Welcome back to the Landlord Survival Series. This time we're tackling a challenge almost every military homeowner in Central Texas faces sooner or later: the PCS.

Orders arrive, the report date is set, and suddenly you're deciding what to do with a house while also planning a move, a household goods shipment and maybe a new school for the kids. Many Fort Hood families choose to keep the home and rent it out. Done well, it can help cover the mortgage, build equity and give you a place to come back to. Done in a rush, it can turn into a long-distance headache.

This post walks through the decision to rent or sell, what changes when you own a home from far away, how military tenants and early lease termination work, and a realistic timeline from orders to a tenant moving in.

Rent or sell? The questions that decide it

There's no single right answer. The right choice depends on your numbers, your plans and how much risk you're comfortable carrying. Start with these questions:

• Will the rent cover the full monthly cost? Add up the mortgage payment, property taxes, insurance, HOA dues, a monthly reserve for repairs, and management fees. If market rent covers all of it with room to spare, renting is worth a serious look. Even if the rent doesn't cover every cost, renting can still work as a long-term investment. If a market-rate rent covers most of your expenses, the difference you pay each month goes toward building equity, and you avoid selling at a possible loss.
• How much equity do you have? If you bought recently, selling may barely cover the agent fees and closing costs. Renting for a few years gives the home time to build equity.
• Do you plan to come back? Many soldiers return to Fort Hood later in their careers or retire in Central Texas. Keeping the home can mean a place to land.
• Can you handle a vacant month or a major repair? Every rental will eventually have a turnover, a broken air conditioner or a roof claim. You need cash reserves to absorb those without stress.
• Do you want to be a landlord? Even with a manager, you're still the owner. You approve big repairs, review statements and make the final calls.

If the rent covers your costs, you have reserves and you'd like to hold onto the property, renting is often a smart long-term move. If the gap is more than you can comfortably carry, or you need the cash for your next move, selling may be the cleaner choice. Talk with a tax professional before deciding, since renting can affect your taxes and your capital gains exclusion when you eventually sell.

What changes when you own from a distance

Turning your home into a rental changes more than who lives there. Before you leave, take care of these items:

• Insurance. A standard homeowner's policy is written for an owner who lives in the home. Once it's rented, you'll typically need a landlord (dwelling fire) policy. Call your insurer before the tenant moves in, not after a claim.
• Your mortgage. VA and other owner-occupied loans require you to live in the home when you buy it, but PCS orders are a common and accepted reason to move out later. Let your lender know the home will be rented and keep making payments as usual.
• Homestead exemption. Texas homestead exemptions are tied to your principal residence. Check with the Bell County or Coryell County Appraisal District about how your PCS affects your exemption so you aren't surprised by a tax bill.
• Taxes. Rent is taxable income, but you can usually deduct expenses like repairs, management fees, insurance and depreciation. Service members can also have special rules for the home sale capital gains exclusion while on extended duty away from home. A tax professional familiar with military clients is worth the call.
• Paperwork and access. Set up a way to sign documents and handle business remotely. A specific power of attorney for the property can help if you'll be deployed or hard to reach. Make sure your manager has a reliable way to reach you, and that your contact information is current with your lender, insurer and HOA.
• Reserves. Keep a dedicated account for the property with enough to cover a few months of mortgage payments and a major repair. Distance makes surprises feel bigger.

Military tenants and early lease termination

In a Fort Hood market, many of your best applicants will be service members, just like you. They often have steady income and a strong reason to protect their record. They also have a legal right you need to plan for.

Under the federal Servicemembers Civil Relief Act, a service member who signs a lease and then receives PCS orders or deployment orders for 90 days or more can end the lease early by giving written notice and a copy of the orders. For a lease with monthly rent, the termination generally takes effect 30 days after the next rent due date following the notice. The landlord can't charge an early termination penalty for using this right. Texas Property Code § 92.017 provides similar protections at the state level, and the Texas REALTORS residential lease includes the required language.

This isn't a reason to avoid military renters. It's simply part of owning a rental in a military community. The answer is planning:

• Keep enough reserves to cover a turnover on short notice
• Use a lease that handles military termination correctly
• Work with a manager who can market and re-lease the home quickly
• Keep the home in rent-ready condition so turnovers are fast

You'll be on the other side of this too. If you're renting at your next duty station, the same protections apply to you.

A PCS rental timeline

The earlier you start, the smoother it goes. Here's a realistic timeline once you have orders in hand:

1. As soon as you have orders (60 to 90 days out): Decide whether to rent or sell. Get a rental price estimate and run your numbers. If you'll use a property manager, start the conversation now.
2. 45 to 60 days out: Call your insurer, lender and appraisal district. Schedule any repairs, painting or cleaning the home needs to be rent-ready.
3. 30 to 45 days out: Have the home photographed and listed. If your move-out date allows, the home can often be marketed while you're still living in it, with showings scheduled around your family.
4. 2 to 4 weeks out:Screen applicants and sign the lease. Set up rent payment and owner payouts.
5. Move-out week: Complete the move-in condition report with dated photos, rekey the locks and test the smoke alarms. Hand off keys, garage openers and appliance manuals.
6. After you leave: Your manager handles the move-in, rent collection and maintenance, and sends you monthly statements wherever you're stationed.

Orders don't always come with 90 days of notice. If yours came late, the same steps still apply. They just happen faster, and having a manager lined up matters even more.

How Resolute Leasing helps PCSing owners

Resolute Leasing was founded by a retired Army Chief Warrant Officer who has lived the PCS cycle firsthand. We know how little time you have between orders and your report date, and we build our process around it.

We price your home against the current Killeen and Fort Hood area rental market, coordinate make-ready work, market the home and screen every applicant against written criteria. Once your tenant is in place, we collect rent, handle maintenance and send monthly payouts by ACH by the 10th, wherever the Army sends you next. We don't charge a management fee while your home is vacant, so we only do well when your home is rented.

If you have orders, or think they're coming, see how our management services work or call us at (254) 271-0001. We'll help you run the numbers on renting versus selling and build a plan that fits your timeline.

Sources: 50 U.S.C. § 3955 (SCRA lease termination); Tex. Prop. Code § 92.017; IRS Publication 523, Selling Your Home.

Welcome to the Landlord Survival Series, where we tackle the biggest challenges rental owners face in Central Texas, one at a time. We start where every lease starts: the moment a renter first sees your home.

Property condition drives almost everything that follows. It decides how fast the home rents, how much rent it can command, and what kind of applicants show up. A clean, well-kept home attracts renters who plan to take care of it. A tired one attracts bargain hunters and sits on the market while the mortgage keeps coming due.

The good news is that a strong first impression rarely takes a renovation. It takes the right repairs, a deep clean and a little attention to the details renters actually notice.

What renters notice in the first 30 seconds

Most renters decide how they feel about a home before they reach the kitchen. Their first impression comes from a handful of things:

• Curb appeal. A mowed lawn, trimmed shrubs, a clean front door and working porch light say the home is cared for. Overgrown grass and a sun-faded door say the opposite.
• Cleanliness. Nothing kills interest faster than dirty floors, grimy bathrooms or a greasy stove. Renters assume a dirty home has hidden problems.
• Smell. Pet odors, cigarette smoke and mustiness are dealbreakers. Many renters will leave without looking past the living room.
• Light. Burned-out bulbs and heavy blinds make rooms feel small and dark. Bright, working lights in every room make the same space feel bigger.
• Paint and flooring. Scuffed walls and stained carpet are the first things in listing photos and the first things renters remember.

In a market like Killeen and the Fort Hood area, renters often tour several homes in a single afternoon, especially during PCS season. Your home is being compared side by side with others in the same price range. Small details decide which one gets the application.

Repairs that pay off, and ones that usually don't

Not every dollar spent before listing comes back to you. The goal is a home that's clean, safe, functional and durable, not a showpiece.

Usually worth it:

• Fresh, neutral paint in high-traffic rooms. It's one of the cheapest ways to make a home look move-in ready, and a single neutral color makes touch-ups between tenants easy.
• A professional deep clean, including carpets, appliances, baseboards and windows.
• Fixing anything broken, no matter how small: dripping faucets, loose cabinet doors, torn screens, missing outlet covers. Renters read small problems as signs of bigger ones.
• Durable flooring. When carpet needs replacing, luxury vinyl plank holds up to pets and heavy use far better and often lasts through several tenancies.
• HVAC service. A Central Texas summer is no time for an air conditioner to fail. A tune-up before move-in prevents emergency calls in July.
• Updated light fixtures and hardware where the old ones are dated or broken. These are inexpensive and change the feel of a room.

Usually not worth it before renting:

• High-end finishes like quartz countertops or designer tile that renters won't pay more for
• Large remodels that delay listing by weeks while the home earns nothing
• Cosmetic upgrades to rooms that are already clean and functional

A good rule: fix what's broken, clean what's dirty, and upgrade only what will hold up and help the home rent faster or for more.

The basics Texas law requires

First impressions are about marketing. Some condition items are about the law. Chapter 92 of the Texas Property Code sets minimum standards every residential landlord has to meet, and a home that misses them can create liability before the first rent check arrives.

• Security devices.Section 92.153 requires specific hardware, including a keyed deadbolt and a keyless bolting device on exterior doors, a door viewer, latches on exterior windows, and a pin lock and bar or handle latch on sliding glass doors.
• Rekeying between tenants. Locks must be rekeyed after each tenant moves out, within the time the code allows. Old keys in a former tenant's pocket are a real risk.
• Smoke alarms. Working smoke alarms are required, including one in each bedroom, common area outside of bedrooms, and they must be tested at the start of each tenancy.
• Health and safety repairs. Once a tenant gives proper notice, a landlord must make a diligent effort to repair conditions that materially affect the health or safety of an ordinary tenant. Starting the lease with those conditions already fixed is far easier than fixing them under a deadline.

The Texas REALTORS residential lease, which most Central Texas managers use, builds on these rules. A professional manager checks every item before move-in and documents it.

Photos, the move-in report and keeping condition up

Once the home is ready, three habits protect what you've invested.

Photograph it like you're selling it. Most renters decide whether to tour a home from the listing photos. Shoot in daylight with the lights on and the blinds open. Clear the counters and include every room, the yard and the front of the house. A bright, honest set of photos brings more qualified applicants and fewer wasted showings.

Document condition before move-in. Before the tenant gets keys, the home's condition is recorded room by room with dated photos and notes. The tenant reviews and signs the move-in condition report. At move-out, that report is the baseline for separating normal wear and tear from damage. Without it, security deposit deductions are hard to support.

Keep condition up during the lease. A home doesn't stay rent-ready on its own. Small problems become expensive ones when nobody looks. A few routine habits keep the home in shape for the next tenant:

• Respond to maintenance requests quickly, so a small leak doesn't become a ruined floor
• Change HVAC filters on a schedule; Central Texas summers are hard on air conditioners
• Inspect the property periodically to catch issues the tenant may not report
• Keep up exterior items like gutters, fences and drainage before storm season

Homes that are maintained steadily turn over faster and need less work between tenants. That means shorter vacancies and lower costs over time.

Your pre-listing checklist

Before your home goes on the market, walk through it with this list:

1. Mow, edge and clear the yard; trim shrubs away from windows
2. Clean the front door, porch and entry, and replace burnt-out exterior bulbs
3. Deep clean the whole home, including appliances, baseboards and windows
4. Patch and touch up walls in a neutral color
5. Fix leaks, running toilets, loose handles and sticking doors
6. Replace all HVAC filters and confirm heat and air work
7. Test every smoke alarm, including one in each bedroom
8. Take bright, complete listing photos
9. Complete a dated move-in condition report with photos

How Resolute Leasing helps

At Resolute Leasing, we walk every home before it's listed. We tell you what will help it rent, and what isn't worth the money. We coordinate the make-ready work, check the security devices and smoke alarms, take the listing photos and document the condition before move-in. Once your tenant is in place, we handle maintenance requests and routine inspections so your home stays in good shape.

We don't charge a management fee while your home is vacant, so our goal is the same as yours: get a great tenant into a well-kept home as quickly as possible.

If you own a rental in Killeen or anywhere in the Fort Hood area, see how our management services work or call us at (254) 271-0001. We'll walk your property with you and tell you exactly what it needs.

Sources: Tex. Prop. Code § 92.151, § 92.153, § 92.157; Texas Tenant Advisor: Locks & Security.