[KZoppa]

Okay, as most of you know, we're a military family and we're due to change stations here soon. We dont have official orders yet so i dont have an exact move date. I am however panicking because as much as we want to buy a house so we dont have to deal with all the BS of a landlord telling us one thing and then turning around and telling us another and i refuse to give up my dogs and my cats because some idiot gets control happy. I am dying to own our own house. But...



I am coming to the conclusion that at this point in time, renting would probably be a plan right now. I hate apartments. I never want to live in another apartment as long as i live. Not to mention, walking dogs to go to the bathroom with two kids.... no. Not an option. I dont like living in a box surrounded by people who can hear everything through the wall. Not my cup of tea. I'm freaking out because at this point in time, i am seriously considering getting a loan to buy a big honking motorhome and living in that for the next 4-5 years just so i have the control. I have no desire to live on base housing where we are going. the rules and requirements they have ridiculous and obnoxious. I hate renting or being on base housing because they can just up and decide whenever to come in uninvited. I have enough issues with people who try to break in or cause trouble because they have nothing better to do. I'm seriously panicking because what we need, we probably cant afford right now and renting is a PITA because of the ignorance of breed restrictions and well... we all know GSDs are on the list 99.9% of the time. And if they're NOT on the list, there is naturally a weight restriction which again is another bogus excuse. I cant do stairs very well because of back problems and a knee issue. The back problems i've had since middle school and the knee problem since i was 17. neither of which are getting any better because of my weight issue. I'm working on losing weight but its tough with everything going on. I wish the time would just hurry up and pass simply for the fact we can buy a house back home and live there and not have to move again. I'm freaking out, which knowing me, will only get worse the closer it gets to move time. I moved out at 18, 3 days after i graduated high school because of the stupid rules my parents tried to enforce. I hate living places that other people decide what i have in my home. if i want a freaking mean as heck junkyard dog, nobody should be able to tell me otherwise as long as i handle my dog safely and properly. I understand animals cause damage. So do kids. But you dont see people charging kid rent! Or a kid deposit! or restricting kids (except in old folks communities which i think is also stupid because those people cant have their grandkids visit them). I'm a responsible person. If my animals are destructive, i pay for the damages and often fix the damages myself if possible.

I am just so stressed out about this and so many other things. We have to have a roof over our head. My inlaws cant and wont take our pets for us until we can find a place that will allow us to have them.

If anyone knows of any PET FRIENDLY NON APARTMENT rentals that arent ignorant about dog breeds and weight restrictions in Maryland near patuxent River naval air station or someone reliable that can help us out when the time comes, please let me know. i would greatly appreciate it.

 

[kidkhmer]

HMMMMMMM. I can't help you from here but I feel for you. Buying my house back in Australia at age 35 after 15 years of renting shared houses in Sydney was truly liberating. Never had one problem with flatmates as they were all friends but with dogs it becomes tricky. You should move to Cambodia. No rental rules as long as you pay rent ON THE MINUTE it is due. 10 Dogs ? No worries ! Cats ? Sure ! Guns ? The more the merrier ! Loud parties until 8am ? Hey--- Invite your neighbors - they will walk in and help themselves to your beer anyway !

One thing I notice about a lot of the people's houses over there in the US from photos here is many of you have real nice leafy green yards and forests right near you. I miss that so much. Phnom Penh is URBAN man. Pretty cool though. Its only a million people in the Capital and most of them are standing on their rooftops right now due to flooding !

Anyways....I wish you the best of luck and don't stress out so much. It is terrible for your health and what will be will be. Give your dog a hug !!

 

[Stosh]

Have you tried looking on craigslist for a private rental? You can check the classifieds online from the local paper. We've moved many times sue to my husband's job and always, except for one time, rented directly from the owner.

 

[Mrs.K]

AbbyK9 once gave me a tip and I am glad she did.

She wrote up resumes for her dogs and I pretty much did the same plus, anytime I send an email out ot a landlord I give them the link to the Youtube Channel so they have an Idea what they are dealing with and I put a training video together so they can see for themselves that they are listening to the commands and don't just sit in the house for 24/7 a day.

So far we have multiple landlords that have no issues with the dogs.

It is possible to find a home for the dogs as long as you are pro-active. If I'd email them "Hey, we have three GSD's is that an issue." they'd probably say "Sorry, no can do." but being pro-active, writing up a resume, putting together training videos and showing them what kind of dogs they are dealing and who well trained they are, does change a lot.

 

[Mrs.K]

One thing I wanted to add is that I panicked too. I sometimes still do but knowing that there are landlords out there who will rent to people with three or even four GSD's (I am about to add dog no.4 to the pack ) eases my mind.

we've been weighing our options too and even thought about buying in NY and already contacted Real Estates and looked at the houses for sale but NY might not be the place to buy a house so we are renting.

I've been looking as soon as we got orders and been looking for four months now. I've been contacting people, landlords, renting associations like two months ago and stayed in contact with them. I've been also checking on AHRN every montha and observed the renters market from over here as good as I could. It's not easy but it is possible and I know you will find something.

And stay POSITIVE!!!

 

[KZoppa]

thanks everyone. I'm just freaking out because at least living back home in Colorado i could up and decide to go look at the places we were interested in living. I cant do that. And without an official move date yet, i'm kinda at a standstill. Its frustrating and very stressful. I'm doing everything i can right now. We're trying to lighten the load and get rid of just a bunch of crap. We have stuff in our garage that should be in the house but its been sitting in boxes for the last 3 years. Just gotta get rid of all that and go through everything else IN the house. not much else i can do right now. I'll definitely check out craigslist thought. I know a couple of the living areas close to the base we'll be at so thats helps. its just a matter of cost and finding the size house we need.

 

[HayesEquineArt]

As a military family, it's not smart to buy a home unless you know for a fact that you're not going to be relocated again. I hated living in apartments too...you hear your noisy neighbors and trying to find a rental with a German Shepherd is nearly impossible since they're almost always considered an "agressive breed". I feel your pain, trust me. We've finally settled in and are not relocating again for DOD so we're doing a rent-to-own on our house.

 

[Emoore]

If you haven't already, talk to a GSD (or Dobie or Rotty) rescue in the area you're moving to. Ours keeps a list of GSD-friendly housing in Austin to help people who want to turn over their GSD due to housing constraints.

 

[KZoppa]

As a military family, it's not smart to buy a home unless you know for a fact that you're not going to be relocated again. I hated living in apartments too...you hear your noisy neighbors and trying to find a rental with a German Shepherd is nearly impossible since they're almost always considered an "agressive breed". I feel your pain, trust me. We've finally settled in and are not relocating again for DOD so we're doing a rent-to-own on our house.

see thats what i've been thinking about heavily. We want to buy a house. We want to be able to decorate how we want without having to follow guidelines because the house technically belongs to someone else. I swear if we could just get stationed back home and stay there that would be fabulous. But thats not gonna happen. We already intend on buying a house. I think what i'll do is look for private owners who want to rent and wouldnt have an issue with the animals. We may rehome Shelby if i can find the perfect place for her. Until then, she's ours and i'll continue her training. its just frustrating.

If you haven't already, talk to a GSD (or Dobie or Rotty) rescue in the area you're moving to. Ours keeps a list of GSD-friendly housing in Austin to help people who want to turn over their GSD due to housing constraints.

thank you for the suggestion. I'll have to look into that.

 

[Mrs.K]

thanks everyone. I'm just freaking out because at least living back home in Colorado i could up and decide to go look at the places we were interested in living. I cant do that. And without an official move date yet, i'm kinda at a standstill. Its frustrating and very stressful. I'm doing everything i can right now. We're trying to lighten the load and get rid of just a bunch of crap. We have stuff in our garage that should be in the house but its been sitting in boxes for the last 3 years. Just gotta get rid of all that and go through everything else IN the house. not much else i can do right now. I'll definitely check out craigslist thought. I know a couple of the living areas close to the base we'll be at so thats helps. its just a matter of cost and finding the size house we need.

I hear you. I am feeling the same way. I can't just walk over and check out the places we are suppossedly move into. Plus, if the paperwork isn't ready I have to talk rely on hubby and hope that he's making the right choice in chosing the right house hoping that we don't end up in the bronx... ya know... :help::wild:

 

[bellamia]

KZoppa I feel ur pain. sorry no help or advise or even info about places where u live( we r in texas) but just hoping, and praying(as i knew so many were in my similar situation not long ago). our situation has been resolved cause someone on this forum suggested that we rent our house back from the new owners, we went back and forth and ended up doing the same , paying a ridiculous amt of money per day to rent this back but all in all it worked. we move to our new house hpflly next week. i KNOW ur situation is harder but heres hoping and praying that it gets resolved where everyone ends up not in losses but very happy and releived.:hug:

 

[doggiedad]

if you have to rent an apartment find
one where you can live on the 1st floor. <
rent a house. <
buy a trailer. <
rent a trailer. <
find a rent to buy property. <

good luck, you'll find something.

 

[Dainerra]

One thing to do is Never EVER EVER rent without a lease. Get everything in writing. That way you are covered. Sure, they can change their minds about certain things when it is time to renew, but just be sure that they have to give you 30 or 60 days notice that they intend to make changes. That way, you have time to look for a new place before your current lease expires!

 

[kiwilrdg]

Start doing some networking now. Visit the area and find a real estate agent and tell them you are considering buying but might need to rent for a while to see if you will be staying in the area. See some houses that are for sale and get to know the agent and the area. When you have the orders see if the real estate agent has a house that is up for rental. With the market today many folks will rent their houses because they can't sell them and an agent will place a rental because they get a small comission now and they might sell to you later because of the help they give you now.

 

[KZoppa]

One thing to do is Never EVER EVER rent without a lease. Get everything in writing. That way you are covered. Sure, they can change their minds about certain things when it is time to renew, but just be sure that they have to give you 30 or 60 days notice that they intend to make changes. That way, you have time to look for a new place before your current lease expires!

oh i know! i would NEVER rent without a rental agreement signed by both parties. I dont trust people so NOT having an agreement would be all the worse. I'll definitely remember to ask for the 60 day notice of changes clause though.

Start doing some networking now. Visit the area and find a real estate agent and tell them you are considering buying but might need to rent for a while to see if you will be staying in the area. See some houses that are for sale and get to know the agent and the area. When you have the orders see if the real estate agent has a house that is up for rental. With the market today many folks will rent their houses because they can't sell them and an agent will place a rental because they get a small comission now and they might sell to you later because of the help they give you now.

visiting the area is a little harder to do right now. We're working on saving up to make it back home in february along with the move and downpayments and everything. The problem with working with real estate agents is they're property managers and the actual owner of the house signs a contract that says they'll abide by certain guidelines. One of those guidelines being breed restrictions. Problem with that is GSDs are on those breed restrictions. I think we're going to look into renting from the house owner directly with a signed contract and all who wouldnt place breed restrictions but go on a case by case basis. I'm beginning to look at the areas around where hubby will be stationed and going from there. I'm stressed though because i cant just drive up there and look around.

 

[AbbyK9]

I would start by attempting to find out which areas where you will be going are "good" areas and which areas are ones that you will probably want to keep away from. The easiest way I have found of doing this is calling a local Army Recruiter - the recruiters are out in the neighborhoods, posting fliers and leaving business cards, they know what's out there and where the good places are to live.

The second thing I would do is put together a list of references regarding your dogs. A lot of private landlords will be much more likely to consider you as a renter with a German Shepherd if your have references regarding your dog that they call call - your vet, for example, who can attest to how well-behaved your dog is during vet visits; or the trainer you train with - and if you have other proof showing that you are a responsible dog owner with a friendly, trained dog. A CGC, TDI, or similar certificates go a long way, especially if you are able to explain to the potential landlord what they mean.

If you carry renter's insurance, also point this out to your future landlord, along with the promise that you will carry renter's insurance while you live in his/her home. It shows that you're being responsible and a good tenant.

Also, don't be so dead-set against working with a Realtor. Just because you have experienced Realtors who had breed restrictions in their contracts with homeowners does not mean all Realtors do. We went through a Realtor when we moved to northern VA (Woodbridge) and we looked at several places that were recommended to us through a Realtor in southern VA when we moved there. They knew we had a German Shepherd and it was not an issue.

Don't rule out Craig's List as a way of looking for homes. You are going to get a lot of scam emails if you do, but there are homes out there that are advertised on Craig's List and worth a second look. The previous place we lived in Virginia was a duplex we found through Craig's List. The place we're currently in in upstate New York is a house that we also found through Craig's List. (In my humble opinion, it's the most awesome house ever.)

Also don't rule out town homes, duplexes, or single-family homes just because you are renting. You don't have to live in an apartment.

A thought regarding the lease agreement - make absolutely sure that it includes a military clause. The military clause allows you to break a lease without incurring penalties, which is an absolute MUST because you never know for certain how long you will be in one place. When we were in VA, we were supposed to be at Fort Eustis for 3 years but got orders after just over a year again!

It's also always a good idea to have your legal / JAG look over the lease before you sign it.

 

[KZoppa]

I would start by attempting to find out which areas where you will be going are "good" areas and which areas are ones that you will probably want to keep away from. The easiest way I have found of doing this is calling a local Army Recruiter - the recruiters are out in the neighborhoods, posting fliers and leaving business cards, they know what's out there and where the good places are to live.

The second thing I would do is put together a list of references regarding your dogs. A lot of private landlords will be much more likely to consider you as a renter with a German Shepherd if your have references regarding your dog that they call call - your vet, for example, who can attest to how well-behaved your dog is during vet visits; or the trainer you train with - and if you have other proof showing that you are a responsible dog owner with a friendly, trained dog. A CGC, TDI, or similar certificates go a long way, especially if you are able to explain to the potential landlord what they mean.

If you carry renter's insurance, also point this out to your future landlord, along with the promise that you will carry renter's insurance while you live in his/her home. It shows that you're being responsible and a good tenant.

Also, don't be so dead-set against working with a Realtor. Just because you have experienced Realtors who had breed restrictions in their contracts with homeowners does not mean all Realtors do. We went through a Realtor when we moved to northern VA (Woodbridge) and we looked at several places that were recommended to us through a Realtor in southern VA when we moved there. They knew we had a German Shepherd and it was not an issue.

Don't rule out Craig's List as a way of looking for homes. You are going to get a lot of scam emails if you do, but there are homes out there that are advertised on Craig's List and worth a second look. The previous place we lived in Virginia was a duplex we found through Craig's List. The place we're currently in in upstate New York is a house that we also found through Craig's List. (In my humble opinion, it's the most awesome house ever.)

Also don't rule out town homes, duplexes, or single-family homes just because you are renting. You don't have to live in an apartment.

A thought regarding the lease agreement - make absolutely sure that it includes a military clause. The military clause allows you to break a lease without incurring penalties, which is an absolute MUST because you never know for certain how long you will be in one place. When we were in VA, we were supposed to be at Fort Eustis for 3 years but got orders after just over a year again!

It's also always a good idea to have your legal / JAG look over the lease before you sign it.

thank you for all the suggestions. My biggest and most current frustration right now is that official orders havent posted yet so looking at places right now is just one of those "hope that house is still available when we do move!!!" my issue is also that i know what i want and have trouble settling. I actually was looking at craigslist last night and found some good places. I'll definitely contact the recruiters up there. i never even thought of that. I actually had a realtor fall into my lap at work earlier this evening. I have her card and she's going to help me get in touch with realtors up in maryland. Definitely a military clause is a must. I doubt we'll apply for base housing because they just have STUPID rules and i dont feel any safer on base than i do off base. I'll also keep in mind to have legal look over the lease too. at this point as long as it has 3 bedrooms (my kids would kill each other sharing a room or drive us crazy or both). 3 bedrooms and affordable. as far as duplex and townhomes go, for me thats like an apartment. I dont do well with people living THAT close to me. The way our current house is set up, its a duplex but we cant hear our neighbors and they cant hear us because our bathrooms and garages are in the middle. I have a general idea of good areas up there but thats all it is... an idea. i'm not the internet research master so finding info online for me is like pulling teeth. thank you very much for your help. having so many options is seriously helping me to stress a little less. My next big stress is all the deposits needed and such. We're swamped in bills right now which is why i'm working at all.

 

[seyffertc]

hello from great lakes as i am in the military as well i had a problem with the base housing trying to make me get rid of my sweet chloe and it wasnt going to happen. all you have to do to keep a shepherd in housing is tell them she/he is a therapy dog. there are two ways to make this work well three. 1) go to the base clinic and have them sign the paperwork stating you need a therapy dog. (dont need to be true just tell the doc the situation and 9/10 they will work with you...2) you can go online and register your dog as a therapy dog for $50 bucks they will send you a certificate and all just have to agree to train them to do so...3) last option i actually train him/her to be a therapy dog could take time and might not be the fastest option. hope this works for you as it has for me and my friends

 

[DogTuff]

I've lived in military housing most of my life, and i can't ever recall the dogs being a problem. Yeah, they can come in when ever they want, but so can the managers at apartments or the owners of rental homes.

Bases vary so much; it would be worth giving it a shot. If you buy a house, you'll always live with the worry of when the next orders will come, and if you'll be able to sell the house for what you owe.

 

[KZoppa]

hello from great lakes as i am in the military as well i had a problem with the base housing trying to make me get rid of my sweet chloe and it wasnt going to happen. all you have to do to keep a shepherd in housing is tell them she/he is a therapy dog. there are two ways to make this work well three. 1) go to the base clinic and have them sign the paperwork stating you need a therapy dog. (dont need to be true just tell the doc the situation and 9/10 they will work with you...2) you can go online and register your dog as a therapy dog for $50 bucks they will send you a certificate and all just have to agree to train them to do so...3) last option i actually train him/her to be a therapy dog could take time and might not be the fastest option. hope this works for you as it has for me and my friends

I've lived in military housing most of my life, and i can't ever recall the dogs being a problem. Yeah, they can come in when ever they want, but so can the managers at apartments or the owners of rental homes.

Bases vary so much; it would be worth giving it a shot. If you buy a house, you'll always live with the worry of when the next orders will come, and if you'll be able to sell the house for what you owe.

its not so much issues with breed restrictions on base as air force is the only one who has GSDs on their breed restriction list. Its the fact we have 3 GSDs and 2 cats and base housing only allows for TWO pets total. We've done fine so far because legally unless they have a warrent to search with reasonable cause, federal law dictates that we're given 24 hour notice minimum before they enter the property so we're able to take care of things beforehand. I just hate the ignorant rules base housing keeps coming up with here. I've considered getting my dogs registered as therapy/service dogs but for it to be legit its so much to do. Base housing here requires a whole list of things in order to register them as service or therapy dogs and the base vet and none of the vets out in town are very helpful in helping people be able to keep their pets. Lol its another reason i want a small motorhome. When an inspection comes out, i can move the animals to that and not have to worry about it.