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MILITARY REALTY OF FLORIDA
The Jacksonville Real Estate Podcast
Jacksonville and First Coast real estate in plain English — weekly market news, our listings, and a PCS/military tip in every episode.
Hosted by Mike, with Matt Strickland — broker-owner, retired Navy nuclear officer.
Listen on your app:
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Latest Episode
EPISODE 1 — OUT NOW
Rates at 7.40%, a Balanced Jacksonville Market
Freddie Mac rates at 7.40%, the latest Northeast Florida numbers showing a balanced market, stories from the MRF book, and a PCS tip to close.
About the Show
Every week we break down what is actually happening in the Northeast Florida housing market — rates, prices, inventory, and what it means if you are buying, selling, or moving on orders. No jargon, no hype: the numbers that matter, the neighborhoods we work every day, and a practical PCS or military money tip in every episode.
New market episodes drop weekly. The VA Playbook runs Tuesdays and Thursdays at 6:00 AM ET.
The VA Playbook — 39 Parts
One mini-series that walks the entire VA home loan process end to end: getting your Certificate of Eligibility, how entitlement really works, the funding fee, the appraisals and property requirements that kill deals, and the refinance rules most lenders never explain. Two episodes a week, October 13, 2026 through February 23, 2027 — the whole process, published before PCS season.
VA Playbook Schedule
| VA 1 | Oct 13 | Getting Your Certificate of Eligibility (COE) |
| VA 2 | Oct 15 | The VA Doesn't Lend Money: What the VA Actually Does |
| VA 3 | Oct 20 | Does Your Credit Score Qualify You for a VA Loan? |
| VA 4 | Oct 22 | Entitlement: The Most Misunderstood Word in VA Lending |
| VA 5 | Oct 27 | Using Partial Entitlement: Buying Again Without Selling |
| VA 6 | Oct 29 | How Much House Can You Actually Buy with a VA Loan? |
| VA 7 | Nov 3 | The VA Funding Fee Explained: Exact Percentages |
| VA 8 | Nov 5 | Who Is Exempt from the Funding Fee? |
| VA 9 | Nov 10 | The Funding Fee on Second and Later Use |
| VA 10 | Nov 12 | Can You Get a Funding Fee Refund: Service-Connected Ratings |
| VA 11 | Nov 17 | Zero Down: How It Actually Works |
| VA 12 | Nov 19 | Down Payments on a VA Loan: The 5% and 10% Breakpoints |
| VA 13 | Nov 24 | Using a VA Loan More Than Once |
| VA 14 | Nov 26 | Can You Hold Two VA Loans at the Same Time? |
| VA 15 | Dec 1 | Restoring Entitlement: Selling, Refinancing, and the One-Time Restoration |
| VA 16 | Dec 3 | Assumable VA Loans: The Seller's Secret Weapon |
| VA 17 | Dec 8 | Assuming Someone Else's VA Loan as a Civilian Buyer |
| VA 18 | Dec 10 | Seller Concessions: The 4 Percent Rule |
| VA 19 | Dec 15 | Who Pays What: VA Non-Allowable Closing Costs |
| VA 20 | Dec 17 | Non-Allowables, Part 2: Negotiation Reality |
| VA 21 | Dec 22 | Earnest Money with a VA Loan |
| VA 22 | Dec 24 | The VA Appraisal: What It Is and What It Is Not |
| VA 23 | Dec 29 | Minimum Property Requirements (MPRs): The Checklist |
| VA 24 | Dec 31 | Tidewater: The Appraisal Early-Warning System |
| VA 25 | Jan 5 | When the Appraisal Comes In Low: Notice of Value Options |
| VA 26 | Jan 7 | Termites and WDO Reports in Florida |
| VA 27 | Jan 12 | Can You Buy a Fixer-Upper with a VA Loan? Construction and Renovation Loans |
| VA 28 | Jan 14 | Manufactured Homes on a VA Loan: The Real Rules |
| VA 29 | Jan 19 | Condos on a VA Loan: The Approved-Project Trap |
| VA 30 | Jan 21 | Energy-Efficient Mortgages and Solar |
| VA 31 | Jan 26 | Escaping PMI Math: Why VA Beats FHA and Conventional at Low Down Payments |
| VA 32 | Jan 28 | The IRRRL: VA's Streamline Refinance Explained |
| VA 33 | Feb 2 | IRRRL Rules: The 210-Day Rule and Seasoning Explained |
| VA 34 | Feb 4 | Cash-Out Refinances and the 90 Percent Cap |
| VA 35 | Feb 9 | Native American Direct Loans and Special Cases |
| VA 36 | Feb 11 | VA Loans after Bankruptcy, Foreclosure, or a Short Sale |
| VA 37 | Feb 16 | Joint VA Loans and Non-Spouse Co-Borrowers |
| VA 38 | Feb 18 | What Happens to the VA Loan in a Divorce? |
| VA 39 | Feb 23 | Surviving Spouses and VA Loan Eligibility |
Your Hosts
Mike hosts the show and keeps it in plain English. Matt Strickland is the broker-owner of Military Realty of Florida and a retired US Navy nuclear officer who has bought, sold, and managed homes across Northeast Florida for years — and who answers the phone himself.
Buying or selling in Northeast Florida?
Call (904) 309-0609 or visit militaryrealtyflorida.com
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