The Northern Virginia PCS Decision Guide
Pentagon, Fort Belvoir and Quantico: Commute + House + Budget
You have orders to the Pentagon, Fort Belvoir or Quantico, and a dozen browser tabs of commute maps, BAH tables and neighborhood reviews. This free guide pulls the decisions that matter into one short, printable PDF so you can narrow your search before house hunting starts.
What's inside
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Start here: pick your two. Commute, house, budget: in Northern Virginia you can usually have two of the three. A worksheet helps you rank them before you look at listings.
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Why the map can mislead you. Why direction and rush hour matter more than miles, and how Metro and VRE change the math.
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The Pentagon, Fort Belvoir and Quantico at a glance. Where families live, how they get to work and the trade-offs of each area.
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Budget: BAH and the real monthly cost. A worksheet that compares your BAH with the full monthly cost: taxes, insurance, HOA fees, utilities and commute.
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VA loan quick notes. Closing costs, your Certificate of Eligibility, assumable loans and rent vs. buy.
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My PCS Planning Checklist. A two-page checklist from the day you hear about orders to move-in.
Who put it together
I'm Heidi Robbins, a military spouse for more than 30 years and an Arlington Associate Broker with 560+ transactions. I've made these moves myself and help military families find the right home in Northern Virginia.
Fill out the short form below and you'll get the guide right away.