A permanent change of station (PCS) move to San Diego comes with a deadline, and buying a home on that schedule is very doable with a plan. This timeline walks through it, with the official place to check each step. Your own dates and rules come from your orders, your command and your lender.
As soon as you have orders
- Learn your housing allowance. Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH) depends on your duty station, pay grade and whether you have dependents. Our BAH Buying Power Calculator turns it into a home price range, and the Defense Travel Management Office publishes the official rates.
- Request your VA Certificate of Eligibility (COE). The VA says you can request one online, through a lender that can use its Web LGY system, or by mail with VA Form 26-1880, and notes that mail takes longer. An active-duty service member needs a signed statement of service from the command. Details: VA: how to request a COE.
- Talk to a lender who works with VA loans. Ask for a pre-approval so you know your range before you tour.
- Read about your move benefits on Military OneSource, and ask your transportation office about shipping dates.
Two to three months before you report
- Choose areas to explore. The Neighborhood Match quiz and Commute Check help narrow it to a few places near your base.
- Take a house-hunting trip if you can, or ask Rudy about touring homes by video and sending you details, so you can see homes, neighborhoods and commutes before you arrive.
- Compare a VA loan with a conventional one: VA Funding Fee Calculator.
- Learn what the VA appraisal looks at: VA appraisal and minimum property requirements.
One to two months before
- Make offers and negotiate. In a typical purchase, the time from accepted offer to closing is about a month, though it depends on the loan, the appraisal and the seller.
- Order the inspection and the VA appraisal through your lender and agent. If the home needs repairs to meet the VA's requirements, they must be completed before closing.
- Line up homeowners insurance, and ask Rudy for movers, utilities and school information. See our moving-in checklist.
Closing and move-in
- Review the Closing Disclosure carefully a few days before closing; your lender is required to give it to you in advance.
- Do a final walkthrough, confirm utilities are on, and sign.
- Update your address and begin the property tax and insurance routine.
If you cannot close before you report
Some service members rent first and buy once they arrive, and some buy remotely. Both work, and the right choice depends on your orders and your finances. Rudy can compare the options with you.
Talk to a lender. Rates, loan programs and approvals come from lenders, not from websites or real estate agents. Talk to your own mortgage broker, or use our preferred lender, Point Mortgage Corporation (NMLS #231073), at (619) 475-4095. You are always free to choose any lender you like, and you can verify any lender’s license at nmlsconsumeraccess.org.
General information, not legal, tax or lending advice. Programs, rules and rates change, so confirm current details with the official source, your lender and your advisors. Your orders and your command decide your move timeline and benefits.
More guides
- The VA Appraisal and Minimum Property Requirements, Explained — What the VA appraisal checks, how it is different from a home inspection, and what happens if a home needs repairs.
- Who Is Exempt From the VA Funding Fee? — The VA funding fee can be rolled into the loan, and some veterans, service members and surviving spouses do not pay it at all.
- VA Loan or Conventional Loan? How to Compare Them — A fair, side-by-side way to compare a VA loan with a conventional loan, and the numbers that matter most.
- San Diego Military Bases and Where People Look for Housing — The main San Diego-area installations, where they are, and the tools to compare commutes and housing near each one.