A Permanent Change of Station runs on a clock you do not control. Your housing should not. Here is the sequence — the same one we run with every family we move to the Austin end of the Central Texas corridor.
Look northwest and north: Cedar Park, Leander, and Round Rock put you against the worst of the traffic instead of in it, with the metro's strongest school districts.
Look north: Round Rock and Georgetown are the commuter's compromise — about an hour to the gates, Austin life at home, and your Fort Cavazos BAH run honestly against Austin prices.
Look south: Buda and Kyle are the corridor's friendliest prices, halfway between Austin and San Antonio — built for families whose life runs in both metros.
A legitimate play on a short tour or an unsettled assignment. We will help you land the rental — and set the buy decision for when the picture clears, with your BAH math already run.
PCS CHECKLIST → SCHOOL FINDER → SEARCH HOMES IN THE AUSTIN AREA →
When should we start looking for housing after getting orders?
The day the orders are real. Austin's best-priced homes in the north suburbs move on military timelines too — starting 90 to 120 days out gives you the full pick of the market and a closing date that lands calmly before your report date. Our PCS Checklist is sequenced exactly that way.
Can we buy a house in Austin before we physically get there?
Yes — it is how most of our relocating families do it. Video walk-throughs with honest condition notes, a full inspection you review with us live, and remote closing coordination. What you should not do is buy from listing photos alone.
Renting first versus buying on arrival — which is smarter on a PCS?
Run your tour length against your BAH. Three-plus years in a right-priced home usually beats renting on equity alone. A short tour, or orders that might change, argues for renting a season first. We put both columns in writing for you — the answer is arithmetic, not pressure.
Does temporary lodging change the plan?
Only the calendar. TLF and hotel days are expensive and finite, so we build the closing date backwards from your report date with a buffer — the goal is keys in hand before the lodging clock runs out.
