Dewey Kopenga, a Military Relocation Professional certified Realtor serving Tampa Bay.
If you have orders to MacDill Air Force Base, you are separating here, or you are retiring in the Tampa Bay area, you want an agent who already speaks the language of PCS dates, VA loans, and housing allowances. That is the work I trained for and it is the work I do.
FL License SL3656230, Top Homes Group at Keller Williams South Shore
Military Relocation Professional
National Association of Realtors Certification
Awarded August 12, 2026
MRP and the MRP logo are marks of the Real Estate Buyer's Agent Council. Used by a certified member in good standing.
What a Military Relocation Professional actually had to learn.
The Military Relocation Professional certification is issued by the National Association of Realtors. To earn it, an agent completes coursework built around the way military families actually move. That means military benefits and how they affect a purchase, the VA loan process from eligibility through closing, how a PCS timeline drives every date in a transaction, and what it takes to work well with active duty service members, spouses, and veterans.
I want to be clear about what it is and what it is not. It is a certification from the National Association of Realtors. It is not a military endorsement and it is not an endorsement from the Department of Veterans Affairs. No agent is approved or appointed by the VA. What the certification tells you is that I put in the training instead of learning on your move.
For the loan and PCS timeline detail, including entitlement and a step by step plan built backward from your report date, read the VA relocation page.
The parts of a military move that decide how it goes.
A PCS timeline squeezes a home search, so we build the calendar backward
Most military families are not shopping for a house on a relaxed schedule. You have a report date, a household goods pickup, and a spouse who may still be working the last assignment. So we start from the date you have to be here and work backward through closing, appraisal, inspections, and offer. That way you know in the first week what has to happen and when, and you are not guessing whether a house you like can even close in time.
What the VA loan does and does not do in Tampa Bay
The VA loan is a benefit that can let an eligible buyer purchase without a down payment and without monthly mortgage insurance, and it comes with rules that protect you, including a property condition review. What it does not do is guarantee you an approval, set your interest rate, or make a house affordable that is not. It also does not cover taxes and insurance, which in Florida can be a large part of the payment. Your loan professional confirms what you qualify for. I make sure the houses we look at can actually work with the loan you are using.
How Basic Allowance for Housing fits into what a family can carry
BAH is money you can count on while you are here, and it is a reasonable place to anchor a housing budget. It is not a payment amount. Once you add property taxes, homeowners insurance, flood insurance where the property requires it, and any HOA or CDD fees, the real monthly number can sit well above the loan payment by itself. We put the full number on paper for each home you are considering, and if it runs past what your BAH and your other income comfortably cover, I will say so.
Buying near the base versus buying farther out
Living close to MacDill costs more per square foot, and much of the housing near the water carries flood insurance and evacuation zone considerations. Move south or east and the same money buys more house, a newer build, and often a yard, but you spend more of your life in the car. Neither answer is right for everyone. If you report to the base most days, put a real value on the drive. If you work remotely or you are retiring, that math changes completely.
When orders change in the middle of a transaction
It happens, and it is not the end of the world if you tell me early. Once we know what changed, we look at where the contract sits and what your options are, which may include moving the closing date, extending a contingency period, or ending the agreement under terms already written into the contract. What matters is acting while the deadlines are still open, because that is when you have leverage.
Buying or renting for a two or three year assignment
A short assignment makes the buy or rent question a real one. Buying can build equity and give you a fixed housing cost, and if you get orders out you may be able to keep the home and rent it. Selling in a short window is where the risk sits, because the costs of selling can take back the gain if values have not moved. Renting costs you the equity but keeps you free and gives you time to learn which part of the bay you actually like. I will run both versions with you honestly, even when renting is the better call.
Where military families land and why.
Every one of these areas works for somebody. The honest way to choose is to drive your route at the hour you would really be driving it, then look at what the monthly cost does once taxes and insurance are in the number.
South Tampa
This is the closest you can live to the MacDill gate, and the commute is short enough that some people bike or take the base shuttle. You pay for the location, the homes tend to be older, and much of the area sits in a flood zone with evacuation considerations. It fits a buyer who values time over square footage and wants an easy resale later.
Apollo Beach
Canal homes, boat access, and water views for less money than you would spend for the same thing closer to Tampa. The drive to the base is a real commitment, and water exposure means flood insurance is often required and premiums vary a lot by elevation. It fits a family that wants the water lifestyle and can live with a longer drive.
Riverview
Newer construction, more bedrooms, and more yard for the money. Most of it is inland, which usually keeps insurance closer to normal, and many neighborhoods carry HOA or CDD fees that belong in your monthly math. It fits a growing family that needs space and does not mind a moderate commute.
Brandon
An established suburb with good schools, plenty of shopping, and a mix of older and newer homes. The commute to the base runs through traffic that gets heavy at the usual hours, so drive it before you decide. It fits a buyer who wants a settled neighborhood rather than a brand new subdivision.
Wesley Chapel
Some of the newest inventory in the metro and often the most house for the money. It is also the farthest of these areas from MacDill, so a daily gate run is a long one. It fits remote workers, spouses working the north Tampa corridor, or a family that only needs occasional base access.
Sun City Center for retirees
This is where a lot of retiring military land, and it is my home market. Golf carts, low maintenance homes, active clubs, and easy access to healthcare. It is far from the base, which matters very little once you are retired. On the condo side, VA financing only works if the association is approved, so we check that before writing an offer.
Travis Penny
Mortgage BrokerNMLS 1649161 · Vision Mortgage LLC NMLS 1286953
One conversation for the house and the loan.
Travis Penny is a mortgage broker. That is worth saying plainly, because a broker works your file across a network of lenders rather than selling one company's own menu. He carries NMLS 1649161 and works through Vision Mortgage LLC, NMLS 1286953.
The reason we work together is timing. When you are moving on an orders deadline, the worst thing you can do is run two separate timelines, one with an agent and one with somebody handling the money who has never spoken to that agent. Here the house conversation and the loan conversation happen in the same place. If a closing date needs to move or a document is holding up underwriting, everybody already knows.
Nobody here promises you an approval or a rate. Travis reviews your file and tells you what is real, and then we shop with that number instead of hoping.
- Certificate of Eligibility and entitlement review
- Pre approval before you ever fly in
- Closings handled from another state or overseas
- Direct access to your broker
Straight answers before you ask me twice.
Nothing here is legal, tax, or lending advice, and program rules change, so confirm the details that apply to you with the VA, your lender, and the county.
Straight from NAR
These come straight from the National Association of Realtors, not from us, so you can check the source yourself.
The National Association of Realtors consumer guide covering VA loan representation, written buyer agreements, and how veteran buyers get represented.
What the certification covers and what an agent has to complete to earn it.
Tell me your report date and we will work backward.
Call or send a text with where you are coming from and when you need to be here. You talk to me directly, not an assistant and not a call center.