Twenty-two years in the Air Force — which is twenty-two years of moving on somebody else's timeline. My last PCS brought me to San Antonio in 2020 and I retired here in 2025, so I've made this move myself. VA loans, BAH math, house-hunting trips that aren't wasted, and a closing you can sign from wherever you happen to be.
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Select the base you're PCSing to and I'll pull up the communities personnel there tend to choose, with commute times, price ranges, property tax rates, and school districts. Explore any of them further on the interactive map.
Commute times, home prices, and tax rates above are general-area estimates for planning purposes only, based on public data — not an appraisal or valuation of any specific property, and they change frequently. I'll pull current, property-specific numbers for any home you're considering.
Tell me your priorities (commute, schools, budget, space) and I'll help you narrow it down, wherever your orders send you.
Talk Through My OptionsBasic Allowance for Housing (BAH) can play a major role in your relocation and housing decisions at JBSA-Randolph. Rates below reflect the official 2026 San Antonio, TX military housing area schedule, effective January 1, 2026.
| Rank | With Dependents | Without Dependents |
|---|---|---|
| E-4 | $1,728 | $1,359 |
| E-5 | $1,869 | $1,500 |
| E-6 | $2,094 | $1,596 |
| E-7 | $2,112 | $1,731 |
| O-3 | $2,127 | $2,007 |
| O-4 | $2,307 | $2,088 |
| O-6 | $2,475 | $2,103 |
For the most current figures, visit the official DoD BAH calculator at defensetravel.dod.mil/site/bahCalc.cfm. BAH is updated annually, is tax-free, and is based on your rank, dependency status, and duty station ZIP code.
My honest assessment: BAH tables are helpful, but they don't tell the full story. Housing costs, commute times, and neighborhood availability vary widely between Universal City, Schertz, Cibolo, Converse, and Live Oak, and a BAH number alone can't account for changing market conditions. My recommendation: instead of choosing based on price alone, focus on communities that support your daily life and long-term comfort — I'm glad to help you weigh that tradeoff honestly.
See this section in the full PCS Guide →New construction is booming across the JBSA-Randolph corridor — especially in Cibolo, Schertz, and New Braunfels. Converse, Selma, and Live Oak are seeing smaller-scale infill building rather than large master-planned communities.
Cibolo — 6+ active builders: D.R. Horton, Lennar, Chesmar, Perry, Coventry & Meritage are building in Steele Creek, Turning Stone, The Heights of Cibolo, and Foxbrook.
Schertz — Best known for The Crossvine: David Weekley, Highland, Brightland, Scott Felder & Chesmar are building out Schertz's largest master-planned community.
New Braunfels — Multiple master-planned communities: Brightland, Coventry, David Weekley, Highland, Perry, Pulte & Drees are active in Veramendi, Mayfair, and Vintage Oaks.
Marion — A growing rural corridor: Centex Homes leads new development along the FM 78 / I-10 corridor as Marion's rural character gives way to newer subdivisions.
The new-construction trap for military buyers: Builder incentives — rate buydowns, closing-cost credits, free upgrades — are hard to pass up on a PCS timeline, and plenty of military families take them. The catch: as long as the builder keeps developing nearby lots, they control pricing on new inventory and can price it below what you'd need to sell for a profit. That built-in competition can suppress appreciation until the neighborhood fully builds out, sometimes for years. If you're considering a new build, plan to stay at least 3 to 5 years before you can expect to sell for a profit — if a PCS move is likely sooner than that, a resale home in an established neighborhood may be the safer financial choice.
See this section in the full PCS Guide →The details below reflect the JBSA-Randolph corridor from my PCS Guide — ask me directly if you'd like the same breakdown for school zones near Lackland, Fort Sam Houston, or Camp Bullis.
Public school districts: Judson ISD (Converse, Live Oak, Selma & parts of Universal City) · Schertz-Cibolo-Universal City ISD (Schertz, Cibolo, Selma & parts of Universal City) · Comal ISD (New Braunfels area, Comal County side) · New Braunfels ISD (New Braunfels city core) · Marion ISD (Marion & rural Guadalupe County) · East Central ISD (St. Hedwig & southeast Bexar County) · Randolph Field ISD, which serves JBSA-Randolph on-base family housing PK–12 and is built around military life and smooth PCS transitions.
Highly-rated / specialty schools: Byron P. Steele II High School (Schertz, Comal ISD) — a Purple Star military-friendly campus and consistently one of the area's top-rated high schools; Samuel Clemens High School (Schertz, SCUCISD) — strong academics, highly rated district-wide.
Private & charter options: John Paul II Catholic High School (Schertz) — college-prep, serving New Braunfels, Schertz & Comal County families; BASIS San Antonio Northeast (IH-35 N) — rigorous, internationally benchmarked STEM curriculum; IDEA Judson College Preparatory (Converse area) — college-prep charter network serving the Judson ISD area, grades 6–12.
College & continuing education: Northeast Lakeview College (Universal City, about 3 miles from base) · St. Philip's College, which offers evening courses directly on JBSA-Randolph · Wayland Baptist University's Randolph AFB Teaching Site · UTSA · Texas A&M University–San Antonio · University of the Incarnate Word.
See this section in the full PCS Guide →A VA home loan isn't money lent by VA directly — a private lender makes the loan, and VA guarantees part of it, which is why VA loans come with standout terms: $0 down payment in most cases, no monthly PMI, negotiable closing costs, and no VA-set minimum credit score. My free VA Loan Fact Sheet covers eligibility, the funding fee schedule, and how to reuse your benefit more than once.
View the VA Loan Fact Sheet Or see the VA loan section in the full PCS Guide →Reach out as soon as you have your report date — the earlier we start, the smoother your PCS home search will be.
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