MILITARY RELOCATION REALTORS IN GIG HARBOR, WA
your last PCS. Your forever home.
Many military families take their final tour at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, Joint Base Lewis-McChord or Naval Base Kitsap–Bangor, then retire right here.
Team Schulte & Co at Neighborhood Experts Real Estate helps them buy the Gig Harbor home they plan to keep: toured from anywhere, often before it reaches the market, and closed on your report date.
The team:
Paige Schulte, division lead
Reina Nevius, COO, Realtor and Navy spouse, licensed in Washington and California
Falynn Auston, overseas and site-unseen buyers;
Lindsey Balter, Kitsap County specialist and Bremerton native; Kelsey Weiland, VA buyers and sellers, acreage and large families, former Army spouse.
Primary market:
Gig Harbor.
Also serving Port Orchard, Bremerton, Silverdale, Poulsbo, Tacoma, University Place and Steilacoom.
At a Glance
Team Schulte & Co at Neighborhood Experts Real Estate runs a Military Relocation Division in Gig Harbor, Washington, serving families at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, Naval Base Kitsap–Bremerton and Naval Base Kitsap–Bangor.
More than 100 military families have bought in Gig Harbor through the team as their forever home, including families who rent it out for one more tour before retiring here.
Since 2017, Paige Schulte has helped more than 100 military families buy or sell between Gig Harbor and Bremerton, including admirals, officers, enlisted service members and civilian contractors.
Paige Schulte has been the #1 agent in Gig Harbor by both units sold and sales volume every year since 2021, according to NWMLS data.
Services:
Buying, including site unseen and off-market; VA loan coordination; selling, including homes with assumable VA loans; rent-first options.
Get in touch:
Office: 5356 Olympic Dr NW, Suite B, Gig Harbor, WA 98335. Meetings in person, by Zoom or by Google Meet.
Contact: 253-313-4093
Why Military Families Choose Gig Harbor for Their Final Tour
Gig Harbor sits between all three major installations, so one home works for the final tour and for the retirement after it.
Installation
Puget Sound Naval Shipyard
and NBK–Bremerton
Joint Base Lewis-McChord
Naval Base Kitsap–Bangor
branch
Drive from Gig Harbor
About 25 to 30 min; the Gorst curve is the main bottleneck
About 30 to 45 min via WA-16 and I-5
About 50 to 65 min via WA-16 and WA-3
Navy and civilian shipyard workforce
Army and Air Force
Navy, submarine force
Team lead
Lindsey and Paige
Paige and Kelsey
Lindsey
Why officers and military physicians choose Gig Harbor:
Schools
Peninsula School District ranks 25th of 247 Washington districts in SchoolDigger's 2025 rankings. In 2024-25, 64% of district students met state standards, compared with 48% statewide. Several Gig Harbor schools rank in the top 10% in Washington, including Purdy Elementary, Harbor Heights Elementary and Kopachuck Middle School.
Space within reach of military hospitals
Many military physicians choose Gig Harbor for larger lots and neighborhoods like Canterwood, within commuting distance of Madigan Army Medical Center at JBLM and the Navy hospital in Bremerton.
What retirees weigh here:
No state income tax
Washington does not tax income, so military retired pay is not taxed by the state.
Military and VA medical care nearby
including Madigan Army Medical Center at JBLM and VA Puget Sound's American Lake campus in Lakewood.
A second career close to home
Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and the defense contractors around it hire veterans as civilians.
A home worth keeping
Waterfront, marinas, trails and neighborhoods with character, where families put down roots after years of moving.
The honest Bangor answer. Bangor is Gig Harbor's longest commute. Families who want a short drive during the tour usually live in Silverdale or Poulsbo, and Lindsey covers both. Families planning to retire in Gig Harbor often accept the longer drive for a few years to buy the home they will keep. We lay out both options before you decide.
Not Sure Yet? Start in Harbor Hill
Many military families arrive unsure whether Gig Harbor will be their forever stop. Harbor Hill is where most of them start. It is walkable, the homes are newer and move-in ready, and it costs less than the waterfront and estate neighborhoods. The neighborhood school, Swift Water Elementary, opened in 2021 and ranks in the top 13% of Washington elementary schools (SchoolDigger). It also has a built-in community of other military families, so new arrivals make friends fast.
Harbor Hill works whichever way your plans go. Buy now and rent it out if orders come, or rent there first while you decide. Families who fall in love with Gig Harbor often move up to Canterwood or acreage when they're ready to spread out, and the team handles both the purchase and the sale.
Room to Spread Out: Acreage and Large Families
Large and homeschooling families need more than a bigger house: extra bedrooms, room to learn at home, and often land. Gig Harbor has acreage in areas like Purdy, Wauna, Rosedale and Artondale, along with larger lots in Canterwood. Kelsey Weiland, a homeschooling mom of five, lives on five acres in Gig Harbor and helps families with the well, septic and land questions that come with acreage.
Your Team:
NAVY AND ARMY FAMILIES, AN OVERSEAS SPECIALIST AND A KITSAP NATIVE
Paige Schulte
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Paige Schulte started her real estate career in Navy Yard City, the Bremerton neighborhood next to Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, in 2017. Since then she has helped more than 100 military families buy or sell between Gig Harbor and Bremerton, from enlisted sailors and civilian contractors to officers and admirals. She has been the #1 agent in Gig Harbor by both units sold and sales volume every year since 2021, according to NWMLS data. Her standard: connect families to their community, and protect their next purchase with local insight and straight answers.
Falynn Auston
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For five years Falynn has helped military families move to the Greater Gig Harbor area, including from England, Germany and Hawaii. She has helped more than 60 families buy or sell from other states and countries, many of them site unseen. She is their eyes on the ground from day one: live video tours, honest feedback on each house and street, and inspections attended in person. She helps each family decide between a home to retire in and a home built to resell or rent. Falynn has ranked #3 in Gig Harbor by units sold since 2025, according to NWMLS data.
Reina Nevius
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Reina's family made exactly the move this page describes. Her husband retired after 22 years in the Navy, and the family chose Gig Harbor as home for good with their two children. Reina has been COO of Team Schulte & Co for six years, running operations remotely through the family's Navy moves, and now sells homes alongside running the team. She is licensed in Washington (6 years) and California (8 years).
Lindsey Balter
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Lindsey grew up in Bremerton, lives in Poulsbo, and has spent her life in the Gig Harbor-to-Bremerton area; she has been licensed for five years. She knows what daily life looks like in each Kitsap neighborhood, from the Bangor commute to the shipyard. She is a mom of three.
Kelsey Weiland
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Kelsey knows military life from the family side: she was an Army spouse through active-duty service and the move into defense contracting. She has been licensed for five years and ranks among the top 40 agents in Gig Harbor for 2026 year to date, according to NWMLS data. She works with many VA buyers and sellers. A homeschooling mom of five, she lives on five acres in Gig Harbor, so she knows what large families need in a home: bedrooms, space, and answers to the well, septic and land questions that come with acreage.
What's Included
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Virtual tours
n live video, plus recorded walkthroughs, so you can tour from any time zone.
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Off-market access
The team often hears about homes for sale and for rent before they reach the market, and passes those to military families first.
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Rent first, buy later
Not ready to buy? The team finds you a rental through its network, and you come back to buy once you know the area.
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Forever-home or next-orders planning
Buying to retire here and buying to resell in three years call for different homes. The team helps you decide which you are buying.
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VA loan coordination
with your lender from day one, so financing keeps pace with your orders.
Not Your Last Tour? Selling Your Gig Harbor Home When Orders Come
Most military families face the same question at the next set of orders: sell, or keep the home as a rental? Team Schulte & Co runs the numbers on both, using current local sale prices and rents. If you sell, the team runs the entire sale after you have left: repairs, cleaning, staging, photography and video, open houses, negotiation and closing, all coordinated while you are at your new duty station. Your home also goes first to the team's list of incoming military buyers. If you keep the home as a rental, the team refers you to a well-reviewed local property manager.
Selling with a VA loan?
If your VA loan carries a low rate, a buyer may be able to take it over, which can make your home stand out. How the assumption is set up decides whether your VA entitlement comes back to you for your next purchase. Kelsey Weiland walks VA sellers through the options before an offer is accepted.
How It Works
Consultation
Your orders, report date, budget, and whether this is your final tour.
Retirement or next orders
Stay and we stay your local resource; move again and we sell or help you rent.
Game plan
Gig Harbor neighborhoods, commute, schools and price range, set before you tour.
Virtual tours
We walk homes on video and tell you what the listing photos leave out.
Arrival and closing
Inspections, lender and closing coordinated to your report date.
Families We've Moved
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
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Many military families take their final tour at JBLM, Puget Sound Naval Shipyard or Naval Base Kitsap–Bangor and then retire in Gig Harbor. Washington has no state income tax, military and VA medical care is nearby, and the shipyard and defense contractors hire veterans as civilians. Reina Nevius, the team's COO, made this move with her own Navy family.
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If you plan to retire in the area, buying the home you will keep saves a second move and a second set of closing costs. Team Schulte & Co helps families decide between a forever home and a home built to resell or rent.
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Yes, and many families do. More than 100 military families have bought in Gig Harbor through Team Schulte & Co as their forever home, some renting it out for one more tour before they retire here. The team refers a well-reviewed property manager for the rental years. VA loans require you to live in the home first, so confirm the occupancy rules with your lender.
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Gig Harbor is served by Peninsula School District, which ranks 25th of 247 Washington districts in SchoolDigger's 2025 rankings. In 2024-25, 64% of district students met state standards, compared with 48% statewide. Purdy Elementary, Harbor Heights Elementary and Kopachuck Middle School each rank in the top 10% of Washington schools.
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Harbor Hill is the most common starting point. It offers newer, move-in-ready homes, walkability, a community of other military families, and Swift Water Elementary, which opened in 2021. Homes there rent well if orders come, and many families later move up to Canterwood or acreage once they decide to stay.
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Yes. Areas like Purdy, Wauna, Rosedale and Artondale offer acreage, and Canterwood has larger lots. Kelsey Weiland, who lives on five acres in Gig Harbor with her five children, specializes in acreage and large-family moves.
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Yes. The team coordinates with your lender from day one. VA loans allow the seller to pay some or all of your closing costs, and the team negotiates for that where the market allows.
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It depends on your equity, local rents and whether you plan to return. Team Schulte & Co compares both using current sale prices and rents. If you sell, the team handles the whole sale after you have moved; if you rent, it refers you to a well-reviewed local property manager.
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Often, yes. VA loans can be assumed with lender approval, which can make a low-rate home more attractive to buyers. If the buyer is an eligible veteran who substitutes their own entitlement, your entitlement can be restored; otherwise it usually stays tied to the loan until it is paid off. Kelsey Weiland helps VA sellers set up the sale with this in mind.
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About 25 to 30 minutes. The Gorst curve is the main traffic bottleneck.
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Gig Harbor is about 30 to 45 minutes from JBLM via WA-16 and I-5, depending on gate and traffic. Officers and senior enlisted families often choose it for the waterfront and community. Families who want a shorter drive also look at University Place, Steilacoom and Tacoma, which the team also serves.
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Yes, but it is the longest of the three commutes, about 50 to 65 minutes via WA-16 and WA-3. Families who want a short drive usually live in Silverdale or Poulsbo, where Lindsey Balter, the team's Kitsap specialist, lives and works.
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Yes. Falynn Auston has helped more than 60 families buy or sell from other states and countries, including military families moving from England, Germany and Hawaii. The team tours homes on live video, attends inspections in person and coordinates closing so you arrive with keys.
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Yes. Team Schulte & Co often learns of rentals before they are listed and passes them to military families first. If you would rather rent while you learn the area, the team finds the rental now and helps you buy when you are ready.
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Paige Schulte leads the division and has helped more than 100 military families since 2017. The team includes Reina Nevius, COO and Navy spouse, licensed in Washington and California; Kelsey Weiland, a former Army spouse who specializes in VA buyers and sellers and acreage; Falynn Auston, who specializes in overseas and site-unseen buyers; and Lindsey Balter, a Bremerton native and Kitsap specialist based in Poulsbo.
Also Serving
Gig Harbor is home base. The team also helps military families buy and sell in Port Orchard, Bremerton, Silverdale, Poulsbo, Tacoma, University Place and Steilacoom.
Make Your Last PCS the One You Keep
Tell us where you're headed, when you report, and whether this is your final tour. We'll build the plan from there.
Or call 253-313-4093