Services for Veterans, Military Families, and Relocating Buyers
Twenty years of San Diego experience, organized around the moments military families actually face: buying with your VA benefit, selling before or after orders, relocating across the country, and planning the next move before it happens.
Buying with your VA benefit
Full representation from your first question to the day you get your keys, with a strategy built around your benefit, your budget, and your timeline.
Benefit and budget strategy
- Strategy session on goals, timeline, and comfortable payment
- Help understanding your COE, entitlement, and funding fee status
- Introductions to VA-experienced lenders so you can compare written Loan Estimates
- Full monthly cost review: taxes, HOA, Mello-Roos, insurance, and maintenance
Finding the right home
- Custom search, including homes not yet widely marketed when available
- Screening for common VA appraisal concerns before you write an offer
- Condo project VA approval checks early, before you fall in love
- Permit, solar lease or ownership, and ADU questions flagged up front
Competitive, protected offers
- Offer pricing based on recent comparable sales and appraisal support
- Prepares the listing agent for the VA process so your offer is judged on its strength
- Clear terms on deposits, contingencies, the VA escape clause, and seller credits
- Negotiation on price, repairs, credits, and closing date
Escrow management to closing
- Inspection scheduling and a plain-English review of the report
- VA appraisal follow-up, repair coordination, and reconsideration of value support
- Every contract deadline tracked and confirmed with you in writing
- Final walkthrough, Closing Disclosure review with your lender, and keys
2 to 4 unit and house-hacking buyers
- Duplex, triplex, fourplex, and ADU properties you will live in
- Rent estimates and questions to ask your lender about rental income
- Checks on permitted units and local rental rules
- A long-term plan for keeping the property after your next PCS
Surviving spouses and first-time buyers
- Patient, step-by-step guidance with no pressure and no jargon
- Help gathering the documents VA and lenders request
- Extra time for questions, family conversations, and second visits
- Bilingual service in English and Spanish for the whole family
Selling a home, before or after orders
Whether you are leaving San Diego on PCS orders, moving up, retiring, or settling a family home, Gerry builds a selling plan around your timeline and your bottom line.
PCS and military sellers
- Selling timeline matched to your report date and household goods pickup
- Remote selling with video updates, e-signatures, and a single point of contact
- Vacant home oversight while you are already at your next duty station
- Side-by-side comparison of selling now vs keeping the home as a rental
Seller’s First 7 Advantage
- Pricing strategy based on current comparable sales and buyer demand
- Strategic pre-sale preparation and Renovate to Sell options when they pay off
- Professional photos, video, and targeted marketing, including to military buyers
- Offer review that compares net proceeds, terms, and certainty, not just price
Sellers with a VA loan
- Guidance on VA loan assumption, which can attract buyers when your rate is low
- Questions to ask your servicer about release of liability and entitlement
- Planning to restore your VA entitlement for your next purchase
- Coordination with your lender on payoff, timing, and closing
Selling to VA buyers with confidence
- Plain-English explanation of VA appraisal and Minimum Property Requirements
- Pre-listing review of items that commonly come up in VA appraisals
- Seller concession and closing-cost strategy within VA limits
- Repair negotiation and escrow management through closing
Inherited, probate, and trust homes
- Calm, step-by-step help for families handling a loved one’s home, including veterans’ estates
- Coordination with your attorney, trustee, or executor
- Options to sell as-is, prepare the home, or keep it
- Full details at InheritedHomeSanDiego.com
Buy and sell coordination
- Timing your sale and purchase to avoid double moves and double payments
- Rent-back, extended escrow, and contingency strategies explained
- Referral to a trusted agent if your current home is outside San Diego
- One coordinated calendar across both transactions
Relocation and PCS to San Diego
Moving across the country, or across the world, is easier when one local expert helps you understand the area, line up housing, and keep every date in sync.
Area orientation and tours
- Guided neighborhood tours in person or by live video
- Commute testing to your installation at the hours you will actually drive
- Local lifestyle overview: shopping, parks, beaches, health care, and services near each area
- Help finding school information from official sources so you can compare for your family
- A short list of communities to compare, based on your priorities and budget
Home finding and sales
- Purchase of your permanent home with your VA benefit or other financing
- Sale of your previous San Diego home, or a referral to a trusted agent where you live now
- Timing coordination to avoid double moves, storage costs, and overlapping payments
- House-hunting trip planning so every showing day counts
Rental and temporary housing
- Help finding a long-term rental if you want to rent first and buy later
- Introductions to trusted local property managers and leasing professionals
- Guidance on short-term furnished options and questions to ask before you sign
- Lease timing planned around your purchase so you are not paying twice for long
Military and corporate relocation
- VA loan navigation from COE to closing
- Move timelines built around orders, report dates, and household goods delivery
- Coordination with your relocation company, employer policy, or relocation counselor
- Documentation and deadlines organized for reimbursement requirements, as your policy allows
Buying or selling from anywhere
Deployments, training, sea duty, and overseas assignments do not have to stop your plans.
Live video tours
Walk the home in real time, ask questions, and see the street and neighbors before you decide.
Digital signing
E-signatures for most documents, with clear guidance on anything that needs a notary or a specific power of attorney.
Spouse and family updates
A spouse or family member at home can be kept in the loop on every decision, as you direct.
Time-zone friendly
Scheduled updates in writing, so nothing depends on catching each other at the right hour.
Real estate planning for a military career
Most military families buy, sell, or rent several homes over a career. Gerry helps you make each move part of a bigger plan. BUY • INVEST • SELL.
Keep or sell analysis
- Estimated rent vs carrying costs before your next PCS
- Questions to bring to your tax professional
- Introductions to property managers if you keep the home
Using your VA benefit again
- How entitlement restoration and remaining entitlement work
- Planning your next purchase while keeping a rental
- Multi-unit options that fit a long-term wealth plan
Retirement and transition
- Right-sizing or buying a forever home after separation or retirement
- Home features to consider for changing needs over time
- Investment resources at GerryCarrillo.com
Questions about services
Do you charge for relocation help or area tours?
Area orientation, neighborhood tours, and relocation planning are part of how Gerry works with clients he represents. How Gerry is paid as your agent is explained and agreed in writing before you tour homes, so there are no surprises.
Can you help if I am still at my current duty station?
Yes. Many military clients start the process from another state or overseas. Gerry uses live video tours, digital documents, and e-signatures, and coordinates with your lender and escrow so you can buy before you arrive.
Can you help me sell my current home and buy in San Diego?
Yes. Gerry helps sellers in San Diego County directly. If your current home is outside the area, he can introduce you to a trusted agent there and coordinate both timelines so you avoid paying for two moves.
Should I keep my home as a rental when I PCS?
It depends on the numbers, the property, your loan, and your plans. Gerry helps you compare selling and renting side by side with real rent and cost estimates, and recommends talking with a tax professional before you decide.
Do I have to use the lenders or vendors you recommend?
No. Gerry introduces independent professionals he trusts, and you always choose who to work with. Comparing at least two VA lenders is encouraged.
Gerry Carrillo is a licensed real estate agent with TXR Homes, CA DRE #01423016, not a lender, attorney, or tax advisor. Services are subject to a written agreement. Not affiliated with VA or the Department of Defense.
Start with the Free VA Buyer Guide
Get the 20-page guide, then let’s talk about the services that fit your move.
Tell Gerry about your move
Buying, selling, relocating, or all three? Call or text for a no-pressure conversation and a clear plan. English or Spanish.