I got a house with two other guys (classmates), one from my ship and one from our sister ship.
We each had USAA accounts, so we set up a third joint account, and pulled 1/3 of our pay (maybe 1/3 of a paycheck?) into the joint account. All bills/rent came from the joint account. At Christmas we split the joint account three ways (wrote a check to each person for 1/3 of the joint account). We had been overpaying into the joint account, so it was a nice little pay day at the right time.
As far as house hunting goes. I THINK timing is based on distance. Ten days was our max, but I can't remember if that was the house hunting or the actual move.
As soon as I got my assignment, I planned a weekend to go check out housing in the area. Searching online is nice too. "Militarybyowner.com" is a nice resource as well.
One piece of advice, if you have housemates, make sure they're responsible. Read every lease agreement and don't sign anything you don't agree with (even if you think the owner is nice).
I've always received my security deposit back (although my last landlord has broken off all comms with me, but has 30 days before he's required to return the security deposit). Be responsible, do what you agreed to do, don't do more. Get everythign in writing. Pay on time. Do a walkthrough, be thorough in the inspection. Check out the surrounding area, think about crime, flooding, storms, traffic, etc. And if you're getting an apartment or townhouse, try to talk to the people who live there. Understand reviews online are often done but unhappy people, but pick up on reoccuring themes (bugs, noise, unresponsive management, etc.)