Free for military families · Built by locals

Moving to Fort Drum? You've got this — and you've got us.

Name: PCSHomes
Address: Watertown, NY, US
Telephone: +13152214857
Price range: Free

Boxes everywhere, partner in the field, three kids and a timeline? Every guide here is free, honest, and written for the person actually running the move.

Built by locals. Free forever. The only ask: if you want a human, we'll connect you.

Fort Drum, New York

Start here

Where are you in the move?

On-post housingApply today — the list moves on need dates→ SchoolsPre-enroll the kids from where you are→ Childcare waitlistGet on it NOW — it runs months→ PCS checklistWhat you're owed + the deadlines→ Your careerLicense & paperwork you can start early→

Rent vs. buyRun your own numbers, not a stranger's→ Neighborhood mapCommutes & character, gate by gate→ VA loan toolsWhat $0 down actually covers→ Winter & heatLock propane pricing Aug 1–Oct 1→ MedicalLine up the family's care before you land→

Arrival week30-day vehicle reg · travel voucher · 75-day claims→ Family health careGet everyone's care switched over→ First-week essentialsGroceries, medical, storage — where things are→ The safety netFamily support on post, if the wheels wobble→

Find your peopleGroups, meetups, and where everyone actually is→ Family & kidsWhat's worth the drive, honestly→ Daily lifeThe rhythms nobody explains up front→ The safety netSupport on post if things get hard→

When they're goneWhat helps, from families who've done it→ The 2am numbersWho to call when it can't wait→ Doing the move without themPOA, house-hunting, arriving solo→ ChildcareWaitlist & hourly care options→ Family & kidsWays to fill the weekends→

I have questions first

BAH, neighborhoods, winters, schools — read the guide or talk to a human, no pressure.

Read the Fort Drum Guide

I need a place to live

Buy or rent — get matched with a vetted local agent who works PCS timelines and VA loans.

See how matching works

My family is moving with me

School enrollment before you arrive, childcare waitlists, spouse employment, medical.

Visit the Spouse & Family HQ

BAH · E-5 w/ dep

$1,665/mo

Check your rate

Median home near post

~$204,000

VA loan = $0 down

School districts

Which one fits →

CYS Parent Central

(315) 772-8675

childcare waitlist — call early

The Guide

The Fort Drum Guide

Honest intel from families who've lived itAll guides →

Schools

Enroll them before you even arrive — here's how

Four districts, MIC3 rights, and the registrar who picks up the phone.

Read the guide

Winter & heat

Winter is real. So is the playbook.

Lock propane pricing by Oct 1, budget the plow guy, love the snow anyway.

Read the guide

PCS money

What the Army owes you for this move

DLA, TLE, per diem — and the two deadlines that cost families real money.

Read the guide

Housing & BAH toolsVA calculator · rent vs. buy→ Neighborhood mapCommutes & character, gate by gate→ On-post housingWait times & how it compares→ Life in the North CountryDay trips · family & kids · winter, honestly→

Local intel

Things nobody tells you

The stuff you only learn after living here

Natural gas vs. propane = $1,500/yearWatertown city has gas lines; Evans Mills and most rural areas run propane or oil. We know which streets have gas.

Same street, different school districtFort Drum spans 4 districts and the boundary lines are confusing. Confirm the district before you offer — not after.

Register for CYSS childcare the day you get ordersThe waitlist runs 3–6 months. Sign up at militarychildcare.com before you arrive.

NY spouses get automatic license reciprocityNursing, teaching, real estate, and 10+ professions — with a 6-month temporary permit while your transfer processes.

Veterans get 3 NY property tax exemptions — most miss 2458-a, 458-b, and Eligible Funds. Combined with STAR, that's $1,000+/year many families leave on the table.

Snow tires aren't optional140+ inches a year. Budget $400–800 for a set, and strongly consider AWD. Studded tires are legal Oct 16 – Apr 30.

Our partners

The network

Vetted on their record with military families — not on who paid. Partners never pay for placement or ranking.

Joseph MurthaReal estate · North Star Real Estate · #1 in Jefferson & Lewis Co., 120+ five-star reviewsRequest intro DP Development & PropertiesHigh-end rentals built for veterans and active duty familiesCall (315) 767-4222 Wood ConsultingHome services — contractors, water filtration, energy savingsSee the network

This weekend

This weekend, with kids

free · indoor · survivableDiscover more →

Free · Outdoors

Thompson Park & the zoo

435 acres, playgrounds, and NY-native wolves. 20 minutes from post.

Plan it

Day trip · Summer

Castles, actually

Boldt & Singer castles by boat — military rate $12.75. One hour south, kayaking too.

Plan it

Under 30 min

Sackets Harbor with a stroller

Battlefield lawns, Lake Ontario views, breweries, history — and ice cream on Main Street.

Plan it

★★★★★

The person doing the move deserves someone who shows up:

"When the snowstorm of the century came through and threatened our final walkthrough and closing, Joe went out and shoveled a path to the front door himself."

— Seller · Zillow Verified · All 66 reviews →

Support

How matching works

Three steps. No obligation at any of them.

1. Tell us what you needBuy or rent, timeline, budget, kids, pets — whatever matters.

2. We intro you to a vetted localSomeone who works PCS timelines and VA loans every week.

3. You talk to a humanNo obligation — if it's not a fit, that's fine.

Partners never pay for placement or ranking. Ready for the intro? →

Get started

Start with one conversation.

Tell us where you are in the move — a real person from our Fort Drum network calls you back, usually the same day.

Free, no obligation — no contracts, no pressure, no catch

Every partner vetted on VA loan experience and military family track record

For the service member, the spouse, and the kids