From one military family to another
Military relocation and real estate in Sarasota, Manatee and Charlotte
Active duty, Reserve, or National Guard; moving here on PCS orders, drilling here while you build a civilian life, or leaving on new orders: Janelle helps service members, veterans, and military spouses buy and sell homes with the best possible pricing and a plan built around your orders and your schedule.
Serving every branch
- U.S. Army
- U.S. Marine Corps
- U.S. Navy
- U.S. Air Force
- U.S. Space Force
- U.S. Coast Guard
- NOAA Commissioned Officer Corps
- U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps
Active duty, Reserve, National Guard, veterans, and military spouses
Our family
We are a military family too
Janelle's husband serves in the U.S. Army Reserve, and her brother-in-law recently completed active duty and now serves in the Air National Guard. Her family knows drill weekends, annual training, and orders that land on top of a civilian career, and what a move on orders asks of you: a date that does not move, a house to sell or rent at one end, and a home to find at the other.
What military families get
The best possible pricing
Buying or listing, Janelle works with every military family to get the best possible pricing on their home, with the full service, negotiation, and Compass marketing every client receives.
A listing plan built around your orders
Selling because of a PCS, a mobilization, or new orders? The plan works back from your report date: photos, video, and launch timed to your move, showings handled after you leave, and offers reviewed with you wherever you are.
Personalized marketing, not a template
A price based on recent sales in your neighborhood, staging advice, professional photography and video, and marketing aimed at the buyers most likely to want your home.
Buy from your current duty station
Live video tours, neighborhood drive-throughs on camera, and a short list matched to your budget, commute, and schools. Closings can be signed remotely or by mail where the lender and title company allow it.
Offers that let a VA loan compete
VA appraisal timing, repair requirements, and seller credits planned before you write an offer, plus introductions to lenders who know VA loans well.
New construction on your timeline
Builder schedules rarely match a report date. With years on the builder side, Janelle knows which quick move-in homes can close in time and what builders negotiate.
Reserve and National Guard families
Not every military move is a PCS. Reservists and Guard members live here, drill here, and get orders from here, often while holding a civilian job. Janelle works with you the same way she works with active duty families:
- Showings, inspections, and closings scheduled around drill weekends and annual training
- Orders or a mobilization in the middle of a sale or purchase: remote signing, a power of attorney where the lender and title company accept one, and updates wherever you are
- Help sorting out VA loan eligibility: many Reserve and Guard members qualify through years of service or time on active orders, and your lender confirms it with your Certificate of Eligibility
- A home that works for a civilian career and a drill schedule: commute times to work, your unit, and Tampa Bay
Your move in three steps
Send your timeline
Your report date, orders, or drill schedule, your budget or housing allowance, and what matters most: commute, schools, a yard, a pool.
Get a plan for your move
A short list of neighborhoods and homes and a timeline worked back from your dates. Selling too? A price range and a marketing plan for the home you are leaving.
Close in person or from afar
Tour by video or in person, sign remotely where allowed, and pick up the keys when you arrive.
Selling when orders come
Every sale on orders is different: a family leaving in three weeks needs a different plan than one with six months' notice. Janelle builds a flexible, personalized marketing plan for your home and your timeline.
- Launch timing that fits your move: on the market before the movers, or after them so the home shows clean and empty
- Staging advice, professional photos, video, and a floor plan, scheduled around out-processing and packing
- Showings and inspections handled while you are away, with an update after each one
- Offers reviewed by phone or video, and documents signed electronically from wherever you are
- A clear comparison of selling now and keeping the home as a rental, so the decision fits your next orders
Living here as a military family
Serving close to home
Florida Army National Guard armories in Sarasota and Palmetto, Army recruiting in Sarasota and Bradenton, and Coast Guard Station Cortez on the Manatee coast.
MacDill AFB, Tampa
About 55 minutes from Bradenton and Parrish, and about 75 minutes from Lakewood Ranch and Sarasota outside rush hour.
VA health care
Sarasota VA Clinic, 5682 Bee Ridge Road, and Bradenton VA Clinic, 5520 State Road 64, both part of VA Bay Pines.
Florida taxes
No state income tax, a homestead exemption on your primary home, and added property tax exemptions for qualifying veterans with a service-connected disability.
Getting home on leave
Sarasota Bradenton International (SRQ) sits between both counties, with Tampa International about an hour north.
Compare neighborhoods on Find your community, read Moving to Sarasota or Lakewood Ranch, or browse new construction.
Questions
Questions military families ask
Can I buy a home before I arrive?
Yes. Janelle tours homes with you on live video, sends the inspection report with photos and video, and coordinates a remote or mail-away closing where the lender and title company allow it.
I am in the Reserve or National Guard. Does this apply to me?
Yes. The pricing, the flexible listing plan, and the planning around your schedule are the same for reservists and Guard members as for active duty families, whether you drill here, are moving here, or have orders taking you away.
Can I buy or sell while I am mobilized or deployed?
Yes. Janelle keeps the sale or purchase moving with remote signing and, where the lender and title company accept one, a power of attorney, and she keeps you and your family updated wherever you are.
Can I use my VA loan here?
Yes, for single-family homes, townhomes, new construction, and condos in VA-approved associations. Many Reserve and Guard members qualify through years of service or time on active orders; your lender confirms it with your Certificate of Eligibility. Janelle checks a condo's VA approval before you fall for it.
I just got orders and need to sell. When should I call?
As soon as you have a report date. The earlier the plan starts, the more choices you have: listing before the movers, after them, or keeping the home as a rental.
Is Janelle part of a military family?
Yes. Her husband serves in the U.S. Army Reserve, and her brother-in-law recently completed active duty and now serves in the Air National Guard, so her family knows drill weekends, annual training, and orders that arrive on top of a civilian career.
Plan your move with Janelle
Tell Janelle your report date, orders, or drill schedule and whether you are buying, selling, or both. She will reply personally with a plan.
Janelle Mertins · Compass
Questions about a move on orders? Talk to Janelle
Call or text Janelle directly, or send her a note about the home, community, or move you have in mind.