Episode 337 Tiffany Klusacek & Ashlee Jankovich How Military Families Tackle Long-Distance Moves Transcript
This transcript is from episode 337 with guests Tiffany Klusacek & Ashlee Jankovich.
Scott DeLuzio: [00:00:00] Thanks for tuning in to the Drive On Podcast where we are focused on giving hope and strength to the entire military community. Whether you’re a veteran, active duty, guard, reserve, or a family member, this podcast will share inspirational stories and resources that are useful to you. I’m your host, Scott DeLuzio, and now let’s get on with the show.
Hey, everybody. Welcome back to Drive On. I’m your host, Scott DeLuzio. And today, my guests are Tiffany Klusacek and Ashley Jankovich. Uh, Tiffany and Ashley are military spouses and real estate agents in the Fort Campbell area who are here to discuss how to make military moves less stressful and as painless as possible.
So welcome to the show, Tiffany and Ashley. I’m really glad to have you here.
Tiffany Klusacek/Ashlee Jankovich: We’re so excited. Yes. Thanks for having us.
Scott DeLuzio: Yeah, you bet. Um, would you guys both mind sharing a little bit about your backgrounds? What led you to do the work that you’re doing now?
Tiffany Klusacek/Ashlee Jankovich: You’ve been in the business longer, [00:01:00] so go ahead. She always plays that, uh, plays that for me too. Um, so I have been, um, licensed for over 15 years. Um, mainly here in the Fort Campbell area. We both are dual licensed in Tennessee and Kentucky cause that, um, military base. borders the state line. Um, I’ve already, I’ve also been licensed in Alabama.
Um, we had a short stint at Fort Rucker. Um, so leading into real estate for me, um, was really trying to change the face of how real estate was done, uh, from an experience that we had as first time homebuyers, young military first time homebuyers. And so I went through that process and I thought, Man, I really feel like I could make this better.
And really, the last 15 plus years have been focused on that, not only with myself, but with my team, agents that I can influence, um, here locally and around the country. Yeah, so I have been licensed since 2018. Um, like she said, we’re both dual licensed, um, in Tennessee and Kentucky. [00:02:00] We got stationed here at Fort Campbell in 2009.
Um, I was a stay at home mom for a while. Um, and then. Around 2017, I was like getting pretty serious about wanting to get my license. I also had a bad experience buying a house. Not necessarily bad, but I also thought like, I could do this better. I could be better. Um, I, we, we didn’t know what we were signing.
I mean, just like the bare minimum stuff of like explaining things. Um, I was like, I could do this. And then I got connected. Through Tiffany and join her team, and we’ve been rocking and rolling ever since.
Scott DeLuzio: Yeah. And I think it’s great that the two of you saw this issue with military families. A lot of times, uh, maybe they’re first time homebuyers or, uh, they’ve, they’ve done it before, but it’s, they’re, they’re coming from different parts of the world or different parts of the country and they’re coming in and, uh, It’s a stressful experience to move for anybody, but especially when you’re [00:03:00] maybe doing it every couple of years, uh, it gets to be even, even more so in having a team of people who know what you’ve gone through or are going through, I should say, I think is just such a huge benefit.
to, uh, all of these military families who are making these moves, uh, very frequently. And it would be, uh, it’d be awesome if there was a team of, of the two of you, uh, duplicated throughout the whole country, uh, and, and any, around any military bases really, in, in helping people move, uh, to these new locations and get settled in with, uh, The local communities and, and everything else.
Um, and I’m sure we’re going to get more into that in a little bit, but, um, but yeah, it’s, it’s really great that, that, that’s, uh, you know, kind of where you two have, have settled.
A tree branch hit a power line in Ohio in 2003 and it shut down. 21 power plants and around a hundred people died. We have a power grid that was designed in the 1800’s. Even the White House sees it. [00:04:00] They’re saying two thirds of the grid are at least 25 years old. So they’ve recently announced billions of dollars to update it. And how long do you think it’ll take to actually do. That’s why having your own solar power is more important than ever. With the Patriot Power Generator, you’ll get a solar generator that doesn’t install into your house because it’s portable. You can take it with you even use it inside. But it’s powerful enough for your phones, medical devices, or even your fridge. And right now you can go to 4Patriots.com and use code DRIVEON to get 10% off your first purchase of anything. In the store, including the Patriot power generator, you also get their famous guarantee for an entire year after your order. Plus free shipping on orders over $97. And a portion of every sale is donated to charities who support our veterans and their families. So just go to 4Patriots.com and use code DRIVEON to get 10% off again, that’s 4Patriots.com. Use code DRIVEON to get yours today.[00:05:00]
Tiffany Klusacek/Ashlee Jankovich: When I think even like with the military moves, the, the military likes you to hurry up and then wait, but then it’s like go time. And so even experienced buyers are, or sellers that are coming to us, the the military. Just seems to make everything more stressful than it needs to be, and so we really specialize in taking and easing the, uh, the stress through the process because most of the time you’re kind of in this condenser, um, and you have so many other moving pieces without processing, in processing, etc.,
or the remote aspect of it, but it always seems to be that when we’re connected with military families, there’s no picture perfect, there’s no option for picture perfect, and so We really try to figure out, okay, where can we take the burden from our clients? Where can we make this easier for them and where can we change this, this kind of concept of the stress that is revolved around PCSing?
Yeah. And even if people aren’t stressed out. people don’t know what they don’t know. So it could be their first [00:06:00] PCS. They could be brand new people in the army. Um, and they just don’t know what to expect. So at least providing solutions for problems they may not know they have, but also providing solutions for problems that They do know that they have.
Yeah,
Scott DeLuzio: Yeah. There’s, there’s all sorts of those types of problems that, that the known problems, the, the, the unknown problems, the things that. There’s just challenges that people face, right? Uh, what are, what are some of the, uh, common challenges that, that you have seen that military families are facing when it comes to finding a new place to live, uh, especially when relocating like, like this?
Tiffany Klusacek/Ashlee Jankovich: we have a laundry list. Yeah, of experience. I mean, there’s so many different things. I’m trying to compile that down. What are some top ones for you? Well, I mean, number one, most people don’t know the area. Um, you, you didn’t grow up here. You don’t know, You know, what areas of town you want to live in, what schools are, um, your kids going to go to, those kinds of things, um, what, where’s the doctor’s office, where’s the vet, where’s the [00:07:00] best place to eat.
So, just being a local resource and just providing as much information about the area as you can. Because I know for us specifically, our Clarksville is huge. Um, and some people live in Kentucky and still go to Fort Campbell. So we have a wide range of where people can live and still be accessible to post.
So I think just. You know, not knowing the area is huge. Yeah, and I also think a lot of the, the, um, clients that come to us, like, especially on, like, the arrival side, a lot of them are not sure, like, I can buy with not being here forever. I, uh, that’s even a possibility. Um, and they’re looking at, like, okay, I just need housing.
I have a housing need. And then we’re gonna help educate through that process to say, okay, just because you’re only here for a, you know, a… around Robin assignment, it doesn’t mean that there’s not great, um, opportunity for you as a home, home buyer. So being able to talk through experience in different areas and locations, to be able to talk through the [00:08:00] financial side of things, um, and really giving them all the tools that they can help make a decision that’s best for their family.
I think that that is one of the things it’s like, Yes, you’re in a hurried time, but slowing it down, giving them all the facts and letting them actually make the decision that’s best for their family.
Scott DeLuzio: Yeah, absolutely. And I think you, you mentioned something. Uh, briefly, like, you know, people, uh, they may not be physically present in the, the location when they are buying a house. They may be in Germany and maybe they can’t make a trip out to the Fort Campbell area to go look at houses. Uh, they may not have that.
luxury to be able to do that. And, um, that’s a really scary thing to do because, you know, a home is one of the biggest purchases you’re ever going to make. And sometimes people are doing it without even seeing the home, uh, before, uh, you know, signing the papers and everything. Um, but you guys do. Basically like [00:09:00] virtual home tours, right?
And kind of for these long distance type moves. How does that work? Um, as far as, uh, you know, showing people the homes and, and getting their feedback on places that they’ve never actually seen.
Tiffany Klusacek/Ashlee Jankovich: So a lot of my, um, homebuyers are virtual tours. I feel like I’m doing them weekly. Um, My videos are much different than Tiffany’s videos and videos vary by agent by agent. I think that I’m like extra on mine. Um, they are usually longer than most. Um, but I, I treat it as I’m buying this house. So I’m looking for anything.
I’m like, Hey, you know, the carpet has stains. You, we just walked in. It smells like somebody smoked in here. Um, things like that, because I would never want a buyer to come in and say, Well, you never said it smelled like pets in here. You didn’t say how, you didn’t show how dirty this was or this flooring is all shredded up.
[00:10:00] So I’m trying to make sure that I’m as detailed as possible, giving recommendations on thoughts on pricing or like things that we can negotiate if the house is in need of repair or some sort of like carpet treatment or things like that. But just making sure that I’m as detailed as possible about the house.
And then I also do videos like driving into the neighborhood of where the house is placed in the neighborhood and then kind of like. a street view. Like what are the neighbors look like? What are the neighbors backyards look like? Are they maintaining? Is this like an area that you think you might want to live in?
I think that’s what kind of sets us apart too, because yes, the house is the house, but a lot of the things with the house can be changed. So it’s like if, if we don’t get a hundred percent connection with the actual house, okay. Not really the end of the world. If you miss the mark with the location, the neighbors, with all of those things outside of the house, and most realtors do not think that way.
They’re like, okay, I’m selling you the house, but it’s like those things can be changed. You know, [00:11:00] if you, if you are scoring 99 percent on that, okay, great. That’s a win, but you got to score a thousand percent on all of those things that you cannot change, you know, and, um, in like the drive up like she was, she was explaining.
So a lot of that stuff, um, is kind of like what sets us apart, like the above and beyond approach really. Yeah. And I use. Oh, go
Scott DeLuzio: Oh, yeah, I was just going to say because just to kind of talk about what you were, you were just saying is, you know, yeah, there may be a stain on a carpet, but the carpets can be replaced. Like that’s, that’s not the end of the world. If, if everything else is right about the house and the location, everything like that, that’s not going to stop somebody from buying a house.
And yes, it would be ideal if that was taken care of, but, um, At the end of the day, you, you can always have that type of thing replaced. But if your neighbors are, um, you know, their houses are falling apart, their, their yards are all in, you know, disrepair and everything just looks awful and, [00:12:00] uh, doesn’t seem like it’s a safe neighborhood to, to bring, bring your family to, um, that’s not, Doesn’t matter how great the house is, the location is, is really what you’re, you’re interested in.
You can always, like you said, you can always fix up a house, um, but the, the location needs to be, um, you know, 100%. Otherwise, uh, you’re not going to be happy no matter how great the house is.
Tiffany Klusacek/Ashlee Jankovich: Yeah, nobody wants to live next to someone who has like six cars in the front yard and a camper out back. Like, we are in Tennessee and Kentucky. That’s the disclaimer. That happens more times than you would think. You would think, but I think that the other cool thing with, with Ashley, what she’s describing, um, is almost like a, like a five senses type of tour.
So you, if you were there, there’s sometimes we’ll walk in the front door and be like, the, the buyer will be like, okay, we’re, We’re done here. Like, I don’t even need to see even those, those things can be replaced. So being able to verbalize and be overly descriptive, um, and slowly moving through the process, which is [00:13:00] sometimes it’s like, okay, I haven’t even showed you the house.
I showed you all the problems, but really that’s our responsibility, um, as boots on the ground for these buyers that are coming virtually. Um, and the other cool thing, talk about your, um, the, The way you video and the playback opportunity so they’re able to play that back as much as they need. Yeah, so I use something called BombBomb and it’s an easier way to send videos.
So if you don’t use an app, typically what we have to do is send like one to two minute videos. So you would have like 10 videos of a house. With BombBomb, I can record an entire house, um, and send you a link and text it over. Um, from there you can watch it as many times as you want. I can see how long you’ve watched it.
So if I’m like, Hey, have, did you watch it? Do you like the house? And if they only watched like 50%, I’m going to be like, Oh man, they didn’t get to that falling apart. um, bathroom, you know, like I’ll know, um, that what they’ve watched. So I think that that’s really cool. [00:14:00] Um, and just being able to go back and say, and see the video and ask more questions if they need to.
Yeah. Yeah.
Scott DeLuzio: Yeah, I was going to ask actually how that process all works, because I know, you know, video files are big, emailing them is usually a problem, they exceed the file limitations and, you know, getting the files to, to the people to watch them, especially when you’re showing multiple houses. You may have, you know, I don’t know, 10, 15 minutes in each house.
Uh, those videos, they add up and it just becomes pretty cumbersome. Um, but you know, being able to share it through a link like that just makes it a whole lot easier because people can click through it. And, and, um, you know, the nice thing is you can see how much they’ve actually watched. So if they hadn’t gotten to that trouble spot.
Uh, that then you can bring it up and say, Hey, you might want to watch another couple minutes to, to see that, that problem, uh, before you get your heart set on, on this, uh, particular property. Um, now do you also do, um, kind of like a FaceTime or a [00:15:00] Zoom or something like that where you’ll walk through with a person on the other end and, and show them things, uh, in real time or, or is it all prerecorded?
Tiffany Klusacek/Ashlee Jankovich: It’s, it’s the preference of the buyer. I like to do both. Um, like if they want to do a FaceTime call, I’m going to get there early and do the video because I feel like you’d never know what your connection’s going to be like, if somebody is deployed, if they have a weak signal or. Maybe I don’t have signal at the house and I, and it’s choppy on my end.
So I like to at least have the video that I can send, but then if they want to call or FaceTime, I’m happy to do that too.
Scott DeLuzio: Yeah, that’s awesome. Um, because sometimes you, you may be watching the video pre recorded, um, and you might have a question about something. It’s like, Hey, can you take a closer look at whatever, you know, the kitchen or something, you know? And, um, but, but then if you’re not there, you can’t really go back and do that.
So it’s good that you have both options available. Right.
Tiffany Klusacek/Ashlee Jankovich: Well, and if they were [00:16:00] here too, we always are like, you know, do you need a second look prior to offering, et cetera. So even if we needed to go back to re video something else, or then to have a live type of phone call on video call with them, um, that’s always offered like you would. So as many visits to the property, as many, you know, um, nooks and crannies that need to be investigated prior to offering to know, you know, the, the best negotiation, uh, strategy to move forward.
Um, definitely lots of different ways to do it. Uh, I think that if you are looking at doing some type of virtual move, just. When you’re interviewing an agent, really diving into, okay, great, you FaceTime, great, there’s Zoom, Zoom call capabilities, but if I wanted to have like an everlasting proof of the condition at time of offer, time of consideration, What are, what else are they doing to go above and beyond to make sure that you’re protected as a virtual purchaser?
So that would be super super key if you’re considering [00:17:00] that anywhere besides Fort Campbell. Um, you know across the world, across the country, um, that should be someone that you’re connecting with that has that capability for sure.
Scott DeLuzio: Yeah. And actually, as you’re saying that, even if you were physically present in the location and looking at the properties with your agent, um, taking a video yourself of the condition of the property at the time that you’re going through is probably a smart idea anyways, just because, um, you know, the time does go by between the time that you walk, do your walk through to the first visit of the property.
And the time that, um, you know, you close on the house, uh, things happen, things change. There could be water damage or there could be, you know, additional staining on a carpet or, or whatever. Um, and having kind of proof of like, Hey, this is what it looked like before. Like that’s kind of the condition I was expecting it to be.
And when I get it, that would just be a smart idea. I would think right
Tiffany Klusacek/Ashlee Jankovich: Yeah. Yeah. I really would.
Scott DeLuzio: now beyond finding. [00:18:00] the right home. You talked about getting the right location. Obviously that’s important. Uh, the neighborhood has to be important, but there’s more things than just the neighborhood. Your, your neighbors and, uh, the way they, uh, maintain their, their, how their homes and their, um, you know, things like that going on in the neighborhood.
Um, there’s, there’s schools, there’s medical facilities, there’s things like that, that, that maybe need to be taken into consideration as well. Uh, you know, how do you, how do you help those families in choosing a location first that kind of aligns with those needs?
Tiffany Klusacek/Ashlee Jankovich: So for us, we are super lucky to be in an area where if you have a specific need or want, literally, I feel like within a one hour radius, we can get you anything that you’re looking for. You know, we’re super close to Nashville. We have a recreational area in Kentucky. There’s lots of areas with acreage and small starter homes.
And like, literally, I, you know, if we really think about it, This military base, we are so, so lucky to be able to do that. That’s not the [00:19:00] case with everyone moving to different areas, right? So for us having that kind of, um, home finding conversation to see what the, the goals are for, um, you know, purchasers that are coming to this area.
Uh, you know, what, what is it, what is the ideal situation look like? What does the budget look like? Those kinds of things. We really can fit the bill. Any which way, um, pretty easily, but that’s not necessarily military bases. I know some sit in the middle of nowhere and you have like, hey, there’s four communities you can choose from, but being able to be knowledgeable in that and then talk about not just the housing goals, but.
As a family, okay, do you have kids in sports? Is there things that the kids do? Is, you know, does Susie, um, dance and she does competition dance? Or does, um, Billy, does he do karate and we need to be by a great karate, um, studio kind of option? So I think that talking about, like, the whole being of a family, where do they…
You know, great where they live, but where do they actually do life? Like, what is that picture look like where [00:20:00] they’re coming from and what would be ideal for where they’re, they’re going to, um, and trying to figure out what options we can present based off of that. We also, um, send out our welcome packet, which has.
everything Fort Campbell and Clarksville in it. So it’s got a map of the base. Where are the gates at? Because there’s like 10, I think there’s 10 gates, honestly, for Fort Campbell. Um, so you can kind of see where the gates are. And, um, a lot of, you know, Some of the military guys only use Gate 7. Well, that’s in Kentucky, so sometimes people want to live in the rural area out there.
Um, and so we also have like points of interest, um, parks, schools, restaurants, like everything that you would want to know about the area is in that welcome packet. And then also you have us as a resource. Yeah, and we try to connect with people. People will say, Well, I’m not moving until next summer. Great, we need to start talking now.
Like, it doesn’t matter that it’s the, the fourth quarter of [00:21:00] 2023. If you’re moving in 2024, like we already need to start to have those, those conversations to help plan to make this better. And I think if kids are involved. The sooner that you are working on making this transition look as seamless as possible, even though we know the military is going to wait to shoot those orders to you, wait to give you a timeline, you usually know when you’re on a rotation coming and going.
And so the sooner that we can help just kind of navigate what looks comfortable for your family, it usually that really helps with making it a successful transition, uh, to, uh, for Campbell.
Scott DeLuzio: Yeah. And I think that’s probably true for anywhere. The more time and preparation that you have for any type of move, it’s just going to be, uh, make it that much easier, I should say. Um, because you’ve had the time to plan and think as opposed to, Hey, I’m moving next month and I, now I gotta. Hurry up and find someplace.
Not, not, it doesn’t have to be great. It just has to be someplace because I need to be there. [00:22:00] Um, and you know, you’re going to end up with something you probably don’t like unless you get really lucky. Um, but in addition, Oh, go ahead.
Tiffany Klusacek/Ashlee Jankovich: sorry, most people, um, don’t realize how soon they can connect with Realtors as well. Like, I don’t think that, I think people think, and there’s a stigmatism that a Realtor is there only to help them buy or sell a house. And if you are connected with a good one, which we are absolutely willing and able and have connections around the country, um, with the good ones that are going to be a source of reference, a local connection.
Really, I was, I was with a family coming from Chicago, not a military family, but yesterday. And I was like, I want you, when you think Tennessee and anything that’s related to this move, they’re moving in 14 months, by the way, I met with them yesterday, 14 months out. I said, I don’t care what it is. Text me, call me.
If you have a question that you’re like, Tennessee question. You need to think of Tiffany. I think a lot of people think, okay, wait, we do all of these things and we figure out all of these things to include like [00:23:00] daycares and dance and sports and all of these things. Okay, now I got to worry about housing.
Now I’m in the window for housing. Absolutely not. All of those things are connected and with a really good resource, you’re going to take so much stress out of that start to finish. Um, and I really think that. Taking that stigmatism away from Realtors Equal Housing, No Realtors Equal Community, for sure.
Scott DeLuzio: Yeah. And I think in addition to community, as far as, uh, you know, like you said, kids sports and, you know, medical facilities and dance and all these other things that, that the family might be involved in, um, A lot of times when military families are moving to an area, they have no prior connections to that area, meaning they don’t have friends or family in that area to do life stuff with, you know, like the, you know, the, the, you know, carpool to sports or to school or to whatever, uh, like they don’t have any of those connections yet.
Um, [00:24:00] you know, do you have any advice for these families to kind of integrate into the new communities, feel kind of more at home?
Tiffany Klusacek/Ashlee Jankovich: I always recommend people to check out different Facebook groups. Um, you can find out some of the nitty gritty about the area that you’re moving to. I know in our area. Um, we’ve got some great pages. Um, there’s Keep It Upbeat with Tennessee’s Elite. That’s our team page. We post a lot of, um, different events and things going on.
Um, school closures, et cetera. Um, I run a page called Fort Campbell Families, so I’m always posting events and similar things like that. But people can come as a community and ask questions, you know, um, and we’re here to help solve problems, but there’s so many other, I mean, everywhere you can find Facebook groups that people are asking questions about.
Life. And I know that, um, some of the other groups have done different events where it’s like meeting friends, like how [00:25:00] to get together and just meet friends. So I think that, I know for Fort Campbell anyway, they, we do try really hard to include the military spouses. We are a high deploying base. Um, so there’s a lot of.
You know, spouses who are just needing some friends to do life with. Yeah, and I see a lot of wives that are, are really families that are connecting early on those as well, just saying like, Hey, a suggestion for, like, what’s the best school if my kid, um, you know, is coming from a, a magnet school or a Spanish immersion school, or if I’m looking for private schools, what are my options?
Who should I be interviewing? So I think that the, that’s a really easy way to just. Start asking those, those questions, even if you don’t have a local connection, um, that I think, I think across the board, really anywhere, Facebook groups are such a big thing. I think you can find what you’re looking for through those easily.
Scott DeLuzio: Yeah, that’s true. The Facebook groups and, um, you know, specific to the areas that you’re going to, um, [00:26:00] and, and just finding people to meet up with. Um, you know, if you have young kids, you know, meeting up at a park or, or something like that, and just getting to know those people. I know when, uh, we moved out to our current area, we had, um, Um, And that’s pretty much what my wife did.
She, she would just take the kids out to the parks. And, um, a lot of the friends that we have now are people that she met years ago when our kids were little and they, they were playing together and they kind of grew up together and, um, you know, we, we just got to know everybody that way, um, but it’s. It’s a kind of easy, easy, uh, easier way, I should say, to get to know people because you have that, that shared interest, the common, um, you know, interest in our kids.
And, um, you know, we’re always looking for things for our kids to do and, and, you know, bring them out to a park and you can. hang out and have coffee with, uh, you know, somebody and make friends that way too. And so, um, then you start to know people and get a better feel for, you know, what’s going on around the area and [00:27:00] everything like that too.
So that’s, I think, a great, um, great way to do that. Um, do you have any advice for military families who are about to, uh, relocate? I know you said, you know, early planning is, is definitely, uh, something that’s important. Um, any, any other steps that, that they could take to make the whole process smoother?
Tiffany Klusacek/Ashlee Jankovich: I think right now the huge conversation is, um, like around how the real estate market is housing affordability. And so I think that navigating whether or not. Right now is the right time to buy, um, or rent, or, you know, to live on, on post, or on housing, on, on base housing. Um, I think that navigating that conversation earlier on, um, it’s really not too early to do that either.
You know, a lot of people think, well, I won’t pre, get pre approved until it’s in the window for that. But I think, figuring out, okay, what, what is your housing pay that you’re going to be getting? You know, your monthly budget. I feel like military families are, are [00:28:00] very pinned up when it comes to, um, budgeting and monthly income and all of that.
So I think that looking at whether or not it’s feasible, looking at the cost of living and where you’re going with the housing pay that you’re getting and what you can qualify at, um, making sure all of those things are in line to, to decide whether or not. Is this a community move that’s happening because I’m going to rent or live on post or is this something that I really think that we might be able to make an investment in the community that we’re moving by purchasing a home?
Yeah, I also want to mention too, um, I, I didn’t realize as a military spouse that we could even afford to buy a house. I mean, when we first got here, we were 20 years old and my husband was like, Oh, we should buy a house. And I’m like, we can’t buy a house. We have no money. What are you talking about? Um, And so I think it’s really important that military members utilize their VA loan if it fits into their budget and their needs.
I think that just educating people on the fact that [00:29:00] you don’t have to have a 20 percent down payment saved up, um, and just knowing like kind of what’s available to you. Um, and then also you were talking about not knowing the area and just kind of making it a little bit easier. If you’re close enough and if it’s within your means.
It’s always good to at least come to the area just to scope it out if you can. I know it’s not always feasible, but, um, that really truly is. Come to, take a weekend, you know, if you can. Yeah, yeah, and that could be, I mean, it could be that you’re, you know that the rotation is going to bring you here in a year or six months, etc.
Like it doesn’t have to be a housing tour, um, but coming to check out the community. Maybe looking at some housing areas in different locations that might be of interest. Um, but that definitely is a good plan ahead. If you’re within the distance and within means of being able to make that happen.
Scott DeLuzio: Yeah. And I, I think that’s a great piece of advice there. Um, definitely go check it out because you’re [00:30:00] going to see things differently than anybody else is going to see. I don’t care how great a realtor is going to be in all the videos in the world. You are going to pick up on little things that may be important to you.
It may not be important to everybody. And so you’re, you’re going to see those things, uh, you know, for, for what they are. And, and that may make a, uh, Totally different decision as far as what neighborhood you’re going to be in or, or which house you’re going to end up with. Um, you know, so, so yeah, being there obviously is the, in person is the best, uh, option.
Obviously it’s not an option for everybody. So, you know, we, you take, take the, uh, the next best thing, I think, but, um, you know, definitely try to get there if you can. Um, now would you suggest that, you know, especially given the current real estate market, would you suggest that people who are, Maybe they know it’s going to be a short term situation where they’re going to be in this area, maybe only for a couple of years.
Uh, would renting be a better [00:31:00] option or, or buying, uh, in, in, in that case?
Tiffany Klusacek/Ashlee Jankovich: I think for every person it’s different. So we have a lot of military, um, that come here and they’re like, I don’t plan to sell when I leave. Like, I, this is part of my retirement. This is part of my investment strategy. And they know, and they’re, and they’re usually not buying at the top of their means when they’re doing that.
So they’re coming and they’re buying smart. They’re, we’re looking at investment strategies, um, and they’re basically paying, you know, the, they’re living in the house that they will rent out when they leave. And they know that coming into it. Some, some military will come here and purchase and then decide to do that when they leave.
Some will have to do that because of the market when they leave. Um, but. So I think it really has to do with your goals, um, not just even your duty station that you, uh, with you being here and like actually thinking just like, um, Ashley was saying, like, do you even know that you can do that? Um, do you know that your 100 percent loan could then turn into an investment purchase?
Like, where is there a 100 percent option for any type of [00:32:00] investment property? Um, to know that you’re able to do that, um, is, is really, I guess. There’s power in the knowledge of that too. So really having those conversations and talking about goals, not just for this duty station, but as a big picture.
I’ve had a lot of conversations where young soldiers would be like, wait, what? I can hold on to this. And we talk about, you know, how to make sure that you’re secure in having that investment as a liability when you go to leave. And does that make sense? Um, and there’s some times where I have people who that is absolutely their plan.
And then it comes time to leave and they can, they see the return on their investment now, they talk about tax strategies, et cetera, and they go to leave and they’re like, nevermind, I’m actually going to cash out on this and then, and then head out. So I think that there’s. I wouldn’t take the time, like the shorter rotations as a deterrent from purchasing because there’s so many different ways that real estate can be opportunity, uh, for military members.
Would you think [00:33:00] anything different than that or more? I was just going to expand on the investment piece. Um, if you can use your VA loan, um, you don’t have to buy a single family home. So, if you want to buy a duplex, a triplex, a quad, if it’s within your budget, You can live in one unit and rent out the others and almost live mortgage free.
I mean, they’re, they’re paying for, for most of the mortgage, if not all, and then some, um, and then when you leave, you rent out your unit and boom, you have multiple doors and you paid nothing out of pocket and you really didn’t have to pay a mortgage either. So I think it’s just a. Knowing what you want out of real estate is going to determine if you should buy a rent in at your duty station.
Are you wanting to make money, cash flow, maybe cash out the equity one day and sell, then maybe you should buy. But if it’s something where you’re like, I’m only going to be here for six months. Yeah, you should probably just rent something.
Scott DeLuzio: Sure. Yeah. Yeah. And I [00:34:00] think another aspect too, that people should consider because like you’ve, you guys have already sold me on, uh, the investment side of things. Um, but it’s a lot of work to, to, to have that potentially, um, you know, if there’s problems with, Uh, tenants, uh, unit that they’re, they’re in their, their home that they’re in, um, you know, that kind of falls on, on you to have to do repairs and stuff like that.
And I’m, I know there are people who, um, you know, especially if you’re not in that area, after you’ve moved out of that area, um, there are people who can handle that for you, but it’s still, it’s just one, one more thing that you, you have to pay attention to. So, um, you know, I think another thing just to kind of full circle on that is, uh, just.
knowing whether or not that’s something that you want to take on. And maybe you guys have some, uh, you know, some options that make that even easier. So that way it’s not all landing on the family who owns the property. And maybe there’s some other management techniques or things that [00:35:00] they may be able to consider.
I don’t know. Is there anything else like that that maybe I’m not thinking of?
Tiffany Klusacek/Ashlee Jankovich: I was actually just talking with a family who is coming here and they’re renting the property where they’re coming from. So a military family, the base that they’re leaving, they own a home and they did just that. They’re like, where we purchase, purchase this to be an investment. And they were talking to me and they were saying, well, we found a renter buyer on our own and they’re going to, they’re going to rent from us directly, et cetera.
And I’m like, and I’m seeing red flags, red flags. I’m like, you did not consult with me. It was, it doesn’t matter that it wasn’t the state. I’m like, this is red flags. And so I think you have to make sure that you are covering. You’re yourself for the liability of that and that you financially can cover that because regardless of whether or not that that tenant is paying rent, you have to pay a mortgage.
You are, you’re financially responsible for that. And I told them, I said, and we tell all of our owners. as they’re leaving the area or even if they’re here locally. As an owner, you can have so many different options for management of your investments, [00:36:00] um, but ultimately you are the owner of that property and it is your responsibility to look after that and if you’re not able financially or willing to be back here at Fort Campbell, at this property, two times a year at least every nine months to put your eyes on your property, then it’s not for you.
You need to make sure that you are boots on the ground regardless of where you’re going. And for some it’s like, well, I’m going overseas for x amount of years and then I’m going to go do this tour and I’m going to be this contractor and it’s like, well. Okay, who are you assigning to be your boots on the ground then?
Do you have the ability, the financial, financial means to have, you know, months of rent saved up if a tenant stops paying? Um, so there’s a lot of aspects with that and there’s a lot of different options for companies to help protect that liability. Um, it’s not for everybody, but I will tell you as far as investments goes, investment goes, there’s really nothing that has a better rate of return, um, pretty close to anywhere, honestly.
[00:37:00] Yeah, for sure. I think having a property manager is key. Um, if you’re not going to live here, like Tiffany said, doing the property checks, those are all things that a property manager can do for you. They can screen your tenant, they can hold deposits, they can make those repairs. Um, her and I both have rentals and I’ve never been called at midnight for a leaking toilet.
So just having that peace of mind with a property manager that I know that they’re going out there doing their inspections and handling the repairs. It’s kind of like a set it and forget it for me. Every person’s different for sure.
Scott DeLuzio: Yeah, for sure. And I think that’s something that, uh, for each individual and each individual family, they’re going to have to have that conversation amongst themselves, but also, uh, with someone like yourselves who, who has, who have done this before. You’ve. Walk people through this process. You’ve seen what works.
You’ve seen what doesn’t work. Um, there’s probably some success stories and probably some, some failure stories and, and. [00:38:00] You know, the failures you learn from those and it’s like, okay, well now we know that isn’t a great opportunity for certain types of people in certain circumstances. Um, you know, and, and that is only going to help people in the future, uh, who are considering this and they may be in that similar situation.
You may just say, Hey, look, this is what happened in the past. Um, you may not be. Thinking about these things and it may not be the best option for you and you can help them through that. Um, but definitely going it alone and just saying, Hey, I’m going to do this, um, probably not the smartest idea. You definitely want to talk it through with somebody who’s experienced like you two are, right? Um. So speaking of success stories, do you have any examples of particularly challenging relocations that you’ve helped military families navigate through?
Tiffany Klusacek/Ashlee Jankovich: I mean, we have a whole laundry list of, of stories we could tell, um, you know, from [00:39:00] being under contract to orders changing, or now I’m deploying, or the movers aren’t coming, or my house in this state isn’t closing now, so now I can’t close on this house. I mean, there’s so many things that. That can go wrong, but our job is to have solutions and help you through that.
So I don’t know, I can’t think of something like super specific. Well, we have, we’re, um, Fort Campbell has special forces and special aviations units here. And so I, you know, as much as we’ve experienced it, it’s like. Every single time that a rapid deployment happens where these guys are activated in a moment’s notice and we’re like Why did we not get the power of attorney at the time that we wanted our contract?
And so I always tell people to like if there is a chance and I have all the time I’ll have people like oh, no, he’s grounded. Oh, no, he’s he’s on an no deployment order Yeah, right like you are in the military and if really duty calls and there’s an [00:40:00] emergent like you’re gonna get activated if if They have to, you know, be moving people around.
And so I, you know, rule of thumb, once you go into a contract, having the significant other or someone having a power of attorney, so that transaction can, you know, continue because you are going to come back around. You are going to end up where you’re needing a housing need. And I. I cannot count how many times that I’m like helping a special forces family and I’m like, and I didn’t get the power of attorney.
Yeah. And see you later. Well, now we have to figure out, you know, I’ve had more times having mobile notaries running to like the, the flight line where guys are getting ready to leave, where I’m like, you have to sign this before you can leave. You’ve got to get to JAG before you can do this. Um, so for me that, you know, recently has happened.
So top of mind with that. Orders changing is another hot one where it’s just like, Things you can’t change, but the cool thing is with the military, um, orders and the VA loan, those two things have to marry together. And so it’s kind of [00:41:00] like safeguarding. If you don’t have the orders, well, then you can’t qualify for the loan and then you can’t purchase a house.
You’re not obligated to do that. So those things happening, it’s like, man, that stinks, but thank God you’re not forced to purchase a home in a base that you’re not living at
Scott DeLuzio: Right. Right. I can imagine that being super stressful because you don’t know if the orders are going to change and you. I’m good to live in, because you’re going some instead of going to Fort Campbell, you’re going to someplace else. And, um, you know, that could be, that could be really stressful. Um, you know, and then what do you do now?
You have a home that you’re, you aren’t going to live in, but you’re responsible for the mortgage and everything else for it. And, oh yeah, by the way, you also have to find another place to live where you’re actually going. So that’s gotta be crazy. So I’m good to know that that is an option to kind of, You know, back out of it at the last minute if, if need be.
So, um, well, [00:42:00] ladies, it’s been a pleasure speaking with you two, uh, today. Uh, where can people go to learn more about, uh, what you do if they happen to be, uh, looking in the Fort Campbell area, if they’re going to be moving to that area or. or moving out of that area.
Tiffany Klusacek/Ashlee Jankovich: I would say Instagram for me. Um, it’s ashleyjankovich. realtor. Yeah. And I think really social media anywhere. Um, our teams, uh, Facebook, it has a ton of resources for families that are coming to the area, Tennessee’s elite. You can find us on Facebook, but also Instagram. Um, the same thing. I’m, I’m kind of on all platforms.
Cannot find me on TikTok though. You can find Ashley there though, but really we want to be a source of reference, even if it’s not Fort Campbell. If you guys need. You know, help in connections or just like, is this normal? Yeah. You know, I’m kind of panicking. Is this normal? Should I be feeling like I need to be asking more questions, etc?
We have resources all around the country. We’re happy to connect you with those people. We’re happy to kind of give you the what to ask and who to [00:43:00] go to, um, just to make sure that even if it’s not Fort Campbell, Tennessee, Kentucky, or the Nashville area, we would be happy to help, um, be a resource for you guys.
Scott DeLuzio: In a startling description, the UN food chief warn the world with the words knocking on famines door. He called what we’re facing a perfect storm of a perfect storm. And he’s not alone. Baron’s published that a food shortage could be coming even in the U S and farmers see it too. John Boyd Jr. A fourth generation farmer told Fox news that we’re going to see empty food shelves in the coming months. That’s why getting survival food is more important than ever now. Create your own stockpile of the bestselling 4Patriots survival food kits. It’s not ordinary food. We’re talking good for 25 years. Super survival food. It’s hand packed in a family owned facility in the USA, and it gives jobs over 200 Americans. They have different delicious breakfast, lunch, and dinner options. And you can make these meals in less than 20 minutes. Just add boiling [00:44:00] water, simmer and serve. And right now for the next few days, listers of Drive On will get 10% off their first order at 4Patriots.com by using code DRIVEON. Just go to 4Patriots.com and use code DRIVEON to start your stockpile today.
And that’s awesome. And I’ll try to put some of those links in the show notes too. So people can get in touch with you too. And, um, you know, get the resources that they may need or questions answered. Uh, you know, especially for first time home buyers that, you know, it’s, I know first time, I bought a home, it was super confusing and didn’t know What I was doing and what I was even looking for, um, but having a good agent really does help.
So, um, you know, having, having the right people in your corner, um, is certainly helpful. Um, at this point in the show, I like to add a little bit of humor. Um, I, I typically do this either by telling a joke or watching funny videos of people doing stupid things or whatever. Some of the jokes I tell are pretty corny, but, um, as long as it gets someone to laugh, [00:45:00] I’m okay with that.
Sometimes the topics that we talk about are kind of heavy and it’s nice to, um, You know, just, uh, have a little humor at the end of the episode, uh, to, I don’t know, probably make a fool of myself, but that’s okay. Um, so, here’s a joke. Uh, a guy was going to start a fight with his realtor, uh, and his buddy stopped him.
And his buddy said, that guy’s too strong, you’re gonna get your butt kicked. And the other guy goes, ah, he doesn’t look so strong, I bet I could take him in a fight. And his buddy said, are you crazy? That guy says he flips houses in his spare time.
Tiffany Klusacek/Ashlee Jankovich: That was good. I like it. That’s her husband actually. Yeah. That’s too funny. That is hilarious.
Scott DeLuzio: And did you hear the joke about the roof?
Tiffany Klusacek/Ashlee Jankovich: No,
Scott DeLuzio: I doubt you get it. It’s over your head.
Tiffany Klusacek/Ashlee Jankovich: I was like, is it caving in? I’m like, what is the caving in joke for that? Like trying to, trying to preemptively figure that was over my head.
Scott DeLuzio: I’m, [00:46:00] I’m just showing my, my dad joke skills and which are not all that great, but that’s okay. Um, anyways, thank you again for taking the time to join us. I really do appreciate it.
Tiffany Klusacek/Ashlee Jankovich: Yeah. Thanks for having us. It was fun.
Scott DeLuzio: Thanks for listening to the Drive On Podcast. If you want to support the show, please check out Scott’s book, Surviving Son on Amazon. All of the sales from that book go directly back into this podcast and work to help veterans in need. You can also follow the Drive On Podcast on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, and wherever you listen to podcasts.