The house my wife and I live in was purchased during her previous marriage. Her ex-husband signed off on the deed, but his name remains on the mortgage. We would like to get a new loan in our names so his can be removed. The current mortgage is a conventional loan, but we want to replace it with a VA loan. One mortgage broker we spoke with said it would be considered a refinance, even though I'm not on the current mortgage. Does this sound right? If so, would there be any advantage to a refinance vs regular purchase?

A regular purchase is not an option since your wife is already on the deed. You want it to be a refinance. It opens the door to more possibilities at a lot cheaper price. Refinancing it into a VA loan is an option as well. The advantage of it being a refinance is that you do not have to pay the closing costs out of pocket. They can be financed into the loan.