The US Department of Defense has released the Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH) rates for 2010. The BAH rates for permanent-duty troops increases an average of 2.5% on January 1, 2010. The BAH is alotted to servicemembers for whom govenrment-provided quarters are unavailable. Check BAH rates in your area here.

Around one million full-time servicemembers take advantage of the BAH program, whose benefits vary based on duty location, pay grade, and number of dependents. Checking the rates against ZIP codes where I’ve lived, it looks like, if you don’t have any dependents, you could get an average one-bedroom apartment. However, personal experience tells me that rent tends to increase more than 2.5% each year.

 In the DC area, housing rates, increased across the board. Locations increased by just a few dollars up to a couple of hundred dollars.  How will these rates and changes effect housing prices and rental rates in the Northern Virginia area?  Home owners and landlords are hopeful that the housing market in Virginia will continue its steady recovery…. opinions??