Military PCS? We'll Manage Your Home While You're Gone.

Why Military Families Rent Instead of Sell

PCS orders come whether the housing market is favorable or not. Many military families at MacDill AFB choose to rent their home during reassignment for good reasons:

• •Equity preservation. Selling in a soft market or after only 2-3 years of ownership may not recover closing costs. Renting keeps the asset while tenants pay down the mortgage.
• •Plan to return. MacDill personnel often rotate back to Tampa Bay. Keeping your home means you have a place to come back to — or a performing rental asset if you decide to buy elsewhere.
• •Wealth building. Every month your tenant pays rent, your mortgage balance decreases and property values grow. Over a 3-4 year PCS cycle, you can build tens of thousands in additional equity.
• •VA loan flexibility. You can potentially use your VA entitlement for a new home at your next duty station while keeping this one as a rental.

Understanding SCRA and Military Tenant Rights

The Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (SCRA) provides important protections for active-duty tenants. As a military landlord, you should understand these provisions:

• • Early lease termination: Active-duty tenants can terminate a lease with 30 days written notice after the next rent due date, if they receive PCS orders or deployment orders
• • Eviction protection: Courts may delay eviction proceedings for active-duty servicemembers in some circumstances
• • Interest rate caps: Certain financial obligations incurred before active duty may be capped at 6% interest

Our leases are drafted with SCRA compliance built in. We understand military life cycles and plan for the reality that military tenants may need to break a lease with proper notice. This is not a problem — it is part of managing in a military market.

East Hillsborough: MacDill Commute Territory

MacDill Air Force Base sits at the southern tip of the Tampa peninsula. East Hillsborough County — particularly Brandon, Riverview, and Valrico — offers a 20-35 minute commute to MacDill via the Selmon Expressway or US-301. Many military families choose these communities for the combination of:

• • Affordable housing relative to south Tampa
• • Top-rated schools (especially for families with children)
• • Newer construction and larger homes
• • Family-friendly neighborhoods with parks and recreation
• • Easy access to Brandon Town Center and everyday amenities

This means your east Hillsborough property is already in a desirable zone for incoming military families — the same tenant pool that drives consistent rental demand in our market.

How We Manage Your Home During PCS

• ✓Pre-departure assessment. We walk the property, identify any make-ready needs, and coordinate repairs through Best Bay Services before listing.
• ✓Professional marketing and tenant placement. MLS listing, professional photos, syndicated to Zillow/Realtor.com/Trulia, and our 5-step screening process for every applicant.
• ✓Full-service management. Rent collection, maintenance coordination, inspections, lease enforcement, and financial reporting at 8-12% of collected rent.
• ✓Owner portal access. View statements, maintenance logs, lease documents, and inspection photos from any device, any duty station, any time zone.
• ✓Return planning. When your orders bring you back, we manage the tenant transition — whether that means coordinating a lease end, facilitating a sale, or continuing to manage the property as a long-term investment.

What Can You Expect in Rent?

Typical rents for single-family homes in the MacDill commute corridor:

Want an exact number? Request a free rental analysis — we will comp your specific property and give you a realistic rent estimate.

Frequently Asked Questions

Barrett Henry

Designated Property Manager

23+ years of Florida real estate experience. Barrett lives in Valrico and manages rentals across east Hillsborough County — the same neighborhoods he drives through every day.

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