For Service Members, Veterans and Military Families
Buying a Home When You Serve: How to Build Wealth With Every PCS
By Emily Cressey, Broker, HomePro Associates at Keller Williams Greater Seattle. Updated October 2026.
If you serve, or you used to, you already know how to do hard things. What nobody teaches you is how to turn a paycheck that moves every few years into something that lasts. This page is for you, and I wrote it as plainly as I could.
Download the PCS Masters Military Relocation Guide
A free PDF from PCS Masters, the organization I partner with, covering what military families should think about before and during a move. Save it, print it, or share it with your spouse.
Who This Military Home Buying Guide Is For
- You are a young service member who wants to buy a first home but cannot see how to afford a house on your own.
- You are PCSing for the ninth time, you are tired of starting over, and you wish you were building equity as you go.
- You are about to retire or leave the service and want to build something here, with land and a home of your own, in the country you served.
- You have been told to “be smart with your money,” but nobody has shown you what that looks like on a military paycheck.
If you nodded at even one of those, you are exactly who I wrote this for.
Why Frequent PCS Moves Make Building Wealth Hard
Service families carry a lot. Frequent moves, a spouse’s career that keeps restarting, kids changing schools, and the stress of orders or of leaving service. Add to that a paycheck that does not always stretch as far as it should in a place like Seattle, and it is easy to feel like you are working hard and standing still.
It is also easy to spend on whatever feels like a reward after a deployment. (Yes, I have seen the very large trucks.) I am not judging. I only want to show you that the same monthly payment can sometimes go toward something that builds wealth instead of something that loses value every year.
The good news is that service members have a benefit most people do not have. Used with a plan, it can change where you are in ten years.
VA Loan Benefits That Help Military Families Build Wealth
A VA home loan is one of the strongest benefits of service. Here is what it can do:
Little or no down payment
Eligible borrowers with full entitlement can often buy with no down payment and without monthly mortgage insurance.
Buy two to four units, live in one
A VA loan can finance a duplex, triplex or fourplex if you live in one unit. Your first home and your first investment can be the same purchase.
Keep it when orders come
Many families keep the home as a rental. Depending on your remaining entitlement, you may be able to buy again at the next duty station. Selling and paying off the loan restores your full entitlement.
Know your housing allowance
The military pays most service members a monthly Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH). The amount depends on where you are stationed, your rank and your dependents, so a payment that works at one base may not work at the next. Run the numbers before you shop.
Plan for the funding fee
Most VA borrowers pay a one-time funding fee. It may be waived for some, including veterans who receive VA disability compensation, and the amount depends on your down payment and whether you have used the benefit before. The VA posts the current rates on its funding fee page, and your lender can confirm what applies to you.
Every market is different
What earns well in one city can lose money in another. Check rent, taxes, insurance, repairs, vacancy, local landlord-tenant rules and the distance to base before you commit.
House Hacking With a VA Loan: Live in One Unit, Rent the Rest
Say you buy a fourplex. You live in one unit and rent the other three. Instead of paying rent to someone else’s landlord, you are building equity, and your tenants help cover the payment. Some lenders count part of the expected rent when they qualify you, so ask how yours treats it.
I have owned and managed small multifamily rentals myself, so I can show you the rent side, not just the mortgage side. If you want to dig in, see my page on real estate investing in Seattle.
Keeping Your Home as a Rental After You PCS
They are not always the same house. Ask about the exit plan before you buy.
| As a home to live in | As a rental to keep |
|---|---|
| Room for your family and daily life | Rent that covers the full cost of ownership |
| Schools and commute to base | Steady tenant demand |
| Resale appeal when you sell | Easy to manage from a distance |
Buying a Home When You Retire or Leave the Service
This is a big chapter, and it deserves its own plan. Many of the families I talk with want land, a house of their own, and a place to put down roots near family. Some want to stay in Washington. Some want to go somewhere else entirely. Either way, the same questions apply: What will your income be? What is your remaining VA entitlement? Should you keep a rental in this market while you buy somewhere else? I can help you compare the choices, and I can connect you with people who help with the rest of the transition.
Questions to Ask Before You Buy With a VA Loan
Ask your lender
- What is my remaining entitlement?
- Do I qualify for a funding fee waiver?
- How do you count rental income?
Ask your agent
- How would this home work as a rental?
- What do taxes, insurance and repairs cost here?
- Who manages rentals near this property?
Your PCS Home Buying Roadmap, Step by Step
- Orders in hand. Decide whether you will sell, keep or rent your current home.
- Get ready to buy. Meet a VA-experienced lender. Check your credit and your entitlement.
- Choose your team. Interview agents at both ends of the move and ask about their exit-plan thinking.
- Settle in. Set up care, schools and routines, and keep building your plan.
Where Military Families Live Near JBLM and Naval Station Everett
Joint Base Lewis-McChord, near Tacoma, and Naval Station Everett are the two big anchors, and plenty of active-duty and retired families live in the communities in between. I love working with service members. We share values, and a lot of us are chasing the same American dream. I help families buy and sell in King, Pierce and Snohomish Counties.
Military Home Buyers I Have Helped: Two Examples
A Veteran Buying His First Home in Lynnwood
The inspection found the roof needed to be replaced. We negotiated a credit toward it, and he bought the home with his eyes open.
A Retired Soldier Moving to Be Near Family
His lender’s closing ran about three weeks longer than planned. I kept the seller informed so the deal held together.
Who PCS Masters Is (and Why I Partner With Them)
Recently an organization called PCS Masters approached me, and I decided to partner with them. I think they do a great job helping military families with the things I just described.
PCS Masters is a network of carefully chosen real estate professionals and financial advisors who serve military families through a Permanent Change of Station. It is part of Military Life Mastery, a wider support system that connects service members and families with trusted help in real estate, financial planning, legal matters, career transitions and wellness.
It is an introduction, not a lead. Families are not sent to a portal where several agents compete for a phone number. The team gets to know each family first, then introduces them to one vetted partner who already understands their goals. I am one of those partner agents.
How It Works
- Dream and goal setting. Start with the life you want to build, not only the house you want to buy.
- Financial planning. Meet with a vetted financial planner to map out where your money should go.
- Financial readiness. Credit building and coursework, including how to use your VA loan benefits well.
- The right introduction. When you are ready to buy or sell, meet a local agent who already knows your story.
- Support in every season. Moving checklists, tips for PCSing with kids, and help when you leave service.
PCS Masters also offers a free moving checklist and base-by-base resources at pcsmasters.com.
Strength at Home Comes First
A move touches everything: a spouse’s career, kids changing schools, the stress of new orders. PCS Masters coaches families across seven areas of life, from mental and emotional health to family, physical health and finances, because families who feel steady at home make better money decisions.
- Mental and emotional health. PCS stress is real, and talking about it early helps. Military OneSource offers free, confidential counseling and support at 800-342-9647, any time of day.
- Family. Bring your spouse and kids into the plan from the start. Talk through a spouse’s career early.
- Physical health. Keep routines going through the move. Update DEERS, confirm your TRICARE options at the new location and line up care before you arrive.
- Financial footing. Build a budget around your housing allowance, keep an emergency cushion and protect your credit.
If you or someone you love is in crisis, dial 988, then press 1 for the Veterans and Military Crisis Line. You can also text 838255. Support is free and available 24/7.
Military Home Buying FAQs: Questions I Hear Most
Do I need a down payment to buy with a VA loan?
Eligible borrowers with full entitlement can often buy with no down payment. Your lender can confirm what applies to you.
Can I keep my home as a rental when I get orders?
Many families do. It depends on your entitlement and on what the numbers look like in your market. I can help you run them.
Is PCS Masters a lead service? Does it cost me anything?
PCS Masters is a network that introduces families to vetted professionals. It is separate from my brokerage, and I am a partner agent. Ask them directly about their services and any costs.
Do you only work with active-duty families?
No. I work with active-duty, veteran and retired families, and with anyone who wants help buying or selling.
Talk With Me About Your Military Move to Seattle
Orders came in? Thinking about retiring? Want to buy your first home before the next duty station? Call or text me at (206) 245-8813. We will work out whether to sell, keep or rent, and what comes next.
Office visits are by appointment: 1307 N 45th St #300, Seattle, WA 98103.
General information only, not legal, tax or financial advice. VA loan terms, entitlement and funding fees depend on your situation, so confirm details with a VA-experienced lender and va.gov. PCS Masters and Military Life Mastery are separate organizations; Emily Cressey is a PCS Masters partner agent. Serving King, Pierce and Snohomish Counties. Equal Housing Opportunity.