Last Updated: June 29, 2026 | By Christopher Beal, U.S. Army Veteran & Realtor

VA Appraisal Minimum Property Requirements in San Antonio (2026): Repairs, Termites, and What the Appraiser Flags

What Are VA Minimum Property Requirements?

The VA wants to protect the veteran from buying a money pit, not just from overpaying. So a VA appraisal carries a second job that a conventional appraisal usually does not. Beyond opinion of value, the VA appraiser checks the property against MPRs that come straight from the VA Lenders Handbook published by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, summarized as the three S words: safe, structurally sound, and sanitary.

That is good news for a buyer near Joint Base San Antonio. It means a federal standard is quietly working in your favor, flagging a roof on its last legs or a failed water heater before you sign. It also surprises sellers, because a home that would sail through a cash sale can get a repair list on a VA deal. Knowing the rules up front keeps a JBSA Lackland, Randolph, or Fort Sam Houston purchase from stalling at the worst moment.

An MPR flag is not a rejection. It is a condition: fix this item, document it, and the loan proceeds. The skill is anticipating which items a San Antonio home is likely to trip on and writing the contract so that the fix has somewhere to go.

If you are still early in the process, our guide to VA loan down payment rules in San Antonio and the VA loan credit score requirements cover the buyer side that pairs with the property side here.

What Does the VA Appraiser Actually Check in San Antonio?

The appraiser is looking for hazards and failures a buyer can see and live with, not hairline cosmetics. In a typical San Antonio home, the review covers the systems that keep a house livable through a Texas summer and the structure that keeps it standing.

• Mechanical systems. A working heating source and, in our climate, functioning cooling. A dead condenser in July is a flag.
• Roof. Generally expected to have a remaining useful life of two to three years and no active leaks.
• Electrical and plumbing. No exposed or bare wiring, functional outlets, and no major plumbing leaks.
• Water and sewage. Safe, continuous water and a working sewage system; rural Hill Country homes add well and septic checks.
• Access and egress. Safe entry to the home and adequate exits, plus handrails on stairways.
• Hazards. No standing water against the foundation, no obvious structural damage, and no health hazards.

Buying in the Hill Country, where wells, septic systems, and acreage add their own VA checks? Our rural VA loan guide for the San Antonio Hill Country covers exactly what the appraiser inspects in Boerne, Bandera, and Pipe Creek.

Does a San Antonio Home Need a Termite Inspection for a VA Loan?

Termites are not a maybe in South Texas, they are a when. Subterranean termites are widespread across Bexar County, so the VA home loan program requires a wood-destroying-insect inspection on most San Antonio purchases. The report goes on the official Texas form and notes both active infestation and prior damage.

Two practical points matter for buyers and sellers. First, since a 2022 policy change, the veteran buyer is now allowed to pay for the WDI report, which removed an old roadblock where some sellers refused. Second, active infestation is a true MPR item: it must be treated by a licensed company and documented before closing. Old, treated damage that has been repaired is usually fine.

Want to make sure your offer is structured so the WDI and repair items have a clear path? Christopher Beal helps military buyers across San Antonio write contracts that keep VA timelines on track.

What Are the Most Common VA Appraisal Repair Issues?

Here are the items I see flag San Antonio VA deals most often, what triggers them, and the usual fix.

Source: VA Lenders Handbook MPR guidance, va.gov, 2026; common San Antonio inspection findings. Illustrative, not a guarantee for any specific property.

Who Pays for VA-Required Repairs, Buyer or Seller?

The MPR repair question is a negotiation, not a rule. The decree comes from the contract you write, not from the VA. The appraiser lists the items, and the purchase agreement and any amendments decide who cures them and by when.

You have several levers. The seller can complete the repairs before closing. The buyer can pay for them, sometimes after closing for non-safety items with lender approval. Or the seller can offer a concession to offset the cost. The VA allows a seller to pay up to 4 percent of the home value in concessions, which can absorb repair costs and other expenses. For veterans buying with us, the Serve & Save program reduces closing costs by crediting 1 percent of the price per year of service, up to 6 percent, applied at closing rather than paid out as a lump sum.

For the full picture on what a seller can and cannot cover, see our guide to VA loan seller concessions in San Antonio.

Can You Still Buy a Fixer-Upper With a VA Loan?

A flagged home is not off-limits, it just needs the right loan product. If the issues are small, the seller or buyer cures them and a standard VA loan closes. If the home needs real work, a VA renovation loan rolls the purchase price and the repair budget together, so the home can fail MPRs on day one and pass after the funded repairs.

This opens up older San Antonio neighborhoods and estate sales that a strict as-is VA loan would reject. The tradeoff is more paperwork, contractor bids, and a lender who handles VA renovation financing, which not all do. It is worth asking about before you walk away from a house with good bones and a bad roof. Free financial counseling for service members is also available through Military OneSource.

If you are weighing new construction instead of a fixer, our broader VA buying resources connect the dots, and you can always call Christopher Beal at (210) 882-8583 to talk through which path fits your timeline.

How Is a VA MPR Issue Different From a Low Appraisal?

These two problems get blurred together, and confusing them costs deals. An MPR flag says fix the broken thing. A low appraisal says the price is too high for the value, which triggers a different conversation about renegotiating, paying the gap, or a Reconsideration of Value. A single VA appraisal can produce both at once: a roof to repair and a value that came in short.

If your appraisal comes back under contract price, our companion guide on what happens if your San Antonio home appraises low walks through the appraisal gap, ROVs, and the VA Tidewater process step by step. And if life has thrown a curve like a separation into the mix, see our new guide on VA loans and divorce in San Antonio.

About the Author: Christopher Beal

Christopher Beal is the Owner of Veteran Real Estate San Antonio: The Beal Group at eXp Realty and a U.S. Army veteran who has guided more than 306 families to closing across over $117 million in San Antonio real estate. He holds TREC License #723559 and the Military Relocation Professional (MRP) certification, is a member of the Veterans Association of Real Estate Professionals (VAREP), and has been recognized as a San Antonio Business Journal Top 25 producer and a six-time eXp ICON agent. He works specifically with military and veteran buyers and sellers across Bexar, Comal, Kendall, Medina, and Bandera counties, and has walked hundreds of VA appraisals from offer to closing. His Serve & Save program reduces closing costs for those who served. This article is general information for San Antonio veterans and is not legal or financial advice.

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