5 Questions With MILNET Chair Michelle Martin: Military Moves, Remote Business, and What Agents Get Wrong
The eXp Military Network Chair shares what earns military families’ trust, why communication matters, and how agents can build businesses that move with them.
Michelle Martin has helped nearly 1,000 clients throughout her real estate career. She is also a coach, speaker, eXp Certified Mentor and the 2025 eXp University Instructor of the Year.
As a military spouse and Chair of the eXp Military Network, Michelle understands the uncertainty military families can experience when deployments, relocations, and career decisions collide.
We asked Michelle what agents need to understand before serving military clients, which mistakes erode your relationship with your clients, and how real estate professionals can build businesses that continue operating from anywhere, even if they have to relocate.
Q: What is the first skill or system agents should build before pursuing military referrals?
Michelle Martin: Before pursuing referrals, agents need to understand the realities of military life and create systems that support those families.
Military families often move on short timelines, buy or sell from a distance, navigate deployments, and make major decisions while balancing uncertainty. If an agent does not have a process that makes the transaction simple, organized, and predictable, they will struggle to serve them well.
I always tell agents to focus on becoming a resource before becoming a salesperson.
Learn the PCS process, understand VA loans and build clear communication systems.
Create a network of trusted professionals who can help with everything from lending to moving services.
Learn the terminology.
Most importantly, be responsive and dependable.
Referrals in the military community are earned through reputation. When you consistently solve problems, communicate well and genuinely care about the family’s needs, referrals become a natural result of the service you provide.
Q: What has operating a remote business taught you about serving clients from a distance?
Michelle Martin: Being a military spouse taught me early that the military makes the rules. A service member can receive orders, and a family’s plans, career path and daily life can change overnight.
Clients do not need us to be everywhere. They need us to have systems, processes, and the right people in place. Through technology, clear communication, trusted local partners, and documented processes, agents can deliver an exceptional client experience from across town or across the country.
Remote transactions have also reinforced the importance of proactive communication. When clients cannot walk into your office or meet in person, trust is built through responsiveness, consistency and keeping people informed.
Q: What mistakes make military clients lose 
confidence in an agent?
Michelle Martin: One of the biggest mistakes is treating military clients like every other client. The transaction may be similar, but the circumstances often are not.
Military families are dealing with deadlines they do not control, major life transitions and sometimes a move they did not request.
Trust starts to disappear when agents are not proactive. If your client has to call you to find out what is happening, that is a problem. If you miss details, fail to follow through or do not understand the urgency of a military timeline, clients notice.
Another mistake is focusing only on the house. A PCS is also about leaving friends, support systems, and schools while trying to figure out what life will look like in a new place.
Agents sometimes worry too much about saying the wrong thing and not enough about asking questions. Military clients do not expect you to know everything about military life. They expect you to listen, learn and care enough to understand their situation.
Q: Why did you choose to chair the eXp Military Network?
Michelle Martin: The Military Network is personal for me. During my first year in real estate, my husband deployed for six months. I was home with two children under the age of two, building a brand-new real estate business and doing it with virtually no support system.
That season shaped me in many ways. The military taught me resilience, adaptability and how to keep moving forward when circumstances were far from ideal.
Real estate also changed my life. It gave me opportunities I never imagined and created a path for my family that would not have existed otherwise. I know how powerful this profession can be for military spouses, veterans and service members building careers within the industry.
I want military spouses and service members to see that a relocation, deployment or life transition does not have to mean putting their dreams on hold or starting over. With the right support and systems, they can continue building successful careers wherever life takes them.
Q: How should agents discuss rental and resale potential with military buyers?
Michelle Martin: Military families are often making two decisions simultaneously. They are buying a home for today while thinking about what will happen if orders require them to move again.
The mistake some agents make is ignoring that reality or overwhelming clients with so much analysis that it creates confusion. The goal is to help them make a smart decision with their future in mind.
I encourage agents to ask simple questions.
If the family had to move in three years, would the home appeal to future buyers?
Would it make a good rental?
Is it near major employers, military installations, schools or amenities that tend to generate demand?
It is also important to set realistic expectations. None of us can control what the market will do. We can make educated decisions using today’s information, but no one has a crystal ball.
Buying a home can sometimes mean becoming a landlord, whether that was the original plan or not. Understanding that possibility upfront helps military families make informed decisions and avoid surprises later.
Connect With Michelle Martin
Military moves come with timelines and decisions that many families cannot control. Michelle’s advice gives agents a clearer understanding of how to communicate well, earn trust and make the process easier.
Want to learn more from Michelle? Connect with her here, follow her on Instagram, or explore the eXp Military Network to meet other professionals who understand military life and real estate.
