Alex had served in the military. Because of this service, Alex was eligible for a VA Loan , which allows veterans and active-duty members to buy a home with 0% down .
: They asked the sellers to pay their closing costs in exchange for a slightly higher offer price.
Both friends realized that even with $0 down, they still faced "closing costs"—the fees for lawyers, inspections, and taxes. To solve this, they used two creative "cheats":