Your trusted resource for PCS planning, military moving guides, BAH breakdowns, checklists, and tips to make your relocation simple and stress-free.

A PCS move runs on a fixed clock — and the families who handle it smoothly aren't necessarily the most experienced ones. They're the most organized. Starting early and working through the right tasks in the right order is what separates a smooth PCS from a stressful one. Here's the timeline that actually works, from 90 days out through move-in day.

90 Days Out — Orders in Hand, Start Immediately

The day your orders arrive is day one of your PCS clock. The most important tasks in this window are confirming your gaining installation's housing situation and starting your VA loan pre-approval if you plan to buy. Contact on-base housing management at your gaining installation immediately to check wait list status — on-post housing at popular…

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Relocating to or from a military base usually means making fast decisions — and a lot of the time you're doing it without ever stepping foot in the home. Whether you're PCS'ing to Colorado Springs or leaving the area, the process can feel overwhelming when you're trying to coordinate everything from out of state. The reality is, this has become the norm for military families, and with the right approach and the right person on the ground, you can still make a smart, confident move.

How I Help Remote Buyers

I've worked with a lot of buyers over the past several years who weren't able to visit in person before closing. Instead of relying on listing photos or guessing what a home looks like, I walk properties myself and send detailed video walkthroughs…

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Receiving PCS orders kicks off one of the more logistically complex processes military families face on a regular basis — and housing is almost always the most stressful part. The families who navigate it smoothly aren't necessarily more experienced. They're more organized and they start earlier. Here's a practical breakdown of the housing steps that matter most during a PCS move, in the order they should actually happen.

Use Your Permissive TDY House Hunting Trip

Most PCS orders include authorization for a Permissive Temporary Duty assignment — commonly called a house hunting trip — that gives you a window of time to travel to your gaining installation and research housing before your official report date. This is one of the most underused PCS…

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Where you live near a military base shapes almost everything about your tour — your commute, your kids' schools, your social environment, and how quickly you feel settled. Most service members approach the housing decision by looking at listings before they've answered the questions that determine which listings should even be on the list. Here's the framework that actually helps — built around the decisions that matter most, in the order they should be made.

Start With the Gate, Not the Neighborhood

The single most common housing mistake military families make is picking a neighborhood before confirming which gate they'll be using and what the commute looks like at their actual report time. A home that's 8 miles from the installation can take 10…

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A Permanent Change of Station move is one of the most logistically complex things a military family does on a regular basis — and most people figure out the hard parts by going through them at least once before they feel like they have a handle on it. The families who handle PCS moves smoothly aren't necessarily more experienced. They're more prepared. Here's a plain-language breakdown of the most important decisions and considerations that determine how a military relocation actually goes.

On Base vs. Off Base: The First Decision

For most PCS moves, the first housing decision is whether to live on post or off. On-base housing offers proximity to post facilities, utilities typically included in BAH, and a built-in community of other military…

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