Woori Bank.. Also side note, U.S. Banks complained to Garrison about all SM & families only utilizing that bank because they have great rates. Garrison asked them to only service KN, Woori Bank said no and now their last day on Humphreys is 28 May 2021.
Again, great info. I am a DoD employee and I don't think there is that much of a difference in the process. I realize I won't have on post housing and my LQA rates are different than OHA. Thanks again for sharing the info.
Woori Bank. Useful info ... OHA and your utility money are separate. If you get a house above your oha you have to pay out of your own pocket or use use your utility money.
you mentioned getting cash from atm and then going off to exchange. how much do they charge for the exchange? Without knowing these details, i want to offer something I have discovered throughout my years of traveling and being stationed overseas. Use a debit card that refunds or doesn't charge you an atm fee. a couple that i know of are the usaa card and the schwab one debit card. Next, just go off base and get your local currently out of their atms. Here is the reason why. when you get them from off base, you get the commercial exchange rate, which is the standard going rate. this rate is lower than getting your local currently from on base atms as they give you the military exchange rate, which is higher. if you use any bank or exchange service, they will most likely all charge some form of exchange fee. These fees add up over time.
Do you know how lenient the Housing office is now with unaccompanied officers living off post? If it remains the same (95% occupancy), do you have any recommendations to get off-post housing aside from what you mentioned in the video? Thanks!
I don't have too much info on that. If you live off-post, the internet and cable is usually provided by the landlord and, I believe, the fee is already included in the rent. There are options for getting wifi/routers/hotspots through the phone service providers.
Beware during the winter months Dec-Jan running the heater it very expensive. Your gas bill from the heater will run about $300-$600 a month. If you use space heater your electric bill would in the thousands. Gas is better then the space heater even with solar panels. The money you save during the summer months would be best to set in another account for winter months. Pocket the money you don't use. As well find a place with solar panels. That is were you will save the most money.
GS employees get paid annually and get paid more. You have the option to purchase a house as well, and still receive payment. Was there something specific you were looking for?
@@erinmcshane4859 having been to Korea twice, I’m going to be setting my course to return after retirement end of this year for up to 5 years. I’m still unsure if I will try for a contractor, DAC, or NF job, but knowing more about how each group are providing for their employees, can help me decide which group to select. I know there is more stability with DOD and I imagine NF, and some of my peers are GS, but some have been contractors. Both has pros and cons.
My wife and I will be PCSing there this summer in 21 from Hawaii. We are dual military SFC & SSG. We would like to live off post. Do you know how dual OHA works and do you have have any suggestions for fully furnished places for us to move to? Thanks in advance, great videos!
I do not know about dual OHA, unfortunately, I will have to find out. My guess is that you will have OHA at the SFC rate, no double OHA option. All the furnished options I saw would probably not impress you. “Furnished” usually looks like a stiff couch, a TV, a small dining room table with chairs, and beds that are about knee-height. This furnishing option is available at most all rental houses after a little negotiation. My recommendation is this apartment: ruclips.net/video/lnYOtMr9RDE/видео.html. It is a short bike-ride or drive to work and is right next to the river walk and fishing. Quiet area. I’m biased because this is where I would have liked to live. Other options are in an apartment in the Ville, An apartment near a dog park..... actually....best recommendation live in LOTTE Tower next to the train station in AK Plaza. It’s a 30min drive to work if you get stuck in traffic, but, the BEST PART is being able to wake up in the morning and immediately hop a train to anywhere in Korea. You’ll see so much more of the country than 95% of its foreign visitors.
Check this out, for the same riverside property I linked before, this youtuber shows the furniture she received with the apartment. Looks like she was given a sizable couch: ruclips.net/video/telfK-iy6zU/видео.html
I have a question to ask about this, my bf is SSG E-6 with no dependents and stationed in Okinawa Japan. From what he’s telling me he’s having issues with OHA helping with housing. He said is paying for everything out of pocket rent, utilities and moving expenses and OHA I believe paid one time and hasn’t helped the rest of 4 months. What is might be the reasons why he’s having issues with OHA??? if it is true they take a certain period of time to finally help
Hi Jackie, If that’s the case, he needs to print his LES’s and get his unit to facilitate working with S1, then fiance ASAP. Alternatively, the housing office may be a good point of contact.
If the occupancy rate (and your rank) is high enough, you’ll be allowed to live off post. If you move off post, your OHA will reflect the rate for your rank with zero dependents (since you are there unaccompanied).
@@erinmcshane4859 yes I am SPC and I will live in barracks but the question is my wife is filipino citizen while still living in the philippines how can i get the OHA location in the philippines while I am station in korea? how that works?
Erin McShane I’m asking because I want to know how possible can be that my wife can stay in Puerto Rico while I’m doing geo baching. So in PR work OHA instead of BAH and my recruiter says that the military can give me all those allowance.
Alexis Wiscovitch por qué ?? O sea, yo entiendo que el es una especie de vendedor pero todo lo que me ha dicho lo he corroborado con páginas oficiales. Lo único que no encuentro es eso.
Agreed. You are smart to ask and to be wary of what the recruiter says. I will reach out to a geo-bachelor friend of mine in Korea. If you are lower enlisted, you won’t be able to live off post if you are stationed in Korea, so those allowances won’t reach you. However, I know my friend here lives on post and the Army also pays for his wife (because they are geographically separated and she is listed as a dependent) to live at their home in Michigan without him. If you are stationed somewhere in the States, I am not sure your wife would be able to get the same geo-bachelor allowance.
Screenshot may be the easiest way for you to get the sheet. Alternatively, I'm sure Terry would have a copy available to email you (I have since tossed my copy). westernrealestate.terry@gmail.com
Yes- you can get your parents to "rent" a place for 50k upfront for a year- they would be your landlord- the military would still do inspections! But! This is illegal!- so it is best to use a aunt or uncle ! After the one year, you get your 50k back and you will have saved up the monthly bah- I doubt CID will even care- but just to be on safe side- don't use parents.
Hey I'm a 2LT (unaccompanied w/ no dependents rn) in Quarantine, I want to follow your advice and live off post. Right now occupancy is under 95%, and the forms the housing office sent me say SLQ "UPH assignments are permanent until DEROS and relocation will not be authorized except in the case of health or safety and/or as directed by the Garrison Commander".
David, Q2 and Q3 may still be options, even if not advertised. The housing office and your command have the final say. If One of these Qs occur, you can always ask the housing office. Korean realtors have also seen many situations and may have more insight into what has and has not happened in the past.
Woori Bank.. Also side note, U.S. Banks complained to Garrison about all SM & families only utilizing that bank because they have great rates.
Garrison asked them to only service KN, Woori Bank said no and now their last day on Humphreys is 28 May 2021.
Great info. Thanks for adding your insight here. Pinning this.
Thank you!! This was very informative and educational!!
Thank you!
Again, great info. I am a DoD employee and I don't think there is that much of a difference in the process. I realize I won't have on post housing and my LQA rates are different than OHA. Thanks again for sharing the info.
Thanks, James! If you see this, are there other videos you’d be interested in having at your fingertips?
Excellent video, thanks!
I'm gonna live on Humphreys (SLQ).
Woori Bank. Useful info ... OHA and your utility money are separate. If you get a house above your oha you have to pay out of your own pocket or use use your utility money.
Thank you for sharing!
you mentioned getting cash from atm and then going off to exchange. how much do they charge for the exchange? Without knowing these details, i want to offer something I have discovered throughout my years of traveling and being stationed overseas. Use a debit card that refunds or doesn't charge you an atm fee. a couple that i know of are the usaa card and the schwab one debit card. Next, just go off base and get your local currently out of their atms. Here is the reason why. when you get them from off base, you get the commercial exchange rate, which is the standard going rate. this rate is lower than getting your local currently from on base atms as they give you the military exchange rate, which is higher. if you use any bank or exchange service, they will most likely all charge some form of exchange fee. These fees add up over time.
Thanks for the added details
Your videos are the best I've found, moving to yongsan in may as contractor, thank you!
Thanks! Have a great time in Yongsan.
Thanks so much for these videos. Looks like I might be headed there in 2022
Great video!
Thanks!
Do you know how lenient the Housing office is now with unaccompanied officers living off post? If it remains the same (95% occupancy), do you have any recommendations to get off-post housing aside from what you mentioned in the video? Thanks!
I do not, unfortunately. It’s been a number of years since I’ve been in Korea.
This video was very helpful. Can you provide more detailed info on utility bills, to include internet and cable services?
I don't have too much info on that. If you live off-post, the internet and cable is usually provided by the landlord and, I believe, the fee is already included in the rent. There are options for getting wifi/routers/hotspots through the phone service providers.
@@erinmcshane4859 Thanks for sharing that information, we are going house/apartment hunting next week, just wanted to have a better idea.
Henry have you found housing anywhere
Kevin Chandler I did
Beware during the winter months Dec-Jan running the heater it very expensive. Your gas bill from the heater will run about $300-$600 a month. If you use space heater your electric bill would in the thousands. Gas is better then the space heater even with solar panels. The money you save during the summer months would be best to set in another account for winter months. Pocket the money you don't use. As well find a place with solar panels. That is were you will save the most money.
Hi Erin, great and informative video. How much of this info applies to GS/DAC employees, if you happen to know?
GS employees get paid annually and get paid more. You have the option to purchase a house as well, and still receive payment. Was there something specific you were looking for?
Thanks for the shout-out
@@erinmcshane4859 having been to Korea twice, I’m going to be setting my course to return after retirement end of this year for up to 5 years. I’m still unsure if I will try for a contractor, DAC, or NF job, but knowing more about how each group are providing for their employees, can help me decide which group to select. I know there is more stability with DOD and I imagine NF, and some of my peers are GS, but some have been contractors. Both has pros and cons.
My wife and I will be PCSing there this summer in 21 from Hawaii. We are dual military SFC & SSG. We would like to live off post. Do you know how dual OHA works and do you have have any suggestions for fully furnished places for us to move to? Thanks in advance, great videos!
I do not know about dual OHA, unfortunately, I will have to find out. My guess is that you will have OHA at the SFC rate, no double OHA option. All the furnished options I saw would probably not impress you. “Furnished” usually looks like a stiff couch, a TV, a small dining room table with chairs, and beds that are about knee-height. This furnishing option is available at most all rental houses after a little negotiation.
My recommendation is this apartment: ruclips.net/video/lnYOtMr9RDE/видео.html. It is a short bike-ride or drive to work and is right next to the river walk and fishing. Quiet area. I’m biased because this is where I would have liked to live. Other options are in an apartment in the Ville, An apartment near a dog park..... actually....best recommendation live in LOTTE Tower next to the train station in AK Plaza. It’s a 30min drive to work if you get stuck in traffic, but, the BEST PART is being able to wake up in the morning and immediately hop a train to anywhere in Korea. You’ll see so much more of the country than 95% of its foreign visitors.
Check this out, for the same riverside property I linked before, this youtuber shows the furniture she received with the apartment. Looks like she was given a sizable couch: ruclips.net/video/telfK-iy6zU/видео.html
This was very helpful, glad to see the charge breakdown.
Can you bring cats (specifically cats) with you if you live off post?
Western Real Estate negotiates with their landlords to ensure that you can. I am not sure know other real estate agents/ companies operate.
I have a question to ask about this, my bf is SSG E-6 with no dependents and stationed in Okinawa Japan. From what he’s telling me he’s having issues with OHA helping with housing. He said is paying for everything out of pocket rent, utilities and moving expenses and OHA I believe paid one time and hasn’t helped the rest of 4 months. What is might be the reasons why he’s having issues with OHA??? if it is true they take a certain period of time to finally help
Hi Jackie,
If that’s the case, he needs to print his LES’s and get his unit to facilitate working with S1, then fiance ASAP. Alternatively, the housing office may be a good point of contact.
hello thanks for the information and one question so i am pcsing to korea pcs unaccompanied but my wife lives in the philippines so how that works?
If the occupancy rate (and your rank) is high enough, you’ll be allowed to live off post. If you move off post, your OHA will reflect the rate for your rank with zero dependents (since you are there unaccompanied).
@@erinmcshane4859 yes I am SPC and I will live in barracks but the question is my wife is filipino citizen while still living in the philippines how can i get the OHA location in the philippines while I am station in korea? how that works?
Hi! I want to know if it’s the same rental with OHA vs buying with OHA? Like I do receive utility allowance plus Cola etc with both?
If you are military, you cannot buy with OHA. Not authorized. It's unfortunate. Contractor can, we cannot.
Erin McShane I’m asking because I want to know how possible can be that my wife can stay in Puerto Rico while I’m doing geo baching. So in PR work OHA instead of BAH and my recruiter says that the military can give me all those allowance.
Darryl Medina Uroza Nunca le creas a un reclutador creeme
Alexis Wiscovitch por qué ?? O sea, yo entiendo que el es una especie de vendedor pero todo lo que me ha dicho lo he corroborado con páginas oficiales. Lo único que no encuentro es eso.
Agreed. You are smart to ask and to be wary of what the recruiter says. I will reach out to a geo-bachelor friend of mine in Korea. If you are lower enlisted, you won’t be able to live off post if you are stationed in Korea, so those allowances won’t reach you. However, I know my friend here lives on post and the Army also pays for his wife (because they are geographically separated and she is listed as a dependent) to live at their home in Michigan without him. If you are stationed somewhere in the States, I am not sure your wife would be able to get the same geo-bachelor allowance.
is that what you are receiving that bi-weekly?
That was an off-post CPT case study, bi-weekly pay
So if a GS-13 or 14 were to move there, would the be the same housing you have?
Can you re-phrase your question? A GS has all the same off-post housing options (more, actually) than military does.
Hi there! Thank you so much for the video it's been the best breakdown yet! Is there anyway you can email me the Korean breakdown sheet?
Screenshot may be the easiest way for you to get the sheet. Alternatively, I'm sure Terry would have a copy available to email you (I have since tossed my copy). westernrealestate.terry@gmail.com
Thanks for the feedback! I'm very glad to hear this was useful for you!
Do I have to get housing through an agency? Is there any way I could get my own house through my parents in Korea?
That would be cool, however, it is all done through realtors and the housing office. Everything has to be approved by the housing office.
Yes- you can get your parents to "rent" a place for 50k upfront for a year- they would be your landlord- the military would still do inspections! But! This is illegal!- so it is best to use a aunt or uncle ! After the one year, you get your 50k back and you will have saved up the monthly bah- I doubt CID will even care- but just to be on safe side- don't use parents.
Hey I'm a 2LT (unaccompanied w/ no dependents rn) in Quarantine, I want to follow your advice and live off post. Right now occupancy is under 95%, and the forms the housing office sent me say SLQ "UPH assignments are permanent until DEROS and relocation will not be authorized except in the case of health or safety and/or as directed by the Garrison Commander".
David, Q2 and Q3 may still be options, even if not advertised. The housing office and your command have the final say. If One of these Qs occur, you can always ask the housing office. Korean realtors have also seen many situations and may have more insight into what has and has not happened in the past.
Great video! Thanks for sharing your knowledge!
Woo! Thanks! Glad it was valuable for you.
Fantastic video thank you for sharing
Thank you!
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