How Renee Zunker Helped a San Antonio VA Buyer Purchase a Move-Up Home While He Was Overseas

Buying a home when both buyers are in San Antonio can involve plenty of moving pieces. Buying one while one spouse is in San Antonio and the other is working in the Middle East requires an entirely different level of communication and coordination.

That's exactly what happened when Renee Zunker helped Joshua and Sarah purchase their move-up home in San Antonio, Texas, using Joshua's VA home loan benefit.

Joshua and Renee had actually served together years earlier while stationed at Lackland Air Force Base. Fourteen years after Joshua and Sarah purchased their first home using a VA loan, they were ready for something bigger, except Joshua was working overseas and wouldn't be coming home anytime soon.

In fact, Joshua purchased the entire house without ever seeing it in person.

Finding a Move-Up Home Without Leaving the Neighborhood

Joshua and Sarah weren't looking to leave the community they already loved. They wanted to stay in the same San Antonio neighborhood while moving into a newer, larger home with features that better fit their life today.

Renee Zunker helped the couple explore both resale homes and new construction options. Sarah toured homes in person with Renee while Joshua participated remotely from the Middle East using FaceTime.

A three-car garage was high on the wish list, along with privacy and a location they already knew they enjoyed. New construction was considered, but the available options couldn't provide the three-car garage they wanted.

Then a last-minute showing changed the plan.

The home on Stillwater Pass offered the three-car garage, established landscaping, a hot tub, a privacy-paneled backyard and no traditional rear neighbors because the property backed to school baseball fields. The home was also directly across from the neighborhood amenity center.

It checked boxes the new construction options couldn't.

Using a VA Loan for a Move-Up Purchase

Joshua and Sarah had previously used Joshua's VA home loan benefit, but a VA loan isn't only for a Veteran's first home purchase.

Renee connected Joshua and Sarah with Tyler Carlston, a mortgage lender specializing in VA loans, to evaluate their financing options and determine how the purchase could fit within their target budget of approximately $500,000 and desired monthly payment.

Joshua's qualifying disabled-veteran property-tax exemption was also factored into the financial planning for the new home.

The couple decided to keep their existing San Antonio home as a rental property while using VA financing to purchase the new residence.

Negotiating the Contract and Inspection

Renee Zunker initially negotiated the home under contract for $498,000 with approximately $6,000 in seller concessions toward closing costs.

After the home inspection, Renee and the buyers developed a repair strategy rather than simply sending the sellers a list of demands.

Some inspection items mattered significantly more to Joshua and Sarah than others. Renee recommended including additional reasonable repair requests in the negotiation, creating room for compromise while keeping the buyers' highest-priority items at the center of the discussion.

The strategy worked.

Among the agreed repairs, the sellers had the HVAC system serviced and completed an additional HVAC repair that was important to the buyers.

But another negotiation was still ahead.

What Happens When a VA Appraisal Comes in Low?

During the VA appraisal process, the property ultimately received a value $8,000 below the $498,000 contract price.

At that point, Renee Zunker and VA lender Tyler Carlston worked together to help Joshua and Sarah understand their options.

The sellers were willing to make a concession but not every concession. The buyers could preserve certain financial incentives or have the sellers reduce the purchase price to the appraised value.

Rather than Renee deciding what was “best” for the buyers, Renee and Tyler helped Joshua and Sarah understand how each option would affect their cash required at closing, financing and overall purchase.

Joshua and Sarah decided that securing the lower purchase price mattered more to them, even though it meant bringing additional money to closing.

Renee returned to the seller's agent and negotiated the $8,000 price reduction.

The final purchase price was $490,000.

Buying a San Antonio Home From the Middle East

The negotiations were only part of the logistical challenge.

Joshua remained overseas throughout the entire transaction and still has not seen the home in person.

Renee Zunker and the Zunker Property Group coordinated communication across locations and time zones, while Sarah handled the parts of the purchase that required someone physically in San Antonio.

Renee also helped Joshua and Sarah coordinate with the title company so Sarah could obtain the appropriate power of attorney and sign the necessary closing documents on Joshua's behalf.

Despite the distance, inspection negotiations and VA appraisal issue, the transaction didn't close late.

It closed early.

Joshua and Sarah were originally scheduled to close September 16, 2026. They purchased their new San Antonio home on September 11—five days ahead of schedule.

What the Buyers Said

After closing, Joshua and Sarah left a public Google review describing what it was like to purchase while separated by thousands of miles:

“Renee did an outstanding job helping us coordinate everything across different locations and time zones.”

Joshua also wrote:

“Buying a home can be stressful, especially when one of the buyers is overseas, but Renee and her team made the process much easier than we expected.”

For Renee, that's the outcome that matters: not simply getting a contract signed, but making a complicated situation feel manageable for the people living through it.

What Their VA Lender Said About Working With Renee Zunker

This transaction also produced something that doesn't happen after every closing: the buyers' mortgage lender independently left Renee a public review.

Tyler Carlston, a mortgage lender who specializes in helping military clients use their VA home loan benefits, wrote:

“As a lender, I’ve worked with hundreds of agents throughout my career and she is on my short list of the best of the best.”

Tyler also specifically noted Renee's communication, negotiation and experience helping military families utilize VA loan benefits.

That collaboration mattered during this transaction. When the VA appraisal created a decision point, Renee handled the real estate negotiation while Tyler modeled the financing implications of the different options. Together, they gave Joshua and Sarah the information they needed to choose the outcome that worked for them.

The Final Result

Joshua and Sarah's home purchase included several moving pieces:

• $498,000 initial contract price
• $490,000 final purchase price
• $8,000 negotiated price reduction following the VA appraisal
• Seller-paid items negotiated during the transaction
• HVAC service and repair negotiated after inspection
• VA financing for a move-up purchase
• Power-of-attorney coordination for an overseas buyer
• Existing home retained as a rental property
• Closing completed five days early
• One buyer completing the entire purchase from the Middle East

And eventually Joshua gets to come home and see the house he bought. 😄

Buying a Home With a VA Loan in San Antonio, Schertz or Cibolo?

Renee Zunker is a U.S. Air Force Veteran, REALTOR® and buyer's agent helping Veterans, active-duty military members and military families purchase homes throughout Northeast San Antonio, Schertz, Cibolo, Garden Ridge, Marion and New Braunfels, Texas.

Renee helps VA buyers compare homes and new construction, evaluate offers, negotiate seller concessions, navigate inspections and VA appraisals, coordinate remote purchases, and manage the logistics that come with military life.

Whether you're buying from San Antonio or several thousand miles away, the first step doesn't have to be touring houses.

Schedule a Homebuyer Gameplan with Renee Zunker to build the strategy first.