NAS Jacksonville
Orange Park, Fleming Island, Oakleaf, the Westside, and the historic Riverside and Avondale neighborhoods.
VA & Military Moves
A Navy veteran who knows what a PCS move really takes.
Tight timelines, house-hunting from a distance, and a VA loan that needs someone who understands it. I help service members, veterans, and military families buy and sell across Northeast Florida.
By Dawn Spencer · Last updated
My Action Plan
How I Help You Make Your VA Move
From orders to keys, on your timeline.
What my experience brings
- A Navy veteran who has lived the PCS move. Tight timelines and long-distance house hunting are familiar ground.
- VA loans and funding fee exemptions. Offers sellers take seriously, appraisal requirements, and making sure every exemption you've earned is applied.
- Florida veteran tax exemptions. The homestead and disabled veteran exemptions, and how to file for them.
Plan around your orders
We map your report date, house-hunting trip, and household goods delivery so closing lines up with your move.
Benefit check
I connect you with experienced VA lenders to get your Certificate of Eligibility, confirm your entitlement, and make sure any funding fee exemption is applied.
Neighborhoods by commute
We narrow neighborhoods by your drive to NAS Jax, Mayport, Kings Bay, or Camp Blanding, and preview homes by video before you arrive.
VA-ready offers
I write offers that sellers take seriously, explain VA appraisal requirements up front, and use seller concessions (up to VA's 4% limit) where they help you.
Inspections and VA appraisal
Termite and home inspections inside your deadlines, and a plan for any minimum property requirement repairs before they delay closing.
Remote-friendly closing
Video walkthroughs, electronic signatures, and closing coordinated around deployments and duty schedules when needed.
After closing
File your homestead and any disabled veteran exemptions by March 1, and keep me as your resource for your next set of orders.
Moving to Northeast Florida
Neighborhoods near your duty station
Commute matters. Here are the Florida neighborhoods military families often consider near each installation.
Naval Station Mayport
Atlantic Beach, Neptune Beach, Jacksonville Beach, Arlington, and the Intracoastal West area.
Kings Bay (Florida side)
Yulee, Fernandina Beach, Amelia Island (opens in a new tab), and North Jacksonville, all within commuting distance of the base.
Camp Blanding
Clay County communities including Middleburg, Fleming Island, and the Orange Park area.
VA Home Loans
Your benefit, used to its full advantage
A VA loan is one of the most valuable benefits you've earned. Making the most of it takes an agent who knows how VA offers, appraisals, and timelines work, so sellers take your offer seriously.
I'll connect you with experienced VA lenders and guide you from pre-approval to closing.
- No down payment for eligible borrowers with full entitlement
- No monthly mortgage insurance
- Funding fee exemption for veterans receiving VA disability compensation
- VA appraisal that checks the home against minimum property requirements
- Assumable loans, which can let a buyer take over a seller's existing rate
- Reusable benefit for future moves and future orders
VA Funding Fee
The VA funding fee, and how disabled veterans avoid it
Want your numbers? The Veteran Benefits Checker shows your funding fee (or exemption) and the Florida tax exemptions you may qualify for, in dollars.
The funding fee is a one-time charge that helps keep the VA loan program running. Most borrowers finance it into the loan rather than paying cash at closing. On a $350,000 first-use purchase with no down payment, a 2.15% fee is $7,525, so an exemption is real money.
Purchase and construction loans
| Down payment | First use | After first use |
|---|---|---|
| Less than 5% | 2.15% | 3.3% |
| 5% to less than 10% | 1.5% | 1.5% |
| 10% or more | 1.25% | 1.25% |
| Other VA loans | Fee |
|---|---|
| Cash-out refinance | 2.15% first use · 3.3% after first use |
| Interest Rate Reduction Refinance (IRRRL) | 0.5% |
| Assuming an existing VA loan | 0.5% |
Who pays no funding fee at all
- Veterans receiving VA compensation for a service-connected disability, at any rating, including 10%
- Veterans entitled to that compensation but receiving retirement or active-duty pay instead
- Service members with a proposed or memorandum rating from a pre-discharge claim, issued before closing, showing they're eligible for compensation
- Active-duty Purple Heart recipients who provide proof on or before closing
- Surviving spouses of veterans who receive Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC)
Rated after closing? If you have a pending disability claim and VA later rates you with an effective date before your closing date, you may be entitled to a refund of the funding fee you paid. Keep your closing documents and contact VA once your rating arrives.
How to make sure the exemption is applied
- Request your Certificate of Eligibility (COE) through your lender or VA.gov. If you're exempt, the COE shows it.
- If your COE lists a fee but you've since been rated, give your lender your VA benefit summary letter showing your rating.
- Check your Loan Estimate and Closing Disclosure: the VA funding fee line should read $0.
Funding fee rates as of 2026 per the Department of Veterans Affairs. Confirm current rates at VA.gov: funding fee and closing costs (opens in a new tab).
Florida Property Taxes
Additional homestead exemptions for disabled veterans
Every Florida homeowner who lives in the home can claim the standard homestead exemption of up to $50,000. Veterans with service-connected disabilities can stack these additional exemptions on top of it.
| Exemption | Who qualifies | Benefit |
|---|---|---|
| Disabled veteran ($5,000) | Florida resident veteran with a service-connected disability of 10% or more | Additional $5,000 off assessed value |
| Total & permanent disability | Honorably discharged veteran with a service-connected, total and permanent disability | Homestead fully exempt from property taxes |
| Combat-related disability, 65+ | Veteran 65 or older, honorably discharged, with a combat-related, permanent service-connected disability | Discount equal to the disability percentage (a 40% rating means 40% off the homestead's taxes) |
| Wheelchair-bound veteran | Veteran with a service-connected total disability who requires a wheelchair | Homestead fully exempt |
| Surviving spouse | Unremarried surviving spouse of a veteran who had the total exemption, or of a service member who died from service-connected causes on active duty | Exemption can carry over to the surviving spouse |
| Deployed service members | Military members deployed outside the continental U.S. in support of designated operations | Additional exemption based on days deployed during the prior year |
How to apply
- Close on your home and make it your permanent residence by January 1.
- Apply with your county property appraiser by March 1; most counties accept online applications.
- Bring your deed or closing statement, Florida driver license, DD-214, and your VA letter showing your disability rating and that it is service-connected (and permanent and total, or combat-related, where it applies).
- Ask about portability if you're moving from another Florida homestead.
Full homestead exemption guide · Duval (opens in a new tab) · St. Johns (opens in a new tab) · Clay (opens in a new tab) · Nassau (opens in a new tab) property appraisers
Summarized from Florida Statutes sections 196.24, 196.081, 196.082, 196.091, and 196.173. Eligibility is decided by your county property appraiser; this is not tax advice.
Everyday Savings
Commissary and Navy Exchange access, close to home
One of the quiet advantages of living in Northeast Florida: the commissaries and Navy Exchanges at NAS Jacksonville (opens in a new tab), Naval Station Mayport (opens in a new tab), and Kings Bay are minutes from many neighborhoods. Groceries at commissary prices and tax-free shopping at the NEX add up to real money every month, which stretches a housing budget further than the same income would in a city without a base.
- Commissaries: groceries sold at cost plus a 5% surcharge, with no sales tax. The Defense Commissary Agency's measured savings run about 20% to 25% compared with local supermarkets.
- Navy Exchange (NEX): tax-free department store, electronics, uniforms, gas, and services, with price matching.
- MWR facilities: golf courses, marinas, gyms, pools, and lodging on base, plus discounted tickets to area attractions.
Who can shop
- Active duty, Guard and Reserve, and military retirees, with their families
- Since January 1, 2020: veterans with any service-connected disability rating, Purple Heart recipients, former prisoners of war, and Medal of Honor recipients
- Primary family caregivers enrolled in the VA caregiver program
How to get in: eligible veterans use the VA's Veteran Health Identification Card (VHIC), which requires enrolling in VA health care. The card must show "Service Connected," "Purple Heart," or "Former POW." Caregivers use their VA eligibility letter.
- Defense Commissary Agency (opens in a new tab)Find the NAS Jacksonville, Mayport, and Kings Bay commissaries
- DeCA patron savings (opens in a new tab)The agency's measured savings versus local stores
- Navy Exchange: veteran shoppers (opens in a new tab)Eligibility and how to get started
- DoD announcement of expanded access (opens in a new tab)The 2020 rules, from the Department of Defense
Eligibility is set by federal law and DoD policy. Confirm your status with the installation's pass and ID office.
For VA Buyers
VA loan details that matter in a real deal
- No loan limit with full entitlement. Since 2020, borrowers with full entitlement have no VA loan limit; your lender sets the maximum based on income and credit.
- Seller concessions up to 4% of the home's value can cover things like your funding fee, prepaid taxes and insurance, or paying off your debts, in addition to normal closing costs.
- Minimum property requirements. The VA appraiser flags safety and soundness issues (roof, electrical, peeling paint on older homes, water heater strapping) that must be fixed before closing.
- Termite inspection. VA typically requires a wood-destroying organism inspection in Florida.
- Occupancy. You must intend to live in the home, generally within 60 days of closing. A spouse can satisfy occupancy if you're deployed.
- Residual income. VA looks at what's left each month after major expenses, which can help buyers with higher debt ratios.
For Sellers
Why a VA offer can be a strong offer
- VA buyers are often fully pre-approved with steady, verifiable income
- Pre-listing repairs (roof, rot, peeling paint, safety items) prevent appraisal surprises
- Selling with an existing VA loan? A qualified buyer may be able to assume your rate, a real selling point when rates are higher than yours. Ask about substituting entitlement so yours is restored.
Military Buyer Questions
VA and PCS questions, answered
Can I buy a home with no down payment using a VA loan?
Eligible veterans and service members with full VA entitlement can often buy with no down payment and no monthly mortgage insurance. Your lender will confirm your eligibility and entitlement with a Certificate of Eligibility.
What is the VA funding fee, and who is exempt?
The funding fee is a one-time charge on most VA loans, usually financed into the loan. For a first-use purchase with less than 5% down it is 2.15% of the loan amount. Veterans receiving VA compensation for a service-connected disability (any rating, including 10%) are exempt, as are qualifying surviving spouses receiving DIC and active-duty Purple Heart recipients. Your exemption shows on your Certificate of Eligibility.
How can I lower my VA funding fee if I'm not exempt?
Put more down. On a purchase, 5% down lowers the fee to 1.5%, and 10% down lowers it to 1.25%, for first and subsequent use. If you file a disability claim and are later rated with an effective date before your closing, you can ask VA for a refund of the fee you paid.
Does Florida offer property tax breaks for disabled veterans?
Yes. On top of the standard homestead exemption, Florida offers a $5,000 exemption for a service-connected disability of 10% or more, a full homestead exemption for a total and permanent service-connected disability, and a percentage discount for qualifying combat-disabled veterans age 65 and older. Apply with your county property appraiser by March 1.
Can I house-hunt before I arrive on PCS orders?
Yes. With video tours, digital signatures, and remote closings, many military buyers choose a home before they arrive. I can help you narrow neighborhoods and preview homes so your house-hunting trip is focused.
Should I sell or rent out my home when I get new orders?
It depends on your equity, the local rental market, your plans to return, and VA entitlement. We can look at the numbers for both options before you decide.
PCS to Jacksonville: timeline and checklist · Veteran property tax exemptions · Mortgage Guide
Loan programs, eligibility, and tax exemptions are set by the VA, lenders, and Florida law, and can change. Confirm the details with your lender and your county property appraiser.
Free Packet
Want this as a PDF? Email me the va & pcs packet.
VA loans, exemptions, PCS timeline, commissary access: 5 guides from this site in one branded PDF, sent personally with a short note. No drip campaign, no spam.
Let's talk about where you're headed.
Buying, selling, building, or just exploring your options, call or text me any time.
Dawn Spencer, REALTOR® · Hi Real Estate