Well, when we PCS'd the first time, we were told that we should move on-base, that the off-base houses were so little. Well, we wish that we would have moved off base. We tried to move off-base, but they are not letting anyone off base. The on-base housed have to be 98% full for them to let anyone off. The houses off base are beautiful and stairwell living is for the birds. But, sometimes you don't have a choice, the military has to approve you to live off-base (which I have never seen be a problem, when you get here, it is your choice from what I have seen. I think they give you only three days, once you have checked in to the housing office to find a house. So if you are going to move off base, start looking ASAP and wait until the last min to check in with housing.) There are some pro's and con's to both. I have heard of a lot of people who move on base after awhile of living off base for the main reason of their children. They say that there are not many children off base to play with (and there sure are a lot on base). If you don't have children, I would definitely move off base if you can. There are several people that I have heard of that have never even been off base.....what fun is that? The houses on base are not that bad, except we were on the third floor, that can be fun on grocery day (but you can ask my husband about that, that is his job, LOL!) If you plan to live off base, sell or store all of your 110 appliances, or you will have to have big ugly transformers everywhere. Your big equipment like TV and Stereo should be ok, but less is best. You can find inexpensive new or used 220 appliances everywhere. People are always PCSing. Remember to turn your transformers off and unplug them when not in use. Even if you are not using them and they are on, they still draw about 10% of the electricity...........and that costs you $$$!
** Starting spring of 2002, the housing office has started letting people move off base. I know that if you do decide to move on base, you must stay one year before they will consider you moving off. I am not sure how long they are going to be letting people move off. For the first two years we lived here, they would not let anyone off base once they were on.........we were stuck!
NEW INFORMATION - 2004!!!
I got some information from a local realitor. Please keep in mind that all of the information from this website is to the best of my knowledge and when I find out new information, I will post it. The realtor said that the housing market is extremely tight for off base housing. Everyone from Frankfurt is being transferred here, 5000 troops, as well as every other drawdown area. He said that he has customers signing contracts 3 months before houses are completed. In November, he had a woman call him in tears, she'd been looking for over 2 months, when she finally found the right house 5 others wanted it also and the landlord through their names in a hat & drew one out! People are building like crazy but can't keep up with the demand. As for storage space, housing only pays for what is known as pure "living space" that means that almost no new houses have basements, a land lord isn't going to spend an extra DM 50.000,- to build a cellar if he gets no extra rent, the same goes for garages. He said it is true that most Germans love children, but that doesn't mean they love to rent to people with children. He said I should caution people against bringing pets especially dogs, also huge ATVs that won't fit in a German garage. Bedrooms are usually upstairs with slanted ceilings that won't accommodate US beds with tall headboards. Dining areas are normally small, don't bring a formal dining suite for 12. He also said that I wouldn't believe how many customers he has had who had to turn down great houses because the furniture wouldn't fit. The same with kitchen tables, the kitchens are too small. He also said that you should never bring major 110 appliances ie. fridge freezer washer or dryer, FMO will supply what you need. He also said that you should also be aware that large houses ie 180sqm & up are very hard to come by, but almost everyone wants one. I am glad that this realitor gave me this information so that I could pass it on to you. 3/2010 - Everyone has been moved over to the Ramstein area from Frankfurt for several years now. This still does mean that there are a lot of people in the KMC area so finding housing off base could still be an issue. From what I have been told, there is about a year wait for on base housing.
**My new house off base was easy to find and we moved here in a high PCS'ing season. Our furniture fit, some of it was tight getting up the stairs, but they got it up there. I have a dining room and my table is long and seats 6-8, it fits with no problem.
TIPS!
Now, this is from what I have seen, but from what the realtor said above, things might be different. He would probably know best. I think it is all really up to how lucky you are.
- If you are house hunting, you can check the classifieds on the KA website. You will find that on my links page.
- There are usually always houses available for rent and the Germans are usually really nice to the military.
- I have heard that the Germans are really nice and that they end up treating the children like their own grandchildren. I have also heard that you either love your landlord, or you hate them.
- I am not quite sure how easy it is to find a rental that will except animals. I think it is probably about 50/50. It is good to take your pet with you when you go house hunting so the landlords can meet your pet. Some will take pets even when they said they wouldn't. It doesn't hurt to try.
- You do not need to bring your outside garbage cans, your house will be provided with them.
- The housing office must approve the off-base contract before you sign it.
- Here is an idea of where different villages are in perspective to the bases.
- There are tons of little towns that are close to the bases; you shouldn't have any trouble finding a place off base. Please understand that the school your children will go to is based on which village you are living in.
~Info from others on this topic~
We live off base and totaly LOVE it! I have no regrets whatsoever in choosing to live off base. We live in Hohenecken which is 5 min. from Vogelweh and 10-15 min. from Ramstein. There are many Americans in our village but just as many if not more Germans. I have Germans neighbors directly to my right and 2 doors down from the left. They are GREAT!!
We didn't want to live on base because we wanted our kids to experience Germany to the fullest. We want them to learn the German culture to the extent that we can and to respect the differences between Americans and Germans. I have learned so much by living off base. My eyes have also been opened to a new culture and way of life. While there are many, many similarities between the American and German cultures, there are likewise as many differences.
House hunting can be a nightmare (sorry...I'm not going to sugarcoat it for you!). For some, it may have been very, very easy. I would suggest making a list ahead of time of what you are looking for in terms of a house and to MOST IMPORTANTLY keep in mind - German houses are different than American houses. My house in the states was close to 3200 sq. feet - 5 bedrooms, HUGE kitchen and Dining Room, separate laundry area, huge food pantry, 3.5 baths, gameroom, GIGANTIC master suite and bathroom, etc. I had that "image" in mind when I came here and got really depressed at ALL the houses we looked at. My husband had to gently remind me we were in a different country and things were different. House hunting then became a little easier. I LOVE the house we are in (it is actually a townhouse!) and LOVE our village.
Whatever you decide, make sure you are happy with the choice you make. It is much harder to move to another house after settling in one. Submitted by Debbie G. 2/1/06
(50% of people move at least once during a 3 year tour - housing office)
