Each year we see one military family experience the perfect move. They had six months warning and their pack out dates were perfectly aligned with the end of their lease. They had a gorgeous house waiting on the other end and had a door-to-door move with the best moving company ever.
And then we all see the family that got orders a week before their report date, that was literally laughed at by transportation when they asked for their pack dates and arrived at their new duty station with barely enough time to make a hotel reservation.
House hunting is frustrating on a good day. It’s downright terrible when you’ve had a last-minute move and no time to plan. And it’s made infinitely worse when you are crammed into a run-down hotel room on base with your three kids, dog, and a decent amount of your earthly possessions.
But what if there was another option? What if you could stay in a house with a real kitchen, a bathroom door with a lock, and a backyard? Wouldn’t that make the pressure of house hunting subside just a little bit?
Yes!
Enter Military Crashpad®®, a full-service house that rents rooms individually to people traveling, on orders, or for any reason to a military installation. You can unpack, sleep in real beds, cook real food, and have a “home base” to house hunt from.
They are close to base so your service member can start in processing. They are fully-stocked so you don’t have to pack linens, air mattresses, or your coffee maker. They have big TVs, cable, and Wi-Fi so everyone can unwind at the end of the day. They even have maid service so that you can treat yourself to a little vacation too!
So now that we’ve got where you’ll stay while house hunting is taken care of, let’s talk a little bit about what to look for when on the search for that “perfect right now” house.
1. Budget – There can be a lot of discussion on budgets when it comes to house hunting. A good rule of thumb is that your house payment should not be more than 25% of your monthly take-home pay.
2. Location – When you arrive at your new duty station, take a day or two to drive around and see where things are located. You want to make sure your new house is close to work, school, and all of the other things you like.
3. Neighborhood – Drive through the potential area and see what it looks like during the day, and night. Does it take 10 minutes to get to the main road? Are there kids playing everywhere? Take all of this into consideration.
4. Exterior Look – Sometimes we settle for a house that is less than our dream house because we know it isn’t forever. But you should still like the way it looks and it should still fit what you need.
5. Floor Plan – Does this house have enough bedrooms? Is it laid out in a way that makes sense for your family? Think about the things you need and make sure this house has them. Then you can move on to the things you want, the luxuries.
6. Storage Options – We know what it’s like to have footlockers everywhere, but what if this house doesn’t have a garage? Think about where you’re going to store the things you aren’t using in this house. Storage units can get expensive and annoying when moving in and out.
Hopefully, you’ll find that perfect (for now) house quickly, but by having a Crash Pad to go home to each night, you’ll be less likely to take the first thing that you find out of sheer desperation. You can also stay in the Crash Pad until your household goods can be delivered, giving your back a break from those air mattresses. Good luck on your last-minute move!
Written by Rebecca Alwine Exclusively for Military Crashpad®
