How These Military Spouses Adapted to Change, Found Support, and Advanced Their Careers at Zillow

Pursuing a career as a military spouse often comes with unique challenges, such as frequent moves and unpredictable schedules. Zillow’s Cloud HQ—remote-first work options—along with a culture that values each employee’s contributions, empowers military spouses like Christine Muehlenthaler and Sarah Hasenfratz to build careers that accommodate their busy and ever-changing lives.  

“At Zillow, I can grow my career without fear of losing my job due to a Permanent Change of Station (PCS) move,” shares Muehlenthaler, a senior closing operations associate. “Most importantly, I can be a present mother for my two young children, even with the occasional solo-parenting due to my husband’s pilot career in the Air Force.”

As a senior customer success manager, Hasenfratz also appreciates the company’s Cloud HQ model. “We had to move due to a PCS in March of 2024, and I’d just had our daughter in December 2023,” she says. “Searching for a home from another state with a new baby was challenging, but not having to add job hunting on top was a lifesaver. Knowing that wherever we bought a house, I’d be able to work, helped ease the move.”  

Here, we caught up with Hasenfratz and Muehlenthaler to learn more about their roles, valuable lessons they’ve learned as military spouses, and advice for military family members looking to grow their careers.   

Can you tell us a bit about your job at Zillow? What’s your current role, how long have you been in this role, and what’s your day-to-day like?

Hasenfratz: I’m our Enterprise Showcase team’s Senior Customer Success Manager. I support our largest brokerages that use our Zillow Showcase product and help them increase their agents’ adoption of the product. I meet with leadership to help them strategize on increasing utilization, host training sessions for agents, and help resolve any issues needing assistance. 

Muehlenthaler: I’ve worked in the real estate industry since I graduated from college in 2013, holding various roles in several title companies. In 2021, I joined Spruce after having my second child and wanting something remote. Zillow acquired Spruce in late 2023, and it’s been an amazing ride. In my role, I oversee the entire escrow and title process on my assigned files for real estate transactions. I ensure compliance and prepare documentation as well as communicate between buyers, sellers, real estate agents, and lenders to make the process easy and smooth for everyone involved.

What projects are you most proud of in your current work? What excites you the most about working at Zillow? 

Hasenfratz: I love helping drive the success of our brokerages and agents. Showcase is a product that allows agents to set themselves apart from other agents in a tough market. We’re helping agents win more listings.

Muehlenthaler: Closing transactions and getting people into their homes is what I enjoy most. Being able to calm nerves and clarify the closing process is where I thrive. I try to approach every conversation with empathy and understanding because selling or buying a home is one of the most exciting or stressful times of people’s lives. I love working at Zillow because we’re building something modern for the title industry that will streamline the closing process for people in the future. I’m happy to be able to work internally with our engineers and product managers to consult and give feedback from an operational point of view. 

As a military spouse, you might have faced unique challenges in advancing your career or daily life. Can you describe some of these challenges? How has Zillow supported you?

Hasenfratz: The hardest thing for me is the hours my husband works. He typically has to leave the house around 4:30 a.m., meaning I’m the one to get up with our one and three-year-olds and get them to daycare. Zillow has been so family-forward since I started working here, and accommodating to the fact that it’s difficult for me to travel. I used to worry that not being able to attend things like trade shows or retreats might slow my career growth, but what mattered most was the impact I was making. I was even promoted while on maternity leave — a reflection of how Zillow values outcomes, not just presence.

Muehlenthaler: As a military spouse, I’ve experienced employers often being nervous to hire me or give me promotions out of fear that I would be moving soon due to a PCS. I’m beyond grateful to work for a company that believes in the Cloud HQ model. I also love setting up a home office the way I like it. I’ve organized my desk the way I want, with my handwritten calendar to keep me on track. I can work with a cozy blanket, with my AC running at the perfect temperature, and run downstairs to my espresso machine at 2 p.m. for that afternoon pick-me-up. Zillow provides a monthly home office expense that has been great for our family. I can cover the cost of the high-speed Wi-Fi that my job requires. 

Has your background as a military spouse given you any unique perspectives or skills that help you in your career today?

Hasenfratz: Being able to adapt to change and roll with the punches is a classic military mentality. It can often be difficult to make long-term plans for anything when you are active duty, so I’ve adopted that mentality. One of Zillow’s Core Values is “think big, move fast,” and it’s also typically true to the military lifestyle.

Muehlenthaler: Living in a couple of different states due to my husband’s Air Force career has given me a unique perspective on how different everyone is and how important it is to be understanding and supportive when collaborating or working with people who may be different than you. I’ve also learned how to adapt quickly, whether it’s finding a place to live with a few months’ notice, making new friends, or finding local childcare in a new city. Adapting to change has been very important in the last year of my career at Zillow, as we work to create a process that offers the best experience for all parties in a real estate transaction. 

Are there any specific programs or aspects of Zillow’s culture that have supported you as a family member of active military personnel?

Muehlenthaler: Zillow’s remote work arrangements have allowed me to balance my professional responsibilities with the unique challenges of having a spouse in the military. Like most military families, we don’t have family around to help us, so when daycare is closed or the kids are sick, working remotely allows me to keep a sick kid home or even travel to my family out of state and work from other locations as needed. It’s invaluable to me. I also appreciate that Zillow has a Veterans ERG to connect with others who have similar experiences or connections to the military. It’s a great feeling that I can travel to stay with friends or family if—or when—my spouse is deployed next. I can do all that while still being a working mother with a thriving career! 

Attaining work-life harmony can’t be done solo. What people, resources, and tools do you rely on when you need to relocate quickly or take care of family while your spouse is on duty?

Hasenfratz: In March of 2024, we moved away from all our friends and family. If one of our children is home sick, it’s usually up to me to be the one who takes off work. Thanks to Cloud HQ and an amazing manager, Zillow is very accommodating to our situation and provides the flexibility to work with one of my children at home. 

Muehlenthaler: When I needed to relocate from Texas to Louisiana for our last PCS, my husband was given a few months’ heads up. I used social media to find recommendations for childcare in our new town and joined local military spouse groups for other advice, such as areas to live in. Of course, I had to use Zillow to find a new home! 

At work, my colleagues understand that I’m usually the sole caregiver for things like my children’s appointments and always step in to cover for me when needed. Thankfully, we have robust sick time at Zillow, and I can step away for appointments or pick up a sick child from daycare without much disruption. Personally, my family is always willing to fly to see us every couple of months, and having that time together is the best way to keep me in a good place emotionally, despite living hundreds of miles away. 

Working remotely allows me the flexibility to take care of my family when my husband is away. Starting a load of laundry on my lunch break or throwing a meal in a crockpot on a 15-minute break is SUCH a lifesaver.

What’s your No. 1 advice for family members of veterans, especially women, who are looking for career opportunities?

Hasenfratz: Any place that offers remote positions is undeniably helpful. One of the things that also drew me to Zillow was their family benefits. With 20 weeks of paid maternity leave, I could tell they were a family-forward company, so look for companies with good family benefits!

Muehlenthaler: Look for something remote. For the first time in my adult life, I can focus on my personal career growth without fear of moving and losing my job. My husband’s military career no longer defines my professional advancement opportunities.

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