PCS – WeVett

How Fewer PCS Moves Could Impact Military Homebuyers (and Sellers)

Savannah Stephens — Fri, 25 Jul 2025 22:06:12 +0000

Big changes are coming to how military families move – and that could reshape the way service members think about buying a home. In May 2025, the Department of Defense announced a major overhaul to Permanent Change of Station (PCS) policy. Beginning in 2026, the DoD plans to reduce discretionary PCS moves by 50% by 2030. While this shift could ease the disruption of frequent relocations, it also introduces new considerations for military homebuyers – especially those weighing whether to buy or rent during their next assignment.

DoD’s PCS Policy Changes: What’s Actually Changing?

A recent memo from the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness outlines a plan to cut discretionary PCS moves by 50% by fiscal year 2030, starting with a 10% reduction in 2027. This means reductions will begin October 2026.

Discretionary PCS moves, those not required for mission needs, include career development or education-related relocations. The goal is to prioritize geographic stability and allow service members to specialize in specific roles without frequent relocations.

This shift aims to address long-standing concerns about the impact of frequent moves on family life, spouse employment, and the overall wellness of a military family. A recent survey indicated that 32% of active-duty spouses favored leaving the military, mentioning challenges like finding employment and securing child care after a move.

Why the PCS Reforms Could Encourage Military Homeownership

For service members eyeing homeownership, these policy changes could be a double-edged sword, let’s look at how these changes might affect military homeownership long-term.

Increased Stability and Confidence in Buying

With fewer moves, families might feel more confident investing in property, knowing they’ll stay in one location longer. If families can imagine that home will be “home” long enough for them to unpack boxes, decorate, plant a garden, build a man-shed, etc., it’s more likely they will want to make that move into homeownership rather than renting for five years.

Financial Benefits of Longer Assignments

The ability for families to stay longer at one location offers two very positive financial options.

At WeVett, we strongly recommend the 3-year rule: if you don’t plan to live in or hold a home for at least three years, buying may not be the right call. Any less than that, families run the risk of having to sell at a loss because they haven’t accumulated enough equity in the home to offset the cost of purchasing (especially if they purchased using 0% down).

Second, longer tenancy also benefits spouses seeking gainful employment. It allows spouses to obtain employment for longer term positions, gain career enhancements and raises, and provides solid work history for future employment opportunities.

Stronger Community Roots for Military Families

Longer stays allow families to build deeper connections within their communities, which can vastly improve mental and emotional health for all members of the family. Children benefit from consistent schooling, long-term friendships, and the emotional security that comes with staying rooted.. Families will have the chance to connect not just with other military families, but also create relationships with people in the local community, such as neighbors, who can provide advice and assistance on different homeownership challenges or projects.

The Flip Side: New Risks for Military Sellers and Investors

Potential Trouble Selling in Military-Heavy Markets

In some duty stations, military homeowners may find it difficult to sell or rent out their home if service members are moving less frequently, especially if their home is in a predominantly a military-owned neighborhood. For areas that are crash-pad dense, investment owners might want to be cautious before investing too heavily in one location.

Risks from Market Volatility and Unplanned Moves

The real estate market’s volatility means that even with longer stays, buying a home carries financial risks, especially if unexpected relocations occur.

Smart Strategies for Homebuying Under the New PCS Rules

Thinking about buying a home under the new PCS rules? Here’s how to make a confident move:

Know Your Assignment Timeline (The 3-Year Rule)

Understand the expected length of your current assignment and any potential for extensions. Again referencing our 3-year rule, if your assignment is less than three years and you don’t intend to rent the property out when you leave, you might want to consider renting.

Get Matched With a Local Military-Experienced Agent

Seek guidance from a PCS real estate expert and research the housing market in your area to determine if buying is the right move for you. Local housing markets differ across the country, and what makes sense in one city, might be a recipe for disaster in another.

Build a Financial Exit Plan Just in Case

Think about the property’s resale potential or its viability as a rental if you need to move unexpectedly. Despite the potential for increased stability in move cycles, the military still has to remain operationally effective, and sometimes that means moving key people at unexpected moments. Have a game plan established for the unexpected: create a rental strategy and potential pro forma, take advantage of a VA streamlined refinance to reduce your mortgage payment, or complete minor upgrades on the home to boost resale value – that way one PCS move doesn’t sink your financial ship forever.

What These PCS Changes Mean for Your Future

The DoD’s PCS policy overhaul represents a significant shift in military life, aiming to balance operational readiness with family well-being. While the changes promise greater stability, they also require service members to navigate new challenges, especially concerning career progression and financial planning. We will begin to see those changes come into affect in 2026 – and from there, we hope to see the benefits outweighing the downsides for military families, especially when it comes to home ownership.

Need help deciding whether to buy or rent during your next move? We’ll connect you with a VA loan specialist and a military relocation expert – nationwide.

Making PCS Moves Easier in 2025

Savannah Stephens — Fri, 14 Feb 2025 21:43:50 +0000

For military service members and their families, moving is more than just packing boxes—it is a lifestyle. With assignments shifting across the globe, Permanent Change of Station (PCS) moves can be one of the most challenging aspects of military life.

For the Air and Space Forces, easing the burden of these moves has been an important focus for a while.

Over the past few years, the Department of the Air Force (DAF) has made significant improvements to the PCS process, and as we head into the Summer 2025 PCS cycle, even more enhancements are on the way.

Here is a look at what is changing:

What’s Already Improved?

Earlier Assignment Orders – No more last-minute scrambling! Instead of receiving orders just 60 days before a move, families now get them up to 210 days in advance, giving them more time to plan.

Higher Dislocation Allowance (DLA) – Moving costs add up quickly, so the DLA was increased in 2024 for E-1 through E-6 members with dependents, rising from $3,109 to $3,270 to help cover out-of-pocket expenses.

Pet Relocation Reimbursement – Because furry family members matter, too! Service members can now be reimbursed up to $550 for CONUS moves and $2,000 for OCONUS relocations—with a potential increase to $4,000 for special cases.

What’s Coming Later this Year?

A One-Stop PCS Resource – A revamped DAF PCS Benefits website with a QR code for easy access to all PCS-related info.

More Flexibility for House Hunting – Service members can use their 10 days of Permissive TDY (PTDY) incrementally, whether for house hunting or unpacking, making the transition smoother.

Expanded Temporary Lodging Benefits – TLA increased to 60 days for those departing an OCONUS duty station, and TLE extended from 14 to 21 days for CONUS moves.

Why PCS Changes Matter

By reducing the stress of PCS moves, these updates provide greater stability for military families—ensuring they can hit the ground running at their next assignment.

Moving will always be part of military life, but it doesn’t have to be overwhelming. Hopefully these changes will lead to smoother PCSes for our military families!

If you’ve experienced a PCS move recently, we’d love to hear how it went! Send us an email at hello@wevett.com!

Military Household Goods Reform

Shannon Kaufman — Mon, 03 Jul 2023 16:45:58 +0000

Military Household Goods nightmares are *hopefully* coming to an end

BLUF (Bottom Line Up Front)

New $6.2 Billion contract aimed at improving military Household Goods (HHG) moves for service members begins phased implementation in September 2023

FAST FACTS

The soonest all domestic and international household goods and unaccompanied baggage shipments are expected to move under the Global Household Goods Contract is 2024 peak moving season… think: summer!

The contract is outsourcing the management of the moving process to the Houston-based HomeSafe Alliance.

U.S. Transportation Command will oversee the program, but the complete door-to-door household goods relocation transportation and storage services will no longer be managed by them.

FAST FACTS

1. The soonest all domestic and international household goods and unaccompanied baggage shipments are expected to move under the Global Household Goods Contract is 2024 peak moving season… think: summer!

2. The contract is outsourcing the management of the moving process to the Houston-based HomeSafe Alliance.

3. U.S. Transportation Command will oversee the program, but the complete door-to-door household goods relocation transportation and storage services will no longer be managed by them. 3.

The good news?

The contracted company will be held FULLY responsible for the moves, making someone accountable for when items are lost or damaged.

Why a new contract?

This is the first time in Department of Defense history that the moving process has been put under one contract.

The goal is to improve the PCS and relocation experience for service members, DoD civilian employees, and their families.

The expectation is that they’ll deliver quality, on-time packing, shipping, and delivery of your HHGs, provide modern, digital tools to track and communicate, and provide a quicker process for settling claims if items show up missing or damaged.

How does this affect me?

Once the contract is fully implemented, the way you schedule, track, and communicate about your move will be different. You will have one single point of contact for scheduling and conducting your military HHG move. Your local transportation office will remain your primary DoD contact, but HomeSafe Alliance will conduct your move!

Service members will have 24/7 support available, a secure mobile application to coordinate all phases of your move, point-to-point status updates via your mobile device including arrival, departure, and estimated delivery times, and there will be a larger pool of resources including trucks, storage, movers, and more, allowing for shorter transit times and on-time deliveries.

For more information, visit the U.S. Transportation Command’s GHC webpage at:

https://www.ustranscom.mil/cmd/ghc.cfm

Successfully Navigate Life After a PCS Move

Shannon Kaufman — Mon, 03 Jul 2023 15:58:18 +0000

The big bad PCS move is over…now what?

Feeling settled after a military PCS can be challenging, but with some planning and organization, you can make the transition smoother.

After moving into your new house and getting in-processed at your new location, it’s time to face down the reality of finding all the things. Gym, coffee shop, mechanic, doctor, church, babysitters, grocery store…friends?

Here are a few steps to help you get settled:

Unpack and Organize

Start by unpacking the essential items and setting up the basic necessities in your new home. Prioritize items like bedding, kitchenware, toiletries… and probably your (or your spouse’s) uniforms!

As you unpack, create a system to organize your belongings, making it easier to find items you may need later.

Try the A, B, C method. A being daily use items, B being weekly use, and C being seasonal items. Find a home for each item based on how often you will use it. If you need help storing and organizing – check out The Container Store for inspiration or storage containers.

Don’t feel like you have to do this all in one day – 24 hours is not enough time to unpack your entire life into a new space!

Get in the Car and Drive

Familiarize yourself with your new community! Take some time to explore the surrounding neighborhoods.

Check out apps like Patch and NextDoor to learn more about the community and neighborhood.

Make sure you figure out where the closest Chick-fil-A is… kidding, kind of. But really, scope out the nearest post office, hospital, pharmacy, and anything else you may need close to your house.

If you have kiddos, this is a great time to figure out the commute times to daycare or school, and look for parks nearby for those after school play-dates! Try Meet-Up if you want to get a headstart on meeting locals.

Ask for Recommendations

This can be done before you leave your losing duty station, but don’t be afraid to ask questions. Most military installations have Facebook groups specific to the military community. The local Military and Family Readiness Center is a great resource too.

These online groups are a good place to ask for recommendations for just about anything.

Need a birthday cake? A military spouse is waiting to help.

Need to know which on base doctor is the best? That question has definitely been asked before.

How about a babysitter? These groups are a great place to find candidates to vet and interview!

Spend some time finding those online communities specific to your location. Military families know how hard it is to settle into a new place, and they are always willing to share their advice!

Stay Positive

What’s the best overall advice we can give you about moving? Stay positive. Yeah, that sounds cheesy and cliche, but moving is HARD – physically, mentally, emotionally.

A positive attitude can go a long way in the midst of cardboard boxes and take-out containers. And sometimes all you can do is laugh when SHTF and nothing goes as planned and everyone is having a meltdown.

Adjusting to a new location takes time, so be patient with yourself and your family. Reach out for support from fellow military families, attend local events, find your new favorite restaurant, and give yourself the opportunity to explore and embrace your new surroundings!

Mastering the TMO Move: Your Guide to a Successful Military PCS

Shannon Kaufman — Fri, 02 Jun 2023 21:30:01 +0000

Permanent Change of Station (PCS) season is in full swing, and you are staring down the barrel of the dreaded military move.

If you’re in it for the 20-year long haul, the PCS process will need to become a rinse and repeat staple for your family. So let’s make sure you get it down right from the start.

In our previous post we walked through the DITY or PPM move. Now, let’s flip the script and discuss how you can successfully use the Defense Personal Property Program, or what most people call a Transportation Management Office move, ie. the TMO move.

Scheduling a TMO Move

You have two options to schedule your military move. Since the release of the Defense Property System (DPS), you can log on here and perform self counseling. DPS will review your entitlements, and walk you through setting up your move.

The other option is contacting your local Transportation Office and scheduling an appointment with a personal property counselor.

You cannot use self counseling if this is your first personal property move, your last personal property move (retirement or separation from Active Duty), you are using a Power of Attorney, or you are moving personal property as “next of kin.”

Preparing for Your TMO Move

Since Summer is peak PCS season, try to be flexible with your dates. You are most likely to get the moving date you want by going to the Transportation Office as soon as you have orders, but it’s smart to have a backup date too!

TMO needs to know your dates and weights to complete your shipping application, and brief you on your entitlements and PCS shipment options.

If you don’t know the specific weight of your household goods (HHG), that’s okay! Estimate 1,000 – 1,500 lbs per fully furnished room.

Did you know the Joint Travel Regulations determine how much weight you are allowed to have on your military move? The PCS Weight Allowance is broken down by rank and dependents/no-dependents. Check out the chart on page five to figure out your weight allowance!

Getting the House Ready

Sometime before your scheduled military move, a company representative will contact you for pre-move survey. This helps them determine what material and equipment they will need to ship your household goods.

Make sure your house is ready for packing before the movers show up! Don’t have dirty dishes or clothes lying around, and remove any items from your attic.

If you are going to ship appliances such as a washer, dryer, freezer, or refrigerator, they must be emptied, defrosted, and dried out.

Most people recommend not shipping items that are extremely valuable to you and your family. It’s best to move jewelry, photo albums, heirlooms, art work, etc. on your own! You can do a partial PPM and make money for moving certain things yourself in your personal vehicle, or by renting a U-haul trailer. Learn more about DITY / PPM moves here!

Another pro tip: record everything!

Use your phone and take walk-through videos of your house. Try to get detailed videos of expensive items. This can be very helpful if something gets damaged or lost.

Day of the Move

Ensure that you are available for the movers from 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. During peak PCS season, you can expect the movers to be at your home past 5 p.m.

Keep your pets in a secure area and make sure you are monitoring the wrapping and packing of your items. If something does not seem right, speak up!

Although it’s not required, feel free to offer the moving crew refreshments. Not saying it’s a bribe…but if someone offered me lemonade and cookies, I’d probably be less likely to accidentally break their fine china!

At the end of the day, you will sign an inventory sheet before the moving crew leaves. Make sure you read through the list thoroughly. If you disagree with a description, you are allowed to make a note in the remarks section.

Before the crew leaves, make sure everything you want packed is packed! Once they leave, any forgotten items will have to find their own way to your new assignment.

A successful military move doesn’t have to be complicated as long as you start early (or as early as possible), stay organized and take advantage of the right moving option for your family and your current season of life. If the heavy lifting of a PPM move is in your bag of tricks, go for it! If a TMO move is going to save your sanity, do it.

Regardless of which way you choose, take deep breaths, expect some hiccups along the way, and don’t forget to pack the kids!

To DITY or Not to DITY

Savannah Stephens — Fri, 05 May 2023 11:33:57 +0000

It’s that time of year again. The smell of cardboard boxes and packing tape in the air.

You’re wondering just exactly how many trips to the dump you can take because you’re so tired of packing.

You’ve chosen the good ‘ol fashion DITY (do-it-yourself move) that the military now calls a Personally Procured Move (PPM).

Most of the time, this is a great option. You’ll make a good chunk of change back, you’re in control of how your stuff is packed, how it’s transported, and how the boxes are labeled.

But – it also can be a bit chaotic. We’re here to help you make your next DITY move (hopefully!) easier than ever.

Here’s a few tips to make your military move a little less stressful:

Budget

The goal of a DITY move should be to make money back, not overspend, and to feel good about how your personal items are being moved!

What you’re estimated to make with your DITY move depends on a lot of varying factors. You can use a DITY estimator like this one for a rough estimate.

Break down what you’ll spend on moving supplies, packers, a moving truck, taxes, etc. and come up with a total goal amount to spend.

According to DFAS, authorized and reimbursable expenses include rental truck or trailer, hand trucks, dollies, furniture pads, boxes, tape, oil, fuel, tolls, hired labor, ropes, tie-downs, packing materials, weight ticket fees, POD storage containers, and environmental fees.

Remember: most of your expenses are reimbursable (and those moving expenses aren’t taxed), but you’ll have to pay them upfront. It can take your local finance office 4-6 weeks to process your move and pay you back!

You want to have that money set aside so you are not paying interest on it.

The incentive pay or profit you make off a DITY, not including your reimbursable expenses, is taxed at 22%.

Organize

If you’ve never packed your home by yourself, it can easily feel overwhelming.

Get organized! A good organization system will save you a ton of frustration (and probably your marriage too!) Organize the rooms and how you want to pack them, set aside the items you want in your car vs. in the moving truck, and designate a special place for all of your moving related expense receipts and paperwork. (Don’t forget the certified weight receipts for your car and moving truck!)

The more weight you move, the more money you’ll get paid. You don’t want to purge unnecessarily, but you also don’t want to move stuff you don’t actually need.

Pssst…Now is not the time to sell off that squat rack and dumbbell set – put it in the back of the truck and claim that weight!

Set Timeline Goals

It’s a good idea to have a timeline in mind for your move.

And start earlier than you think necessary – believe me, that room that “should only take 30 minutes to pack”…will probably take you at least 3 hours.

If you know the exact date you need to be out of your house, you can plan around that. Pick up the moving truck a few days before, have your house packed, and have the movers scheduled.

If you don’t have an exact date, you’ll just have to plan around a general timeline. Most moving companies understand the headaches of military moves. It’s still better to call around and get quotes even if you don’t have the specific date!

Set a timeline for yourself to get packing done. Do one room a day over a period of time. You’ll be less stressed, more organized, and ready to head to your next PCS location.

Teamwork Makes the Dream Work

If you’re planning on doing a full DITY, get some help! Your spouse, family, neighbos, friends…get whoever you can… a DITY is not a one man kind of job.

If you’re married, just expect at least 3 arguments to break out (possibly 7 if you didn’t heed our earlier advice about budget, organization and timing.)

Keep the donuts and coffee in abundant supply though and everyone might just stick with you through the very end.

Fist bumps all around for another successful DITY.

Hey, you forgot to talk about the partial DITY!

Yes, a partial DITY is a thing.

Even if the Transportation Office moves 99% of your stuff, you can still move the other 1% and claim a partial DITY.

You can get paid for the things you pack up in your vehicle and a trailer you pull behind. You won’t make as much money as a full DITY, but you can move your most valuable personal items while the government moves the rest!

Good luck with your upcoming PCS. And if you are packing up your belongings but still have no idea where you will be unpacking them, fill out a form here and we can help you decide whether to buy or rent a house at your next assignment.

The Easiest PCS Ever.

Savannah Stephens — Thu, 09 Feb 2023 00:26:12 +0000

What do you get when you throw together a toddler, a newborn baby, a four-month long TDY (four months-ish because…you know how that goes), a PCS, and a separation from Active-Duty?

My life.

Here in our household, we like to do all of the major life changes at once.

Just kidding – it just happened that way, but we’re here embracing the chaos.

BTW, who am I?

A quick background on me, I commissioned as a Public Affairs Officer in 2016 from the University of South Carolina and my husband is an active-duty pilot. We met in Chicago during my junior year of college, his senior year, at the National Conclave for Arnold Air Society. (For those who didn’t do ROTC, it’s like an Air Force ROTC honor society). I know it sounds nerdy… it was.

We’ve been stationed in Mississippi and Florida and have two amazing kiddos. I am unapologetically a huge Taylor Swift fan (my husband just deals with it #blessed). We have developed a love for skiing and snowboarding over the last few years, we love Chick-fil-A, and college football season is our favorite season.

Since we went to rival schools in South Carolina, we like to keep football season lighthearted… except this year we may have been in South Carolina for the phenomenal Gamecock win… it was amazing (for me…ha!)

If you know me, I never miss an opportunity to throw in a “Go Gamecocks!”

Anyway… back to the story.

And then there were orders…

Nine months ago, my husband volunteered and got accepted for a white jet tour (training new Air Force pilots). Cue the applause!

As a dual-mil couple though, we had to also account for where I would be stationed during this new assignment. We weighed all the options for assignments, decided which base would work best for our family, and made a tentative plan for our ideal future.

We submitted our dream sheet and crossed our fingers.

And as luck would have it…we had zero luck. The Air Force had other plans for us. Plans that did not keep our family together how we wanted. With this news, I ultimately decided to press the separation button and transition over to the Reserve.

It was a tough decision, but we needed more family stability and were really, really tired of spending time apart. After having been married for over five years, more than 2.5 years of that spent apart…it was time for a change.

That was May 2022. I was five months pregnant with our second child and had no idea what the future would look like. In true military fashion, all we knew was baby number two was arriving in September and at some point, there would be a four-month TDY to Pilot Instructor Training (PIT) at JBSA-Randolph in Texas and after that a PCS to Laughlin AFB.

Fast forward to the summer – our timeline, thankfully, had solidified. We had PIT dates for January, I had an official separation date of Jan. 16, 2023, and a PCS to Del Rio was scheduled for summer 2023.

The marathon begins!

And now for the fun part, logistics. We had to coordinate an extended TDY and then, right on its heels, a PCS.

First things, first: deciding what to do with our house in Florida.

The housing market is crazy right now. Our Florida home’s value had increased substantially since purchasing it in July 2019, so we had to weigh the pros and cons of selling vs. renting.

We could sell it and walk away with a pretty large profit, or we could rent it and use it as a long-term investment.

Walking away with the gains would’ve been great, but the 2.25% interest rate we locked in after refinancing in 2020 helped us solidify our decision to rent it out.

After interviewing several property management companies in the Florida panhandle, we finally found one that we felt was the best fit for us. We wanted someone who understood military life and who was actually going to make sure our home was taken care of while we were gone.

Logistical hurdle #1, done.

Next, how to get our house emptied…

Instead of separating our family again, we decided that all of us would go to San Antonio for the TDY.

Call us crazy or gluttons for punishment, but for some reason, a full DITY sounded like a great idea. (The good ‘ol do-it-yourself-move, now known as a Personally Procured Move (PPM)).

A full DITY, a newborn baby, and a 3-year-old, who needs their sanity anyway?

Since the Air Force owed me one final military move due to my separation, we used that move to get our household goods packed up and on their way to San Antonio.

We hired a local moving company to help pack our house and load the U-Haul truck. 80% of everything we owned would be put in storage in San Antonio, and the other 20% we planned to take with us to PIT.

My husband and stepdad then drove from Florida to San Antonio (in one day!) to unload the 80% into a climate-controlled storage unit.

In reality, we could’ve just left everything in our house until my husband’s TDY was done, and then had TMO move our household goods from Florida to our next base… but why would we take the easy route?

Besides, if it was up to TMO our household goods would be going into non-climate-controlled storage in Florida… Have you felt that Florida humidity? No thank you.

PCS part one, that’s a wrap

So, after all the ups and downs, hefty decision-making and packing…here we are… two kids, two cars, and a U-haul trailer, ready to take on the world in San Antonio.

How is it all going to shake out? I’m sure it’s about to get wild!

Do you or someone you know have a PCS story worth sharing? We’d love to hear it! Send us a message at hello@wevett.com with Subject Line: My PCS Story