Headed to Hilo (rentals, buying a home, transferring to)

[fracpilot]

My wife, cat and I are transferring to Hilo for my job in June. I have spent a week in Hilo before and I am aware of the basic layout of the city, the weather, and such. We are looking to rent a house in the 1500-2200 dollar a month range. The big factor for us is I can be no more than about 15 mins drive to the Hilo airport. I was curious if anyone could give a rundown on decent safe areas and what areas to avoid. The cat limits the housing quite a bit I know according to what I have seen on craigslist. The wife is a nurse who will probably be working at the Hilo Medical Center. Just looking for any suggestions about home searching as well besides craigslist. Thanks

[OpenD]

Quick, before you do anything else, check the various threads here on bringing a cat in, complying with the state quarantine law, etc. If you don't already know about this it can be a big upset to find out about it later.

Here's the government info page: Animal Quarantine Information — Hawaii Department of Agriculture

[fracpilot]

We took care of the cat think back in December with anticipation of this move. Thanks for checking though. I don't think my wife would leave our cat in quarantine for 120 days.

[bigfoot62]

Here it is:


Researchers track tsunami debris across the Pacific Ocean - YouTube

[mdand3boys]

That kind of rent money will go far in Hilo.

I suggest renting a vacation rental for a month or so. It is very easy to arrange in advance and will let you scope out the various neighborhoods better before you commit to a long-term agreement.
Stick with major, legit sites like vrbo.com instead of scam-filled craigslist.

[Dreaming of Hawaii]

Agree with mdand3. When you look around on vrbo, check the availability calendars. If someone doesn't have many rentals lined up, contact them and ask if they'll negotiate on a monthly rent. Spend at least a month or two at a reliable place (i.e. vrbo) while you look around. Don't ever put money down on a place you haven't seen, especially if you are looking on craigslist. It may be hard to find one that will allow cats, tho.

Good luck and E Komo Mai.

[mdand3boys]

As to the cat - Phone the owner of the rental - don't just email - it is way more personal that way and they can get a better feel for your needs and how you will take care of their property. Just remember the time zone difference if the owner lives on-island. You don't want to call the owner at 3am....

[fracpilot]

This is why I love this site. I really hadn't thought of that because most VRBO listings advertise high weekly rates that would translate to crazy monthly rent but I guess anything is negotiable. I know we will be there at least two years so we also considered buying a home if we could live there a few months first and get a feel for things.

[byerssue]

I would recommend renting in town. I am also a nurse at HMC, and find it very convenient to live in Hilo. We have to take call and it is nice to be close. Good luck.