The date comes from orders, not from the market
Most sellers pick a moving date. A PCS seller is handed one. That single difference is what makes this hard: a listing runs on the buyer's financing timeline, and financing does not care about a report date.
A conventional sale in El Paso means showings, an offer, then thirty to forty-five days of underwriting and appraisal — with a real chance of falling through late and starting over. If your date has room for that, list it. You will very likely net more, and we will tell you so on the phone.
If it does not, the question is not "cash or list." It is what happens to the house if you leave before it sells.
Leaving before the house sells
This is the part people underestimate. An empty house two time zones away still has a mortgage, utilities, insurance and a lawn — and an insurer may treat a vacant house differently from an occupied one, which is worth a call to your agent before you go, not after.
The alternatives are all real and none of them is automatic: sell before you leave, sell after you leave, rent it out, or hand it to a property manager and revisit next year.
- Selling before you go is cleanest, but it is the option most constrained by your date.
- Selling after you go is usually possible — closings are often handled with sellers who are no longer in town. Ask early what your title company will require, because the requirements vary and finding out in the last week is what causes problems.
- Renting it out can be the better financial answer, especially near post where there is steady demand. It is also a second job you will be doing from somewhere else.
The VA loan question — ask before you decide anything
If your loan is a VA loan, what happens to your entitlement when you sell, and whether the loan can be taken over by someone else, will shape your next purchase at your next duty station. It is the most consequential question on this page.
We are not lenders and we will not guess at it for you. Ask your loan servicer, ask the VA directly, and use your installation's legal assistance office — it is free to you and it exists for exactly this. Get the answer before you sign anything with anyone, including us.
What a cash sale actually solves here
It removes the two things that break a PCS timeline: the buyer's financing, and the repair list. There is no bank, no appraisal, and no request to fix the roof before closing — so the date stops depending on a stranger's underwriter.
What it does not remove is the title work and your lender's payoff, and those set the real floor on speed. How we get to the number is the same on every house, and we show the arithmetic. Tell us your date on the first call and we will say whether it is realistic instead of promising a number we do not control.
| Listing it | Selling to us | |
|---|---|---|
| Who sets the closing date | The buyer's lender | You, within what title work allows |
| Repairs before closing | Usually required | None — we buy it as it sits |
| Keeping it show-ready while you pack | Yes | No |
| If it falls through | Start over, date unchanged | No financing to fall through |
| What you net | Usually more | Usually less — that is the trade |
That last row is the whole decision. We are the faster, more certain option and the more expensive one. If your date has room for a listing, a listing is probably the better deal for you.
Clearing the house without a month to do it
You do not have to empty it. Take what is worth moving, leave the rest, and we will deal with what stays — that is not a courtesy, it is priced into the offer either way.
Your household goods pickup, temporary lodging and on-post clearing dates come from your orders and the transportation office, not from us. Build our closing around those dates and tell us what they are; we will work to them or tell you plainly that we cannot.
Free help that is already yours
Before you take any offer — ours included — these cost you nothing and are not trying to buy your house.
Free financial counselling and PCS support for service members and families, funded by the Department of Defense.
Your installation's legal assistance office
Free legal help for eligible service members and dependents — the right place for the VA entitlement question and for anyone reviewing a contract before you sign it.
Fort Bliss Housing Services Office
The installation office for housing questions, including what your options are for a home you own off post.
FAQ
Can I close after I have already reported?
Usually. Closings are regularly handled with sellers who have already left town, and the title company will tell you what your case needs — documents by mail, a notary where you are, or another arrangement. Ask in the first week, not the last: requirements vary and late surprises are what cost people their date.
How fast can this close?
Faster than a financed sale, because there is no bank and no appraisal. The real limits are the title work and how quickly your lender produces a payoff. Give us your date up front and we will tell you whether it fits.
Should I just rent it out instead?
Possibly, and near post there is usually demand. Weigh the rent against the mortgage, taxes, insurance, management fees and the repairs you will be authorising from another state. Talk to a local property manager and an accountant. If renting is better for you, do that — we would rather you keep the house than sell it for less than you should. If you already have tenants and want out, a rental can be sold with the lease in place.
What if I owe close to what it is worth?
Then the equity may not cover the costs of any sale, cash or listed, and you want to know that before you plan around the money. Tell us roughly what you owe and we will be straight with you about whether the numbers work.
Do you work with the base?
No. We are a local company that buys houses; we are not affiliated with Fort Bliss, the Army or the Department of Defense, and nothing on this page is endorsed by them. Anyone telling you otherwise is telling you something untrue.
We are not attorneys, lenders, accountants or tax advisers, and this page is not advice about your move, your loan or your benefits. VA entitlement, loan assumption, and the dates and entitlements attached to your orders depend on your specific situation and on rules we do not administer — ask your servicer, the VA, your installation legal assistance office and the transportation office. We are also not affiliated with Fort Bliss, the Army or the Department of Defense.
