Living on base or living off?

[armywife08]

Me and my hubby have been talking that when he gets back from deploying whenever that is and im hopefully out of school whether to live on base or to live off base. Were living off base at the moment and he still wants to live off base but i wouldn't mind living on base and i also know that getting on base housing can take a while. he wants to hopefully buy a house but i think if hes going to stay in the army that buying a house would not be a good decision for us but he insists that it would be good and if we move then we can just try to sell it or put it up to rent but i just don't want to hassel with living in a new place plus have to worry about rent or trying to sell the house. I would love your advise because we can get into arguments about this and the time isn't even close yet.

[asoldierssweetie]

we lived on base at bragg, and when we go back in the spring, we will be living off base. we had too many hassles living on base.

[snwalways41903]

i love living onpost! the housing at knox was old, but overall i felt really safe when my hubby deployed! the maintence people came at a fast pace, but the management was horrible they bugged about every little thing!! however living onpost at benning has been a breeze, its old housing, but i love it here we have been here 2 months and havent heard 1 thing from management, the maintence people are friendly and everything, the lawn service people come around and mow our yards, theres not alot of rules and we love it here!! im a 5min drive from the px commissary & hospital!! my kids school is 1/2 mile from here, i live on a 1way street so theres not alot of traffic incase the kids get too close to the road!! i couldnt imagine being anywhere else right now i love it!

[Kira]

I wanted to live on base, but we couldn't wait out the waiting list, so DH looked at rentals. We had a hard time trying to find one, so finally he went to a realtor looking for rentals but instead he bought a house. The $8,000 credit spoke very clearly to him apparently...lol. I love my house but we will see what happens in a couple years, I still think he was crazy for buying a house, but he pays the bills so I told him it was his baby...lol. We are not alone though practically all my neighbors are Army.

[snwalways41903]

how long is yalls waiting list?

when we moved to knox right after basic training there was no waiting list, and now at benning there wasnt one either!!! do waiting lists happen often anyone know?

[Kira]

Here at Campbell we were told 2-4 months over the phone. Adam came here to in process and was told 2-4 months. So we were going to do a 6 month rental. Well we called everyday and he missed getting a house early by one day, so his name got put back to the bottom. He complained a little and got us no where, then we were looking at 6 months all of a sudden. Well he said **** that and went to the realtor.

[KristiMarie]

thats what im batteling with. JM wants to buy a house, which i see pointless till were out of the army, but he wants to live off base, i want to live on base. I dunno. I mean for our BAH we get ALL of mine, plus half of his, so who knows, i mean we should be able to find a nice place either way... cause officer housing is a bit nicer from what everyone tells me, and we get a bit more for out BAH... which i personally think is BS enlisted are the ones out there doing stuff, we just tell them what to do! lol

[Spahr]

The waiting list in Hawaii was ridiculously long! But that was only because people wanted the new house and not the old housing. We got old housing and it wasn't too long of a wait for us. Also, since Hawaii is considered "over seas" they rather have people living on post so the wait list says they're long but its not (I know another couple was told they would have to wait 6 months.. they waited 2 and had their choice of 3 houses).

Charlie also wants to buy a house but I also thing its a bit silly considering he wants to go career. I think that if you buy a house and it's close to base and you rent ONLY to military families that maybe your best bet. Personally I think that they will take better care of the house because of the military connection and I think the trust level would be there. I wouldn't want to rent a house of mine out just because I DO NOT trust people! lol and obviously I would not want it to just sit. It's an ongoing conversation over here so I really have no advice for you guys other than to weigh your options!

[Kira]

Everyone's caution about not buying a house because of the fact of it having to sit, be rented or stress of trying to sell, this is what I go through everyday. I think we were fools for buying a house specially here since it is only our first duty station...lol.

We got a great deal on the house, similar houses here are selling for a bit more and are older. The mortgage is under our BAH and that includes trash, taxes and insurance. The only thing that isn't covered under BAH is our water bill. Cable, telephone, internet and cell are not necessities to us so we did not include that in our choice to buy. DH was looking at a few rentals that was priced at $ 800 a month only 22 short of our BAH and we would still have to pay for trash, water, utilities and other things. So we made a choice to make an investment, hopefully. I am most afraid of renting out this place. I wonder if the people will be so nice to take care of it as if it were their own. My DH is extatic to think in a couple years he could rent this place out for $800..lol.

[Meredith]

we live off post, about 15 minutes from Ft Lewis. It works out well for us. We bank about 300 a month of our BAH after we pay rent, water and electric....so basically our BAH covers our housing and our food costs. The only reason I would want to live on post is so we could have a dog and Mike's commute was a little better....it can take him anywhere from 15-45 minutes to get home in the evening depending on the traffic. The waiting list here is usually really long. I think like 12-15 months (which is ridiculous) but it's a big post and I can't imagine it takes THAT long to get on. But about 2 weeks ago I got an email from FRG that there was absolutely no wait and open places if anyone wanted to take advantage.

So in short I think it depends on where you're going and what you want. Some places have nicer housing then others and there are pro's and cons to both. You should sit down with hubs and choose whats best for you! Good luck!

[armywife08]

when we talk about it he always talks about his BAH and BAS. he always says that he wouldn't get BAH and he didn't know about BAS. he always brings out the fact that it is an investment to live off post plus buying a house. i think that living on post would be a great way to meet some new people.

i know that posts have a waiting list does anyone know of the current waiting list at ft. campbell?

[Meredith]

Um I would assume you would get BAS whether you live on or off post. My understanding is that it's a food allowance and you'd need to eat regardless but I could be wrong. Someone on post could hopefully tell you that!

When you live on post they don't pay you BAH - it automatically goes toward your on post housing which is nice cause you don't have to worry about paying your rent but like I mentioned we bank about 300 a month of what we get to spend because our rent and utilities are under our BAH.

I personally wouldn't buy a house unless you plan on staying at Ft Campbell or moving back to the area after he's done with the army. Mike and I would love to have a house but there's no use for us in buying one here since this isn't where we want to live when he gets out.

You should talk to Danie, her and her husband own a house here in WA and are living in FL....she would probably be able to tell you about the pros and cons of buying a house and then leaving the area. I know it took her quite awhile to find renters for her house.

[Mary Cat]

I think buying a house isn't a good idea until you're in an area you are staying in or going back to. It would be a big hassle when you're moving to a new base

The waiting lists change according to the base and the period that you're signing up for it. I know 6 months ago the waiting list for Fort Wainwright was like 3 weeks and now it's 3-6 months.

Matt and I just got an apartment off base. It's about 10 mins from the main gate and in a nice area. Our rent is $1150/month including utilities and our BAH is $1533/month so we're banking a few hundred dollars just like Mere for groceries and whatever else we need. For us, living off base is deffinately an investment :)

[Kira]

I'm not sure of the waiting list anymore but almost 2 months ago it was 2-4 up to 3-6 months, depending if you wanted a 2 bedroom or 3 bedroom. There are many rentals off post available now, more than there were when we came. I have been to one on post house and if it were offered to me I would turn it down. It's got the smallest fenced in yard, not something for 2 boys, but really nice for a single couple. It has a garage and laundry area, which are a plus. In renting make sure you ask what is included. My DH's friend thought he got a great deal in Oak Grove, KY but then found out he had to pay his own water bill and trash after he signed so we actually got a better deal than he did buying.

You will get BAS regardless of on or off post. The thing is the BAH. If you live on Mere is right the on post housing office take all the BAH, they can charge extra if you go over your alloted utilities. Living off post you get your BAH.

I'll be honest around here for a decent rental, you might have to pay some out of you pocket, regardless. I know Oak Grove or Hopkinsville, KY is a little cheaper than rentals in Clarksville, TN. Hopkinsville is a drive, though. I live very close to the main gate and most days my DH comes home for lunch and he always comes home after morning PT.

I do not regret buying the house I love it here, we are in a good part of Clarksville, it's very quiet, we got a great deal, but we are in a congested subdivision, literally our neighbors are 15 feet away. We sort of feel like we live on post though...lol. Each of our neighbors on the side are dual military, across the street there are at least 3 more military, and as you drive down there are many more.

Good Luck in whatever you chose!!

[armywife08]

Kira we live really close to gate 1 in clarksville,tn and hubby always comes home after PT but it actually depends on lunch. it depends on when he leaves and traffic but i would say 10 to 15 minutes to get home. we live in an apt and our neighbors are military also.

Thanks for the advise from everyone.

[~*Kandice*~]

depends on the post for us. I've lived on post at Ft. Stewart and hated it...living on post was cheaper and better. But here at Ft. Riley living on post is cheaper you get better housing for less. And we're waiting until he gets out to buy a house. because if we move i am not going to go through the hassle of selling or renting the house out. its a waste of time to me at the moment. I want to buy a house but we'll do that when he retires he wont be old and neither will I and our credit should be awesome so we could get a nice loan. I like living on post here (or i will when i move in on friday) because i'm 2 minutes away from where he works so if i needed him home fast he could get there without much of a hassle.

[armywife08]

Kandice my hubby used to be stationed at Ft. Riley lol

[Kristi Rae]

a word of advise to those who own a house and are thinking of renting...make sure you get the person under contract or just go though a company that rents houses out. We let a buddy stay with us and we hardly ever got paid the rent and he would clean his room but i had to beg him to clean the bathroom(which was always gross). Then when I had left and Jordan went on deployment he smoked inside the house(everything smelled) he left dirty dishes, and there were a ton of fire hazards. And the mouse troubles since he was supposed to be taking care of the trash we had to do so many trips to the base dump i am shocked we didnt get yelled at. The reason we had him move is was to help pay for the house and we hardly had enough to make it through a few months!

If you are buying a house make sure you BAH covers you house, insurance, water, electricity, and any internet/cable bills and maybe a little left over or you might find yourself hurting for money real fast.

I would have liked to live on base just b/c I know nothing about the military and i think i could have made a few more contacts with others that would have helped me a bit more. but now i have this website!

[armywife08]

Kristi thats why i want to live on post bc i don't know anything about the military and would like to meet more people.