Cover of THE MILITARY HOMEFRONT PODCAST

THE MILITARY HOMEFRONT PODCAST

THE MILITARY HOMEFRONT PODCAST

By: Brittney Frye
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Welcome to The Military Homefront Podcast, hosted by Brittney, a real estate agent with Real Broker's Military Division serving military families across the Carolinas, including Fort Bragg: Fayetteville to Moore County, NC & Shaw AFB: Sumter, SC and the surrounding areas.

Each episode dives into the real stories behind military family real estate: PCS moves, VA loans, building a rental portfolio, navigating remote closings, and the lessons learned from real transactions with real clients. This show is for two audiences: military families and veterans who want to make confident, informed real estate decisions, and fellow realtors who work with military clients and want to sharpen how they serve them.

Whether you're active duty, a military spouse, a veteran investor, or an agent building your own military-focused business, you'll find practical, real-world insight here.

New episodes drop weekly. Subscribe so you never miss an episode, and follow along at www.homeswithbrittney.com for more.

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Episodes
  • This Agent Set the Bar So High, Every Listing Agent Should Take Notes (Spotless House + She Got Paid More = Me Impressed)

    This Agent Set the Bar So High, Every Listing Agent Should Take Notes (Spotless House + She Got Paid More = Me Impressed)
    20 Oct 2026
    Brittney just closed a transaction where, for once, the agent on the other side of the deal made her job easier instead of harder. In this episode, she breaks down exactly what that listing agent did differently, a spotless house at the final walkthrough, sharp negotiating, and a commission structure that included a higher split, an admin fee, and paid cleaners after closing, and why it left such an impression.This one is for buyers, sellers, and agents alike. If you have ever wondered what your commission actually covers, or why some houses show so much better than others at closing, this episode pulls back the curtain on what a top tier listing experience can look like when an agent builds in the right services from the start.Brittney also opens up about an idea she has been sitting on for years, a tiered commission model with standard, mid, and premium packages that could cover marketing, staging consultations, home inspections, and move out cleaning, all built into the listing agreement instead of left to chance. She walks through what each tier could look like and why she thinks sellers might actually welcome the option.By the end, she wants to hear from you. Would you pay a little more in commission if it guaranteed your house showed better, sold faster, and left you nothing to clean up on your way out the door?Key TakeawaysA listing agent on the other side of Brittney's recent transaction kept the house clean and decluttered all the way through the final walkthrough, which is rare since most sellers just grab their things and leave.That same agent had a higher commission split plus a separate admin fee for her transaction coordinator, proof that commissions are genuinely negotiable and there is no set ceiling.A vacuum left on the front porch turned into confirmation that the agent had paid for professional cleaners as part of her listing services.Brittney has floated the idea of a tiered listing model to her broker before, standard, mid, and premium packages that bundle marketing, staging help, home inspections, and move out cleaning into the commission.As a buyer's agent, Brittney toured 20 to 30 houses for her clients before this one, and most were dirty, cluttered, or beat up. This house stood out and went under contract quickly because of how it was presented.Marketing costs, staging, cleaning, and decluttering are traditionally the seller's responsibility, not the agent's, even though many agents choose to cover pieces of it anyway.Brittney shares how she uses seller net sheets, often leaving the payoff amount blank so sellers do not feel judged or treated differently based on their profit margin.00:00 - Welcome and today's topic 01:00 - The transaction backstory and why this agent felt like redemption 02:00 - A spotless final walkthrough compared to the usual rough handoff 03:00 - Reviewing the closing statement: higher split and an admin fee 04:00 - The vacuum on the porch and confirming the cleaners 05:00 - A past conversation with her broker about offering a tiered listing model 06:00 - Why marketing reimbursement clauses are trending in listing agreements 07:00 - Breaking down the standard tier 08:00 - Breaking down the mid tier: consultations, inspections, and move out cleaning 09:00 - Breaking down the premium tier: staging and extra marketing spend 10:00 - Why the math still works out in the seller's favor 11:00 - What agents are and are not traditionally responsible for 12:00 - Reflecting on 10-plus years of covering costs she probably shouldn't have 13:00 - How Brittney handles seller net sheets and payoff conversations 14:00 - Staying equitable no matter what a seller's financial picture looks like 15:00 - Brittney's ask: what would you want in a basic, mid, and premium package🎧If this episode gave you a new way to think about commissions, listing services, or what a great transaction can look like on both sides, please subscribe, leave a review, and share it with a fellow agent or someone getting ready to sell.Closing Chapters Podcast: Where Every Mission Has A StoryThanks for listening. We talk all things military real estate, my transactions, the mistakes, the wins, and simple plays you can use right now.Work With Me:Buying or selling near Fort Bragg & Moore CountyAgents, partner with me Connect With Brittney:🌐 Website📚 Training Platform📺 YouTube📸 Instagram📘 Facebook💼 LinkedIn📧 Email: brittney@homeswithbrittney.comIf this episode helped, follow the show, leave a quick review, and share it with a friend in PCS season.Disclaimer: This podcast education only & is not legal, tax, or financial advice. Talk with your own pros about your situation. Opinions are my own.© 2025 Brittney Frye. All rights reserved. Realtor, license # 352197 in NC. Brokerage: REAL Broker l Military Division
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    17 min
  • They Sold Their House for $85K More and Never Listed It: An Off-Market Sale Between Two Commanders

    They Sold Their House for $85K More and Never Listed It: An Off-Market Sale Between Two Commanders
    13 Oct 2026
    Imagine buying a house for $305,000 in 2019 and selling it for $390,000 less than three years later, without ever putting it on the market. That is exactly what happened in this transaction, and it is one of Brittney's favorite closing stories to tell.Her clients came to Shaw Air Force Base from Hawaii when the military member took command of a unit. Fast forward to 2022, and it was time for him to hand that command off to the next officer in line. That handoff came with a built in buyer: the incoming commander needed a house, and Brittney's clients had one to sell. No marketing, no photos, no showings, just two families and an agent working out the details.Brittney walks through what it actually looked like to facilitate a sale like this, including the phone call to her broker to get approval to help without a traditional listing agreement, the gentle reminders to let the two families negotiate their own terms, and the one real sticking point, a carpet replacement for the incoming family's child with allergies. She also shares the history of this Beach Creek golf course community home, from the zip line and treehouse in the backyard to the fact that she can trace three separate owners of this house back through her own military community.If you have ever wondered whether an off-market sale between military families is even possible, or what it takes for an agent to help facilitate one, this episode lays it all out.Key Takeaways:The sellers bought this house for $305,000 in 2019 and sold it for $390,000 in June 2022, an $85,000 gain in under three years, without ever listing it.When the military member finished his command tour, his replacement needed a house. That built in handoff meant an instant buyer with zero marketing required.Facilitating a non-traditional sale like this still required a phone call to her managing broker for approval and a set facilitation fee, since there was no standard listing agreement in place.Brittney's role was to stay out of the negotiating and simply put whatever the two families agreed to in writing, the proper documentation, once they had worked it out themselves.The one real negotiation point was carpet. The incoming family had a child with allergies, so the sellers arranged for new carpet to be installed before the buyers moved in.The timeline ran from mid-March to a June 21st closing, longer than a typical transaction, because it had to work around both families' PCS schedules, the carpet installation, and the sellers freeing up their VA loan eligibility for their next home in Pennsylvania.This house has had three owners total, all connected through the local military community, including a past owner who worked in Brittney's husband's unit.00:00 - The hook: bought for $305K, sold for $390K, never listed 01:00 - How a change of command created an instant, built in buyer 02:00 - Getting her broker's approval to facilitate a non-traditional sale 03:00 - Staying in her lane: letting the families negotiate, then putting it on paper 04:00 - The carpet replacement for the incoming family's allergies 05:00 - How the closing timeline lined up for both families' moves and VA eligibility 06:00 - The referral domino effect and running with an entire squadron at Shaw AFB 07:00 - Why gate access and which side of base you live on matters so much 08:00 - The Beach Creek golf course community, 10 minutes from Shaw's back gate 09:00 - Inside the 3,000+ square foot, five bedroom, four bathroom home 10:00 - The sloped lot, screened patio, zip line, treehouse, and a golfer's dream location 11:00 - Tracing the house back through three owners in the local military community 12:00 - Running South Carolina transactions from Tennessee as a military spouse agent 13:00 - Getting ahead of PCS season with early walkthroughs and a honey do list 14:00 - Her invitation to any military spouse considering a career in real estate🎧If this transaction story showed you what is possible with off-market sales and creative deal facilitation, please subscribe, leave a review, and share it with a military family or fellow agent who would find it useful.Closing Chapters Podcast: Where Every Mission Has A StoryThanks for listening. We talk all things military real estate, my transactions, the mistakes, the wins, and simple plays you can use right now.Work With Me:Buying or selling near Fort Bragg & Moore CountyAgents, partner with me Connect With Brittney:🌐 Website📚 Training Platform📺 YouTube📸 Instagram📘 Facebook💼 LinkedIn📧 Email: brittney@homeswithbrittney.comIf this episode helped, follow the show, leave a quick review, and share it with a friend in PCS season.Disclaimer: This podcast education only & is not legal, tax, or financial advice. Talk with your own pros about your situation. Opinions are my own.© 2025 Brittney Frye. All rights reserved. Realtor, license # 352197 in NC. Brokerage: REAL Broker l Military Division
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    17 min
  • The Real Cost of a PCS Move (and How to Actually Budget for It) with Mike Meese

    The Real Cost of a PCS Move (and How to Actually Budget for It) with Mike Meese
    6 Oct 2026
    Every military family knows a PCS is coming, but almost nobody budgets for what it actually costs. In this episode, Brittney sits down with Mike Meese, a retired Army Brigadier General with 32 years of service and president of Armed Forces Mutual, to break down the real numbers behind a military move and the financial habits that keep families ahead of it instead of scrambling to catch up.Mike spent his career teaching finance and economics at West Point, wrote The Armed Forces Guide to Personal Financial Planning, and now leads an organization built to help military families with exactly this kind of planning. He and Brittney dig into the expenses nobody warns you about, restocking your pantry and cleaning supplies, redecorating to make a new house feel like home, and the very real cost of living in limbo while you wait on housing. They talk through what to realistically budget per move, why one dedicated credit card can save you a headache at tax time, and the difference OCONUS and CONUS moves make to your weight allowance.From there, the conversation moves into bigger picture financial planning: building a real emergency fund, making the most of the Blended Retirement System and TSP matching, using a 529 for your kids' education, and the "save half, spend half" rule Mike uses every time a raise comes through. They also cover the resources most families never tap into, on-post relief societies, thrift stores, and organizations like Blue Star Families, plus the mistake Brittney made with her own family's school choice that turned into a hard four hour daily commute.Whether you're gearing up for your first PCS or your fifth, this episode is full of practical, do-it-this-week advice for making your next move less financially painful.Key TakeawaysFamilies consistently underestimate two categories of PCS cost: restocking everyday items you can't move (cleaning supplies, spices, half-used bottles) and redecorating to make a new house feel like home, since curtains, rugs, and shower curtains rarely fit the next place.Plan to spend somewhere between $500 and $3,000 or more out of pocket per PCS, and put every related expense on one dedicated credit card so it's easy to track and reconcile against your reimbursements.OCONUS moves often come with reduced weight allowances and furniture left in storage for years, so document your belongings with photos or video before they're packed and file any loss or damage claims immediately, not months later.Aim to keep 4 to 6 months of expenses in an emergency fund, ideally in a separate high-yield savings or money market account so it's not tempting to dip into for everyday spending.Use Mike's "save half, spend half" rule: every time you get a raise from a promotion or longevity, bank half of the increase and let yourself enjoy the other half.Contribute at least 5 percent to your Thrift Savings Plan under the Blended Retirement System to get the full 5 percent government match, and invest aggressively while you're young using a lifecycle fund.The biggest mistake Mike sees is families not asking for help. Army Community Services, the Navy-Marine Corps Relief Association, the Air Force Aid Society, on-post thrift stores, and Blue Star Families all exist specifically to support you through a move.Resources:- https://www.aafmaa.com- https://bluestarfam.org- https://spouseworks.militaryonesource.mil/portal/ (formerly mycaa) 00:00 - Meet Mike Meese: 32 years in the Army, Brigadier General, and president of Armed Forces Mutual 02:00 - His books on personal finance and national security, and where to find them 04:00 - Family life: married 43 years, three kids, ten grandchildren, and two deployments totaling 30 months 07:00 - The PCS expense almost nobody budgets for: restocking and redecorating your home 09:00 - The real hidden cost: living in limbo while you wait on housing 12:00 - What to actually budget out of pocket for a PCS 13:00 - Why one dedicated credit card makes tracking PCS expenses so much easier 14:00 - OCONUS versus CONUS moves and how weight allowances change 16:00 - Filing loss and damage claims the right way, and why timing matters 17:00 - How far in advance to start planning financially for a move 18:00 - Building a 4 to 6 month emergency fund, even on one income 20:00 - The "save half, spend half" rule for raises and promotions 23:00 - Budgeting tools and apps worth trying 24:00 - Blended Retirement System basics: TSP matching, Roth IRAs, and 529 plans 30:00 - The biggest mistake military families make with their finances 32:00 - Why both spouses need to be in the financial planning conversation together 34:00 - Getting the most out of your TLE and DLA allowances 37:00 - Is a full DITY move actually worth the extra money? 39:00 - What to do when a move leaves you feeling financially underwater 41:00 - On-post resources: thrift stores, relief societies, and Blue Star Families 42:00 - Turning a stressful PCS into a mini family vacation 45:00 - Researching your...
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    55 min
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