For relocation & PCS coordinators

A mortgage broker who closes on a moving timeline

A relocation doesn’t wait. Whether it’s a corporate transfer or a service member on PCS orders, the report date is fixed, the buyer is often purchasing a home they’ve barely seen, and a lender who misses the timeline creates a real problem. I close VA and relocation loans on tight schedules, work remotely with a buyer who isn’t local yet, and keep both the client and you informed the whole way. My office is in Neptune Beach — right next to Mayport — so the Jacksonville military market is home ground.

Talk through a move

What you can count on

The things that keep a move on schedule:

  • Closings built around the report date. I set the timeline to the date that can’t move, flag anything that threatens it early, and don’t go quiet when your employee or service member is counting on keys.
  • Remote-friendly from start to finish. A buyer who hasn’t arrived yet can still get pre-approved, get under contract, and close — I run the whole file at a distance when that’s what the move requires.
  • VA done by someone who lives in it. Zero down, no monthly mortgage insurance, and the local knowledge that comes from working the bases around Jacksonville every week.
  • The income handled right. BAH, relocation packages, and gross-ups get documented correctly instead of tripping up a lender who’s never seen them.

The VA loan, done right

For an active-duty or veteran buyer, the VA loan is usually the strongest tool on the table — and the one most likely to be handled badly by a lender who doesn’t see many:

  • Zero down and no monthly MI. The two biggest cash and payment advantages a relocating military buyer has — real money on every payment, not a teaser.
  • The funding fee, explained. Financed into the loan, and waived entirely for a buyer with a service-connected disability rating — I make sure that’s caught, not missed.
  • Occupancy that fits a PCS. The VA’s intent-to-occupy rule has room for military reality, including a spouse occupying while the service member is deployed or in transit. I structure it correctly up front.
  • The appraisal, demystified. The VA appraisal spooks people who don’t understand it. Here’s an honest breakdown of what it actually checks and how a low value gets handled before anyone panics.

The full picture is on the VA loan page — but the short version is that a VA buyer run by someone who knows the program is a strong, on-time buyer, not a risk to the move.

Buying before they arrive

The most common relocation question is whether someone can buy before they physically get there. Usually, yes:

  • Pre-approval and contract from a distance. None of it requires the buyer to be local. We get the pre-approval solid so they can make a competitive offer the moment they find the home.
  • Occupancy timed to the orders. Financing a primary home means intent to occupy within a reasonable window — the guidelines account for a start or report date that’s a little out, and for military moves specifically.
  • A clean remote closing. Between a mail-away or a local notary, a buyer who’s still finishing at the old duty station can close without flying back.

Can BAH be used as income? Yes — for an active-duty buyer, Basic Allowance for Housing counts as qualifying income, and because it’s non-taxable it can often be grossed up, which stretches how much home it supports. It’s one of the biggest reasons a military buyer qualifies more comfortably than their base pay alone would suggest.

Corporate transfers and relocation packages

A civilian transfer comes with its own moving parts, and they’re easy for a lender to fumble:

  • Relocation-package income and gross-ups documented the way underwriting needs to see them.
  • Guaranteed-buyout vs. list-and-sell handled so the departing home is treated correctly and doesn’t block the new purchase.
  • New-job and offer-letter starts structured so a buyer moving for a role that hasn’t begun yet can still close on time.

How you can help

Three things, and I run the rest:

  • The earliest possible heads-up — the report or start date is the whole timeline.
  • The orders or offer letter, plus any temporary-housing window we’re working against.
  • A flag on anything unusual about the buyer’s income or the destination.

From there I keep your employee or service member — and you — informed at every milestone.

Questions relocation coordinators ask me

My employee has orders to Mayport in 60 days — can they buy before they arrive?

In most cases, yes. We get them fully pre-approved now so they can write a strong offer, run the file remotely, and time the closing and occupancy to the report date. Buying a primary home requires intent to occupy within a reasonable window, and the guidelines are built to accommodate a move that’s a little out — especially a military one.

Can BAH be used as qualifying income?

Yes. For an active-duty buyer, Basic Allowance for Housing is qualifying income, and because it’s non-taxable it can typically be grossed up — so it supports more home than the number alone looks like it would. It’s often the difference-maker on a military buyer’s approval.

Can an active-duty buyer use a VA loan mid-PCS?

That’s exactly what it’s built for. Zero down and no monthly mortgage insurance make it the strongest option for a relocating military buyer, and the occupancy rules flex for a PCS — including a spouse occupying while the member is in transit or deployed. The key is structuring it right from the start, which is what I do.

What’s the fastest a relocating buyer can realistically close?

With a complete file and an accepted offer, a clean purchase can close in about three weeks — sometimes faster on a VA loan when the appraisal cooperates. The way to protect the date is to start the pre-approval before there’s a contract, so the only clock running at the end is the appraisal and final underwriting.

Does a relocation package or gross-up count as income?

Often, yes — but it depends on how the package is structured and documented, which is where a lender who hasn’t handled many gets it wrong. Send me the offer and the relocation terms and I’ll tell you exactly what qualifies and how it’s treated before your employee is under contract.

Have a move on the calendar? Send me the scenario →

I’m Matt Mergo, an independent wholesale mortgage broker with more than 20 years in the business and thousands of families helped, licensed in Florida, Pennsylvania, and Texas, NMLS #563819. My office sits next to Naval Station Mayport in the Jacksonville military market, and almost all of my business comes from referrals and repeat clients — the only review that counts in this work.

Let’s keep the move on schedule

Send me the employee or service member with a date on the calendar, and I’ll give you a straight read on the timeline and the loan. No pitch, no pressure — just an on-time closing and a client handed back to you.

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