Schriever Space Force Base sits about 10 miles east of Peterson SFB on Highway 94, making it the most geographically isolated of Colorado Springs' five military installations — but that doesn't mean it's far from everything. The east side of Colorado Springs has grown considerably over the past decade, and the neighborhoods between Schriever and the city proper give families a real range of options. Here's how to think about housing if you're PCS'ing to Schriever in 2026.

Where Most Schriever Families Live

Because Schriever sits east of the city, the neighborhood math works differently than it does for Fort Carson or Peterson families. The Powers Corridor — the major north-south corridor on the east side of Colorado Springs — is the most practical…

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Buying a home in Colorado Springs looks different depending on who you are and why you're here. For military families PCS'ing to one of the city's five installations — Fort Carson, Peterson SFB, Schriever SFB, the Air Force Academy, or Cheyenne Mountain — the process has a fixed timeline, a specific set of financial tools, and a set of neighborhood decisions that civilian buyers don't face the same way. This guide is written for that buyer: someone working with orders, a report date, BAH as a housing budget, and a VA loan as the most powerful financing tool available. Here's how to approach the process from start to finish.

Step 1: Know Your Numbers Before You Start Looking

The most common mistake military buyers make is starting with the home…

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Joint Base Lewis-McChord sits between Tacoma and Olympia in the South Puget Sound region of Washington State — one of the largest military installations in the country and home to I Corps, the 2nd Infantry Division, the 62nd Airlift Wing, and dozens of tenant units across both the Army and Air Force sides of the installation. For military families PCS'ing here, the neighborhood decision is genuinely consequential — the Puget Sound traffic is real, the commute options are limited, and choosing the wrong side of the installation can add 30 to 45 minutes to your daily drive. Here's how the most popular neighborhoods actually compare.

Lakewood — Best for Lewis Main Post Families

Lakewood sits directly west of the Lewis side of JBLM and is the most…

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One of the most common misconceptions about the VA loan benefit is that you can only use it once. That's not true — and understanding how entitlement restoration works is one of the most practically useful things a military buyer can know, especially if you've already used your VA benefit at a previous duty station and are PCS'ing somewhere new. Here's exactly how restoration works and what you need to do to get your full benefit back.

What VA Loan Entitlement Actually Is

VA entitlement is the amount the VA guarantees to your lender on your behalf — it's not a loan limit or a dollar amount you borrow, it's the backing that allows lenders to offer VA loans without requiring a down payment. There are two layers: basic entitlement of $36,000 and bonus…

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Fort Carson families don't have a lot of locally owned breakfast options within walking distance of the installation itself — the south corridor is chain-heavy and the best independent breakfast spots require a short drive north. But the drive is worth it. Colorado Springs has a genuinely strong breakfast and brunch scene once you get into the city proper, and military families who make the effort to find these spots tend to become regulars. Here's where to go.

Urban Egg — The Consistent Favorite

Urban Egg has multiple locations across Colorado Springs and has become the go-to recommendation for military families looking for a reliable, high-quality breakfast. The menu runs through elevated versions of breakfast classics — eggs benedict variations,…

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Colorado Springs consistently ranks as one of the more affordable major military markets in the country — but affordable is a relative term, and the actual cost of living picture for military families depends heavily on pay grade, family size, and lifestyle choices. Here's an honest breakdown of what to actually expect when you land in Colorado Springs in 2026.

Housing — The Biggest Variable

Housing is where military families feel the cost of living most acutely, and Colorado Springs sits in a genuinely favorable position relative to other major military markets. The median home price in Colorado Springs is approximately $476,000 as of 2026 — significantly below Denver's median of around $571,000 and well below coastal military markets like San…

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Fort Liberty — formerly Fort Bragg — sits just outside Fayetteville, North Carolina, and is home to the 82nd Airborne Division, US Army Special Operations Command, and one of the largest concentrations of active duty soldiers in the country. For military families PCS'ing here, the neighborhood decision comes down to a familiar set of tradeoffs: commute time, school quality, home prices, and community character. Here's how the most popular options actually compare.

Spring Lake — Closest to the Main Gate

Spring Lake sits directly adjacent to Fort Liberty's main gate and offers the shortest commutes of any off-post community. It's a small town with a dense military presence and affordable housing — median home prices run well below the Fayetteville…

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Just because your VA loan doesn't require a down payment doesn't mean skipping one is always the right call. For some buyers — especially repeat VA users — a small down payment actually produces a stronger financial outcome than going to zero. Here's how to think through the decision instead of defaulting to it.

The Case for Zero Down

The case for zero down is straightforward: it preserves cash. On a typical $430,000 home, a conventional buyer putting down even 12% — the median for first-time conventional buyers — needs roughly $51,600 upfront. A VA buyer going zero down needs essentially nothing beyond closing costs. Nationally, about 74% of first-time VA loan users choose zero down, and the data backs up why: saving for a down payment at a typical…

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Ask anyone stationed at Fort Leonard Wood where to live off post and you'll hear the same two names over and over: St. Robert and Waynesville. Both sit just north of the installation, both fall under the same school district, and both have a genuinely strong military-friendly culture. But they're not interchangeable — and which one fits your family depends on what you're actually looking for day to day.

St. Robert — Best for Convenience and Commute

St. Robert bills itself as the gateway to Fort Leonard Wood, and the name fits. It's the more residential and commercially developed of the two, with national franchises, chain restaurants, and hotels easily accessible right off I-44. If your priority is convenience — a Walmart nearby, familiar fast food…

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The VA funding fee isn't a flat rate — it moves based on three things: whether this is your first time using your VA loan benefit, how much you're putting down, and what type of VA loan you're getting. Once you understand how those three factors interact, the number stops feeling random and starts being something you can actually plan around.

First-Time Use vs. Subsequent Use

For a standard purchase or construction loan with less than 5% down, first-time users pay 2.15% of the loan amount. Subsequent users — meaning anyone who has used a VA loan before, even if that home has since been sold or paid off — pay 3.30% at the same down payment level. On a $400,000 loan, that's the difference between $8,600 and $13,200. The good news is that down payment…

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