If you’re considering buying a home in a gated, planned, co-op, otherwise organized community, or condominium complex you’ll come across the phrase “Homeowner’s Association” (or its abbreviated form: HOA). If you’re unfamiliar with this term, here’s a quick explanation: HOA’s oversee the management, upkeep and community standards of your neighborhood. Most often, real estate developers […]
Tips For Renters
12 Questions to Ask Before Renting
Looking for a home to rent – particularly if it’s your first time – can be an intimidating under-taking. While your exact needs and wants are probably as unique as you are, the process of seeking and signing for the right lease is a common one with common factors. Here are a dozen all-inclusive points […]
Renting a Home: Lease Tips
Even when it’s temporary, moving into a home of your own is always a thrill. Whether you’re accustomed to living with roommates, your parents, or with dozens (or more) of coworkers crammed into a barracks, not much compares to that amazing feeling of opening the door to walk into your house or apartment for the […]
10 Tips for Renting a Home
Renting your first off-base house or apartment can seem overwhelming, particularly if you’re used to the relatively simple process of showing up and moving into base housing, a barracks, or a BOQ. While moving off base, on your own or with a family, is certainly a much more complicated process, it doesn’t have to be […]
What is a Good Credit Score for Renting an Apartment?
Home ownership may be one of the big components of the American Dream but, if you’re on active duty, chances are you’re renting. If you aren’t ready to buy your dream house just yet, we get it – especially when you have to PCS across the country (or, sometimes, the world) every few years. So […]
Tips for Getting Your Rental Deposit Back
Renting, and the rental deposit, is a fact of life for many military families. Protect your deposit and improve the odds of getting it back with these five tips! There are many expenses involved with moving in or out of a rental home during a PCS, with the rental deposit being one of the largest. […]
5 Points to Review Before Signing a Lease
When you find that perfect home, your first instinct may be to sign the lease as quickly as possible. But, before you sign a lease, be sure to review these points. Finding a new home can be a stressful part of your move and typically one that you want to settle as soon as possible. […]
Giving Notice to Your Landlord. What You Need to Know.
You’ve received orders and now it’s time to start the PCS process. It’s important that you provide proper notification to your current landlord to avoid potential legal issues in exiting your lease. Whether you live on or off base, it’s important to understand your lease termination provisions to make the transition out of your current […]
Is It Time for a Local Move?
If your home is making your current assignment hard, consider if it’s time for a local move! We’re familiar with moves – across the country and across the world. Military families move with a frequency that astounds many in the civilian world. So it may feel odd to be considering a move that isn’t required […]
Signing A Lease Without Seeing The Home
When your next PCS move could take you across the state or across the world, signing a lease without seeing the home is a very real possibility. How do you line up housing while protecting yourself from scams, housing surprises and mis-represented properties? In an ideal world, we would be able to take a trip […]