Well, it seems we may know where we are moving next. It was not on our list once again. We had hoped to get much closer to where our girls are attending college. And on some level I'm still holding out that hope, as we have had changes to our move in the past. Nothing is official until we have orders from the military.
So while we are disappointed our choices weren't possibilities, we are trained to be resilient and we will embrace the next adventure.
The good parts. The location is very close to major metropolitan city, with a lot of culture and things to do. It is still in the south, so we can skip the snow, which I think we have come to enjoy. And the airport with lower fare airlines will be closer too. We are still near a major installation with access to the commissary for discounts on food.
We have done a little looking at the housing market. Rentals are not as plentiful there as where we currently are. The military is very dominant where we live, so lots of rental homes and options. It takes time for homes to sell here, so people who have purchased often turn into landlords. We have seen the benefit of renting over the last three years. If we had purchased this same house and then sold it we would have paid even more due to the commission and upkeep expenses. It just not worth it for a short stay. I expect we will rent again.
We may consider living on post. We do give up our entire housing allowance (BAH). We currently give our BAH plus $15 to our current landlord, but pay electricity, gas, water and trash on top of that. Living on post all of those utilities would be included. Effectively saving us nearly $300 a month. My husband's commute would be super short, thus saving on fuel costs. We haven't had a gym membership in the three years we have lived here, but we could use facilities on post for free. Lawn care would be included, no need to own a mower or other yard care items.
For reference our BAH currently is $1785 per month. The new location would be $2046. It is very tempting to find something off post for far less than that amount, but utilities, commute, safety and type of homes are all a factor. And it's possible we would stay on post for one year and then move to another off post rental.
We are still in the very beginning stages of figuring it all out. We don't expect the orders to be cut for awhile or at least not effective until after October 1. Thank goodness!! We have graduation in three weeks, a visit to the college our youngest daughter will attend for orientation and then we need to get both girls moved to school in August.
Once all that happens and we have orders, I expect we will fly there to look at our housing options. The one thing I don't have to figure out is schools for this move! That is what kept us off post this time. High school that those on post attend here is awful. And prior to this location, we have never lived near a major installation to have on post housing available.
Exciting times!
I will not be disclosing actual locations at any time. My husband feels strongly that this is not something we share for our own safety.
The Next Move
May 19th, 2018 at 12:52 pm
May 19th, 2018 at 12:54 pm 1526734485
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May 21st, 2018 at 01:44 am 1526867089
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May 21st, 2018 at 08:57 pm 1526936252
Yes, I figured in paying down principal, commission, approximate closing costs, average repairs. We wouldn't have been able to deduct interest most likely because of low interest rates, so no tax benefit. I don't have the exact number on hand any longer. And here the lack of home appreciation is absurd. It's like zero. Each house no matter how new will have some repair and maintenance costs. This home we rent has had nearly $4K in heat pump parts, repair and maintenance costs. If it were to be sold it would need to have exterior painted and erosion in the back yard repaired. It's seven years old so it's in pretty good shape.
And not buying isn't always about the numbers. Do you know how much less stressful it is going to be to leave this home we are renting versus having to list a home and not know exactly when you will be legally free of it. The peace of mind to pack up and clean up is worth so much. And there will be no buyer trying to get us to pay their closing costs or make extra repairs. That is stressful. We may only have five or six years left in the military before my husband retires. We can wait to own again.
Now if I would see an opportunity to make money in some hot housing market...then I might consider buying, but that's sort of like timing the market, one really doesn't know in the short term how it will work out.
May 21st, 2018 at 09:04 pm 1526936661
Hope you can find the answers you seek as far as housing that work the best for you financially.
May 26th, 2018 at 02:17 am 1527301079