Living On Base

FYI: This is just my experience and just some helpful suggestions on how to make your move easier; everyone’s experience is different! 😊

I know there are some WAFs that are blessed to already come from a military background/family, which probably made the transition for your first PCS move easier. I personally did not have that advantage and had no earthly clue of what it would be like to live on a military base, or what housing would actually be like. Looking back now, I am very grateful my husband and I made the decision that we would live in on-base housing for our first PCS! Some factors we personally considered when deciding to live-on base vs. off base were:

Projected cost of living in that area, also known as BAH. Since Buckley AFB is near the Metro-Denver area, it would be much more expensive for us to get the same space of living, off base vs. on-base.
Proximity to workplaces for you/your spouse. (For example, my workplace is a 15-minute max drive to and from base!)
I know to make my transition easier to the military lifestyle/new city, it would be better for me to live on base at first to try it out and see how we both liked it.

Some things I’ve heard other couples consider as well were: what school district their children would attend; the ability to have guests on/off base easily; wanting to be immersed more into the city, instead of the base environment; waiting list time; etc.

Additionally, talk to your assigned sponsor on base! They will most likely be willing to answer questions about the housing situation off/on base and give their recommendations on the subject! For those who happen to be on the wait-list for on-base housing, I’ve heard of other couples where the WAF visited the new city and “shopped” for housing based on their sponsor’s suggestions.

Once we made the decision to live on base, we contacted the housing office. (Contact them as soon as possible so that you can get assigned a home/address to give to your movers!) We were VERY fortunate to not have to be placed on a waiting list (which we’ve heard can be quite long on other bases). They worked very well and efficiently with us, thankfully. One piece of advice would be, to stay on top of all the documents and forms that you have to fill out. About a month before our move-in date, we realized we hadn’t received the documents yet and it turns out they had been in the spam folder all along! They take care of everything, including having the utilities on and ready for your move-in date!

We officially arrived on our base November 4th (Saturday). We chose this date, since my husband’s report for duty date was November 7th (Tuesday). We chose to stay in on-base lodging, which I would recommend in order for you to get acquainted to your new base. We got the keys to our home and a tour on that following Monday (the 6th). Our move-in to our home was a very easy process overall, but our personal complications came afterwards. We had unexplained delays with the moving company the military used for our PCS. Additionally, when our furniture arrived a month later, a large part was broken and we had to file a claim for reimbursement of the damage.

I’ve heard from other couples that they’ve had wonderful experiences with their moving companies, but unfortunately, that wasn’t our case. Some couples even decide to personally contract their own moving company (out-of-pocket cost). My biggest advice to you is to: PLAN and SAVE as much as you can! Moving can be expensive, especially when delays/unexpected expenses pop up!

Pros to living on base:

Having a maintenance team on call for any issues (very prompt!)
Lawn care and maintenance schedule
On-base events (hosted by housing office)
Building friendships and connections with on-base couples/families
Close proximity to active duty spouse’s workplace (most likely located on base too)
Easy access to base facilities (gym, BX, Commissary, etc.)

Cons to living on base:

Not as easy for friends to “come over” and visit you on base (either have to be escorted on by you, or need pass to get on)
Can be difficult to build connections with neighbors (simply based on difference in situations; personally, husband and I don’t have kids and all our neighbors around us have kids)
Immersed more in military environment instead of local city you are stationed in (some families may want to experience living in the city they are in vs. base)

Overall, our experience living on base has been fantastic and we’ve truly enjoyed it. We haven’t yet decided if we will move off-base next year, but it’s great we have both options open! Hoping this posts helps you decide what is best for you and your situation.