PCS to Malmstrom with a workable housing plan
Start with your report date, your actual work location and a budget that survives the move. You do not have to buy before you arrive. You do need a plan for where you will sleep while you decide.
Work backward from your report date
A purchase often needs roughly 30–45 days from an accepted offer to closing, and sometimes longer. That is a planning range, not a guarantee. Appraisals, required repairs, underwriting and seller timing can all change it. If your orders leave less room, temporary housing may be the better bridge than forcing a purchase.
- When orders arrive: confirm the report date and assignment with your sponsor, contact the housing office, check temporary lodging, and gather your COE, income records and any existing mortgage information.
- Before shopping seriously: get pre-approved with a lender familiar with VA loans. Discuss any pay changes, existing VA entitlement, cash to close and a realistic total monthly payment.
- If you can make a house-hunting trip: arrive with pre-approval, a focused shortlist and scheduled showings. Leave room for a second look and a neighborhood drive, not just a packed tour of interiors.
- If you cannot travel: arrange live video tours, local inspections and a clear remote-signing plan. Do not treat listing photographs as due diligence.
- After an accepted offer: schedule inspections promptly, track the appraisal and repair deadlines, and let your lender know about any changes to orders or finances.
- Before arrival and closing: keep lodging flexible, verify utilities and insurance, arrange a final walkthrough and confirm when possession actually transfers. Closing and getting keys are not always the same moment.
Buying remotely: insist on the unpolished view
Ask for a live video walkthrough, not only a polished listing video. Have your agent show the street in both directions, neighboring properties, traffic, stairs, room transitions, storage, mechanical areas and any visible defects. Ask what cannot be conveyed on camera: smells, noise, wind exposure and the feel of the block.
Use an independent home inspection and ask for photos, explanations and repair estimates. Discuss whether sewer, radon or specialist inspections make sense for that home. Read disclosures. For a VA purchase, separate likely appraisal repairs from other inspection findings. Do not waive protections simply because you are far away.
Coordinate remote closing with the lender and title company early. A power of attorney, if needed, must be acceptable to both; have the base legal office review it. Confirm signing logistics and independently verify wire instructions using a trusted phone number.
East-side base, wider mission
Malmstrom is on the east side of Great Falls. East-side neighborhoods can be convenient for on-base work, but compare the actual gate, school trips, errands and winter driving rather than relying on a single estimated commute.
The 341st Missile Wing’s ICBM mission includes missile alert facilities spread across central Montana. Some personnel work in the missile field rather than on base every day. Ask your sponsor where you report, how transportation works and what your schedule looks like before choosing a home around a presumed daily drive.
Great Falls Air National Guard Base and the 120th Airlift Wing are at the airport, not at Malmstrom. If your household includes an airport-side assignment, map both work locations. Rural properties also introduce well, septic, snow access and maintenance questions that a city home may not.
Base housing versus buying: compare the whole cost
Ask the housing office about eligibility, current availability, waitlists and lease terms. Base housing may simplify a short assignment or a tight arrival schedule. Buying can make sense when the expected stay, cash reserves and exit plan support it. Neither is automatically the better financial choice.
Look up your own Basic Allowance for Housing using duty station, pay grade and dependent status. BAH is not a mortgage approval and should not be treated as the amount you must spend. Compare mortgage principal and interest, taxes, insurance, utilities, repairs and the costs of selling later. Stress-test the budget if one income changes or you carry two housing payments during the next move.
Arrange temporary lodging before travel through the installation’s current process. Ask about availability, pets, length-of-stay rules and overflow options. Confirm temporary lodging reimbursement and entitlements with your travel or finance office; a room reservation does not establish what will be reimbursed. Keep a fallback if a closing slips.
Confirm the school for the exact address
Use Great Falls Public Schools and the school boundary and bus eligibility finder before committing to a home. Then confirm the address with the district. A listing’s school names or a nearby school are not enough to establish attendance or transportation eligibility. The installation School Liaison can help with transfer questions and military-family needs.