Has anyone had experience with base housing at Laughlin? I talked to a lady at the housing office about what kind of house I would get as a married captain with one kid. She said it would be a 2 bed, 1 bath floor plan, which doesn't make any sense to me. Captain BAH can afford a really nice in-town house, so why would we get one of the smallest floor plans they offer?

I've also heard the houses are old and nasty. Any truth to that?

The houses aren't that bad. But you should not accept anything less than a 3 bedroom 2 bath floor plan. granted the third bedroom is kinda small, it's not that bad. They are starting to replace all of the older floors with now hardwood style linoleum which is pretty sharp. It's common to have to wait a few weeks at least in TLF until your house gets ready.

Edited July 28, 201510 yr by BUM15

Cool, thanks. I don't PCS until next year, but when she said we would get a 2 bedroom house I completely tuned her out. I'll give her a call tomorrow and try to see if it's an option to only have a 3 bedroom.

Buy off base. You'll be glad you aren't in a dump and you won't have the annoying buzz of T-6s flying overhead. You can get a mortgage for less than your BAH.

I wouldn't tie myself to anything in Del Rio.

Did you buy a house there? Have issues selling it? It's not that difficult

I definitely don't want to buy anything and I don't mind the sound. I'll only be there for UPT and heading out again, so I don't want to get tied down to a house there.

I've been in housing for two years now, it's decent. What's best is the 4 min bike ride to work. If your in UPT, you'll get a two bed/one bath attached house (another UPTer/young FAIP). If you have kids, they'll probably give you a three bedroom. If your just going through UPT, I wouldn't sweat the smaller house, you'll only see it for 12 hrs a day. PM me if you have any more questions.

I remember visiting a full bird Colonel in Laughlin base housing and thinking what sh!t it was vs what my Capt BAH got me in the market. I thought the base housing sucked price vs quality.

I remember visiting a full bird Colonel in Laughlin base housing and thinking what sh!t it was vs what my Capt BAH got me in the market. I thought the base housing sucked price vs quality.

Solid...value added comment. People don't live on base because it makes financial sense. It's a convienence thing.

Solid...value added comment. People don't live on base because it makes financial sense. It's a convienence thing.

Yup. And during UPT at XL you're much better off living on base. Nothing worth living at in Del Rio is close to the gate.

If you were back as an IP, then I would suggest living in town.

Concur.
As a student, I'd highly recommend living on base. The 2-3 minute commute is worth a lot within a student schedule.
Also, since it is a relatively short term thing, the financials don't make as much sense to buy. On-base housing wasn't anything to write home about, but it served its purpose.

I don't mind the on base housing. The quick drive to work and cheap rate kept me from buying off base. I pay 1575 and my BAH is 1850 or so. I can't complain other than the fact I wish I could park my boat in front of the housing during the week. It isn't luxury but it works as intended.

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So you don't have to pay your entire BAH for base housing? I've only ever seen base housing take all of it regardless of the house you're in.

So you don't have to pay your entire BAH for base housing? I've only ever seen base housing take all of it regardless of the house you're in.

Depends on if the privatized housing has started to include utilities into rent or not. Back in '09-ish when I was living in housing there, utilities were included in rent. Shortly after I left, utilities were not completely included and rent covered a portion of utilities. Anything above the allotted amount, you had to pay out of pocket.

Others won't charge you for utilities at all and leave you on your own to pay with what's left over from BAH after they've taken the amount for rent. I can't completely remember what XL went to but I'm fairly certain the first half of my post covers it appropriately.

Edited July 30, 201510 yr by Truman08

I was a married but geographically separated from my spouse Lt/Capt. I got a three-bedroom duplex to myself. Most of my married with kids Lt/Capt friends had 3 bedroom duplexes and some had the four-bedroom houses. Nothing special, that's for sure. convenience was the only reason I lived on based instead of the market.

As of this year, housing includes rent and utilities. The utilities were an allotment from the rent. If you used less, you got a rebate. If you used more, you paid more. I pocketed about $200-$300 in utilities by the time I left.

They were struggling to fill NCO housing so people got a break to go into those homes and pay less than BAH. Good luck.

Edited July 30, 201510 yr by Egghead

So you don't have to pay your entire BAH for base housing? I've only ever seen base housing take all of it regardless of the house you're in.

It depends when I moved here they gave me two choices: a duplex for 1550 or a stand alone for 1850. They were both about the same size so I went with the cheaper option. As for utilities it's mentioned already but right now I have about a $300 positive balance on the account. Guess we will see what happens as it gets hotter.

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So you don't have to pay your entire BAH for base housing? I've only ever seen base housing take all of it regardless of the house you're in.

They have to go off of "market value". If you get a 3/2 you'll pay max which is around the 1575. If i would have taken a 2/2 I'd be making money but it wasn't enough. You'll end up on the O side if you have the family and it isn't that bad. Most studs live on the E side and room together.

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