The Niceville Agent Report

Before you start looking

Moving here on orders

For somebody with orders who has never been to the Florida panhandle. What decides where you end up, so the first call with an agent is a useful one.

Find out which gate first

Eglin is not a base at the end of a road. The reservation runs to roughly 463,000 acres and the gates are a long way apart, so two families both reporting to Eglin can live a long way from each other and both be right.

The East Gate on the Valparaiso side is the round-the-clock one. The West Gate off State Road 85 serves the Fort Walton Beach side. Some gates keep limited hours, so check Eglin's own gate hours rather than a commute estimate off a listing. Hurlburt Field is west of Fort Walton Beach, Duke Field is north toward Crestview, and 7th Special Forces Group is on the Eglin reservation.

The towns

Niceville and Valparaiso

Next to the East Gate and the usual answer for families reporting to that side. Small-town, quiet, strong reputation for its schools — Okaloosa County School District schools, not a separate district. Bluewater Bay is the larger planned neighbourhood on Niceville's east side.

Fort Walton Beach and Mary Esther

Older and denser, south and west of Eglin and nearer Hurlburt. More housing at the lower end and closer to the water. Mary Esther is the shorter run of the two to Hurlburt.

Shalimar

Small, on Garnier Bayou just east of Fort Walton Beach and right against Eglin. Close to the base, longer west to Hurlburt.

Crestview

North up State Road 85, and the usual answer when the budget will not stretch. More house and more land; the trade is the commute. Duke Field is the closest installation.

Navarre

West toward Pensacola. Beach access without Destin prices, and a longer run if you report to Eglin's north side.

Five things to settle before you call anyone

  1. Your BAH rate for this duty station at your rank and dependency status, from the Defense Travel Management Office's own calculator. It sets the ceiling before you look at a single listing.
  2. Buying or renting this tour. Tours here can be short. A lot of people buy, then keep the house and rent it out when they leave.
  3. Your VA loan entitlement and how much is left. Get it answered by a lender before you are under contract, not during.
  4. Whether you will see the house. Plenty of purchases here run on a video walkthrough and a power of attorney. It works, and it is a specific skill.
  5. Your real report date. Inspection windows, closing, temporary lodging and whether you need a rental first all hang off it.

Talk to Jessica Mackrael

For anything that has to be exact, use the relocation and housing offices at Eglin and Hurlburt, and the Defense Travel Management Office for BAH. This page is not an official source.