5 Things to Do Before You Move to El Paso

We get messages every week from people asking what the process looks like for moving to El Paso. Military families PCSing to Fort Bliss, remote workers leaving expensive cities, retirees looking for sunshine and affordability. The specifics vary, but the steps are the same. Here's the updated version for 2026, including some important changes to how the home buying process works now.

1. Find Your Agent (and Sign a Buyer Agreement)

This is step one for a reason. You're going to be working closely with this person for weeks or months, and if you're relocating from out of state, they're your eyes and ears on the ground in a city you might have never visited.

Reach out by phone, text, or email. Have a real conversation. Talk about what you're looking for: what side of town, how many bedrooms, square footage, whether you have kids or pets, if you need a big backyard, what the kitchen should look like. All of it.

But just as important, figure out if this is someone you trust. Moving to a new city is stressful. You want an agent who's going to be straight with you about what a neighborhood is really like, not just someone who tells you what you want to hear. Ask how many relocating buyers they've worked with. Ask about the neighborhoods they'd personally avoid. See how they answer.

Here's what's new in 2026: Before your agent can show you a single home, you'll need to sign a written buyer representation agreement. This is now required by both the NAR settlement (effective August 2024) and Texas Senate Bill 1968 (effective January 2026). The agreement spells out what services your agent provides and how they get paid.

This is actually a good change. Under the old rules, if you didn't sign anything, the agent showing you homes was technically representing the seller, not you. Now, your agent has a clear legal obligation to act in your interest. The agreement also addresses commission: how much you'll pay, and how it interacts with any compensation the seller might offer. Have this conversation upfront so there are no surprises.

2. Get Set Up With a Real Search (Not Zillow)

Once your agent knows what you're looking for, they should set you up with a custom search through the MLS (Multiple Listing Service). This is the system real estate agents in El Paso use to list and search properties.

Why this matters: Zillow, Realtor.com, and the other big sites pull data from the MLS, but there's often a delay. A home that shows as "active" on Zillow might already be under contract. Nothing is more frustrating than falling in love with a house online and finding out it sold three days ago.

A direct MLS search is current and accurate. Your agent can set it to send you new listings daily or weekly, filtered to your exact criteria. You can favorite the ones you like, and your agent can see what caught your eye. That feedback loop helps both of you zero in faster.

Here's some context on what you'll see. The median home price in El Paso is around $250,000, with the market projected to appreciate 2.5 to 4.5% over the next year. Homes are selling in an average of 48 days and going for about 98.6% of asking price. That means the market is active but not frantic. You have time to be deliberate, but you can't sit on a good listing for two weeks and expect it to still be there.

3. Get Pre-Approved (Not Just Pre-Qualified)

Unless you're paying cash, you need a mortgage, and that means talking to a lender. This is the step most people put off because it feels like a hassle. It is. Do it anyway.

There's a difference between pre-qualification and pre-approval, and it matters. A pre-qualification is a quick estimate based on what you tell the lender about your income and debts. It's tentative. A pre-approval means the lender has actually pulled your credit, reviewed your pay stubs, looked at your tax documents, and verified your financial picture. They're giving you a real number they'll back with an actual loan.

The process takes time. You'll submit pay stubs, W-2s, tax returns, bank statements, and probably a few more documents you'll need to dig up. It's not a one-day turnaround. Start this early.

Why does it matter? Two reasons. First, when you find the house you want, you need to move fast. Having a pre-approval letter ready means you can submit an offer the same day. In a market where homes sell in 48 days on average, the buyer who's pre-approved beats the buyer who's still waiting on their lender. Second, knowing your real budget keeps you from wasting time looking at homes you can't afford or undershooting and missing out on what's within reach.

If you're military: VA loans let you buy with zero down payment and no PMI (private mortgage insurance). Make sure your lender is experienced with VA loans, because the process has some specific requirements around appraisals and eligibility that not every lender handles well. With an E-5 BAH of about $1,773/month in El Paso, a VA loan on a $250,000 home is very doable.

4. Schedule Your Tour (In Person or Virtual)

This is the part people enjoy. You've narrowed down your favorites, you've got your financing lined up, and now it's time to actually see the homes.

If you can make it to El Paso in person, that's ideal. Let your agent know when you're coming and they'll line up showings. When you're here, don't just look at the houses. Drive the neighborhoods. Check the commute to work at the time you'd actually be driving it. See where the grocery stores are. Get a feel for whether this area actually works for your life, not just on paper.

El Paso is a spread-out city. A home in the Far East might be a 35-minute drive to the West Side in normal traffic. If you're working at Fort Bliss, the Northeast puts you 10 minutes from the gates, but the West Side could be a 40-minute commute. These things matter more than they look on a map.

If you can't come down, virtual tours work. Your agent gets you on a video call, walks through each property with the phone, and you direct the camera. "Show me the backyard. What does the neighborhood look like from the front porch? Drive around the block." We do this constantly for military families and out-of-state buyers. It's not the same as being there, but it's close.

Plan to see multiple homes even if you think you've already found "the one" online. Photos lie. A house that looked perfect in pictures might have a weird layout or back up to a busy road. And sometimes the house you almost skipped turns out to be the winner.

5. Make Your Offer and Let Your Agent Handle the Process

You've found the house. You've got your pre-approval. Now it's time to write an offer.

This is where your agent earns their commission. The offer isn't just a price. It includes contingencies, timelines, earnest money, and terms that can make or break the deal. A good agent knows what the seller is likely to accept and structures the offer to get it done without leaving money on the table.

Don't forget about concessions. In today's market, 44% of home sales include some form of seller concession, whether that's closing cost credits, repair allowances, or rate buydowns. If you're stretching to cover your down payment and closing costs, asking the seller to contribute toward closing or buy down your interest rate can save you thousands. Your agent should know when and how to ask for these without killing the deal.

Once your offer gets accepted, you've got roughly 30 to 60 days to closing. During that window, a lot happens: home inspection, survey, appraisal, title work, repair negotiations, and final loan approval. If you're relocating, you're probably still at your current location while all of this plays out. Your agent handles the day-to-day in El Paso, and most documents get signed digitally.

The inspection is the part that matters most. That's when you find out what the home looks like under the surface. Your agent will help you negotiate repairs or credits based on what the inspector finds. This isn't the time to be polite. If the roof is old or the HVAC is on its last leg, you need to know and you need to negotiate accordingly.

Then comes closing day, and you get the keys.

One More Thing

The whole process, from first phone call to keys in hand, usually takes 60 to 90 days depending on your timeline and the market. If you're PCSing to Fort Bliss with a specific report date, we can work backward from that to make sure everything lines up.

The biggest mistake people make is waiting too long to start. Analysts expect mortgage rates to stabilize in 2026, which could increase relocation volume by 20 to 25%. That means more competition for the same inventory later in the year. If you're thinking about moving to El Paso sometime in the next six months, start the conversation now. The earlier we get the search set up and the lending in motion, the smoother everything goes when it's time to pull the trigger.

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John David Peña is the owner of Peña El Paso Realty Group and has helped hundreds of families relocate to El Paso. Start the process at penaelpaso.com or reach out directly at john@penaelpaso.com.