Orders to Fairchild? Start here.

Where the base sits, where people buy, how your VA loan fits, and what to do if you already own a home somewhere else. Ask me anything. There is no pressure and no sales pitch.

We’re PCSing, help us start The 90-day plan and official links Call (509) 359-1056

No-stress questions

Tap the one that sounds like you

Each one opens a short note to me with your question already written. Add your name and send. I answer these myself.

I want to explore how my VA loan worksAsk Julie We’re PCSing to Fairchild. Where do we start?Ask Julie We own another home. Now what?Ask Julie Can I take over a seller’s VA loan?Ask Julie We’re PCSing out and need to sellAsk Julie

Where it sits

Fairchild and the West Plains, on a map

The base is about 12 miles west of downtown Spokane on US-2. Tap a pin for the drive to the main gate and the area guide.

Drive times are free-flow estimates from mapping data, not traffic-aware. Ask me and I will time the route you would actually drive.

Where Fairchild families buy

The areas people ask me about most

about 8 min to the main gate

Airway Heights

On US-2 between the airport and the base. Manufactured homes, single-family houses, newer subdivisions and apartments. Cheney School District.

Read the guide

about 13 min to the main gate

Medical Lake

A small lake town with Waterfront Park and a trail around the lake. Medical Lake School District, which also runs the elementary school on base.

Read the guide

about 28 min to the main gate

Cheney

A college town with subdivisions from the 1990s onward, older homes near Eastern Washington University, and acreage. Cheney School District.

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about 27 min to the main gate

Eagle Ridge and southwest Spokane

Newer homes in a planned community inside Spokane city limits. Spokane Public Schools.

Read the guide

Drive times are estimates. School assignment depends on the exact address, so confirm it with the district before you make an offer.

Your VA loan

How I help you use the benefit you earned

I pull your Certificate of Eligibility so we both know how much of your entitlement is available.
You can use a VA loan more than once, and it is possible to have more than one at the same time.
If you are keeping a home somewhere else, its rent can often help offset that mortgage. I check what counts for you.
If a seller has a VA loan at a lower rate, I look at whether taking it over is realistic.

Explore how my VA loan works Read: how VA loans work

General information, not a commitment to lend. Your lender confirms what applies to you.

Good to know before you move

Things I tell every Fairchild family

Look up your BAH first

Your allowance depends on pay grade and dependents. I build the search around it. BAH lookup

You can buy before you arrive

Live video tours, digital signatures, and a closing timed to your report date.

Ask about noise and safety zones

Homes close to the base can sit in aircraft noise areas or accident potential zones. I tell you which zone an address is in.

Schools depend on the address

Michael Anderson Elementary is on base, in the Medical Lake School District. Off base, the district changes by area.

On-base housing is an option

It is privatized and run by Balfour Beatty Communities. Sometimes it is the right first step.

Get insurance quotes early

The West Plains has had two major wildfires in recent years. Quote the address before you write an offer.

Fairchild questions, answered

All articles

Fairchild PCSWhere to live near Fairchild AFB, by drive time to the gateRead Fairchild PCSPCSing to Fairchild: a 90-day home-buying timelineRead Fairchild PCSShould you rent or buy on a Fairchild assignment?Read Fairchild PCSPCSing to Fairchild and you already own a home: now what?Read Fairchild PCSCan you take over someone else's VA loan? How assumptions workRead Fairchild PCSHow VA home loans work, in plain EnglishRead

Thank you for your service. Let’s make this move your easiest one yet.

Next step

Want to see it in person?

Tell me what you are looking for and I will line up homes, run the payment on each one and answer the questions a listing can’t.

Call (509) 359-1056 Email me Run my numbers