Are you a service member that just received orders to relocate to Northeast Florida?! If so, I have 5 Tips to Share before you make Northeast Florida your home!

As a local real estate agent and veteran of the United States Navy, I know first hand the benefits of buying real estate while enlisted in the military. One of the best tips I received while in the Navy was from a warrant officer on my last deployment, he said “ if you want to retire a millionaire, buy a home everywhere you are stationed.”

Watch the video for my full story and let’s get into the tips you must know before moving to the sunshine state.

1. Buy a home, don’t rent! First step is to get pre-approved for a home. I recommend you go with Navy Federal or USAA or I would highly recommend going with a local lender for the best service. I can get you in touch with our preferred mortgage lender who can most likely match any loan you have been approved for and guaranteed impeccable service.

2. Buyer right! If you can buy a traditional 3 bedroom, 2 bath and 2 car garage single family home that is the most ideal property for resale value and renting in the future when you relocate.

3. Buy close to the base! Location is best near the military bases because in the future when you go to rent or sell your home you have a pool of buyers and renters who are in the military. One benefit is that you know if they are in the military they are getting paid on the 1st and 15th no matter what! We always recommend the closer the better to the base no further then an hour away at most but at least 30 minutes from the base is ideal. There are two major bases in Northeast Florida, we have Naval Station Mayport and Naval Air Station Jacksonville.

4. Think long term! That means when you purchase the home, be smart about your upgrades, for instance don’t replace carpet with carpet upgrade it to luxury vinyl plank or tile. Start thinking what would last a while, be durable for renters and give you the highest return on investment. The best tip as well is get a home warranty to help cover any major issues in the future.

5. Rent to the D.O.D! The ideal situation is that you rent to a department of defense employee. Many of them have secret clearance and have to stay in good standing, which includes ensuring bill are paid. Take it from experience on a rental property I owned while in the military and was renting it out. I had a air traffic controlling write bad checks and I told my legal officer and then my legal officer spoke to his legal officer and if you know the military, then you know I got my money! So having a military tenant is beneficial when possible for instances like that, now let’s hope it never gets that far for you.

If you relocating on military orders to Northeast Florida and looking to buy a home, email our team at info@rphomegroup.com to get started. Start searching for Northeast Florida homes for sale today at https://search.rphomegroup.com/.