by MilitaryByOwner Staff Writer Dawn Smith
PCS season is approaching and orders are slowly making their way to families. The mad scramble to prepare will soon begin, if it hasn’t already. There are moving errors that everyone makes at least once in their career, but the following are suggestions to avoid some of the more common mistakes.
1. Lack of housing research.
Military families rely on each other’s knowledge for base information, schools, and neighborhoods. A comprehensive resource for exactly these scenarios can be found at Military Town Advisor. MTA’s creator, Cameron, a Navy spouse, saw the need for specific details when researching potential hometowns. Reviews are written by military members with information that can only be obtained from their personal experiences.
Base housing, especially if it is relatively new and attractive, is highly desired and wait times can be several months, if not more. It’s never too early to learn the basic components of rental agreements the private companies serving the installation offer. Learn exactly what to do and how soon you can add your name to the wait list. Each company’s policies on availabilities, bedroom entitlements, and promotion upgrades vary. Strict pet guidelines may eliminate this option altogether.
Home rentals and purchases are best researched as soon as your family has likely options to weigh. Even if you spend time researching a city that doesn’t work out, the experience of what to look for will transfer to the next potential location. MilitaryByOwner is continuously updated with real estate possibilities for those buying, selling, or renting a home. MilitaryByOwner also has preferred real estate agents who are particularly aware of military family’s relocation needs.
Housing Research Tip: Investigate on-base utility charges. It’s likely there are savings compared to off base housing utility fees.