If you just got PCS orders out of Fort Benning and you’re staring at your house wondering whether to sell it or keep it as a rental, here’s the short answer: sell if the numbers are thin, you need the equity, or you don’t want to be a long-distance landlord. Rent it out if the home cash-flows after real costs, you have reserves, and you’d honestly be glad to own it in five years.

Everything else is details.

But the details are where people get stuck, so let’s walk through them.

I’m a military spouse too. We PCSed here from Washington in 2023, so I know this decision usually lands in the middle of about 47 other moving parts. Household goods dates. School records. Figuring out where the kids’ winter coats went.

Which is exactly why it helps to think it through before you’re under pressure.

Should You Sell or Rent Out Your Home When You PCS From Fort Benning?

Honestly, it depends.

I know that’s not the satisfying answer. But anyone who tells you “always keep it” or “always sell” without looking at your actual numbers is guessing.

Keeping a home as a rental can be a great long-term move for military families. Plenty of people build real wealth that way.

It can also turn into a monthly bill you’re paying from another state, for a house you can’t easily check on, with a tenant you’ve never met.

Both outcomes are common. The difference is usually how honestly the numbers were run before the moving truck showed up.

Will the Rent Actually Cover Your Costs?

This is where most rental plans fall apart.

People compare the expected rent to their mortgage payment, see a small gap in their favor, and call it a win.

That’s not the real math.

When I help sellers think through renting versus selling, here’s what I want on the expense side:

• Your full mortgage payment, including taxes and insurance
• The switch from homeowner’s insurance to a landlord policy, which is a different product
• Property management. Since you won’t be local, this is usually not optional. As I mentioned in my post on selling fast when PCSing out, full-service management around Fort Benning commonly runs about 8% to 10% of the monthly rent, plus leasing fees
• Maintenance and repairs, which you’ll be paying someone else to handle
• Vacancy between tenants
• Bigger items coming due soon, like an older roof or an HVAC system near the end of its life

If the rent covers all of that with room to spare, renting is worth a serious look.

If it only works when nothing breaks and the house is never empty? That’s not a plan. That’s a hope.

And one thing that’s very specific to our area: a lot of renters near Fort Benning are military families themselves. That’s a real strength, because there’s steady demand. But it also means your tenant may get orders too. Under the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act, servicemembers who receive qualifying PCS or deployment orders can terminate a residential lease early. So build some turnover into your expectations.

How Much Equity Do You Have, and Do You Need It?

Sometimes the deciding factor isn’t the rent at all. It’s what you need for your next move.

If you’re heading to a higher-cost area and want to buy there, the equity in your Fort Benning home might be what makes that next purchase comfortable.

On the other hand, if you bought recently and have very little equity, selling can mean bringing money to closing once you account for commissions, closing costs, and any repairs. In that situation, renting for a few years can sometimes be the less painful option, as long as the rental numbers hold up.

This is why I like to start with a realistic estimate of what your home would sell for today and what you’d actually walk away with. Not a hopeful number. A real one. (If you’re on a short runway, here’s how I think about pricing on a tight timeline.)

What Happens to Your VA Loan If You Keep the House?

If you bought with a VA loan, this one matters a lot.

Moving out and renting the home after a PCS is generally fine. You were required to intend to live there when you bought, and you did.

But as long as that VA loan stays open, part of your VA home loan entitlement stays tied to it.

That doesn’t necessarily stop you from using a VA loan again at your next duty station. Many people still have remaining entitlement. But depending on how much entitlement is in use and the price of your next home, you may need a down payment on that next purchase that you wouldn’t have needed otherwise.

Selling the home and paying off the loan generally lets you restore that entitlement.

So if you know you want to buy again with zero down at your next station, talk to a VA lender before you decide to keep the house. You can also read VA’s own explanation of VA home loan eligibility and entitlement.

What About Taxes If You Rent It Out and Sell Later?

I’m not a tax professional, so please run this by one. But here’s the general picture so you know what to ask.

Normally, if you’ve owned and lived in a home as your main residence for at least two of the five years before you sell, you may be able to exclude a large portion of the gain from your income, according to IRS Topic 701.

Military families get an important extra rule. If you or your spouse are on qualified official extended duty, you can elect to suspend that five-year window for up to 10 years. That gives many PCSing families more time to rent the home and still potentially qualify for the exclusion when they sell.

One catch people miss: depreciation. Once a home is a rental, depreciation generally comes into play, and the IRS doesn’t let you exclude the part of your gain that comes from depreciation.

None of this means renting is a bad idea. It just means “we’ll sell it later” should come with a conversation with a tax pro now.

Are You Ready to Be a Landlord From Somewhere Else?

This is the question people skip, and it’s the one I’d spend the most time on.

Even with a good property manager, you’re still the owner. You approve big repairs. You cover the costs when the water heater goes. You make the call if a tenant stops paying.

You’re also responsible for following the law in the state where the home sits.

In Georgia, the 2024 Safe at Home Act (House Bill 404) added tenant protections, including a requirement that rental homes be fit for people to live in and a cap on security deposits at two months’ rent. If your home is in Phenix City or Fort Mitchell, Alabama law applies instead, and the rules aren’t identical. A good local property manager should know both cold.

Some people are wired for this. They like it.

Others find that a 2 a.m. text about a leak, six time zones away, isn’t worth the long-term upside.

Neither one is wrong. It’s just worth being honest about which one you are.

When Does Selling Make More Sense?

Here’s what I usually tell sellers. Selling tends to be the cleaner choice when:

• The rent wouldn’t comfortably cover your full costs
• You need the equity or the VA entitlement for your next home
• The house has big-ticket maintenance coming up
• You don’t have solid cash reserves for vacancies and repairs
• You simply don’t want to be a landlord

That last one counts. “I don’t want to” is a perfectly good reason.

When Does Renting It Out Make More Sense?

Renting tends to be worth a closer look when:

• The rent covers your true costs with margin, not just the mortgage
• You have a low interest rate you’d be giving up by selling
• You have reserves set aside for the unexpected
• You can still buy at your next duty station the way you want to
• Selling right now would mean bringing money to closing

And sometimes the honest answer is “rent it for now and revisit in a year or two.” That’s a legitimate strategy too, as long as you know what you’re committing to.

If You Do Sell, How Do You Get It Ready Fast?

This is where my background in home staging and interior design comes in.

When you’re PCSing, there’s rarely time for a big renovation. And honestly, you usually don’t need one.

What I look at first is what buyers will notice in the photos and in the first 30 seconds of walking in. Clutter. Furniture that makes a room feel smaller than it is. Small repairs that make a buyer wonder what else was skipped.

Every listing I take includes pre-listing styling. Sometimes that’s rearranging what you already have. Sometimes it’s a few added pieces. Sometimes it’s simply helping you decide what goes into storage before the movers come.

And timing matters. If you can list while you’re still in the home and before packout, you have more control over how it shows. A completely empty house can feel smaller and colder in photos. If your household goods are leaving first, we plan for that.

When Should You Start Thinking About This?

Earlier than you think.

Ideally, as soon as you have a sense orders are coming, even before they’re official. That gives you time to get a realistic value, talk to a lender about your VA entitlement, call a tax pro, and get a rental estimate and management quote side by side.

Then you’re comparing two real options instead of making a rushed call two weeks before packout.

And if you’re still on the buying side and reading this as a “future me” problem, that’s smart. It’s exactly why I think about resale and rentability with every buyer. (More on that in what happens if you buy and get orders again too soon.)

There’s no prize for picking the “right” answer that everyone online agrees with.

There’s only the answer that fits your numbers, your next assignment, and how much you want to be managing from far away.

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Not Sure Whether to Sell or Rent Out Your Fort Benning Home?

I’m happy to walk through both options with you, including a realistic estimate of what your home would sell for and what to ask about renting, so you can decide with real numbers instead of guesses.

I’m Alexandria Bowman, a Georgia and Alabama Realtor with Coldwell Banker Kennon & Parker, serving Columbus, Midland, Harris County, Phenix City, Fort Mitchell, and surrounding communities.

Orders in hand or just on the horizon, it’s never too early to make a plan.

Let’s chat about your PCS move

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This article is general information, not tax, legal, or lending advice. VA entitlement, capital gains rules, and landlord-tenant laws depend on your specific situation and can change. Please consult a qualified tax professional, VA-approved lender, or attorney before making a decision.