Urgent:Limited Time: Lock in Today's Lower Rates Before They Rise!
    Free PCS Tool

    PCS Timeline Planner

    Enter Your Report Date and See Exactly When Every Step Has To Happen
    Veteran-Owned
    Top 1% Nationwide
    2,500+ Families Served
    Plan Ahead

    Build Your Timeline

    Enter the report-no-later-than date on your orders. We work backward from a closing date one week earlier, so you have a buffer for a slipped appraisal or a late household goods delivery.

    Nothing is submitted or stored. This runs entirely in your browser.

    The Short Version, If You Don't Have Orders Yet

    Start the week your orders drop, roughly 90 days before your report-no-later-than date. Request your Certificate of Eligibility and get a fully underwritten pre-approval first, then house hunt. The loan itself only needs about 21 days once you are under contract, but the VA appraisal is assigned by VA and cannot be expedited, so the calendar pressure comes from the front end, not underwriting.

    Next, see what a VA loan costs in San Antonio or pick the JBSA base you are reporting to.

    FAQs

    PCS and VA Loan Timing Questions

    Quick Answer

    Start the week your orders drop, roughly 90 days before your report-no-later-than date. Request your Certificate of Eligibility and get a fully underwritten pre-approval first, then house hunt. The loan itself only needs about 21 days once you are under contract, but the VA appraisal is assigned by VA and cannot be expedited, so the calendar pressure comes from the front end, not underwriting.

    Start the week your orders drop, roughly 90 days before your report-no-later-than date. Request your Certificate of Eligibility and get a fully underwritten pre-approval first, then house hunt. The loan itself only needs about 21 days once you are under contract, but the VA appraisal is assigned by VA and cannot be expedited, so the calendar pressure comes from the front end, not underwriting.

    Yes. VA occupancy rules give an active duty service member a reasonable time to occupy, generally within 60 days of closing, and a spouse can satisfy the occupancy requirement on your behalf while you are still in transit or deployed. Many of our JBSA clients close remotely with a power of attorney and a mail-away closing.

    Tell us the same day. Amended or revoked orders can affect income documentation and occupancy certification, and in Texas your contract may have termination options depending on where you are in the timeline. It is far easier to renegotiate a closing date than to unwind a closed loan.

    Our average is 21 days from contract to close. The variable is the VA appraisal, which VA assigns to a panel appraiser and which typically returns within 10 to 14 business days in the Bexar County area. Having your COE, LES, and orders in hand at pre-approval is the single biggest thing that keeps the timeline on track.

    Before, with about a week of margin. Closing a week ahead of your report-no-later-than date absorbs a slipped appraisal or a late household goods delivery without forcing you into temporary lodging at your own expense.

    Orders in Hand? Let's Beat Your Report Date.

    Zero lender fees, 21-day average close, and a veteran-owned team that has run this timeline hundreds of times for JBSA families.

    Proudly Serving Military Families Since 2019

    Reviewed by Jonathan Mullins, Founder & Mortgage Loan Originator, NMLS #94015Last updated