What are the perks of living on base?

Question

Compared to the perks of living OFF base too...give me some pro's and cons of both. Over all, which would you chose? Fiance and I are debating on which place to live...on or off.

It's either Fort Stewart or Fort Carson...sorry guess I should have mentioned that!

Answer 1

Pluses are; but not limited to: Extremely low crime rate. More security. Subsidized housing. No lease requirements for housing. Understanding & supportive neighbors with like interests. Less traffic problems. Great schools. Cheaper shopping & services. Lots of activities for adultrs & children.

Minuses are: Less diversity. Less choice in shopping (but you can always go off-base for what you need or want). Your housing must be kept to military standards. That means you can't be lazy & not mow the lawn for a few weeks unless you're living in an apt.
Less freedom of movement - You can't just go anywhere on base you feel like going. Definate class distinction between officers & enlisted personel. Standards of conduct that you need to follow. What may be gotten away with on the outside is'nt neccessarily acceptable on base.

I personally liked living on base as a child. We could roam all over almost at will because our parents didn't have to worry about bad things happening to us. That's not to say we never got in trouble though. It seemed everyone looked out for the kids whether they knew them or not.

Good luck & welcome to the club!

Answer 2

I have been stationed at Fort Carson and Fort Stewart.

They have been doing alot of work on both post on housing. They have updated some are no different then any apartment you will find off post.

Pros. Schools are better on post for the most part due to being overseen by the goverment rather then local community. Traffic is another big plus on post. It used to take me 20 - 30 min to get to work at Fort Stewart and I lived less then a mile from the back gate. Another plus is no rent. Of course you do lose your BAH but it balances out.

Cons Main con is that there are certain rules you must follow. But if you take care of your area then there is nothing to worry about.

My advice unless you are going to buy a house you are better on post then off. By the way both post have a pretty long waiting list for housing you should contact them and find out how long.

By the way I lived on post at Fort Stewart for 3 years and no one ever came to inspect my house.

Answer 3

I've done both, and I LOVE living on base, even though I can get a bigger and nicer home off base.

On base, the only bills I have are those I incur- phone and cable. I love being surrounded by other people who share my lifestyle and values. I like being behind post gates. The social aspects of living on post are fantastic if you take advantage of them. It's really a community. You have access to maintainance if needed, and you usually have a yard of some sort.

Off post, you're able to get away from the military, but it's more expensive. Depending on your rank, it can be very difficult to find a home, and you might only afford a slum house or an apartment.

Tell him to do a web search for BAH rates for the areas. We can't remember the website at the moment. You can pull it up, and it will tell you the BAH (basic allowance for quarters) at any given post. You can use that to search housing rates in the area to find out what you can afford. That should help with your decision. I'd live on post anytime. I've previously served as a mayor, and I like to get involved. I love the sense of community!

Answer 4

My son's family is at Fort Drum & they chose on base.
They have a 2000 sq ft duplex with a 1 car garage & lots of neighbors for their daughter to play with. The wives spend a lot of time together & the families have dinner 2-3 times a week together. When the weather is bad (they have 21 inches of snow in the last 4 days) the base roads are kept clear. They even furnish them with snow blowers for their driveway & walkway.
My son can come home after putting his men through workouts in morning & shower, eat & etc. He is a Captain. They are close to hospital, store, gym & etc. They are only a short distance from town but base has more to do for them. The utilities are included in their housing so they save a lot too. They feel they chose right being on base but you must decide for yourself. The biggest benefit I see is that during deployment the wives hang tough together & impressively I might add. When there is a question of safety of one of the men, the others are there for them so they are never alone. Good luck!

Answer 5

Long term living off base if you own the home. Most duty stations last 3 years. US Tax law makes it possible for a husband and wife to sell a property tax free up $500,000 ($250,000 if single every two years you can do this.) as long as they have live there for two years within a 5 year period.
So you get a mortgage for $1000 a month and the Government pays for it over three year time giving you equity of $36,000 if the even if the home doesn't appreciate you have a profit of $36,000 less the cost to sell. Well under the taxable limit. how many of you would like a 36K Bonus every 3 years, hello. Well worth the trouble over a 20 year career.

Answer 6

Well, you wont get either until you are married. But perks to living on post are... Closer to the soldiers place of duty
no utilities
low cost housing
being around others who are in the same situtuation as yourself

Housing on post is a privilege, not a right.. You have to follow rules of the installation and housing. Your yard and house must be kept to a standard.

Answer 7

Pro: Security, community, and close to work (unless you're a spouse working somewhere else). You may also be close to the commissary, the gym, the base "park" or recreation area. You don't have to pay utilities (gas, electric, water)

Con: Some base housing is low in quality. Can be more expensive than off-base and you can't build equity. You have to follow base rules such as how to maintain your lawn (but that's no different that some neighborhoods off base). You have to escort visitors and get them a pass (you're suppose to at least).

Answer 8

On Base there is no perks except being close to where your duty assignment is. Living off post you get paid for seperate rations and housing allowance. Overall after getting married, my wife and I preferred living off post because we bought a mobile home.

Answer 9

After being in the army for 3 years I think living off post is better than living on post. If you live off post you get BAH(Money to do so). Also you can get away from the military life a little bit wich was very important for my husband and I. Also the SGT.s dont check your house or apt like do if u lived on post. Also you dont have to have ur yard army standards, like you do if you lived on post.
The cons of living off post is that you have to travle more to work and back and you will have to wake up earler. I lived like 5 miles from base but it took me like 15 min with all the trafic and going through the checkpoints

Answer 10

Depends on the base, ie condition, space, proximity to other things. I say if all of the above are satisfactory go w/ base housing. If money is tight go w/ base housing. Benefits=close to work, good/safe schools if you have schl. age children-lots of activities for them. Safe for you if your husband will be away ie training, deployment, etc. Big bases have lots of amenities on base, don't have to pay for utilities, frees funds up for other things. cons= you don't own it, conditions may be less than desirable depending on the base. Visit the base and weigh your options- don't forget to consider the quality of home you can buy/rent for the BAH in your area.

Answer 11

what base are you deciding on living on or off of? i am a military spouse and can't help you till you tell me the base dear, ok,

we are deciding that same thing, we are moving there in nov.dec, so i hope you get some good answers about ft carson! we are defintely going there! take care! travel safe-


scratch that, here is the website, check it out for yourself. iknow on carson, i found out that its privatized, which means after a certain amout in eletricity etc... you have to pay if you go over that amount they alot you. weird. hope this link helps you.

don't go to ft. lee, thats were we are and we hate it. housing sucks and the people are mean, i mean really hateful. no family support and they don't care about you at all


almost 8yrs army here, hoooah!!!