Military families make a permanent change of station (PCS) move, they are given 10 days to find a place to live.  Typically finding a house can take weeks, even months.  As a result, a growing number of service members begin their house hunting before they move.

Should the family live off post or on post?  Should they rent or buy a house?  Should they have a home waiting, or buy when they arrive?  If they choose to buy, should it be a house that they purchase before they arrive, sight unseen?  Or should they check out the housing market in advance?

Loretta Law, a local real estate broker associate with Epic Realty, shared some tips for purchasing a house prior to making a PCS move.

“Always use a qualified, licensed realtor who subscribes to a strict code of ethics,” Law, a new home specialist said. “Real estate transactions involve the biggest financial investment most people will ever make in their lifetime.

Realtors serve an important role in home-buying process, including:

• Helping buyers determine their buying power, by referring them to a lender.

• Assisting in the selection process by accessing a variety of information in regards to zoning, schools, and utilities.  The best time to think about the resale ability of the home is when it is purchased.

• Realtors are negotiating experts. A good realtor can negotiate such things as price, financing, date of possession, repairs, and inspections.  They can investigate the property before you have legally committed to it.

• If making a PCS move, a realtor can do your due diligence in regards to inspections, faulty structure, upgrade selection (new home), neighborhood review and review of preliminary title report.

• Guiding buyers through the closing process (assist in temp housing, too) by making sure everything goes smoothly and if you’re lucky, a door-to-door move.

• If making a PCS move to another base, a realtor can give up-to-date info on what’s happening in the marketplace in regards to price, interest rates and condition of other properties.  

To find a realtor in the area in which you are moving, ask for a referral from someone stationed at the new unit, she said.  If no one is available to do this, get on the internet and “Google” relocation. Most large real estate companies specialize in corporate and military moves and have a qualified agent to assist you, Law said.

Carefully consider the options before purchasing a home directly from the owner, she said.  A home owner usually asks the same price that the other homes in the neighborhood are selling for.  And if you buy from an owner, you may buy a lemon and have no recourse in the event of fraud, she said.

If you’re looking for a particular school, freeway access, neighborhood or shopping malls, realtors can direct you, she said.

Finally, most homes that are purchased sight unseen are new construction, for which the floor plans and a video tour of the home are accessible from the builder’s Web site, she said.

“I don’t like this type of transaction because in most cases the buyers regret something, and wish they could have seen the home or neighborhood before the purchase,” Law added.