Moving to a new home, townhome or apartment is always a daunting task. What makes it even more intimidating is when you purchase a home and then have to move due to a Permanent Change of Station, or PCS.

When you are married to someone in the military and PCS, it's difficult no matter the circumstances. Many times, you leave behind family and friends.  But what you'll do with the house you've purchased adds work and, potentially, worries.

Gloria Hensley's husband, Nick, is in the Army. They are currently stationed in Fort Hood, Texas.

"I actually own a house in Alabama that I rent out, and we have bought a house here at Fort Hood and plan on renting it out," Hensley stated. "We go through RE/MAX. They handle everything for us and only call us with bug problems."

Asked if she'd consider renting from someone who had PCS'd themselves, Hensley stated, "We have lucked out and had great renters. I would have no reservations about renting from a military person who PCS'd."

Real estate companies generally handle the sale of a house. Whatever real estate company you choose, ask whether or not agents can handle the rental of the home. Typically, they will oblige, but if not, you can obtain a management firm that would collect the rent for you, handle any repairs and all other interactions with the tenants. You pay the management firm a percentage of the rent collected, noted a young man who wanted to be known only as Andrew.

However, not all military folks have had good experiences with renting a home out. Becky is one of them.

"We rented our house out once to a military family and will never do it again - unless they are higher ranking soldiers or officers," she said. "We have PCS'd a few times in my husband's career and usually end up staying in military housing until we find the house we want to purchase. I just prefer to be in my own home and not have it be someone else's home."

Buying, renting and all of things involved sometimes can be quite a hassle. One young man, who wished to remain anonymous, stated that buying a home wasn't worth the hassle.

"We have four properties and land in various places," he said. "Seriously, buying is a pain - with all the maintenance work required, paying taxes, making sure the renters are not psychos who are going to destroy the property. And maintenance companies stink, because they just want money and like to rip you off with all the nice fixtures. We had a maintenance company pretty much gut one house of all the ceiling fans and high-end light fixtures. It was a company that was highly recommended."

For more information, contact your local real estate agency. You'll be able to find out whether it can handle the rental of your home while you are away, or the staff may point you to someone who can handle it.