Just found out my husband is going to OCS in May

[ryann24]

Hello, I just found out that my husband is going to OCS in mid May. I feel left in the dark about a lot of information. We are currently stationed in Virginia Beach and I am under the understanding that we cannot move until he gets orders cut 2 weeks prior to OCS graduation? I don't know what the waiting list is like for housing there and I am also concerned as to when we should sell our house and plan to move to Pensacola. If you have any tips that can help me with this transition I would really appreciate it! Thanks

 

[Sabre170]

I am in OCS right now and will graduate in a couple of weeks. I would recommend not moving down here until AFTER he graduates. If he is going to be an SNFO or SNA then you will get a chance to move down he after OCS... he will have some time to locate houseing.

P'Cola is still recovering from IVAN and there is still a shortage of housing. Apartments have waiting lists and the housing market has gone up 20% since IVAN. I am currently looking for a house to rent and find rent rates are all high.

As far as selling your house, I would recommend putting it on the market when your husband reaches the last phase of OCS (Candidate Officer phase), once he gets to that point he will be graduating... some people get rolled and spend more time here than originally planned

 

[ryann24]

thanks

I appreciate the info. Any info anyone can give me on Pensacola is greatly appreciated. I have heard that there is some problems with housing/availability there.

 

[ThetaWife]

I would call around apartment complexes and ask what their waits are. I know when we moved here at the end of Jan. waits were up to three months at the "good" apts. Let me know if you would like some of the names of the liveable complexes to help you narrow your search.

 

[ryann24]

I would appreciate at that so much. Looking on line can be so deceiving because they make them look so nice. I am more concerned about the area we live in. I am sure base housing it is not even an option especially with waiting list. Thanks a lot for your help!

 

[ThetaWife]

These are a few of the nice complexes. Let me know if you need any other information I would be glad to help.

Austin Wood, Fairfield Lakes** closest to the base.
Kings Mill, Governors Gate** about 20-25 minutes away from the base but close to things in town.
Marcus Pointe** 20 minutes and near town.
Villages at Southern Oaks** these are really nice but not close to town and about 25 minutes to the base.

 

[crysmc]

Cassie (Thetawife) has some really great info on rental properties in Pensacola! I myself did some apartment shopping this past weekend and found that Austinwood has a 3 month waiting list... and a few of the other complexes were full. The Villages at Southern Oaks people kind of scared me... especially when the girl in the office equated poor people to the devil.... Anyhow, I've heard that houses are hard to find in the area right now and from the research I did a few weeks back, that was true. However, the housing situation there is always changing, so you might have better luck than me. Just keep calling around to different places and you will find something! Also, it never hurts to get in touch with a realtor to help you!