Received a PCS? Sell Your Home with a Military Relocation Professional
Military life has a way of shifting people from place to place, and not always on your preferred timeline. More than 400,000 service members receive Permanent Change of Station (PCS) orders annually, meaning that they’re about to move to another city, state, or country for two years or longer.
If you’re a service member who owns a home, a PCS might mean you need to sell — fast. Fortunately, you’re not alone; 63% of active duty personnel choose to live in private sector homes, so thousands of military families need to sell their homes every year.
Thankfully, there are real estate agents who are specially trained to help service members move. These agents have what’s called a Military Relocation Professional (MRP) certification. They help service members successfully sell their homes on time while dealing with the challenges (and leveraging the benefits) of military life.
To give you an overview of MRPs’ specialties, HomeLight compiled years of research and spoke with a leading MRP-certified agent about how she helps homeowners facing PCS orders.
Military Relocation Professionals are trained to help service members
The Military Relocation Professional certification is a program available to real estate agents who are members of the National Association of Realtors (NAR). NAR is an organization that holds its members to particular standards through a code of ethics and aims to connect sellers and buyers with excellent, qualified real estate agents. About 75% of all licensed U.S. real estate agents are NAR members, but only those who complete a specific training program have MRP status.
Per NAR, the Military Relocation Professional certification “focuses on preparing real estate professionals to work with current and former military service members to find the right housing solutions for them and take full advantage of military benefits and support.” The program trains real estate agents on the following topics:
Understanding the procedures and processes involved in military relocation
Providing information to help service members make educated decisions when buying, selling, or renting a home
Identifying and providing services that help service members sell or purchase homes
Explaining the details of VA financing
Guiding military members through a successful transaction
In addition to this training, MRP members are also granted access to members-only tools and resources for marketing military-owned properties.
Sandee Payne, a leading real estate agent in Fort Hood, Texas, and service member for 23 years, stressed that MRP-certified agents are more knowledgeable about the particular issues military members with a PCS face. She shares that “having that certification means you, as an agent, have taken steps to make sure you understand and know how to serve military members in the best way possible.”
A Military Relocation Professional knows the challenges service members face when selling a home
Payne shares that MRPs are trained to assist with the two greatest challenges that military members with PCS orders face: Dealing with a short sale timeline and maintaining healthy finances.
Short sale timelines
When it comes to timeline, MRPs are experienced and know the right questions to ask to ensure you don’t spend months in limbo between homes or need to pay the mortgage on a home you aren’t occupying. Additionally, MRPs typically have an extensive network of other agents across the country who can refer military members looking to buy in your area because of their own PCS orders. Additionally, MRPs know other professionals who can help your home sale and relocation go smoothly, including military-specialized tax experts and cross-country moving companies.
Finances
As far as finances go, an MRP can help you to leverage your VA loan to your advantage. For example, if you purchased your home with a VA loan, it’s possible to transfer the loan terms to a new homeowner. This transfer sweetens the deal for buyers by negating the need to apply for a new loan and could secure them a lower interest rate. Payne also shares that an MRP can advise you on whether it’s a good decision to buy a new home or rent, based on the terms of your PCS order.
