Military Families on the Move

If you’re in the military or have a military family, you know at some point a move is in your future. Experienced military families accept moving as a fact of life. The military packs you up. You and your family just go on to the next duty station. Easy, right? No! In real life, if you don’t qualify for on-base housing or don’t want to live on base, you have to find a place to live. A move is stressful at best when you’re able to visit the areas you’d like to live in and see what homes are available. But when you’re halfway around the world, you can’t cruise those potential neighborhoods and physically walk through the houses that might interest you.

Rest easy, though! Ideal Homes & Neighborhoods has the tools and experience to make the process of finding your new home smooth as silk. Ideal has supported an incredible amount of military service people and their families through major moves. 

According to Sam Collier, an Ideal Homes & Neighborhoods new home consultant, the company often works with military people moving into the greater Oklahoma City area from out of state or out of the country. “We’ve had homebuyers moving from the UK and are currently working with a family stationed in Japan,” said Collier.

Many military families are often coming to Tinker Air Force Base in Midwest City (Oklahoma), and are most often buying in Abbott Lake (in Moore, about seven minutes from Tinker) or Red Canyon Ranch communities (located in Norman, approximately 15-20 minutes straight down Sooner Road from the base). While some military families decide to custom build a home, many times that timeline isn’t feasible. Ideal Homes & Neighborhoods has homes that are move-in-ready perfect for a tight timeline.

Abbott Lake

• Only 3 miles from the gates of Tinker AFB
• Secluded location and highly desired community in Moore 
• New section available now with options for custom building
  • Abbott Lake home size ranges from 1,158 to 2,136 square feet
  • Pre-designed homes available for quick move in
  • OR choose a homesite and custom build with the easy-build option
  • Homes start from the mid $200s
• Moore Public Schools
• Neighborhood amenities include a huge central pond, walking trails, a splash pad, and a pirate ship playground with plans for a fishing dock 

Red Canyon Ranch

• Only 15-20 minutes from Tinker AFB
• Convenient to the University of Oklahoma, I-35, and shopping/dining
• Quick move-in homes are available now or choose your homesite and custom build with the easy-build option
  • Red Canyon Ranch home sizes range from 1,655 to 2,713 square feet
  • Homes start from the $360s
• High-end finishes with a more luxurious feel
• Norman Public Schools
• Neighborhood amenities include multiple playgrounds, a splash pad, and numerous walking trails through the trees.
• Norman is ranked sixth best small city within the US, according to CNN’s “Money Magazine”

Most military transfers need to close on a home within 30-60 days; Ideal has homes at various stages of construction, which gives military transfers a lot of options: time frames, size, stage of construction, number of bedrooms, number of baths, and flex spaces. Most families are looking for 3-4 bedrooms with an option for 3 beds plus a study, and 2 or 2.5 baths. Whatever your needs are, Ideal has you covered!

Both Ideal Homes communities feature a one-year home warranty, 10-year structural warranty, and guaranteed heating and cooling usage on most Ideal homes, as well as Ideal’s quality construction in every home. All Ideal homes are built to innovative energy-efficient standards, saving you money in the long run.

How does Ideal work with military transfers?

• Since most military transfers don’t have the option to visit in person, Ideal has all the tools needed to make the process happen smoothly and securely in a virtual environment.
• At the first “meeting,” the new home consultant determines the buyer’s goals and narrows down possible locations.
• Next comes the virtual tour of several different homes and a drive-through look at the neighborhoods. Your New Home Consultant will show you schools, employment opportunities, retail, dining, and entertainment, as well as neighborhood amenities.
• One of the benefits of a new Ideal community is that many are moving in around the same time, so military transfers don’t find themselves in the usual “new kid on the block” scenario. Many of these neighborhood groups become incredibly tight over time.
• Everything in the homebuying process can be accomplished virtually.
  • Deposit (earnest money)
  • Lender approval
  • Contract (virtual signature)
  • Buyers do not even have to be here to close

Moving in from across the pond

One specific family moving back to the US from the United Kingdom was a military dad with his wife (who worked from home) and three children. They were super excited to be coming back to the States; they’d been overseas for seven years and this move made them feel like they were really coming home. They took care of the whole purchasing process virtually, never having seen the house! Thanks to the virtual home tours, there were spaces for the kids and for mom’s office. They felt very taken care of.

Feedback

According to Collier, who’s been with Ideal for almost two years, customers tell him how easy this process is. They appreciate the guarantees and warranties since they are buying sight unseen, plus the peace of mind knowing that Ideal will stand behind their product.

Folks who have never lived in Oklahoma are surprised at how friendly people are and how low the cost of living is, including the cost of homeowners’ insurance. Ideal Homes & Neighborhoods has something to fit your lifestyle, and we love working with our military families to find that perfect house. Check us out for your new home and let us be the first to welcome you to Oklahoma!