Start now, from wherever you are stationed. You do not need to be back on U.S. soil first. We regularly run the early stages with buyers stationed overseas over messaging apps, email, and video. A reasonable rule of thumb is to begin about three months out, which leaves time to pull credit and gather documents: paystubs, your DD-214 if applicable, and anything tied to your orders. For a VA buyer we would lean toward starting even earlier. A military move has a lot of moving parts that touch the loan: - New orders and a change in pay. - A new housing allowance. - Separation-date rules. Each of these can affect VA eligibility and how your income is counted, and sorting them out ahead of time keeps them from becoming last-minute surprises that stall a closing. Being overseas is a workable starting point. The riskier plan is waiting until you have landed and are under time pressure to find housing. Start the conversation now, line up your credit and paperwork, and give a VA-savvy lender enough runway to confirm current occupancy and eligibility requirements, because the timing rules have real consequences for a relocating servicemember.