The usual plan is to show up, sit in temporary lodging, and start looking. It works, but you burn your lodging days and your household goods end up in storage. The other way is to do most of it before you leave. It takes a little more trust and a lot more video, and plenty of families do it that way.
Start with the lender
Get pre-approved as soon as you have orders. Your orders are what let a lender count the Fort Sill BAH rate instead of what you draw now. The BAH page shows what each pay grade's allowance carries here.
Two things to ask on that first call:
- Residual income. The VA checks what is left over each month after the payment and your debts. Have the lender run it before you shop.
- Assistance money. REI Oklahoma's Home100 program can give VA buyers a gift of 3% to 5% toward closing costs if you qualify, with no first-time-buyer rule. Assistance can come with a different rate, so compare. OHFA has a 3.5% program too, but it is a second lien that comes due when you sell, refinance, or move out. That matters if you plan to keep the house as a rental after this tour.
Talk to more than one lender. Rates and fees vary and it is worth shopping.
Looking from a thousand miles away
I send you what is new and what has been sitting. When something looks right, I walk it on video so you can see the place before you decide. Tell me what you want a closer look at and I will point the camera at it.
Before you get serious about a house, settle two things from your end: which gate you will use and which school district you want, if that matters to your family. Both narrow the map fast.
If you or your spouse can make one trip, make it for the short list and not for the first look. A weekend goes a lot further when you are choosing between three houses.
What happens once you are under contract
Oklahoma uses a standard contract from the Real Estate Commission. Unless we write in something different, the clock looks like this:
| When | What happens |
|---|---|
| Within 3 days | Earnest money is delivered. |
| First 10 days | Inspections. Home inspection, termite, roof, anything else you want looked at. This is also when you get your insurance quote. |
| Next 7 days | We negotiate repairs with the seller. |
| Meanwhile | The lender orders the VA appraisal and works your file. |
| 30 to 45 days in | Closing. |
You do not need to be here for any of the middle part. The inspectors send their reports and we go over them by phone. I track every date and tell you what is coming before it is due.
Get the insurance quote inside the inspection window. Under the Oklahoma contract, whether the house can be insured at a price you can live with is something you check during inspections. Wait until after and it is no longer a way out. Oklahoma insurance is expensive and the quote can change what you are willing to pay for the house.
The VA appraisal
A VA-assigned appraiser sets the value and checks the house against the VA's minimum property requirements. As of 2026 the fee in Comanche County is $750 and the VA's target turnaround is eight business days.
The VA also requires a termite inspection on purchases in Oklahoma. On Lawton's older houses, the appraisal and the termite report catch things a regular appraisal would not: peeling paint on a house built before 1978, a roof at the end of its life, a crawl space with water in it. Most of it can be fixed before closing. It takes time, so we plan for it.
Closing when you are not here yet
Ask the lender and the title company early how they want to handle signing if you will not be in town. Signing by mail and powers of attorney are both used, and both have rules. Do not leave it for the last week.
A VA loan is for a house you will live in. The standard is moving in within about sixty days of closing. If you are held up and your spouse gets here first, the spouse moving in counts.
Line up the closing date with your report date and your household goods. If the dates do not meet, you have up to 21 days of temporary lodging allowance on a stateside move, and the on-post hotel takes families. The PCS checklist covers that side of it.
When it makes sense to wait
Buying sight unseen is not for everybody. If you have never been to Lawton and you are not sure which side of town fits, renting for a few months first is a fair choice. If your tour might be short, read the page on keeping the house when you PCS out before you decide either way. I would rather you buy the right house in month four than the wrong one in month one.
Common questions
Can I buy a house at Fort Sill before I arrive?
Yes. With PCS orders a lender can qualify you using the Fort Sill BAH rate before you report. Most of the process, including showings by video, inspections and the appraisal, can happen while you are still at your last duty station.
Do I have to be there in person to close?
Not always. Ask your lender and the title company early about signing by mail or using a power of attorney. Lenders have specific rules for both, and VA loans have their own requirements when a power of attorney is used.
How soon do I have to move in on a VA loan?
A VA loan is for a home you intend to live in. The usual standard is moving in within about 60 days of closing, and a spouse moving in counts if the service member cannot be there yet.