🏖️ Why Here 🎖️ The Bases 📦 PCS Basics 🏡 VA Loan 📍 Neighborhoods ✅ Checklist 🔗 Resources 📞 Contact Me

Welcome Home: Your PCS & Relocation Guide to the Mississippi Gulf Coast

Congratulations on your orders! Whether you're headed to Keesler Air Force Base, NCBC Gulfport, Stennis Space Center, or anywhere else along the Mississippi Gulf Coast, moving with the military comes with its own timeline, paperwork, and questions. I built this guide to help you get oriented before you ever set foot on the coast.

🇺🇸 A personal note from Brittany: My husband and I are both military veterans ourselves, so I've been on both sides of a PCS — packing the truck and helping families unpack theirs. I know what it's like to buy a home somewhere you've never lived, and this page (and every closing I work) is built with that in mind.

🏖️ Why Military Families Love It Here

The Mississippi Gulf Coast pairs an easy, beach-town pace of life with a genuinely low cost of living compared to most coastal markets. Mississippi does not tax active-duty military pay, and home prices here still stretch further than in most other duty station markets, which makes VA loan buying power go a long way. You're also close to everything: Biloxi, Gulfport, Ocean Springs, and the surrounding towns sit within a short drive of each other, so your choice of neighborhood rarely means a long commute to work.

🎖️ Local Installations

✈️ Keesler Air Force Base (Biloxi)

Keesler is home to the 81st Training Wing and is the largest base on the coast, sitting right in Biloxi along the beach highway. Newcomers should plan to attend the mandatory Newcomer's Orientation through in-processing, and spouses can connect through the Heart Link program. The Military & Family Readiness Center can help with relocation questions, school transitions, and more at 228-376-8728.

⚓ Naval Construction Battalion Center Gulfport (NCBC Gulfport)

Known as the home of the Atlantic Fleet Seabees, NCBC Gulfport sits in the city of Gulfport, just a few minutes from the beach and downtown. New arrivals report to their gaining Naval Mobile Construction Battalion during business hours, and the Fleet & Family Support Center runs a mandatory Newcomers Orientation and welcome packet program — reach them at 228-871-2794.

🚀 Stennis Space Center (Hancock County)

Stennis is a bit different from a typical installation — it's a shared NASA/federal site in a large buffer zone in Hancock County, closer to the Louisiana line. Tenant commands include Special Boat Team 22, the Naval Small Craft Instruction and Technical Training School, and the Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Command, among others. Because it's not a traditional gate-and-fence base, visitors and new arrivals need pre-approval and badging — your gaining command's sponsor is the best first call. Bay St. Louis and Waveland are the closest coastal communities.

📦 PCS Basics: What to Expect

Every PCS entitlement is governed by the Joint Travel Regulations and can change from year to year, so treat this as a starting point and confirm exact figures with your servicing finance office or the Defense Travel Management Office before you budget around them.

  • Dislocation Allowance (DLA): A flat, one-time payment meant to help offset moving-related costs like deposits and hookups, based on rank and dependent status.
  • Per Diem: A daily rate for meals and lodging while you're actually traveling between duty stations, with a reduced rate for dependents.
  • Monetary Allowance in Lieu of Transportation (Mileage): Reimbursement for the official distance between your old and new duty stations when you drive.
  • Temporary Lodging Expense (TLE): Covers lodging and meals for a set number of days on each end of a move within the continental U.S. while you find permanent housing.
  • Personally Procured Move (PPM/DITY): If you move some or all of your own household goods, you can be reimbursed based on what the government would have paid a mover — often with a partial advance available up front.

🏡 Buying With a VA Loan

Many of the families I work with use a VA home loan, which typically allows eligible borrowers to buy with no down payment and no private mortgage insurance — a real advantage in a market where home prices are still very approachable. Every buyer's situation is different, so I'm not able to give loan advice myself, but I work with several VA-experienced local lenders and I'm happy to make an introduction so you can get your Certificate of Eligibility questions answered early, ideally before you start touring homes.

📍 Neighborhoods to Consider

If you'd like a closer look at any of these areas, I can send you a custom market report or set you up with automatic listing alerts so new homes come straight to your inbox. You can also browse what's available now on my buying page, or read up on the process if you're selling your current home first on my selling page.

✅ Your PCS Home-Buying Checklist

  1. Get your orders and confirm your report date.
  2. Reach out to your gaining command's sponsor and register for the base's newcomer orientation.
  3. Get pre-approved and, if using a VA loan, request your Certificate of Eligibility.
  4. Start house hunting 60–90 days out if you can — I can set up remote showings and video walkthroughs if you're still at your current station.
  5. Line up your household goods move (PPM/DITY or government-arranged) and keep every receipt.
  6. Schedule house-hunting leave if your situation allows it.
  7. Plan your TLE window around your closing and move-in dates.

🔗 Helpful Official Resources

📞 Let's Make Your Move Easy

PCS timelines move fast, and I know how stressful it can be to buy a home in a place you've never lived. I'll work around your schedule and time zone, set you up with listing alerts before you arrive, and coordinate virtual tours if you can't be here in person yet. Reach out any time — I'd be glad to help make this move one less thing to worry about.

📱 Call or Text 228-327-5155   |   ✉️ bzsellsthecoast@gmail.com

This page is provided as a general courtesy and is not an official U.S. government or Department of Defense resource. PCS entitlements, base contact information, and program details change regularly — always confirm current details with your servicing finance office, sponsor, or the installation directly.