USAFE Airmen have new Housing Office support online Published June 19, 2009 By 1Lt J.D. Griffin USAFE Public Affairs RAMSTEIN AIR BASE, Germany -- A new advantage in house-hunting has recently become available to Airmen moving into or out of U.S. Air Forces in Europe command. USAFE housing offices are implementing the new Internet-based Automated Housing Referral Network, AHRN.com, to facilitate the long-distance house-hunting process encountered during a permanent-change-of-station. AHRN.com is a joint service, DoD-sponsored website that offers a 24/7/365 source of available housing to incoming military members. It directly connects service members with local property managers via the Internet, potentially saving time and money, while reducing headaches. "This housing referral network has a major advantage because it reduces reliance on visiting housing offices and the word-of-mouth (sponsor) method," said Ben Hizon, deputy director for the Kaiserslautern Military Community Housing Office. With this new capability, PCSing military members are able to reach out from anywhere and get an updated list of housing that will be available upon their arrival. The idea behind the free site is that local property managers and military members register on the site to list or search available properties, in many cases several months before the property will be available. These properties are then easily viewed by incoming personnel when they search the site for available housing. "It's our job to promote the site to all local stakeholders to ensure that it builds momentum and synergy," said Ginger Speake, command housing specialist. USAFE housing offices have been expanding the AHRN.com program since May. The Kaiserslautern Military Community, Spangdahlem and Geilenkirchen air bases in Germany were the first USAFE areas to use the system in May. Aviano Air Base, Italy brought the system online in June and most other bases should be using the site by the end of the year. Housing officials encourage local property managers to register in the system as well. "The larger the database, the more useful it will be to people searching for places to live," said Hizon. AHRN.com incorporates several layers of privacy protection to ease concerns about registering properties. Property owners also benefit by having a consistent resource of quality tenants. "It's a win-win for everyone who uses the site," said Speake. For more detailed information about the local AHRN.com website, call the local housing office or visit the website at www.ahrn.com to list a property or search for one today.