032 Can You Be Military and Actually Afford a Home in 2025?

If you only read the headlines, you'd believe that there's no way you can ever become a homeowner and check off the biggest "to-do" on your way to achieving the American Dream. After all, as we roll into 2025 the average (median) home price in the U.S. stands at $410,000: at 7% interest rates, that results in a monthly mortgage payment of $2,700 IF you make a 20% down payment -- and nearly $3,300 if you use a zero-down VA Loan. That does make it feel out of reach. In fact, the average American household has to save for 5-13 years depending on their state to make the down payment on an "average" house.

But what is "average", and do you need it? The reality is the typical Starter Home -- 3 beds, 2 baths, and around 1,500 square feet -- costs $200,000. The monthly mortgage payment on that is less than any BAH entitlement at any duty location, including for E-1s! As it turns out, you can do this!

In this week's episode we don't just offer encouragement: we breakdown homebuying on a military budget into the numbers. You'll learn about the Rule of 30 and how it helps you budget to buy a home, and you'll learn about how to compare the trade-off between renting and buying. We even go so far as to walk through a case study of how buying a $250,000 single family home in a military town, living in it for one tour, then renting it out to other military families for just 5 more years can make you $100,000! When done using the VA Loan, this can yield you an annualized ROI of 30% -- triple what your stock investments can earn. If you want to boost your Financial IQ™ and become a Military Real Estate Mogul, grab something to write on and something to write with, and dive into this week's episode!

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