Working with Military Buyers and Sellers
What this domain tests
Military clients move on orders, not on market timing. Your job is to translate an unpredictable calendar into a defensible purchase or sale strategy while respecting the client's chain of command, finances, and family.
Core concepts
- PCS orders as a trigger: Orders drive timelines, and they also carry legal protections. Know that the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act allows termination of certain residential leases and, in qualifying cases, purchase contracts when orders arrive after signing.
- Compressed timelines: Buyers often need to buy before seeing the property. Remote video tours, a trusted agent or inspector on the ground, and power of attorney arrangements are standard tools.
- Financing literacy: VA loans compete with conventional. Explain funding fee, appraisal contingencies, seller concessions limits, and that sellers may resist VA offers based on myths about difficulty.
- Budget realism: Basic Allowance for Housing is not counted the same way as stable income by all underwriters, and it changes with location and dependency status. Separate BAH from permanent pay when discussing affordability.
- Sellers: A military seller may need to sell fast, may have negative equity, or may rent the home instead. Discuss property management, tenant screening, and the tax and entitlement consequences of retaining a VA-financed home.
- Communication: Deployed or shift-working clients may be unreachable. Set a communication plan in writing.
Traps
Questions imply SCRA protections are automatic and unlimited, or that BAH is guaranteed income. They also confuse lease termination with contract termination.
Rule of thumb
Ask early: "Do you have orders, and what is the report date?" Then build the contract timeline backward from the report date with a buffer for appraisal and closing delays.