Chris Solis
Chris Solis
@chrissolis
Chris Solis is a retired Navy Senior Chief and Realtor with ERA ONETEAM Realty, serving the Jacksonville Beaches, Southside, Mandarin, and Fleming Island. Stationed at both NS Mayport and NAS Jax, Chris has spent 25+ years in the community he now helps military families and neighbors call home.
Retired Navy Senior Chief Chris Solis of ERA ONETEAM Realty used the same benefits he now helps Jacksonville-area service members and veterans use. From your Certificate of Eligibility to closing day across the Beaches, Mandarin, and Fleming Island, here's the VA loan explained straight.
VA Home Loans Program (Official)
The VA's official home loan hub and the starting point for any First Coast military buyer: no down payment, no PMI, competitive rates. The strongest homebuying benefit you earned in uniform.
How to Request Your Certificate of Eligibility
The COE is step one, proving to your lender you qualify. Request it online, by mail, or through your lender in minutes; have your DD214 ready.
COE Evidence Requirements by Service Type
Active duty, veteran, Guard, Reserve, and surviving spouses each have different documentation paths to the COE. This official page maps them all, worth five minutes before you apply.
Hometown Heroes: Stack It With Your VA Loan
Florida's program adds up to $35,000 in down payment and closing cost help on top of a VA loan, and veterans are exempt from the first-time-buyer requirement. For a Mayport or NAS Jax family, that can mean keeping your savings intact at closing.
Free Homebuyer Counseling (HUD Florida)
Free HUD-approved homebuyer education across Northeast Florida, useful for first-time military buyers working out BAH budgets, and required by some assistance programs. Jacksonville's HUD field office is downtown on West Bay Street.
VA Form 26-1880 (COE Request)
The paper route for requesting a COE if you'd rather not apply online, though most Jacksonville buyers let their lender pull it electronically and skip the wait.
Chris Solis served at both of Jacksonville's Navy installations — NS Mayport with HSL-60 and the USS John F. Kennedy, and NAS Jacksonville with HS-75 and VR-62 — before becoming a Realtor with ERA ONETEAM. If you've got orders to the First Coast, this is the guide he wishes every incoming family had, covering the Beaches, Southside, Mandarin, and Fleming Island.
Naval Station Mayport (Official)
The official installation page for NS Mayport, sitting where the St. Johns River meets the Atlantic, about 15 miles east of downtown Jacksonville. Home to surface ships and helicopter squadrons, with the Beaches communities right outside the gate.
Naval Air Station Jacksonville (Official)
The official page for NAS Jax, the largest Navy base in the Southeast, on the west bank of the St. Johns River. Ortega, Westside, and Mandarin are the classic commute neighborhoods, and Chris served here with HS-75 and VR-62.
Mayport Base Overview (Military OneSource)
The DoD's official installation profile for Mayport: key contacts, local community info, and cost of living. A solid first read the day your orders drop, before you've ever seen the First Coast.
Moving Your Household Goods to Mayport
The official rundown on shipping household goods for a Mayport PCS, from scheduling through delivery. Getting this process started early is the single biggest stress-saver in any move to the Jacksonville area.
Relocating to NAS Jacksonville (Navy MWR)
The practical arrival guide for NAS Jax: the housing office on Saratoga Ave, Fleet and Family Support at (904) 542-5745, and the School Liaison Officer who connects military families with K-12 resources across Duval and Clay counties.
Florida Military Benefits Guide
Every Florida benefit that kicks in when you PCS here: property tax breaks, tuition assistance, license privileges, and the Purple Star program recognizing military-friendly school districts. Northeast Florida families should read this before house-hunting.
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