The age old question– should my family and I live on post or off post? There really are a number of factors to consider when deciding whether you want to live on base as your PCS comes to a close. Army Mamas share their personal opinions on how they have decided whether it made sense to go with military housing vs living in a civilian community.

What are the advantages of living on base?

There are a plethora of advantages to living on base as detailed by our fellow Army Mamas; so let’s get into it!

Location, Location, Location!

One of the main reasons Soldiers and their families choose to live on base is the convenience factor–they’re close to everything they need for themselves. The commute to work is usually short. They don’t have to fight traffic to drop their children off at childcare centers or school. And if you forgot to pack something, you can always make a quick trip back to the house to grab it and head back to work.

Although some military bases are questionable, you have the reassurance that you won’t have drug dealers for neighbors or that your kids can play safely outside without having to worry too much about stranger danger situations as much.

Time

Time and location can easily be lumped together, but I decided to give it its own block for consideration. One of the things that I hated about having a long commute is that I spent at least 2 hours out of my day on the road–that’s a lot of wasted time, especially when you factor in morning routines before work/school and pickup/dinner preparation after work.

It was about 10 minutes to our daycare followed by a 45 minute commute to work (if there wasn’t an accident on the freeway!), work until 1600, and then 45 minutes to daycare with 10 minutes to get home and cook dinner before starting bed down routines.

Even though you and your babies might not be sleeping in until 0900, that extra time you’re given in the front and backend of your day by living on post is so valuable! As I get older, I’m beginning to realize how precious my time with family is and this is why I try to maximize it if possible.

Before and After School Care

Most military base schools offer some form of built in before and after school care for children. I know firsthand the stress of trying to find trustworthy childcare for your kids for those early mornings and late work days. Having a reliable form of childcare is an added security blanket for ensuring you have an airtight family care plan.

Utilities and Maintenance Included in Rent

The financial benefit of having your utilities and maintenance of the home is dependent on the housing market of where you are stationed. Some off-post housing rental prices can give you a bigger bang for your buck even with utilities considered. However, some Army Mamas report that they enjoy the convenience of not having to worry about paying separate bills when it comes to the on-post automatic rent withdrawal each month.

What are the advantages of living off post?

Separate Army Life and Personal Life

Living off-post can give you a break from the Army Life. You don’t have to worry about constantly running into someone that you work with. You’ll actually be able to have some semblance of privacy.

Pet ownership

Animal lovers don’t have to worry about a limit on how many pets or what type of pets you can own if living off-post. Although this can vary whether you live OCONUS. For example, if you want to have a stable with horses then off-post may be the way to go. (Outlandish example, I know!)

Real Estate Investment

There are many Soldiers that get into real estate investing simply because the VA home loan allows you to purchase a home with no money down. Ideally, you could buy at least a couple properties using the VA home loan.

Our family has personally done this with each of our PCS moves. I would not say that we are making a killing, but it’s a little extra income for our household.

Something breaks, you can fix it

Although on-post housing includes maintenance, there is a good chunk of housing where issues don’t really get resolved (e.g. mold). If you own your home, then you hold the reigns to actually fix the structural problems with your house.

This might seem like a double-edged sword because it could come out of pocket if you don’t have decent insurance or home warranties in place, but it sure beats getting the run around from the housing authority.

Splitting the Difference on BAH

Depending on where you live, you could end up renting/buying a house that is well below your BAH rate. If you have money goals that you would like to accomplish, then this could be a big advantage.

Our current BAH rate is double what our mortgage is, which means we get to use that money towards savings. In the area we are stationed, it made more sense to buy a home due to the low mortgage rates compared to the high rental rates. This decision we made years ago is still paying dividends because we are unlikely to outgrow this home and will most likely be stationed around this area for the foreseeable future. For those unfamiliar, AGRs in the National Guard are PCSed throughout their state only.

TLDR on-post housing vs off-post housing

The TLDR is that it all boils down to convenience for you and your family. On-post housing offers a lot of convenience at the expense of always being reminded you’re in the Army. Off-post housing offers privacy and potential for increasing financial stability at the expense of convenience of proximity to work.