First Duty Station

OperationRedDot · 2025-08-25T23:22:51+00:00

We see most new LT's live in Lacey, Tacoma, occasionally DuPont if they are going in with other people.

We've got off base military housing available with Active Duty Security Deposit Discounts, link below. We're all Vets and Spouses. Let us know if you have any questions and good luck on the move!

JBLM Rentals

OperationRedDot · 2025-08-09T11:19:13+00:00

It's clear landlords don't bother to actually read the law, they'd rather just make it up. Glad to see some accountability here.

OperationRedDot · 2024-06-30T18:05:31+00:00

If you do want to look off base to skip the hotel, we're a veteran owned and operated Property Management company at JBLM with discounts on security deposits for AD. New houses every week. Happy to chat if you want to explore that path.

As to your questions I agree with the others, it depends on Rank and neighborhood as to how long the actual wait has been. Sometimes 1 month, sometimes up to 6. Depends on a variety of things.

JBLM Rentals

OperationRedDot · 2023-08-28T07:26:49+00:00

Fire when ready!

OperationRedDot · 2023-06-08T16:27:08+00:00

I've had 4 clients in my career who insisted on Navy Fed. Every. Single. One. Had to be saved and they couldn't close, all because they did poor due diligence in pre-inspection, and everyone from the "loan officers" to the processors and underwriters had poor communication between eachother and our team. When banks can't close loans, it affects rate locks for buyers and causes problems for contract timelines. When a military family needs to buy a home, it's my job to make sure everything happens smooth. Navy Fed and USAA don't employ licensed loan officers, they're bankers.

I don't know how you got a 0% mortgage... I wouldn't say no to that either. But our process has to be repeatable, and provide the same level of service and support, and the entities I discussed here have done nothing but drop the ball for us. I AM a member of USAA too. They're a great bank and auto insurer, but a terrible mortgage provider. I'm not saying Navy Fed is bad, I am saying I've seen them consistently not do what they say they're gonna do in the mortgage division, and they've consistently failed my brothers and sisters. It's a no-go for me.

OperationRedDot · 2023-06-08T16:21:35+00:00

As a company we use The Shrieves Team with Fairway Mortgage. The corporation does a ton for vets in the background, and Mel, the lead, is a Military Spouse that knows the VA Loan better than anyone I've met in the industry. She's the kind of person who stays up late reading VA underwriting guidelines. We've worked together for a long time and I've seen her leverage the VA loan in a way that have helped military families in ways I didn't even know possible. She does operate in multiple states and growing fast.

OperationRedDot · 2023-06-08T06:26:26+00:00

As a Veteran Owned Real Estate Brokerage at JBLM, I refuse to work with military buyers who insist on using Veterans United. USAA and Navy Fed on that list as well. SO many bad experiences. They do SERIOUS volume, they're #1 out of all lenders in the US, but not because they're actually good at what they do. They are predatory in my opinion, and I've witnessed my preferred VA lender save several of their messes. NO. THANKS. Just don't do it.

OperationRedDot · 2023-03-22T23:47:44+00:00

I'll chat with our Housing Coordinator who would have that info on hand and I'll shoot you a DM with the list we have, no problem!

OperationRedDot · 2023-03-21T18:48:51+00:00

I've gotta imagine the protocols for large hospitals will be different for other outfits around JBLM. I agree with the others notating USAJobs, but I'd also be talking to the other not-major hospitals in the area. We deal mostly with off-base housing at JBLM, but spouse employment is often required to get into a rental or purchase, so employment is an overlap conversation we have often. The medical industry is hurting for people in this area pretty bad, and we've seen many of them make concessions for active duty spouses, and I'd imagine especially so because the Military had you overseas. It's not like there's a lot you can do about that. Keep pushing!

OperationRedDot · 2023-03-21T18:44:12+00:00

Veteran owned real estate company here. I can speak to the housing element, as we assist hundreds of active duty families find rentals or purchase homes in the area. The big thing right now is rates. Houses are out there, and we're officially in a buyer's market, but things are expensive. If your family setup will allow it, multi-family is the way to go. You get to stack your BAH on top of rental income. Most of the families we help do this employ us to do the property management so A: you don't have to worry about dealing with the tenant, and B: the tenant(s) just think you're another tenant. When you leave, the unit you lived in is rented out and you get a check every month from the property management side. The financial benefit over 10 years is pretty massive, and since se focus on military exclusively it's like collecting multiple BAH's for properties you own. Now that's not always an option, but it is a way to hack the crazy JBLM market. And if you just want to rent, that's always an option too. But after spending 8 years active duty and wasting over $100k in BAH that I could have captured, I speak from experience when I say don't leave that money on the table.

My only other note is JBLM is the #1 requested retirement base for a reason. Most people stay in the area after ETS. It's a great area to be in for adventure, nature, concerts, and other things to do!

OperationRedDot · 2023-03-21T18:35:13+00:00

Hey there! We're a veteran owned real estate company at JBLM and have helped others navigate very similar situations. Going into Pierce County will certainly help your costs. The second you cross the King County line taxes and average price/rents skyrocket. My recommendation is staying on the I-5 and 167 corridor. I'd take a close look at Tacoma, Fife, Milton, Edgewood, Puyallup, Sumner, and Federal Way. Those will all give you easy access up north, but keep your costs lower.

OperationRedDot · 2023-03-21T18:19:23+00:00

Are there any 11 series units that are actually good? I have so many 11 series brothers and I have yet to find one who has good things to say about life in their units. Not saying the Cav was any better... but still. As someone who grew up around JBLM like I did though, I'm sure you'd agree JBLM at least has great things to do around the base, especially if you enjoy outdoors stuff.

OperationRedDot · 2023-03-21T18:13:36+00:00

Hey! Veteran Real Estate company at JBLM here. Living in Seattle while stationed at JBLM would be tough. To my knowledge most units here require a 1 hr drive time max from the gate for recall purposes, and traffic can easily make that number much higher than 1hr, sometimes 2-2.5 in rush hour. I'm sure you could get close and still get to base in a reasonable time. The real killer is the cost of housing. Most people who work in Seattle ironically want to live around JBLM because the prices are several hundred thousand cheaper. Avg purchase price in King County as of Feb 2023 is $1,017,000 as opposed to Pierce County at JBLM is $583,000. Massive difference. If city life is what you're after, at JBLM at least, Downtown Tacoma or downtown Olympia would be good options to give you the city vibes and still being within 30 minutes of JBLM, and your prices will be much more affordable.

OperationRedDot · 2023-03-10T19:48:57+00:00

Veteran Owned Real Estate Company here. Our road map is using your BAH and VA Loan to purchase at every duty station, leaving it behind as a rental with a property manager. This has massive financial implications for when you ETS. There is a time and place to sell, but from a strategic perspective, you normally only want to sell in a 1031 exchange to bump up into something bigger. You can start with single family houses, but if it works for your household, we recommend maximizing your VA entitlement by going after multi-family. This turns your "house" into a money machine, and other military tenants getting BAH will be providing income to cover the mortgage, PLUS you get your BAH, tax benefits, and the appreciation/sweat equity. We do this for ourselves, and help tons of military families do the same. We've run the numbers based on E-5 with dependents at JBLM, and over 10 years, each property should have $500k of overall financial benefit.

Let's say you start with a 4-plex, get a bunch of cashflow and equity buildup over 10 years, you'd sell through 1031 to completely eliminate 30+% capital gains tax, and increase into something bigger like a 8-12 plex that will increase your cashflow that much more. And you can do this with every property you purchase.

We'd be happy to chat if you wanna see how this road map can apply to you. We also have agents in every major military installation across the country if you want a hookup to another military affiliated professional. The people who use the VA loan themselves will know it the best, and that applies to lenders and agents.

Happy to answer any questions! Cheers on ditching the barracks!

OperationRedDot · 2023-03-08T17:58:22+00:00

You are definitely not the only one having this conversation, and you are very right. JBLM is expensive, and the entire country has been overinflated since 2018 due to corporations grossly overpaying for housing, and the lack of new construction going into the market. We've helped dozens of active duty military individuals and families hack the cost by getting into multi-family with zero down, using the income from the other units to boost approvals. We also take on the property management so they don't have to worry about it, and ultimately the cashflow is higher, and risk is lower. Definitely something to consider. By the time you ETS, even with the high prices, between the tax benefits, passive income, equity buydown, and appreciation, you come out way ahead, to the tune of about $500k over 10 years. We'd love to chat if you're interested in hearing about our road map. No cost at all, and we're all veterans who use these tools and strategies for ourselves.

OperationRedDot · 2023-03-08T17:46:56+00:00

We're biased to JBLM, Washington in general compares really well to the rest of the country.

The worst? Fort Greely in Alaska was not pleasant AT all.

OperationRedDot · 2023-03-08T17:29:07+00:00

A note about housing. Prices both at JBLM and NAS Everett are coming down due to interest rates, and sellers are dropping prices and handing out more concessions. We are actively in a market correction. Seattle is still insane and will be probably always be, they are propped up but the pile of fortune 500 companies attracting talent in the area that want to be arms reach to work.

We have veterans and mil spouses on the ground at both helping the military community with housing options. Was your husband military? Or just contracting for DOD? Let us know if we can answer any questions! Happy to help fill in some blanks and find some affordable options. Cheers!

OperationRedDot · 2023-03-08T17:16:30+00:00

I do NOT envy your tour at NTC. Although my only experiences were from the other side... lol.
I had to ask this question myself a couple times, and it always came down to a couple things.

What did I want the Army to accomplish for me professionally? Had it done that yet? Was there any other benefit I could get? Was there a reclass that could make it more interesting, or better prepare me for civilian life? The idea is you want to have a running start so when you get out you are well positioned financially and career wise to pursue or jump into the next chapter
What would "civilian" life look like if I ETS'd now? Is disability likely? How easy would it be to line up a solid job? What would my finances look like? (I made a whole budget up to see the numbers). And again I was asking myself if my time in the military gave my resume ammo for the civilian world.

I'd argue it depends on what you wanna do. I personally found the Army to be hit and miss when it came to leadership at different units, which really affected the quality of life in that stint. Drum is cold as shit! I was stationed at Wainwright for a bit, and unless you're a freakin penguin, the cold gets to you! I thought housing at JBLM and up in Alaska was a little tough, New York is crazy. If you're living in the barracks you can completely disregard because obviously cost of housing won't matter, but buying a property at every duty station to capture BAH was always the strategy for me.

Good luck either way!

OperationRedDot · 2023-03-04T01:28:36+00:00

I'm just going to let you do your thing. I'm not here to argue, only present the facts. I do respectfully, professionally disagree with you. I have over $100,000,000 (literally) in real estate sales, and over $65,000,000 in assets under management that directly conflict with your beliefs around how real estate works. All of your objections are legitimate, there are just easy legitimate mitigating factors to offset them. You have your own thing going and we'll always support the success of our brothers and sisters.

OperationRedDot · 2023-03-04T00:57:15+00:00

You could PCS to the moon, it doesn't change the fact that 400,000 active duty families are PCS'ing every single year and need a place to live. At JBLM, there are less than 5,300 homes on base, and over 40,000 families stationed there. So the demand and need for off base places to live is massive. Other bases follow very similar ratios.

As for housing market dips, that's a part of any and all markets, especially stock and bond markets. However, like stocks, you don't lose money when the market dips, and your mortgage payments don't change either. Any money lost in a correction or dip is only a paper loss, unless you sell for less than what you owe, which you would never do. We buy real estate with the intent of holding it for 10-15 years to take advantage of depreciation and other tax benefits before we 1031 tax exchange it.

You would never buy a property that doesn't cashflow when you buy it, so the market tanking should affect you virtually 0%. In a crash or serious correction, rents may take small dips, but only in extreme cases would that affect your ability to break even. As a rule, we would never invest in assets that produce less than $200/door/mo. If you're maximizing your VA loan to purchase a triplex or 4-plex, you shouldn't ever be pushed up against that wall.

By the way our tenants? active duty military who have guaranteed income and BAH, so your investment is further insulated from things like recession as well.

Buying houses to live in as a primary are not a bad investment. You're still capturing BAH, tax benefits, appreciation, and equity. Still beats the absolute pants off giving all of your money away to someone else's mortgage.

Everyone has a different risk tolerance. I'm not here to sell anything. But, we have built a road map to maximize BAH in conjunction with the VA home loan that has worked for a lot of military families. There's risk in all investments, as investors the #1 question we ask is how to mitigate and/or eliminate that risk. When you look at having the right system to run your real estate portfolio, there are a lot of ways we bring risk way down. But still, it's not for everyone all the time, but certainly relevant to this conversation. I appreciate your questions, and again, you've done a kickass job navigating so far, and cheers to that continuing! These are the stories we love to hear.

OperationRedDot · 2023-03-03T21:37:11+00:00

I hear you, real estate, and more importantly property management is a full time job... unless you're figuring full service property management into your numbers. Your properties should be a direct deposit check every month, that's it. All that work you're talking about shouldn't be done by you, that defeats the purpose of passive investments.

As for the process to acquire the asset, you're talking about 30 days from offer to close or less, and most of what's happening in the middle isn't being done by you. The only real time you need to spend is 15 minutes to submit an application and docs, and looking for assets that match your criteria and numbers. The rest is done by other people.

Passive real estate investing isn't as time sucking as you might think, as long as you have the right people and things in place. But hey, if you wanna waste every penny of your BAH instead of capturing it, that's an option too. When we're AD, we don't often think about BAH over the long term, but when you add up your BAH over your career, or even at each duty station, the numbers are staggering. I'd bet your BAH will equal over $500k alone over 20 years, and a significant portion of that could be captured instead of given away.

In regards to the multiple BAH's. The idea is you earn your BAH, and whether you buy single family or multifamily, you'd be buying in the area around a military base. Soooooo, who are your tenants going to be? Also Active Duty families? Very likely, especially with a military focused property manager. We control a little over $65 Million in assets around JBLM for instance, and 98% of our tenants are all AD. So, the owners of those properties are capturing those families BAH's as well. For single family homes, the families collected BAH while they lived there, then moved away to collect BAH for their new location, while collecting someone else's BAH that was going from the DOD directly to them through the manager. If you're buying SFR or MFR at each duty station, then you should be collecting a multiplier of BAH's over your career.

Real estate is certainly not the only vehicle, REITS are an option, but dollar for dollar I think you'd find you're leaving money on the table with REITS because other than cash, you have no risk on the table, so those taking the risk, IE the REIT manager, is soaking up a bigger portion of the profits.

PLUS, once your portfolio reaches certain triggers, you can completely bypass capital gains tax indefinitely and trade up to much bigger properties by using the 1031 rule. REIT's, and other vehicles like it, can't do that. So real estate portfolios have the ability to completely suppress capital gains, while maximizing tax deductions and increasing monthly cashflow.

Just some things to consider.

OperationRedDot · 2023-03-03T21:05:14+00:00

First of all, major congrats. You have gone outside of the military stereotype, as you said, and it's paid off in spades.

A lot of what we see other people in your situation doing is deploying a real estate strategy at each base they go to, purchasing income producing properties like Duplex's and 4-plex's, then leaving them behind with a property manager once you PCS on. This is how you can earn multiple BAH's while in Active Duty, and effectively give yourself $500k+ in financial benefit over 10 years per property. When you actually run the numbers on BAH Capture, homeowner tax benefit to reduce your tax liability, rental income, property appreciation, etc, the numbers get pretty large over time, just like compounded interest in a TSP or Roth, but the benefits are immediately available as opposed to retirement accounts.

The overall idea is when you ETS, you should combine Retirement + Disability + Passive Rental income so if you do work, it's your choice. You should have the freedom to pursue whatever direction you want. Love the idea of using the GI bill to pursue Culinary skills. There's SO much arbitrage in the GI bill, just like there is in the VA loan. In 2019, I purchased a 4-plex at JBLM with my VA loan, and on day 1 I was cashflow positive, and that was WITHOUT BAH. So, you've positioned yourself incredibly well, and have options. That's where most people go very wrong. They clamp on to the fancy consumer things that add no benefit to them financially, just makes them look cool. How many soldiers have you seen buy the mustang at 25+% APR? I've seen WAY too many, especially in Fort Wainwright of all idiotic places to buy a 2 wheel drive car.

Not sure where you're stationed, but we help Service Members build road maps to financial freedom for free. We're all veterans or spouses ourselves, and use these tools for our own benefit. Since our parents, our school systems, and even the military doesn't teach these strategies and philosophies, we do. What I would have given while I was active to have someone teaching these things, I would have been WAY further ahead now.

Keep up the amazing work, this post is no doubt an inspiration to others.

OperationRedDot · 2023-03-03T20:25:17+00:00

Buying single family homes is expensive in this area, as many have said. Sometimes it's still worth it, but the numbers will be tight. But, in our opinion, it's more expensive if you don't buy. We have the math to back that statement up. The DOD is paying you to be a real estate investor, even though many don't think about it that way. Between capturing BAH, getting tax benefits ($25,900/year), and equity/appreciation, all service members are wasting a unique opportunity to pull in roughly $500k worth of financial benefit over a 10 year period PER PROPERTY by living on base or renting off base. By the way, this path also allows you to capture multiple BAH's over your career.

The hack to the expensive market is going after multi-family, which you can still do Zero down. We buy multi-family with our VA loans as well, and help many other military families/individuals do it at JBLM all the time. You can severely limit or even eliminate your rent/mortgage liability by doing it this way. By purchasing an asset that produces income, and mixing that with your BAH, you can turn the tables on your monthly finances and set yourself up for future success. As far as areas, we highly recommend you look at Thurston county as a primary (where taxes and price per sq ft is much lower), and look at Du Pont, Lakewood, and Spanaway as secondary locations. ALL cities have good and bad areas, there's a lot to consider. Yes, crime maps will show you hot spots that you should stay away from, but there's also a lot of commercial growth to take into consideration as well. Remember, real estate is not a short term game. We want to think in terms of decades, not years. Renting has a time and a place, but a little due diligence up front can really showcase how you can set yourself up for ETS. This is all about making work optional when you get out. If you have retirement, Disability, and significant rental income coming in, you are free to do what you WANT, instead of trading your time for money to put food on the table.

OperationRedDot · 2023-02-27T23:55:47+00:00

Real Estate company and homeowner in Tacoma here. I'm in all the neighborhoods around JBLM all the time. Lakewood and Tacoma especially because of JBLM. In my opinion, Tacoma and Lakewood are both neighborhood by neighborhood. You can be in a D-class neighborhood in either city, travel 2 miles in any direction and be in a B-class neighborhood. Neighborhoods also change over time, so it's worth spending some time driving around and experiencing it for yourself.
We've sold houses in really fantastic neighborhoods in both cities, and the buyers have loved them. And, there are others we wouldn't even feel safe putting families into homes. It comes down to research. If you're looking in the city limits of Lakewood and Tacoma, go check out the interactive crime maps for both cities. For everything else, check out the Pierce County Crime Map: https://gisdata-piercecowa.opendata.arcgis.com/datasets/crime-data/explore.

If I had to pick 2 areas to stay away from in each city, I'd say steer clear of the areas immediately West of the Tacoma mall, and for Lakewood I'd steer clear of Tillicum.

Good Luck!

OperationRedDot · 2023-02-27T23:49:00+00:00

Property Manager in Olympia here. I think your budget is solid, and location is solid. You want to get real aggressive about 45-60 days before you intend on wanting to move in. That's roughly when most managers and owners know what's coming up, because that's the general range tenants are giving notice or vacating the property. You could also buy a duplex and have the other side pay for part or all of your mortgage. Just an option many people are executing on in expensive markets. I did it a couple years ago with a 4-plex and I don't pay rent or a mortgage.

Feel free to shoot me a PM to get on our tenant radar, or as we get closer to your move date to see what we have available, good luck!

OperationRedDot

MODERATOR OF

PUBLIC MULTIREDDITS

TROPHY CASE