PCS orders to Eglin or Hurlburt?

What to do when your orders arrive

Contact us as soon as you have orders. Earlier is always smoother, because more of the search, the financing and the paperwork can happen before your leave days start disappearing. If you are already in a time crunch, call anyway and we will give you realistic timeline advice for your report date instead of a hopeful one.

In that first conversation we want your report date, how long you expect to be here, the installation, and whether you are leaning toward buying or renting. From there we build the plan backward from your report date. If you are VA-eligible, request your Certificate of Eligibility early. VA says you can request one online, by mail or through your lender, and active-duty members need a statement of service signed by their commander, adjutant or personnel officer.

Choosing a town by your gate

The best way we know to pick a town here is by the drive you will make every morning. For Hurlburt Field, whose main gate sits on US-98 west of Fort Walton Beach, most people look at Mary Esther, Fort Walton Beach and Navarre. US-98 in front of the base gets congested at peak times, so which side of the gate you live on matters more than the map suggests.

For Eglin, Niceville and Valparaiso sit near the East Gate, while Shalimar and Fort Walton Beach line Eglin Parkway (SR-85) on the way to the main base. If your orders are for Duke Field or the 7th Special Forces Group, Crestview is usually the first town we show, and the FAA places Duke Field about three miles west of Crestview. Headed to NAS Pensacola or Whiting Field in Milton? We cover the Pensacola side too, and the right answer again depends on the gate you will use. Our community pages go deeper on each town.

VA loans, entitlement and the funding fee

A VA-backed loan comes from a private lender, with VA guaranteeing part of it. In most cases that guaranty lets eligible buyers purchase with no down payment, and VA loans do not require monthly mortgage insurance. Since January 1, 2020, there are no VA county loan limits for borrowers with full entitlement, though your lender still decides how much you qualify for based on credit, income, debts and assets. If you have used your benefit before and not restored that entitlement, county loan limits can still apply.

The VA funding fee is a one-time charge paid at closing, and you can pay it in cash or finance it into the loan. VA's current chart puts it at 2.15 percent of the loan amount on a first-use purchase with less than 5 percent down, 1.5 percent with 5 percent or more down, and 1.25 percent with 10 percent or more. After first use with less than 5 percent down, it is 3.3 percent. You do not pay it if you receive VA compensation for a service-connected disability, if you are eligible for that compensation but receive retirement or active-duty pay instead, or if you are on active duty and provide evidence of a Purple Heart on or before closing, among other cases VA lists. Your lender confirms your exact figure before you shop.

BAH, buying versus renting, and leaving again

BAH rates are published by the Defense Travel Management Office, and its BAH calculator is the official place to look up the rate for your new duty station. DTMO is clear that BAH is based on local rental costs and is not intended to cover every housing cost, so we compare your rate with a realistic monthly payment that includes taxes, homeowners insurance, flood coverage if needed and any HOA dues.

On a two or three year tour, buying does not always win. Closing costs on the way in and selling costs on the way out can outweigh what you build in equity over a short stay, and we will tell you plainly when renting is the better number. Some buyers plan from day one to keep the home as a rental at their next PCS, which changes what we look for in a neighborhood and floor plan. When orders take you away, we can price the home against what is actually selling nearby and sell it, or help you think through renting it out if the timing or the numbers point that way.

Buying from another state, schools and insurance

Many of the people we help commit to a house before they ever drive the street. We film walkthroughs of the homes on your shortlist, including the street and the yard, and talk you through what a wide-angle photo hides, such as road noise, drainage and how the morning drive really looks. If a house is not worth your leave days, we tell you before you book the flight. Much of the paperwork can be handled electronically, and your lender and title company will confirm what needs a notary or an in-person signature.

Schools are part of the plan too. Florida is a member of the Interstate Compact on Educational Opportunity for Military Children, which is meant to ease records transfers, enrollment and course placement for students who move with the military. Your installation school liaison can help with zoning and registration, and the Hurlburt Field liaison office recommends enrolling as soon as possible, even while you are in temporary lodging.

Price insurance before you commit. Standard homeowners policies do not cover flood, new flood policies through the National Flood Insurance Program generally carry a 30-day waiting period, and Florida sellers must give buyers a written flood disclosure at or before the contract.

Working with Sumner Realty on your PCS

When you are ready, see how buying a home with us works from first call to keys, and how we handle selling your home when orders take you somewhere new.

Derrick served in the Army, so we plan around report dates and orders the way you do, and Emily adds her creative touch, new ideas and energy when a tight timeline calls for it. Orders change, and if you sign an agreement with us and it stops making sense, cancelling costs you nothing. Tell us your installation and report date in the form below, or Call/Text 360-229-3252, and we will start building your plan.