A PCS order starts a clock: you have weeks, not months, to decide whether to buy, rent, or keep your current home. PCS means permanent change of station, the move to a new duty assignment. The financing choice you make under that pressure can cost or save you tens of thousands of dollars over a tour.
This article lays out seven military relocation mortgage options and strategies from Duane Buziak, NMLS #1110647, a VA loan specialist licensed in Virginia, Florida, Tennessee, and Georgia. He is an independent broker with a 500 FICO floor and access to 500+ wholesale lenders, not a single-shelf direct lender like Veterans United, Rocket, or Movement. The strategies are ordered roughly the way a move unfolds, from shopping and prequalifying to buying, renting, and refinancing.
1. Use a Broker With a Wide Shelf Instead of a Single-Lender Pipeline
Start with the mistake: assuming the company that advertises hardest to veterans is the only VA specialist, then accepting its one quote. A direct lender can only offer its own products at its own rate sheet and its own credit floor. An independent broker submits your file to whichever wholesale investor fits your score, timeline, and property, so one “no” is rarely the end of the conversation.
Here is an illustration, not a real client. A Staff Sergeant with a 585 score is told by a direct lender with a 620 floor to wait and rebuild. A broker places the same file with a wholesale investor that accepts the score. VA sets no minimum credit score itself; each investor sets its own overlays, which is why the shelf matters. Approval is never guaranteed, but the options widen.
- VA Loans Pro by Duane Buziak: 500 FICO minimum for VA; independent broker; 500+ wholesale lenders; fees are negotiable and shop-able across investors.
- Veterans United: 620 FICO minimum; direct lender; single VA-specialty shelf; origination fee that can run higher, so compare Loan Estimates.
- Movement: 580 FICO minimum for VA as published; direct lender; single shelf; fees set by the company.
- Rocket: no public VA-specific floor; direct lender; single shelf; fees set by the company.
Scale is not a weakness here. Duane Buziak ranks #114 nationally on the Scotsman Guide Top Originators list and was named VA Broker of the Year in 2024 and 2025, and his soft pull mortgage broker process (see strategy 2) matches the digital convenience of the big names.
- Request a soft pull review and share your orders and report date.
- Ask the broker to price at least three investors.
- Line up the Loan Estimates side by side.
Measure how many investors were priced, the rate and total fees on each Loan Estimate, and whether approval lands inside your timeline.
2. Start With a Soft Pull Before You Pick a Neighborhood
NoTouch Credit Pull is VA Loans Pro by Duane Buziak’s soft-pull prequalification: it estimates your buying power from your credit profile without a hard inquiry, so your score is not touched while you compare places. A standard pre-approval runs a hard pull, and several of them in a row can nick a score you need to protect.
Imagine a family weighing Norfolk, Jacksonville, and Clarksville near Fort Campbell. One soft credit pull mortgage review produces a budget range for each market, because taxes, insurance, and prices differ in each. They learn before the house-hunting trip that Jacksonville fits comfortably and Norfolk is tight once insurance is added.
- Complete the NoTouch Credit Pull and share your likely duty stations.
- Get a payment and budget range for each location.
- Request a full pre-approval letter only when you are ready to write offers.
The common mistake is applying with several direct companies on the same weekend and collecting a hard inquiry from each. Credit scoring models generally treat mortgage inquiries within a short shopping window as one, but windows vary by model, and a soft pull sidesteps the question. For a no credit hit mortgage application at the research stage, keep the hard pull for the one file you intend to close.
Track the number of hard inquiries on your report and the score change between prequalification and closing. The goal is zero hard pulls until you have a property under contract or are about to make offers.
3. Get the COE and Check Entitlement Before Orders Arrive
The Certificate of Eligibility (COE) is the VA document proving you qualify for the benefit. It also shows your entitlement, the amount VA guarantees on your behalf. With full entitlement there is no VA-set cap on the loan amount. With remaining entitlement, meaning part of it is still tied up in a prior VA loan, the limit follows county loan limits, and a down payment may be needed above them.
That connects to a figure you can check. FHFA set the 2026 baseline conforming loan limit at $832,750, and FHFA’s conforming loan limit data lists county values. Most counties in Virginia, Florida, Tennessee, and Georgia sit at or near the baseline, while some Northern Virginia counties are higher. VA explains how it works on its VA loan limits page.
Illustration: an Army captain with an existing VA loan assumes the benefit is gone. A COE shows partial entitlement remains, so she plans a modest down payment at the new post instead of discovering the shortfall under contract. VA loans are reusable; the misconception that you get one is one of the costliest.
- Gather your statement of service (active duty) or DD-214 (separated).
- Request the COE through the VA.gov COE page, or have your broker pull it.
- Confirm the entitlement amount and whether you are exempt from the funding fee, for example through a service-connected disability rating or Purple Heart.
Do not wait for a contract to request it, since corrections take time. The measures are simple: COE in hand before house hunting starts, and your remaining entitlement confirmed in writing.
4. Buy at the New Duty Station With Zero Down
Full entitlement allows a purchase with no down payment and no monthly mortgage insurance, and that structure is why a VA purchase can beat other loans for a mover with limited cash. “No down payment” does not mean no costs. You still face closing costs, prepaid items, and the VA funding fee, a one-time charge that can be financed into the loan.
Work the math on a $400,000 purchase at 0% down. As of this writing, the VA funding fee page lists 2.15% for first use with no down payment (3.3% for subsequent use), so confirm before you rely on it.
- Funding fee: $400,000 x 2.15% = $8,600
- Financed loan amount: $408,600
- Principal and interest at an illustrative 6.5% over 30 years: about $2,583 a month (an example, not a rate quote)
Property taxes and insurance come on top of that figure.
- Pre-qualify and confirm the funding fee or your exemption.
- Make offers that request seller credits toward closing costs, and ask about no-out-of-pocket closing options.
- Lock the rate once you are under contract.
The pitfall is ignoring tour length. A three-year assignment can leave too little time for appreciation and principal paydown to cover selling costs. Compare the full monthly payment with your BAH, and estimate equity after your expected tour. If the payment runs well above BAH and equity at departure is thin, renting or a longer-hold plan may serve you better.
5. Keep the Old Home as a Rental
You do not have to sell before buying again. Keeping the current home and using remaining entitlement on the next purchase can turn a low-rate loan into an asset, and it avoids selling costs on a short hold. VA generally requires you to intend to occupy a home when you buy it, and PCS orders are a recognized reason you may later move out.
Start with the mistake: forgetting the costs rentals carry. Imagine a Virginia home with a PITI (principal, interest, taxes, insurance) payment of $2,150 renting for $2,400. That looks like $250 a month in your favor. Subtract an 8% vacancy allowance ($192), 10% management ($240), and a 5% repair reserve ($120), and the result is a monthly shortfall of about $302. The home may still be worth keeping for the rate and appreciation, but you should know the real number.
- Compare market rent with the full PITI payment, then subtract vacancy, management, and repairs.
- Plan reserves. Investors often want several months of payments set aside for the properties you own.
- Document lease income with a signed lease, since many investors count only a portion of rent, commonly around 75%.
- If you later want to refinance on rental cash flow rather than your pay, ask about DSCR (debt service coverage ratio) loans, which qualify the property by its rent versus its payment.
Measure monthly net cash flow after every cost and your reserves expressed in months of payments. If net cash flow is negative and reserves are thin, selling is the safer move. If you are renting out a home in Georgia or Tennessee while stationed elsewhere, local landlord rules and management availability matter as much as the math.
6. Stack Down Payment Assistance When Credit or Cash Is Tight
Down payment assistance (DPA) can cover part of the down payment or closing costs when cash, not eligibility, is the obstacle. The Dynamo DPA program provides 2.5% or 3.5% assistance with a 580 FICO minimum. Turbo DPA provides 3.5% or 5% with a 600 FICO minimum and up to 101.5% combined loan-to-value. Both pair with specific loan types, so confirm fit before building a plan around them.
Illustration: a buyer with a 600 score on a $350,000 home uses Turbo DPA at 3.5%, which is $12,250 toward the purchase. That is real help on a conventional or FHA path. The check is whether VA at 0% down would cost less.
- Confirm eligibility and which loan types each program pairs with.
- Price the VA zero-down path and the DPA path for the same home.
- Compare cash to close and total monthly payment, including any DPA repayment terms.
The common mistake is reaching for DPA out of habit. If you qualify for VA, zero down with no monthly mortgage insurance is often cheaper, and a DPA lien can become a problem if you expect to sell within a few years. Where DPA does win is when a lower score or a restricted entitlement changes what VA can do.
Measure cash required at closing and the monthly payment under each path, with any repayment obligation counted. Whichever path is cheaper over your likely tour is the one to use.
7. Time a Refinance or Cash-Out Around the PCS Move
An IRRRL (Interest Rate Reduction Refinance Loan, VA’s streamline refinance) lowers the rate on an existing VA loan with limited paperwork. A VA cash-out refinance can borrow against equity up to 100% LTV. Doing either before orders force a deadline gives you time to shop, and doing it after the move can free capital for the next purchase. See VA’s IRRRL page and cash-out loan page for current rules.
Worked example, with illustrative rates and costs. A $300,000 balance at 6.75% has a principal and interest payment of about $1,946. Refinancing to 6.0% with the 0.5% funding fee ($1,500) financed gives a $301,500 loan and a payment of about $1,808, saving roughly $138 a month. Add about $2,000 in other costs paid at closing and total costs reach $3,500, so break-even is around 25 months. Verify current rates and fee rules before using these numbers.
- Check seasoning: VA requires enough time and payments since your current loan began.
- Run the net tangible benefit test, including whether you recoup costs within VA’s required window.
- For cash-out, weigh the equity you receive against the funding fee and rate change.
- Start before orders arrive, so a deadline does not rush the decision.
The classic mistake is refinancing without comparing break-even to how long you will keep the home. If you will sell in 18 months, that refinance loses money. Measure break-even months and the change in monthly payment, and proceed only when the first is comfortably shorter than your expected holding period.
The Order to Work Through Once Orders Arrive
Do the COE and the NoTouch Credit Pull first; they cost nothing and you need them for every other decision. Entitlement comes second, because it determines whether zero down is available. Then make the buy-or-rent decision for your next station. DPA and refinancing are situational tools, to be used only when the math beats the simpler path.
Duane Buziak walks service members through this sequence across Virginia, Florida, Tennessee, and Georgia. Call VA Loans Pro by Duane Buziak at 804-212-8663, or Learn more about our services.
About the author: Duane Buziak, NMLS #1110647, is a Scotsman Guide Top Originator (#114 nationally), a two-time VA Broker of the Year (2024 and 2025), a UWM PRO ELITE 2025 honoree, and holds 1,400+ five-star reviews. Read the full background on the About page.