Buying or renting a home is one of the biggest decisions a military family will make. This is due to the nature of not knowing how long you will be at a particular duty station. Some are adamant about buying and some are adamant about renting/or living on the military installation.
We have been on both sides. At 4 out of 5 of our duty stations we have opted to live on post. We chose that due to convenience. We have always enjoyed being close to Kyle's work and we are not the most picky people when it comes to where we live. The only time we have deviated was when we purchased our home in El Paso. We decided to try something new and we loved it. The wait list on Fort Bliss was extremely long and we only lived 4 hours away so we were able to travel there to look at homes. Unfortunately, we were only there for 22 months ( certainly not what we expected) and due to the unstable rental market at the time we decided to sell our home and we took a huge loss.
We are preparing for a summer move back to NC (unless the Army decides to change that haha) and we have gone back and forth as to what to do.
The housing for Kyle's rank on post is not really ideal. It reminds me of our first home on post there which wasn't terrible but it was tiny for the two of us. Now that we have E it would be a tight fit and I just don't want to have to deal with that. So post housing is out.
Next, we looked at renting a home. For what we are looking for, at least 4 bedrooms, fenced in yard, and a big kitchen the rent cost is extremely high and would ultimately be over our allotted BAH (basic allowance for housing).
So....as of right now we have decided to buy a home. Having worked in the mortgage business, I understand the process and know what needs to be done in order to get everything started. Once we have orders in hand we can begin the process. Thankfully, I am already in contact with a realtor in the area and she knows what we are looking for. I'm definitely hopeful that we will be able to find what we want, whether that be new construction or a resale. The market there is relatively stable and we could turn this into a rental property. As of right now I will be flying out there Memorial Weekend to look at homes and hopefully put an offer on one. If we get orders soon that trip will be bumped up. I'm ready to get this show on the road!
Have a great day!
Have a great day!
We got a 3 bed two bath house for 72.5k here. I pay less than 500 in mortgage which includes taxes/insur which is at least the standard rent
ReplyDeleteThat's awesome! You can't beat that.
DeleteSo many moves! I don't even know how you do it and keep up with it all!
ReplyDeleteGood luck with the house hunting and buying. I have never done it, but hopefully will one day!
ReplyDeleteThis must be so hard for military families. Wishing you all the luck in the home search once ya'll get your orders!
ReplyDeleteBest of luck! We are on our 3rd duty station and we have only lived on post once (for CCC). The decision to buy or rent is always hard.
ReplyDeleteIt really is such a hard decision and it's one that people get very passionate about.
DeleteWe have always rented, for the reasons you stated, we just never stayed anywhere long enough that we thought it would be worth it to buy. But now, I am ready to buy a house and never move again. LOL
ReplyDeleteSounds like you all have a great plan! Excited to see what you all pick!
ReplyDeleteThank so much! We are excited to get everything going.
DeleteI'm so glad you decided to share this post! I think it's really helpful to know that decisions can change over time. Good luck with the house hunt! :)
ReplyDeleteThat's too bad that post housing won't be ideal this time. I hope you find an amazing place and all goes smoothly!!
ReplyDeleteWe currently own two homes that we rent out and haven't bought a house since 2012. We haven't been stationed in one place long enough to make financial sense. From here until retirement, it is unlikely we will be in a place longer than 18-24 months. However, if we do buy again, it will be in the DC area because we know we will always come back here time and time again throughout his career. Good luck house hunting...I hope you receive official word soon! :)
ReplyDeleteAnother project to get stuck in to! Exciting stuff, hopefully you can get just the property you want. With minimal stress!
ReplyDeleteI think that if you're going to be somewhere for at least 2+ years, it's worth it to buy. We always rented before coming to Colorado and our options here were limited: we could pay way too much in rent, we could live in a subdivision and have no yard, or we could buy a fixer-upper...the cost of the fixer-upper and land was our cheapest option by far!
ReplyDeleteGood luck on your search!
We always said we would by there too, especially up near Pinehurst/Whispering Pines! Two of our really good friends just bought there and we got to visit them last fall - so gorgeous! I can't wait to follow along :)
ReplyDeleteI can't wait to see what y'all find! I'm a bummed that we won't be in this house much longer, and it makes me a little weary towards buying again, even though we've always said we wanted to buy everywhere.
ReplyDeleteHow exciting!
ReplyDeleteWe have lived on post, rented, and bought in 2 places (and still have renters in both!). I think it really depends on what you can find and if you want to hold onto it long term. I definitely feel like Bragg has good potential to buy and have as a rental, but pay close attention to school districts if that is what you want to do. Even though for us school doesn't matter since our boys go to Catholic school, both the houses we bought were in high rated districts and we haven't had any trouble keep them occupied. Good luck!
ReplyDeleteLoved reading through this post. You voiced the thought process of every single military family every time they move!!
ReplyDeleteWe looked at Linden Oaks back in our first Bragg stint, and that is the only neighborhood I would live in if we ever go back. We thought we were moving back to Bragg (and wound up at Carson instead), and we looked at buying in Southern Pines / Pinehurst. Can't wait to see what y'all find!
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