Hi Everyone
My husband and I were married a year this past July and we found out shortly after that that we are being sent to Yokota this June. My husband thought that NJ was going to be his permanent duty station and we bought a house, have two car payments and I am freaking out about this move. Does anyone have any suggestions or know of places that we can go to get help on selling/renting out our house and what to do about the cars? My husband says that the military will stor them for us, but what is the cost of that, who do I get all this information from? We also have two dogs and a son - can we get on a housing list ahead of time because of the dogs not being allowed in all housing? Where do I get information about quarantining the dogs? Shouldn't there be some sort of office on the current base that I am at that will be able to help us through this? My husband has moved plenty in his career but never married and not with a family so he is clueless about all of this. Any help, suggestions or resources anyone has would be much appreciated

You should ask your husband if he already has a sponsor from Yokota. That sponsor should get you on the housing list, get u a mailbox, reserve your stay at the kanto lodge and should be able to answer any questions about your dogs and base regulations that involves bringing dogs to yokota. Yes, it has become a recent rule that all members SHOULD live on base, unless there aren't any housing available. Always remind your sponsor that you're bringing pets with you so he/she can get garden housing...most tower housing don't allow pets. Also, you can only have up to 2 pets in a home..just fyi. You might be able to find some info regarding bringing pets on the yokota website, newcomers info.

I dont know about your home and cars there but yeah, the military can store them for you..Not sure if its freeor not, but i think only one car. Maybe you can ask Airmen Family Readiness Center if you have one there on your base. You can pm me for yokota questions. Also, try looking for "Moving House for the Military Spouse" page on facebook. They have yokota housing pics there.

I will send you a PM

You will find out that you can only store one of your vehicles at gov. expense that will be spelled in your orders unless both of you are employed through the gov. and you have separate orders. You will still have to insure the vehicles that are stored too. If you store it with the gov. you can't pick it up when your visiting stateside and drive it around. The older it it gets the less it's worth too.

You may be better off dumping them and taking the loss. Take them to a dealer to see what they will give you or advertise them on CraigsList, I sold three cars in a week on CraigsList when I came here. Just be realistic about your selling price.

You can rent a home easily through CraigsList or just pay for the service through a realtor that manages property. Managing your own property long distance is tricky but it saves you a few hundred every month.

Hello.  Just wanted to help you avoid a costly problem.  The quarantine for animals coming from the states can be as long as 6 months.  You need to get going on this as soon as possible.  They need to be chipped, and there are a series of shots that have to occur.  I am not sure where we found the information, but I think we started on the Yokota website.  If you need more help let me know and I will find out the exact requirememnts.  Our dog was in the kennel here for 4 months at our expense.  My wife spent a ton of time at that kennel.

Ditto what Yokota said. Search this website for info on Pets, selling/storing cars, renting houses, etc. It's all here! (use the search box at the top of the JB page.) You will even find financial analysis on the pro's & cons of storing vs selling your cars. You might think you're saving money by putting them in "free storage", but their value will massive drop during the 3+ years you are here; you will come home to virtually worthless cars that you coulda got good money for if you had sold them at the beginning (not to mention the ongoing payments & insurance you'll need even while they're in storage.)

On the other hand, if you just bought a house it's probably not a good idea to sell. As you know, there are closing costs for buying & even more closing costs for selling. Plus, the market being depressed & lots of competition in the market, you're gonna lose a lot of money. Unlike the cars, if you rent out the house, hopefully the market will pick up and when you come home it will be worth a lot more than it is today (hopefully!) Plus, it's a huge tax write-off; PITI & other expenses are deductible (and depreciation, a HUGE write-off), even if it's sitting empty.

You can sell the cars & rent the house easily on craigslist; another good resource for selling cars is Autotrader.com. You can do it all online, and they will come to your house & take the picture. I think they'll keep it listed until it sells. In short, don't be greedy; set a good price & sell it quick. You have enough other priorities on your list to not be worrying about the car right now.

Good luck!

skyslmt78 - Do not Do not Do not rent through craigslist. Its great for folks who are renting, not for someone who is going to be an absentee landlord.

Get an agent. Someone in the area who will do credit checks and call references ect... Someone who has an established business and preferably an on call handy-man type. Yes you will pay a fee for these services, but would you rather have the peace of mind knowing that someone is taking care of looking out for your property or just hoping that the people you rented to are not tearing the place to hell.

Thanks Amy, I agree. I was in the mindset of a landlord living nearby, which I have done before. You are correct, you need a good property manager. In California, this MUST be a licensed agent, not just a friend or relative (unless the owner himself is managing.) Not sure about NJ, but be aware that many states require this.

This is where the info and links for pet requirement is:
http://www.japanbases.com/housing/y...ntine.aspx

We just started the process and hope to have our Nina on quarantine on base the least amount of time as possible!

As far as renting out your house...I am using REMAX. Check your local office and see if they have a rental agent. I pay a fee of 10% of whatever rent they collect. If renters move out, and it sits empty for a month or so, no fee is due...you only keep making your regular mortgage payment...so it is an incentive for them to keep it rented and get the most for your area they can. They do all the credit checks, and all paperwork necessary for new renters for your house. Any repairs needed for your house, they just take out of the rent and deposit the remainder into an acct. you leave open. I have done this for over 5 yrs. now. I have been lucky with great tenants, and someone else has paid my mortgage for me...plus some extra! Check with you local Better Business Bureau (BBB) for any complaints with agencies in your area. Good luck!