Here's how and why he bought a vacation property.”

Before we get into the numbers or the lessons, let me give you the real reason this lake house entered his life.

How a world event turned into the start of the path to financial freedom. Join me as I relay his story.

Before I ever bought a home, my relationship with money was… inconsistent.

Growing up, nobody taught me how to save. Nobody taught me how to invest. Nobody explained interest rates or ownership or equity. Nobody showed me how wealth actually works.

But I learned something important — almost by accident.

That sound? That is the sound of misinformation. It’s the constant noise, the bad intel, and the outright lies that surround your earned VA home loan benefit. For every strategic advantage the VA loan offers—the $0 down, the lower rates, the Residual Income factor—there’s a debilitating myth that attempts to neutralize it.

We’ve covered your entitlement, the COE, and how to weaponize the Residual Income metric. We have a clear vision: veterans achieving generational wealth. And the fastest path to significant, built-in equity is through New Construction.

To explain what Residual Income is, how to calculate it, and why it is the key to unlocking your loan approval, especially when you are pursuing a high-leverage move like a new construction or a multi-unit property.

Our mission today is simple: How to use your $0-down VA loan to acquire your first property, live in it for one year, and then turn it into your first income-generating asset.

"Welcome back to the Florida Veterans Real Estate Podcast, your essential mission brief for mastering the Sunshine State's property market. I’m Darian, and this is Episode 9: Your Certificate of Eligibility (COE) – How to Get It in 24 Hours and Fix Common Errors.