FOUR BASES · ONE LO WHO KNOWS THEM
Start with your base.
Buying a home near an Texas military base isn't a generic transaction. Each installation has its own BAH, its own neighborhoods, its own commute realities, and its own quirks that lenders outside Texas miss. Pick your base — the playbook for it is on the next page.
Choose your Texas base
Each guide is the actual length the topic deserves — usually 5,000-8,000 words. BAH by rank, where people actually live, schools, commute by gate, on-base housing waitlist reality, and the local market dynamics that matter when you're working with a 60-day PCS clock.
Fort Hood · Killeen, TX
The biggest section on the site. Harker Heights vs Killeen vs Copperas Cove vs Belton — which works for your rank and your spouse's commute. MHO mandatory meeting. TX summer A/C reality. The model guide.
Open the Fort Hood guide →Fort Bliss · El Paso, TX
El Paso County has the highest effective property tax rate in Texas — which makes the HB 2792 disabled Veteran exemption proportionally more valuable here than anywhere else in the state. Plus where to live and where to skip. The Dallas playbook.
Open the Fort Bliss guide →Sheppard AFB · Wichita Falls, TX
Smallest of the four bases, biggest seasonal swings. Snowbird-driven inventory dynamics, BAH math when the population doubles in winter, and what the summer heat actually means for an A/C-dependent purchase. The Wichita Falls reality check.
Open the Sheppard AFB guide →JBSA · San Antonio, TX
2026 BAH jumped 8.5% YoY — one of the largest increases in the Army. San Antonio's housing market is small enough that the right or wrong neighborhood pick really matters. Bexar County considerations + base commute realities. The San Antonio deep-dive.
Open the JBSA guide →Buying on Native American land? Use NADL.
If you're a Veteran buying or building on tribal land (Ysleta del Sur Pueblo, Alabama-Coushatta, or the Kickapoo Traditional Tribe 14 Texas's three federally recognized tribes), the right product isn't a regular VA loan — it's the Native American Direct Loan (NADL) program, run directly by the VA.
Mike doesn't fund NADL loans (no private lender does — the VA itself is the lender). But the NADL guide on this site explains who qualifies, how the tribal MOU process works, and what the rate and term advantages look like.
Not sure which base info applies to you?
If you're in the in-between — you've got orders to "Houston area" but no base assignment yet, or you're a retired Veteran looking at multiple TX markets, or you're a surviving spouse trying to figure out where to settle — start with a call. Five minutes will sort which guide applies.
Useful resources outside this site
Some of what you need isn't a lending question — it's an official VA process. Here's where to go for the things we don't run ourselves.
- BAH lookup (official DoD tool). defensetravel.dod.mil → BAH Rate Lookup — every MHA, every rank.
- VA base finder. va.gov/find-locations — official VA facility directory.
- Request your Certificate of Eligibility (COE). va.gov COE request portal — self-serve, or Mike can pull it through his origination platform in 24-48 hours.
- VA disability rating & claims. va.gov/disability — for claim filing or rating questions. Mike doesn't file claims; he helps you use the rating once you have it.
- Veterans Service Organizations (VSOs). va.gov accredited representatives — find a free, accredited VSO if you need help with anything claims-related. American Legion, VFW, DAV, and IAVA are all good places to start.