also checks the roof.
If the home is in a FEMA high-risk flood zone, flood insurance is required. Even outside those zones, flood coverage is worth pricing near the coast, rivers and low areas. An elevation certificate can lower the cost.
When a named storm threatens the area, insurers can stop writing new policies until it passes. If you’re closing during hurricane season, bind your policy early so a storm doesn’t delay your closing.
Buying a condo? It has to be VA-approved, and Florida’s condo safety laws now require structural inspections and funded reserves for many buildings three stories or taller, which is raising dues and special assessments. My team checks the association before you commit. VA condo approval in Florida
Most of coastal Broward is low, and FEMA flood zones can change from one side of a street to the other, especially along canals. A home inside a Special Flood Hazard Area can’t close on a VA loan without a flood policy. Broward is also inside the Florida Building Code’s High-Velocity Hurricane Zone, so roofs, windows and doors have to meet the strictest wind standards in the state.
Fort Lauderdale gives you four VA clinics within the county, the Miami VA medical center to the south for hospital care, and no state income tax.
Disabled Veterans can combine federal and Florida benefits that most buyers never hear about. Together they can lower your cash to close and your yearly taxes.
Waiting on a claim? Tell my team. Your expected rating can change your funding fee and your taxes, so we plan around it.
You can earn VA loan eligibility through six years of Guard or Reserve service, or through qualifying active-duty time such as a federal activation. Your Certificate of Eligibility confirms it, and my team can pull it for you. VA loan eligibility
If your spouse died in service or from a service-connected disability, you may be eligible for a VA loan with the same $0 down benefit. Surviving spouses who receive Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC) don’t pay the funding fee, and Florida’s disabled Veteran property tax exemptions can continue for an eligible surviving spouse. We handle these files with extra care. VA loans for surviving spouses
You don’t have to sell it to buy in Fort Lauderdale. Your remaining entitlement can often buy your next home with $0 down while the first one stays a rental. VA entitlement calculator
A VA streamline refinance (IRRRL) can lower the rate on your current VA loan with less paperwork. A VA cash-out refinance lets you use your equity for repairs or debts.
Some Fort Lauderdale sellers have older VA loans with low rates you may be able to take over. The seller’s loan servicer handles the assumption itself. My team can finance the second loan that covers the gap between the loan balance and the price. Assumable loan calculator
Moving again later? You can keep your Fort Lauderdale home as a rental and keep its VA loan and rate in place. Your homestead exemption ends when it stops being your home, so plan for higher taxes on a rental.
Rebuilding or raising a seawall is a major project, and the owner pays for it. Have it inspected along with the house, and ask whether the wall meets the city’s current height rule.
Broward requires structural and electrical inspections of many buildings once they reach 40 years, then every 10 years. Ask for the latest report, then check VA approval. VA condo approval in Florida
In the High-Velocity Hurricane Zone, replacement windows, doors and roofs need approved products and permits. Ask the seller for them; they help with the appraisal and the wind mitigation credits.
Many Weston, Davie and Coral Springs communities have HOAs with rules on boats, trucks and exterior changes. Read them early, and know that HOA dues count in your payment.
Open land is scarce in Broward, but Veterans do build on infill lots and tear-down sites, especially in older coastal neighborhoods. A VA one-time-close construction loan covers the land and the build in one loan: $0 down up to $1 million, with a 620 minimum credit score. New homes built to Florida’s current wind codes are often easier and cheaper to insure.
Nothing, if you have full VA entitlement. There is no VA loan limit with full entitlement and no monthly mortgage insurance. The VA funding fee can be rolled into the loan, and Veterans who receive VA disability compensation are exempt from it.
Yes. You can be pre-approved, shop remotely and close before you arrive, as long as you intend to move in and make the home your primary residence, usually within about 60 days. Retirement pay, VA disability pay and Social Security all count as income.
There is no minimum credit score on a standard VA purchase or refinance with my team. We look first at your residual income, the money left each month after your housing payment and bills. VA construction loans start at a 620 score.
Florida Veterans with a service-connected total and permanent disability can be fully exempt from property taxes on their homestead. Veterans rated 10% or more get $5,000 off their home’s assessed value. Veterans 65 or older with a combat-related disability can get a discount equal to their disability percentage. These come on top of Florida’s regular homestead exemption.
Florida’s Save Our Homes cap limits how fast a homestead’s assessed value can rise while the owner keeps it. When the home sells, the value resets to market value for the new owner. So the seller’s tax bill can be much lower than yours will be. My team estimates your taxes on the price you pay, not the seller’s bill.
Often, yes. If you keep your current VA home as a rental, your remaining entitlement can usually buy your Fort Lauderdale home with $0 down up to a certain price. Above that, you put 25% down on the difference. My team checks your exact numbers from your Certificate of Eligibility.
Yes, if you are an eligible surviving spouse, for example of a service member who died in service or from a service-connected disability. Surviving spouses who receive DIC are exempt from the VA funding fee.
No. Broward has four VA clinics, in Sunrise, Hollywood, Deerfield Beach and the Pembroke Pines clinic on Sheridan Street. Hospital care is at the Bruce W. Carter VA Medical Center in Miami.
VA construction loan
Shirley and her team were an absolute pleasure to work with. They helped my wife and I obtain a VA Construction Loan which gave us the ability to build our dream home.
Agent referral · VA purchase
Shirley was excellent to work with on our client’s VA home loan. VA loans can be tricky and it is so important to work with a loan officer that knows them well. Shirley did an excellent job!
VA purchase
Ms. Shirley and her team are the BEST. Clear communication, specialized VA knowledge, responsiveness, and reduced stress. Thank you all for your help .
VA one-time-close construction loan
Some agents on my team were more responsive than others. But the VA One Time Close Construction Loan is a big and complicated one. A lot of waiting involved and some miscommunication, but that happens with project like this. I believe Shirley’s team handled my loan better than any other lender I could have used. In the end, I know I was in good hands.
Problem solved fast
Ms Shirley and her team were among the top teir customer service representatives I have ever had the pleasure of working with. I'll admit, I was apprehensive at first, given the number of people that had their hands in everything. Tends to lead to confusion and things getting messed up, which takes time to fix. I brought an issue to Ms Shirley and without hesitation, calls the team members involved and conferences the issue. Absolutely stunned when that happened. This goes to show you the dedication of this team and I would absolutely recommend them to anyone! Thank you and I can't say it enough. Still hope for humanity yet.
First home · VA purchase
Absolutely top notch!!! This being our first home, I had no idea what to expect, and to be honest the thought of getting through this was quite stressful! This entire process from start to finish has been nothing short of amazing and stress-free. Everyone has been extremely friendly and helpful! All of my questions and concerns were addressed quickly and promptly! You have all made this veterans dream of home ownership come true, what a pleasure this journey has been! Thank you all!!
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