Buyer Education · September 6, 2026 · 8 min read
A captain walked into my open house in Edgewood last Sunday. Nice guy, polite, already apologizing for "just looking." He had PCS orders to Aberdeen Proving Ground, a wife who teaches remotely, and two kids who'd already changed schools twice in four years.
"Our sponsor sent us a packet," he said, scrolling through his phone. "But it's all base housing wait times and ZIP codes. Nobody told us if we should live near the Bel Air gate or down in Edgewood. Or whether we can even buy if we're only here three years."
I've heard some version of that story from every military family I've worked with in Harford and Cecil Counties. Your orders come with a report date and maybe a hotel voucher. What they don't come with is the ground truth about schools, commute times through the Route 40 chokepoint, or what happens to your BAH when you're competing with defense contractors for the same townhome.
So let's fix that. I'm MRP-certified (Military Relocation Professional), and I've spent enough time around APG families to know the sponsor packet is where the conversation starts, not where it ends.
Most families arriving on PCS orders assume they'll rent. It feels safer. You're not sure you'll stay, you don't know the area, and your last duty station left you gun-shy about landlords who don't fix the HVAC.
Fair.
But here's what I ask every military buyer to think through: even a three-year tour can pencil out as a buy if you're strategic about location and price point. Not always. Not for everyone. But often enough that it's worth thirty minutes with a calculator.
The break-even truth: In Harford and Cecil Counties right now, if you put down 0% with a VA loan (yes, zero—more on that in a second), your monthly cost to own is often at or below what you'd pay to rent the same house. Especially in Edgewood, Havre de Grace, and Elkton. Property taxes here are lower than Montgomery or Howard Counties, and Maryland's real estate market has been stable enough that modest appreciation over three years can cover your closing costs when you sell.
The wildcard is whether you'll get orders to stay or PCS again. I can't predict that. But I can tell you that every military family who bought near APG in 2022–2023 and just sold this summer walked away with equity, even after realtor commissions and painting the walls back to landlord beige.
Zero down. No PMI. Seller can pay up to 4% of your closing costs. The VA loan is the single best tool in your arsenal, and you'd be stunned how many active-duty families don't use it because they think they need perfect credit or a huge savings account.
You don't.
If your lender is telling you that you need 5% down or that "VA loans are hard," you need a new lender. I've got a short list of folks who do this all day, every day, and who won't ghost you the week before closing.
And yes, the recent FHFA proposal to allow two-credit-report underwriting could make conventional loans easier for some buyers, but for military families, VA is still king.
Here's the part your sponsor packet definitely skipped.
Aberdeen Proving Ground has multiple gates. Your duty location matters. If you report to Edgewood Area and you buy a house in North East, you'll spend your life on Route 40 cursing my name.
Closest to the Edgewood gate. Lots of split-levels and townhomes in the $250K–$350K range. Good for younger enlisted families or anyone who wants a ten-minute commute. Schools are a mixed bag—ask me offline which elementary you actually want. This is the market where you're competing hardest with other military families and defense contractors, so expect multiple offers if a house is priced right.
If you've got kids and your spouse cares about school ratings, this is where you'll end up. Bel Air feeds into C. Milton Wright High School, and it's a common landing spot for O-3s and above. Commute to the main gate is about 20 minutes without traffic, 35 with. Homes run $375K–$550K depending on age and how much vinyl siding you can tolerate. You'll find more space, better parks, and a Wegmans.
It's also where I spend a lot of Saturday mornings doing open houses, if that tells you anything.
Waterfront town, historic downtown, surprisingly walkable. If you or your spouse works remotely and you only need to be on post two or three days a week, Havre de Grace is worth the extra ten minutes. Homes range wildly—$220K fixer-uppers to $600K Victorians on the Susquehanna. Harford County's property tax rate is $1.038 per $100 assessed value, which is reasonable compared to the rest of the Baltimore-Washington corridor.
Often overlooked. About 25–30 minutes to the north gate, but you get more house for the money. Elkton has a scrappy, blue-collar charm and a Cecil County government that's been investing in infrastructure. North East sits on the Chesapeake and has a tiny, sleepy downtown with good pizza. Both towns attract military families who want acreage, a garage big enough for a project car, or who just hate crowds.
Schools in Cecil County are smaller. That's either a pro or a con depending on your kid.
Let's talk money for a second.
DoD's BAH rates for Aberdeen Proving Ground are based on Harford County averages. They're okay. But if you're an E-5 with three kids and you want a four-bedroom house in Bel Air, your BAH won't cover a market-rate mortgage plus taxes and insurance without kicking in a couple hundred bucks a month out of pocket.
That's not a reason not to buy. It's just a reason to be honest with your budget before you fall in love with the house that has the fenced yard and the finished basement.
I had a young enlisted couple last spring who really wanted Forest Hill. We ran the numbers. They would've been $280 out of pocket every month. They ended up in Edgewood, bought a townhome for $255K, and their total housing cost came in $40 under BAH. They're using the difference to fund a Disney trip next summer.
Know your numbers. I'll help you run them, but you've got to be honest about what "affordable" actually means when your next set of orders might come in eighteen months.
Then you sell or you rent it out.
Selling is cleaner. I'll list it, we'll price it right, and if you've kept it in decent shape, we'll close in 30–45 days. You'll pay a commission (yes, even post-settlement changes, sellers still pay in Maryland), but if the market's been even remotely kind, you'll net enough to cover your costs and maybe walk with a check.
Renting it out is doable but requires a property manager unless you want to field 2 a.m. texts about a leaking water heater from your next duty station in Okinawa. I know a few good managers in Harford County who specialize in military landlords. It's an option. It's not my first option unless you're building a long-term investment portfolio, but it's on the table.
I taught high school for over twenty years before I became a Maryland Realtor. I saw plenty of military spouses who were teachers, nurses, IT professionals—people with portable careers who still struggled every PCS because credentials don't always transfer and job markets are hyper-local.
Harford County has Upper Chesapeake Health, a bunch of government contractors, and a school system that's always hiring. Cecil County is smaller and more rural, so fewer corporate jobs but also less competition. If your spouse is job-hunting, factor commute time to both APG and potential employers in your housing decision. A house halfway between the base and a hospital in Bel Air might save your family ten hours a week in windshield time.
It matters more than granite countertops.
Here's my last piece of advice, and it's the one nobody follows until they've done one PCS the hard way: start talking to a Realtor before you pack the moving truck at your current duty station.
I can send you listings, neighborhood intel, school data, and a lender intro while you're still in Kansas or Georgia or wherever. We can do video tours. We can get you pre-approved so that when you land at BWI, you're not starting from zero.
The families who do this close faster, stress less, and don't end up in extended-stay hotels eating takeout for six weeks while they "figure it out."
I'm licensed in Maryland, D.C., Pennsylvania, and Delaware, so if your orders are Fort Meade, Bolling, or even something weird at Dover Air Force Base, I've got you. But if it's APG, let's talk now. September is actually one of the best times to buy in Harford County—less competition, motivated sellers, and we're not doing all this in July heat.
Reach out and let's get ahead of it. Your orders might not come with a roadmap, but that's what I'm here for.
Katrina Kirton Sherrod, REALTOR® · Samson Properties · Licensed in MD, DC, PA & DE · 443-616-9770 · Katrina@kkstherealtor.com
“Real estate cannot be lost or stolen, nor can it be carried away. It is about the safest investment in the world.” — Franklin D. Roosevelt (paraphrased)