Buying a Home Before Your PCS to Redstone

Plenty of people buy their Huntsville home before they live here. Some come down for one house-hunting trip. Some never make a trip at all. It can work well, but it takes different planning than buying across town. Here's the order we'd do it in.

Start with the Housing Services Office

Before anything else, contact Redstone's Housing Services Office. Military OneSource says all new arrivals must check with the HSO before making housing arrangements, and asks that you contact it before entering into any lease or rental or sales contract for off-post housing. The HSO is at the One Stop, Building 3494 on Honest John Road, and the phone number is 256-876-6666. It can share current information on the local housing market.

If you're interested in on-post housing too, Military OneSource says you can register for the waiting list as soon as you have orders. Redstone Family Housing can be reached at 256-400-5940.

If you're taking permissive TDY for house hunting, note one detail Military OneSource lists: you report to your gaining command for the signature on your DA Form 31. Housing no longer signs it.

Get your numbers in order before you shop

A short trip goes much further when the money side is done.

• Look up your BAH with the DTMO tool using the duty station ZIP on your orders. Redstone installation addresses use 35898.
• Request your VA Certificate of Eligibility if you're using a VA loan. Our post on using your BAH to buy in Huntsville covers the basics.
• Get pre-approved with a lender who closes loans in Alabama regularly. Our preferred lender is Logan Hoffman of Novus Home Mortgage (NMLS #1771803), and you're free to choose any lender.

Narrow the map from a distance

This is the part we can do a lot of before you arrive.

Pick your gate first. Ask your sponsor which gate people in your building use. Our gate hours guide lists every gate and its posted hours.

Pick your school district, if it matters to you. District lines don't follow city names here. Read how school enrollment works after a move and confirm zoning with the district for any home you're serious about.

Decide resale or new construction. If your report date is close, a finished or nearly finished home is the realistic choice. If you have more time, building may be an option. Our post on new construction timelines vs. your report date gets into it.

Seeing homes when you can't be here

Here's what remote house-hunting looks like with us.

• Video walk-throughs. We can walk a home with you on a video call and show you what photos leave out: the street, the backyard, the noise, the view from the kitchen window.
• A short list before you fly. If you can make one trip, we'll line up homes that fit your gate, budget and district so you aren't spending half a day on houses that were never going to work.
• Early deal-breaker checks. HOA rules, lot details, and whether the home is in the district you asked for. These knock homes off the list fast.

Some buyers write an offer after a video tour. That's a real decision, so build in an inspection period and use it. A professional inspection is the closest thing to being there in person.

Closing from out of state

Parts of a closing can often be handled without you in the room, but how it works depends on your lender and the closing attorney or title company. Ask both early whether they can handle remote signing or a mobile notary where you live now, and what timing they need. Each company has its own rules, so don't assume. Our preferred title partner is Foundation Title & Escrow in Huntsville, 256-776-7704. You're free to choose any title company or closing attorney.

Plan for the gap between closing and arrival too. Insurance, move-in logistics and someone to receive deliveries all need setting up. In Madison County, the homestead exemption requires the home to be your primary residence on October 1 of the tax year, so if you close in the fall, ask the tax assessor how your timing affects you.

When buying first isn't the right move

Sometimes the honest answer is to wait. If your report date is uncertain, your orders could change, or you don't know the area yet, renting first may be smarter. Read rent first or buy right away for how to think it through.

Start the search

Our PCS to Redstone Arsenal guide has the full timeline from orders to keys, and Moving to Huntsville for Redstone Arsenal covers the areas people commute from.

Send us your report date, gate and budget, and we'll start building your short list. Get the Huntsville relocation guide or call The Nicolaou Group at Capstone Realty at 256.993.5800.

Sources

• Redstone Arsenal, For Newcomers (HSO at One Stop, Building 3494): https://home.army.mil/redstone/my-fort/newcomers. Military OneSource, Redstone Arsenal Housing (HSO guidance, location, phone, waiting list, DA Form 31, Redstone Family Housing phone): https://installations.militaryonesource.mil/military-installation/redstone-arsenal/housing/housing
• Defense Travel Management Office, BAH: https://www.travel.dod.mil/Allowances/Basic-Allowance-for-Housing/
• Military OneSource, Redstone Arsenal check-in (ZIP 35898)
• Madison County Tax Assessor, Homestead Exemption Information: https://www.madisoncountyal.gov/departments/tax-assessor/homestead-exemptions