I'm sure one of USAA's Certified Financial Planners will comment on this, but until then, purchasing a home in the military is dependent on your current financial status and goals. To specifically answer your question, if you PCS you will have to sell the house and/or rent it out. And selling in 2 years should not affect your credit score. It may perhaps increase it assuming you paid your mortgage and bills on time for the life of the loan and ownership. I would consider the following before purchasing a home: - Are you financiall prepared to purchase a home? Do you already have proper insurance, emergency accounts, a handle on your debt, started to invest for retirement, etc? - Are you mentally prepared to purchas a home? You will have to maintain the home and there are hundreds of hidden costs with owning a home. For example, here in Louisiana, I have to pay $85 a quarter for mosquito spraying (A GREAT INVESTMENT). All-in-all, owning a home is normally a solid investment in the military. It allows you to "collect" the BAH you would otherwise send to someone else (on-base or renting). Also, real estate ownership is an important part of a 4-step retirement plan. I refer to it as a "leg" in a sturdy retirement chair. You can read all about the "chair" retirement analogy on my personal finance blog for military memberst at:
http://militaryfinrep.blogspot.com/2013/07/what-do-i-need-to-retire.html