Buying a house near Ft Stewart. Any suggestions or recommendations?

SSG(P) Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 13 Jul 2015 12:47:36 -0400

My wife and I are looking at buying our first home when we pcs to ft stewart this fall, anyone have suggestions on what areas to look at and what areas to stay away from? Realtors to avoid or good realtors? Thanks for any input!

Response by SGT S Sharpless made Jul 13 at 2015 12:51 PM

SGT S Sharpless — Mon, 13 Jul 2015 12:51:04 -0400

Richmond hill is a nice area. Not too far from hinesville or Savannah. Its right in the middle. They have nice houses there. Hinesvilles houses are pretty crappy. I just moved from there to Savannah. Or you could try Ludowoci.

Response by MAJ Private RallyPoint Member made Jul 13 at 2015 1:28 PM

MAJ Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 13 Jul 2015 13:28:09 -0400

Richmond Hill. Easy commute good schools. Own on there myself. Realtor: See Leigh Smiley at Coldwell Banker Holtzman in Hinesville. She is awesome.

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Jul 13 at 2015 1:29 PM

SSG Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 13 Jul 2015 13:29:05 -0400

I live in Richmond Hill, my wife and I love it there. We went with this USAA program where they referred us to a realtor and then paid us for using that realtor. If you want to buy, talk to USAA first - you don't have to use them to get a loan to use the program.

Response by MSG Private RallyPoint Member made Jul 13 at 2015 2:01 PM

MSG Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 13 Jul 2015 14:01:42 -0400

Ludiwici will give you more bang for buck-20 min drive... richmond hill will give you better school districts but is more expensive. Closer to savannah 30 min drive... hinesville is the closest but it is the trailer park capital of america. Cheaper to live but poor quality schools and more crime

Response by CSM Michael J. Uhlig made Jul 13 at 2015 3:06 PM

CSM Michael J. Uhlig — Mon, 13 Jul 2015 15:06:05 -0400

Congratulations, this is a great step towards your financial independence. You are setting a great example and taking charge of your financial future, outstanding!

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Jul 13 at 2015 6:34 PM

SSG Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 13 Jul 2015 18:34:11 -0400

Look up Cheryl Dickinson she's with Remax Accent. She knows all the and bad areas along with the rental aspect if you PCS.

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Jul 13 at 2015 8:08 PM

SFC Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 13 Jul 2015 20:08:52 -0400

Karen Carter WITH
REALTY EXECUTIVES
[login to see] [login to see]

Response by MAJ Private RallyPoint Member made Jul 14 at 2015 12:38 PM

MAJ Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 14 Jul 2015 12:38:00 -0400

Another place to look is Glennville. School is pretty good, teachers understand working with military and make accommodations. Small quiet farm town but out in the sticks a bit. About an hour from Savannah, 45 min from Statesboro (Home of Georgia Southern University) and a pretty nice place.

Response by PFC Stephens Clark made Jul 14 at 2015 2:19 PM

PFC Stephens Clark — Tue, 14 Jul 2015 14:19:18 -0400

Jessup is a nice lil town close to base, Hinesville, is ok but jessup is more quiet.

Response by 1SG Private RallyPoint Member made Jul 14 at 2015 2:45 PM

1SG Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 14 Jul 2015 14:45:22 -0400

Any where outside Hinesville will give you more for your money however, if you are looking for a small starter home i believe Hinesville or Ludowici is the better area. Richmond Hill is a very nice area, but you're going to pay. I bought my first home in Hinesville and when I PCS'D I was able to keep a renter in there, something to keep in mind when/ if you plan to PCS. I had a horrible experience with Stewart Realty and a great experience with Elain Boggs. My best advice is continue to do your homework and weigh all pros and cons. Good luck

Response by SGM Steve Wettstein made Jul 14 at 2015 6:03 PM

SGM Steve Wettstein — Tue, 14 Jul 2015 18:03:48 -0400

SSG(P) Private RallyPoint Member, IMO they are over building in the area. You probably won't be here more than 3-4 years unless you are going to ETS/Retire here. So maybe think of getting a house that is a few years old. I think you could get a good deal on a house that is a few years old instead of buying new. I agree with parts of what MSG Private RallyPoint Member said. I was stationed here from 99-08. I lucked out and lived in a couple of good areas and my kids went to good grade schools (or I lucked out and they just had good teachers). There are a lot of trailer parks here, but there are a lot of trailer parks around most Army bases that I have been stationed at. Hinesville is good to live in if you do not want to have a long commute every day. Ludiwici (pronounced Littlewussie) has a few subdivisions and is 10-15 miles from the closest gate. Totally agree with what he said about Richmond Hill. There are a ton of places to get in Savannah, but it is more expensive and your BAH rate is by where you are stationed not where you live. So you might have to pay some out of pocket expenses if you go that route. Not to mention the at a minimum 1 hour drive each way. I hope this helps. If you have any questions send me a message.

Response by CW2 Private RallyPoint Member made Jul 14 at 2015 7:01 PM

CW2 Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 14 Jul 2015 19:01:52 -0400

If you want to live in the more urban area where they have everything from shopping for good restaurants that I suggest living in Savannah but it is a large commute to Stewart. Most people choose to live in Richmond Hill or Pooler. Pooler or is also a very long commute. If you want more of the Cheaper side and close to Fort Stewart go to the Hinesville area but if you want more upscale Richmond Hill is the way to go. However when you have family and you want to go shopping or you want to go the restaurant nobody goes to Hinesville or Richmond Hill, they all go to savanna keep that in mind because you'll find yourself in Savannah at least 2 or 3 times a month if not more if that's your thing. good luck in all you do .

Response by SGT Patrcia Palmer made Jul 14 at 2015 9:40 PM

SGT Patrcia Palmer — Tue, 14 Jul 2015 21:40:22 -0400

I would recommend Elaine Boggs Realty [login to see] and asked for retired SFC Hardgrave he is an associate that works there he will take excellent care of you and your family in your house hunt. Let me say welcome to Fort Stewart.

Response by SPC Dale St. Pierre made Jul 15 at 2015 8:08 PM

SPC Dale St. Pierre — Wed, 15 Jul 2015 20:08:43 -0400

Ft Stewart, is an odd post. Support brigade is near the back gate. The rest follow mostly along the main road from the front gate to the back gate. 1 brigade was outside the main post. I suggest you get there and find out where you will be assigned. Then house hunt. Also pt time can cause a serious time crunch. Be ready to shower in a gym. Other than that, follow what fits your families needs. I left there in 11'

Response by SGT Jamie Jackson made Jul 16 at 2015 11:32 AM

SGT Jamie Jackson — Thu, 16 Jul 2015 11:32:03 -0400

Sarg, I have been stationed at Ft Stewart since '03. I have lived all the way around Stewart! Those that stated anywhere but hinesville is spot on. I bought a house in Glennville and like it there. Richmond hill is great, Jessup is great and ludowici is great. Stay away from hinesville.

Response by SPC Donald Moore made Jul 17 at 2015 3:17 PM

SPC Donald Moore — Fri, 17 Jul 2015 15:17:56 -0400

I was stationed there twenty years ago, so things have probably changed a lot.
Back then, you want to get outside of the city of Hinesville if at all possible. Liberty County, where Ft. Stewart is located, was pretty damn awful back then because it had a different phone company than the whole rest of the state for some reason and just calling from Hinesville to Savanna was a long distance call. At that time, AT&T (Bell South) was not available in the county and the local cable and phone service didn't offer any type of high speed internet. That meant you had to make a long distance call to get to a dial-up internet connection. It was a terrible place to live.
Like I said, it is sure to have changed. I hope you have a blast there. The weather is lovely this time of year.

Response by SPC Donald Moore made Jul 17 at 2015 3:23 PM

SPC Donald Moore — Fri, 17 Jul 2015 15:23:49 -0400

If you can afford to do it, keep the house when you PCS and rent it.
The Real-Estate company that I used when I was there is still around (http://holtzmanrealestate.com/) and they are able to help you find a house to buy and then manage the rental when you are away. They were reasonable to deal with at the time I was there.

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Jul 19 at 2015 4:56 AM

SFC Private RallyPoint Member — Sun, 19 Jul 2015 04:56:47 -0400

This is my second time at Fort Stewart and the last stop in my career. We built a house in Ludowici and SFC Winkler is right. You definitely get more bang for your buck. Long County is appealing to us for the small town atmosphere and the relative quiet country living. you are close enough to Jessup and Hinesville for basic needs shopping as well as the river for recreation. Smiley Elementary is where our oldest child attends and we are satisfied with the school. Our builder was Mike Allen and realtor was Debbie McLaughlin. Both were outstanding throughout the entire process. Good luck in your search.

Response by CW3 Private RallyPoint Member made Jul 21 at 2015 11:51 PM

CW3 Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 21 Jul 2015 23:51:04 -0400

Try the Glennville or Ludowici area...its nice quiet country living and worth the money

Response by SPC Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 6 at 2016 8:12 AM

SPC Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 06 Jun 2016 08:12:42 -0400

Ludowici. You can get a 4/3 for around 200k with backyard and 2 car garage. All houses there are pretty new and 20minutes from post.

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Feb 16 at 2020 9:19 PM

SSG Private RallyPoint Member — Sun, 16 Feb 2020 21:19:06 -0500

I got mine outside gate 7. That gate is open from 0500 to 2000ish on weekdays but close on weekends. That gives you a quiet weekends. The gate is almost 5 minutes drom the main community area.