Living on-base has some advantages; you are close to everything you need, and you are near your friends and family. Living off-base has advantages as well. You have more options for apartments and houses. When you are trying to make the decision of living on- or off-base, you should consider a few things.
If you are stationed in the San Diego area, military housing in Imperial Beach should be incredibly attractive. The very best companies offer luxury apartments right at the beach. The small town is located right on the southernmost beach city in the United States. It is fourteen miles from downtown San Diego and five miles from downtown Tijuana, Mexico.
If you have a brief stay in San Diego before deploying elsewhere or going home for good, you might look into staying for a month or two in Imperial Beach.
Convenience
If you are only going to be in southern California for a month or so, you might consider military housing off-base. Since you probably do not want to move all of your stuff from one place to the next when you are only staying for a few months, you can put your stuff in storage and stay off-base.
A fully-furnished apartment from the very best companies in southern California means that your apartment will come with a television, DVD player, and much more. Some companies only provide furniture for a fully-furnished apartment, but the best companies provide everything, including pots, pans, plates, silverware, linens, and bedsheets. Everything you need to live comfortably for a few months will be provided.
That means you can carry your clothes into your apartment and be ready to go. You can’t beat the five-minute move-in time.
Luxury
When you are serving in the military, you deserve to have the finer things from time to time. Imperial Beach, California definitely qualifies as one of the finer things. There are over ninety golf courses in the San Diego area. The weather in southern California is pleasant almost year-round, and the beaches are usually not crowded. Miles and miles of white sand will be right outside your door.
Versatility
Because military housing is only going to be temporary, you need it to be flexible. If you are about to ship to another location, you might need it for a month or so. However, if your deployment date changes, you can change the terms of your contract.
Additionally, if you are about to retire from the military and move into a permanent home, you might just need housing while payment on your new home is in escrow. You, however, might not know how long before the bank releases your loan. Because of that, you need to stay flexible with how long you will be living in a certain area. Month-long leases are perfect for that.