Have you received PCS orders to Quantico, Virginia, and aren’t sure what to expect?

In this episode of Give, Work, Play, I’m going to talk about all the things you need to know before PCSing to Quantico or one of the other nearby military bases in the Northern Virginia area. We’ll look at the local market so you can decide if it’s better for you to buy or rent.

Getting Ready To PCS

Congratulations! You have orders to go to Quantico, and now the research begins. Stafford, Virginia happens to be one of the more popular places right around the Quantico base because of its affordability and accessibility to the base.

When getting ready to PCS, one of the first things that you're probably going to be thinking about is where you should live. What housing decisions do you have to make? Should you rent or buy? Well, it's actually not that easy. At the time of recording this video, the average sales price for a single-family home in Stafford, Virginia is about $450,000. Additionally, the average sales price for a townhouse is about $400,000.

There are other videos you can watch on this channel that dig a little bit deeper into what those prices entail. For now, let's talk about some top-line numbers to give you some perspective.

Quantico BHA Numbers

In Quantico, the BHA for an E5 with dependents in 2021 was $1,806. Without dependents, it was $1,713. To give you an idea of what a mortgage payment would look like, that's probably the mortgage payment for a townhouse at the time of recording this video.

The BHA for O4 With dependents in 2021 was $2,391 in Quantico. Without dependents, it was $1,974. For a mortgage payment, you'd be able to afford a single-family home in most cases. If you're stationed at Fort Belvoir, the Pentagon, USCG headquarters, and TISCOM, etc., those BHA's are actually higher the closer you are to Washington, DC.

Stafford County PPT

Now let's talk about PPT, or personal property tax. In Stafford County, we get a tax bill every six months. At the bottom of the tax bill, there’s an option to apply for an exemption. If you're a military spouse, it's called the military spouse tax form. If you're a military member, it's called the certificate of legal residency.

Why do you want to make this application and file it? Well, it covers you for possibly getting exempt from paying taxes on all of your toys—like your car, your boat, your motorcycle, and whatever you might be getting personal property taxes on that you could be exempt from. Also, if you're 100%, disabled, you may be eligible for the same exemption.

Make sure you go to the Stafford County website and file for the exemption to see if you're eligible.

The Loan Locker

There are a lot of options to consider when it comes to housing. Do you want to be really close to the gate, or do you mind having a little bit of a longer commute? These are all things to start thinking about before your PCS to Quantico.

One tip you should know about is that Quantico has what's called the loan locker. This program allows service members, family members, and DOD civilians to borrow basic household items for a period of up to 30 days while they await the arrival of their household goods. This service is absolutely free and is available to both inbound and outbound personnel assigned to Marine Corps Base Quantico and the surrounding military installations.

To benefit, you must provide the relocation office with a copy of your PCS orders. You’ll also need a valid active duty, military family member, or DOD civilian identification card.

We’re Here To Help

If you have orders to Quantico or any of the bases in the Northern Virginia area, I hope this gave you a little bit of perspective on what to expect when PCSing. If you need more information about any of the neighborhoods in the Northern Virginia area, I would love the opportunity to talk more with you about how we can assist and make your move that much easier. Feel free to reach out and I’ll be happy to connect!