Closing while deployed or mid-PCS

Start with the calendar, not the paperwork

Tell your closer your report date and any blackout windows in the first conversation. Closings that go badly are usually scheduling failures, not legal ones.

Three ways to sign from a distance

Which ones are available depends on your state and your lender.

• Power of attorney — someone you name signs on your behalf. Lenders often require a specific form and want to review it well before closing.
• Remote online notarization — you sign by video with an online notary. Fast, but not permitted in every state or accepted by every lender.
• Mail-away or hybrid closing — documents travel to you, you sign with a notary in person, then return them by courier.

If you are overseas

A judge advocate or a designated notarizing official on base can often notarize documents. Confirm in advance that your lender accepts that notarization, and build in mailing time.

Protections to know about

The Servicemembers Civil Relief Act provides certain protections tied to military service, including in some lending and lease situations. A closing attorney can tell you whether anything in your transaction is affected.