Buying homes could become more attractive for Fort Drum families as deployments shorten

Housing experts expect an increasing number of Fort Drum soldiers will buy houses rather than rent apartments in the coming years because of less frequent and shorter deployments coupled with a buyer-friendly real estate market in the north country.

After the return of Fort Drum’s 3rd Combat Brigade this spring, dwell time will increase from 12 months to 24, while deployments will drop from 12 months to nine. Those changes will make purchasing homes more desirable for soldiers with families, said Carl A. McLaughlin, executive director of the Fort Drum Regional Liaison Organization.

The bulk of soldiers with families stationed at the post now stay in rental housing — an 85 percent to 15 percent ratio — but he expects soldiers with families to purchase more houses. And while most soldiers who own homes are experienced home buyers, the number of first-time home buyers is expected to grow, he said.

“We’re starting to see and enjoy the fact that people are home longer,” Mr. McLaughlin said. “The vast majority of soldiers used to be home for 12 months and then gone for 12 months, so 24 months is going to create a lot more stability” for military families.

About 33 percent of families with soldiers in the 3rd Brigade chose to leave the community during the current deployment, he said. In light of the 1,500 to 1,700 soldiers at Fort Drum with families, the loss of families has had a major impact on the local economy.

“Now that they’re going to have the opportunity to spend more time here, I suspect they’re going to want to be here when troops are deployed, not somewhere else,” he said. “So right now, we’re focused on addressing that increase in demand.”

And the families now have an array of housing options, he said, as the number of houses for sale in Jefferson and Lewis counties has increased markedly. About 1,000 new houses are on the market every year, he said, and almost all of them are sold. Interest rates and the value of homes also have remained stable.

“We have a healthy market, and that should make it more attractive for homeowners to buy,” he said. “We’re producing a bunch of new houses every year.”

According to data compiled by the Army Community Housing Office in September, a total of 738 three- to four-bedroom residential properties are now for sale in Jefferson and Lewis counties. The median list price for the houses is $154,000 and median square footage is 1,635 square feet.

The number of available apartments for rent, by contrast, has dwindled, according to the study. Of the 4,394 units monitored by the office, only 73 are now vacant in Jefferson and Lewis counties, which is 1.7 percent.

Many apartments are in the price range of $1,100 to $1,125, which is close to what monthly payments on a house would amount to, said Lance M. Evans, executive officer of the Jefferson-Lewis Board of Realtors. Based on the median price of a home, homeowners would pay between $1,050 and $1,125 per month to make payments on a 30-year loan with 4 percent to 5 percent interest.

“Buying a home has a lot of advantages over renting,” Mr. Evans said. “Owning a home provides a healthy, stable environment to raise a family and has a lot of intangibles” that renting an apartment doesn’t have.

Among the benefits are the ability to control the space and appearance of the house, privacy not afforded by apartments with other tenants and the ability to have pets. Owning a home also gives soldiers a chance to assimilate into a community outside of Fort Drum, he said.

“Even if you’re a present renter, it might be worth exploring if you plan to be in this area for any length of time or are planning on coming back,” Mr. Evans said, adding that several soldiers have bought houses that they are now renting out as landlords.