finding a place to live upon commissioning.

blackhawkmom

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Where do you start when looking for a place to live once you graduate from a service academy. Do commissioned officers take part of their basket leave to go and look or is there a faster better way? Are all training facilities connected to some sort of apartment complex or do you just hit a real estate magazine?
 
Where do you start when looking for a place to live once you graduate from a service academy. Do commissioned officers take part of their basket leave to go and look or is there a faster better way? Are all training facilities connected to some sort of apartment complex or do you just hit a real estate magazine?

I started looking for places to live as soon as I found out where I was going. There's no need to use your summer leave to look for places unless you really want to. From my understanding, commanders have to give you up to 10 days to find a house and that's IF they let you live off base. For example, the Air Force wants their pilot trainees in the dorms but when the dorms reach 85% capacity, the trainee can live off base. So some trainees will get a place with other trainees for roommates to split the rent and pocket some housing allowance. Other jobs don't allow officers to stay on base unless they're married. If an officer arrives on base and they're married, they don't have to live in the dorms at all regardless of capacity.

Once the officer arrives on base they will go to base lodging, which is like a hotel on base. The officer will report to their designated office and have to run several errands. One of those errands will be to go to base housing and that is where they can get information about living on base and available/recommended places off base. Once given the okay to live off base from their commander, it's up to that officer to find a place.

Any other questions ask away :)

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While the base housing office can give recommendations, I would make sure you find the resources to do it on your own, if you live off base. AHRN is a good source and caters to military. Otherwise things like Apartments.com, craigslist, etc. are a good way to find out what's on the market.

I'll hit more on the married side since, come to find out, it is interesting...
If you're married, you can live anywhere including on-base housing or even dorms. Unaccompanied married can live in the dorms if they choose. Unaccompanied married (like me) are also eligible for on-base housing. There is a caveat though. The private housing contractor on base is guaranteed the WITH dependent BAH rate for their housing. Since I'm dual-military without children, I only receive non-dependent BAH. I live in CGO housing so I have to fork over the WITH dependent rate for an O2 (ends up being about $250 more a month than my actual BAH). However, people can also live in NCO housing if available. Fyter and I have a coworker with us in CP who is also dual military unaccompanied like me. She lives in NCO housing, so her rent is less than ours.

Doesn't take long for most to figure out the housing situation. :)
 
There is a caveat though. The private housing contractor on base is guaranteed the WITH dependent BAH rate for their housing. Since I'm dual-military without children, I only receive non-dependent BAH. I live in CGO housing so I have to fork over the WITH dependent rate for an O2 (ends up being about $250 more a month than my actual BAH). However, people can also live in NCO housing if available.

Wow. You're really paying some rent there!

Son lived in NCO housing at Laughlin (on Yarbrough) as an O-1. He shared a 4-bedroom house with three other Lts. and they paid an E-7 w/dep. rent that was split between the 4 of them. It was about $320/mo each and they each still got their single w/o dep. BAH which was about $815.

I guess it really depends on how full the housing is when you get to your base.

Stealth_81
 
BAH while living on base..... hmmmmm....

It's all privatized housing and is not owned by the AF even though it is on base. The private housing company owns the houses and maintains them. The AF pays the BAH to the service member and the housing company collects rent based on their contract with the AF for that particular unit.

More info HERE.

Stealth_81
 
Wow. You're really paying some rent there!

Son lived in NCO housing at Laughlin (on Yarbrough) as an O-1. He shared a 4-bedroom house with three other Lts. and they paid an E-7 w/dep. rent that was split between the 4 of them. It was about $320/mo each and they each still got their single w/o dep. BAH which was about $815.

I guess it really depends on how full the housing is when you get to your base.

Stealth_81

Nice. Roomates are a good way to bank some money.

DS did the same with GF and another roomate off their base. All three got to keep 2/3 of their BAH.
 
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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.)
 
I have never had a room mate after USAFA - and have no desire to change that, especially being married now. I ran the numbers, and after utilities/gas....there was no way to find a house in Del Rio of equivalent safety/size to save money compared to what I got on base. Being a small town, all the homes are inflated up to CGO dependent BAH rates since there isn't any competition.

I also have a dog and this is the only on-base option where I could keep her. Also nothing quite like being at work in <2 min.
 
Just one quick note and that is from a regulatory standpoint at least for the Army is that commanders are authorized to give 10 days to incoming personnel but not required. In other words if you show up 10 days prior to starting your class it will probably work out if you show up two days prior to starting BOLC you will be looking on your own time. Most of the Army posts that don't offer on post lodging for BOLC LTs have a couple of sets of apartments that offer it near to the installation. Some of them even offer roommate arrangements with other BOLC students and rates are set to cater to the BAH of the student population. I also know that here at Fort Sill for FA and ADA BOLC there is talk about bringing the BOLC population back into on-post lodging (a good move in my opinion).
 
USAA has very cheap Renters Insurance. It is something to look into. You never know and one incident and they could loose everything. I remember $85.00 a month for Off Base at Kessler for NCO without dependents. Sigh.
 
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