Quarters is an interesting question. With both of us serving [and thus moving all the time] MQs made practical sense. However, I remained on the property ladder by (a) owning and paying the mortgage on my parents' retirement home, and (b) buying property to rent out. That said, I guess the dual income/no kids dimension made that a practical and financial option not available to most.
On retirement, after a bit of juggling, we were cash buyers of a large home to actually live in for the first time