Got PCS Orders? When to List Your Fort Benning-Area Home (and How to Sell From Your Next Duty Station)

Orders give you something most sellers never have: a hard date. That is stressful, but it is also useful, because every step of a sale can be planned backward from it.

Here is the timeline we build, and the plan for when the sale has to finish after you have already left.

Work backward from the report date

In Columbus right now, the median home takes about 34 days to go under contract (Redfin), and a financed purchase usually takes another 30 to 45 days to close. That means roughly two to three months from listing to closing is a realistic plan, with a cushion for the unexpected.

10–12 weeks before your departure

• Get a pricing strategy and decide sell vs. rent. If you are on the fence, read sell or rent your house when you PCS.
• Book your household goods pack-out date as early as you can. It anchors everything else.
• Start repairs and prep. Order any work that needs a contractor now.

8–10 weeks before

• Photograph and list. A home photographed before the pack-out usually shows better than an empty one.
• Decide how showings will work around a family still living in the house.

4–8 weeks before

• Negotiate and get under contract.
• Handle inspection and appraisal items while you are still local.

Departure and after

• Pack-out, final walk-through and closing — in person or remotely.

Occupied or vacant?

Occupied homes usually photograph and show warmer. Vacant homes are easier to show on short notice and can be staged. If the pack-out has to come first, plan for the house to be clean, lit, cool or warm, and the yard maintained while it sits. Tell your insurer the home is vacant; many standard policies restrict coverage on a home left empty for an extended period.

Selling from your next duty station

Plenty of our sellers close after they have already left Georgia. It works well when it is set up early:

• Remote or mail-away closing. Georgia closings are handled by a closing attorney, and many can arrange for you to sign your documents where you are, with a notary. Ask early whether your specific closing can be done this way.
• Power of attorney. If you will be hard to reach, a specific power of attorney for the sale can let someone sign on your behalf. Your installation’s legal assistance office can help prepare one. Confirm with the closing attorney before you leave that they will accept the form you use.
• Local eyes on the house. Someone needs to check on it, meet contractors and handle the lockbox. That is part of our job.
• Keep utilities on and the lawn cut through closing. Buyers notice.

If the timeline slips

Decide in advance what happens if you are not under contract by a certain date: a price adjustment, a switch to leasing, or holding through a better season. The worst version of this is making that decision under pressure the week the truck arrives.

We are an Army family, and we have sold under a report date ourselves. The date is not the enemy. Not planning around it is.

Arrio’s take

When we’ve sold under a report date, the most hectic part wasn’t the sale itself. It was running a sale and a purchase on two timelines at once, coordinating with agents in two different places. That’s where you want someone who has done it to advise you and keep both sides moving.

Two tools take pressure off the dates. A seller leaseback lets you close the sale and rent the home back from the buyer for a short time until you move. Or you can rent at your new location while the old home closes, so you aren’t forced to buy before you’re ready. I’ve had clients use both.

Selling with PCS orders: common questions

How long does it take to sell a house in Columbus right now?

In August 2026 the median Columbus home took about 34 days to go under contract, and a financed purchase usually takes another 30 to 45 days to close. Plan for roughly two to three months from listing to closing, and longer if you start out priced high.

Can I close after I have already moved?

In most cases, yes. Georgia closings are handled by a closing attorney, and sellers who have already left often sign their documents ahead of time or by mail with a notary, or use a power of attorney. Talk to the closing attorney early, because some lenders and title companies require their own power of attorney form.

What if the house has not sold by my report date?

You still have options: adjust the price, keep it listed and close remotely, or rent it out. The worst move is leaving it listed at the original price and hoping. Decide in advance what you will do, and by which date, if it has not sold.

Should I list before or after the movers pack us out?

Photograph before pack-out, while the home still has furniture. Furnished rooms photograph larger and warmer than empty ones. Showings can continue after you have moved; an empty home is easy to show and simple to keep clean.

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Kelsey and I are an Army family and have sold under a report date ourselves. If you want a Fort Benning realtor who builds the whole listing around your orders, that’s what we do.

Before you rely on any of this: this article is general education, current as of the date published, and not legal, tax, or lending advice. Allowances, loan rules, tax law and market numbers change, so verify the figures with the official source linked above, your lender, and a tax professional before you act on them. Closing procedures and power-of-attorney requirements vary; confirm yours with the closing attorney and your legal assistance office. Arrio Granum is a licensed REALTOR® with Coldwell Banker Kennon, Parker, Duncan & Davis in Columbus, GA.