Yet another USAF Family moving to Anchorage (Wasilla, Palmer: rentals, how much)

[Lconrad]

From San Antonio! Just got orders and my wife and I along with our 2 kids will be moving there in November. This one kind of caught us by surprise but we're excited none the less. Our first order of business is to sell the house we have here but after reading all the threads here we're also trying to figure out if we want to buy up there or just rent. Base housing looks to have just single garages and with 2 motorcycles and a Quad along with her vehicle that can be parked inside we are looking for a 2 car set up.
-Lee

[AKNana]

Lee,
Welcome, and good luck on your transition. Alaska will be a striking change from TX. No simple answer to rent vs buy. With the current low interest rates it may be less expensive to buy, but there are so many variables. If your needs are simple, you have no pets, you're not terribly picky, and/or you plan to be in the area 2 years or less, it probably would make more sense to rent. However, for 3-4 years, have pets and/or specific needs, you will find more selection buying. A two car garage should not be hard to find either way, and three car garages are fairly common.

[sdodd]

Hey we are a AF family moving up there too from San Antonio haha, i think there is another family coming from SA too going to Elmendorf.

[browncoatflan]

We're moving up from San Antonio to Elmendorf, RNLT is Aug., but we're leaving here June 11 and spending some quality vacation time on the road up there. We won't actually leave for AK until the end of July, from WI.

We don't know what we're doing about a house yet. We WANT to buy, because we're 99% sure that this is where we're finally going to put down roots, but we don't know how much house we're going to be able to afford there- really don't want to buy a place made of 2x4's and drywall if we don't have to. We're more timber-frame type people.

That said.. we're still looking at rentals just in case a miracle doesn't happen and the perfect house at the perfect price doesn't just drop into our waiting palms... We are NOT looking on base, though.... I have issues with how I want our BAH spent, and it isn't on a place where I have to share a wall with someone else if I can possibly help it.


Shan

[Lconrad]

Small world big time! Our RNLTD is 1 Dec and we are leaving here tenatively 10 Nov and stopping to see her fam in southern Idaho along the way. Still not sure if we're going to just ship both vehicles and fly up there or what. We're mil to mil so I agree 100% with the way our BAH is spent but everything up there is quite expensive. I have just been surfing some web-listings around the Eagle River Wasilla area but I'm afraid Wasilla might be too far of a drive.

[mwachel]

I just got here about a week ago from Las Vegas. I was here from 1997-2001 and loved it so much that I am now BACK for 11 years! WOO HOO!

[mwachel]

Originally Posted by Lconrad

Small world big time! Our RNLTD is 1 Dec and we are leaving here tenatively 10 Nov and stopping to see her fam in southern Idaho along the way. Still not sure if we're going to just ship both vehicles and fly up there or what. We're mil to mil so I agree 100% with the way our BAH is spent but everything up there is quite expensive. I have just been surfing some web-listings around the Eagle River Wasilla area but I'm afraid Wasilla might be too far of a drive.

Before you even think of Wasilla and Palmer...make the drive a couple of times to see what you think about it. Some people don't mind it and some hate it. Then you can add up to an extra hour during snow and slippery conditions. I have a friend that bought a house out there then after a couple of years got tired of the drive and rented his house and moved to town. My squadron has a van that takes people back and forth so you might want to check on that for your squadron.

[Lconrad]

That's awesome! I'm not sure what SQ I'll be heading to, right now it's just listed as 3rd Maintenance Grp and she'll be heading to the med grp.