How to Choose the Right Real Estate Agent for Your PCS

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Written by PJ Burns

Published August 31, 2025

Why working with a military veteran or MRP-certified agent changes everything

Deciding to buy a home means big changes, fast timelines, and decisions that can impact your family and your finances for years. One of the most important choices you’ll make in the middle of all that chaos is picking the right real estate agent.

Military life is full of acronyms, last-minute curveballs, and a unique pace that civilian families often don’t experience. That’s why you need an agent who not only understands the real estate market, but also the military lifestyle. The wrong agent can leave you frustrated, scrambling, and doing all the work. The right one gives you the confidence to move forward and make the process feel less burdensome.

Military life comes with its own language and so does real estate. You need an agent who understands both. From coordinating pack-outs to house-hunting over FaceTime, the right agent can cut through the chaos and help you stay focused on what matters most—your mission and your family.

What to Look for in a Real Estate Agent during a PCS Move

When you’re evaluating agents, don’t just look at flashy marketing or who has the most signs in the neighborhood. For a PCS move, focus on these qualities:

  • Experience with military timelines: Agents who’ve worked with military families know how to handle unexpected orders, tight windows, and shifting schedules.
  • Knowledge of VA loans: Your agent should understand VA loan eligibility, funding fees, and common pitfalls. They should know how to present VA offers competitively in a busy market.
  • Clear communication: You’ll likely be making decisions across time zones. Responsiveness is not optional — it’s essential.
  • Local market expertise: You need someone who knows the base-adjacent neighborhoods, commute times, and access to local amenities.

The Benefits of Working with an MRP-Certified Agent

The Military Relocation Professional (MRP) designation is a certification from the National Association of Realtors (NAR). It’s a paid, 8-hour course designed to give agents a baseline understanding of military housing needs, VA loans, and PCS terminology.

Here’s the reality: while the designation shows an agent is making an effort to learn, any Realtor can take the course, regardless of whether they’ve ever actually worked with a military family. That means MRP should be seen as a starting point, not the finish line.

Take VA Loan Assumptions as an example. An MRP-certified agent may have heard about this option during their training, but whether they can actually guide you through it depends on real-world experience. VA Loan Assumptions are powerful, they allow a buyer to take over a seller’s existing VA loan (often with a lower interest rate). That can save thousands over the life of the loan, but the process is complex and requires coordination between lenders, buyers, and sellers.

An MRP agent might recognize the term, but the best agents can execute the strategy, not just define it.

👉 For a deeper dive into one PCS-related financial tool, check out my guide on VA Loan Assumptions.

Why Having an Agent Who Is a Military Veteran Can Be an Advantage

Here’s the truth: no course can replicate lived experience. Agents who are military veterans (and have executed multiple moves of their own) bring something extra to the table, they’ve been there.

They know the pressure of getting orders, the mental load that falls on a spouse or children, and the scramble of coordinating housing around a deployment or training cycle. They’ve navigated PCS moves themselves and now use that knowledge to guide others.

Many military veteran agents will tell you, “I wish I had known this when I was still in.” That’s because they’ve seen both sides of the process. They can help you avoid common mistakes and even think about real estate not just as a place to live, but as a wealth-building tool.

Military veteran agents can also help you see options you might never have considered, from starting with your exit strategy to setting up your PCS home as a long-term investment.

How to Choose Your PCS Real Estate Agent

  • Leverage military networks. Ask for referrals from fellow service members, spouses, or base Facebook groups. Firsthand experience is often the best recommendation.
  • Don’t chase reviews. Don’t just chase 5-star reviews or count someone out who has limited reviews. Online reviews are great but know that there isn’t a single software that allows a client to feed their review into every home search website like Zillow, homes.com, Realtor.com, and the agent’s personal website. Due to this, many agents try to focus on just one platform to reduce the review burden on their clients.
  • Don’t choose your agent by clicking on a home search website. Many of the agents who show up there are simply paying for placement and not necessarily the best fit for your move. Submitting your info can also often trigger a flood of spam calls. 👉 Read my article on Zillow Inquiries for the full breakdown.
  • Interview at least two agents. You’ll be working closely with these individuals for months, so you need someone you trust, who communicates the way you want, and who isn’t afraid to tell you the hard truths. A good agent will be honest about tough realities like when a house is overpriced or when your offer isn’t competitive – and they’ll back it up with data, not just opinions. Be sure to also ask how many clients they are currently working with and how much time they’ll realistically have for you.

💡 Questions to ask a prospective agent:

  • How many military families have you worked with in the past 6 months?
  • Do you have experience with VA loan offers?
  • How do you handle purchases if your clients are not local?
  • How do you communicate with your clients and how often?
  • Do you know what an LES is?
  • What is the average BAH in this area?
  • What are the current VA loan limits in your area?

Final Thoughts: You Don’t Have to Figure This Out Alone

You want to make the right choices, the one that protects your finances and your family’s future. But with so many moving parts, it can feel overwhelming. I get it. I’ve been there. I’ve done that.

The good news? You don’t have to figure it out alone.

  • If you’re Virginia-bound, I’m the right military-friendly agent to have in your corner.
  • If you’re heading elsewhere, Combat Properties can connect you with a trusted Century 21 Realtor, provide guidance, and help you maximize your situation. It’s almost like you are getting two agents in one.

👉 Let’s connect and start planning your next steps today.