Every PCS timeline is different, but the real estate steps tend to fall into the same rough windows. Use this as a starting checklist, not a rigid schedule — adjust it to your actual orders and report date.
As Soon As You Have Orders
- Start the VA loan pre-approval conversation, even with draft orders in hand
- Decide, roughly, whether you're buying, renting first, or selling before you leave (or some combination)
- If selling: get a realistic sense of your home's value and timeline to sell
- If buying: tell your agent your must-haves so a shortlist can start forming before you can travel
60–90 Days Out
- Finalize pre-approval so you're ready to make an offer the moment you find the right home
- Plan a house-hunting trip if you need one, and confirm what leave or travel time you have for it
- If selling: list the home, or confirm your listing timeline against your report date
- Start researching neighborhoods relative to your gaining command (commute, schools, cost)
30 Days Out
- Be under contract on a purchase, if buying, or have a firm closing date, if selling
- Confirm with your lender and title company whether any signing steps can happen remotely
- Schedule your household goods pickup and delivery windows, and flag any gap to your agent
- Line up interim housing (on-base lodging, TLA, short-term rental) if there's a gap between homes
Moving Week
- Complete final walkthrough (if buying) or confirm the buyer's walkthrough time (if selling)
- Close — in person if you're able, or confirm the remote/e-signature process with your title company
- Update your address with USPS, banks, insurance and any subscriptions
- Keep copies of every closing document, physical and digital
After You Arrive
- Register your vehicle and get a driver's license if you've moved states
- Enroll kids in school, if applicable, using your closing documents or lease as proof of address
- Set up utilities and forward any remaining mail
- If you sold and didn't close in time, confirm your rent-back or rental plan is actually in motion
Have a VA loan benefit you've used before? Check in with a lender early about how much entitlement you have left — it can affect the timeline above.
Talk to a lender. Rates, loan programs and approvals come from lenders, not from websites or real estate agents. Talk to your own mortgage broker, or use our preferred lender, Rodrigo Ballon with CrossCountry Mortgage, at 858-735-0255. You are always free to choose any lender you like, and you can verify any lender’s license at nmlsconsumeraccess.org.