Yet Another..."moving to hawaii" thread.... (Honolulu, Aiea: credit report, apartment complex)

[MistyG]

Aloha!

My boyfriend and I will be moving to Oahu at the end of October. The good thing about the move is that we spent some time on The Big Island and also Oahu before we make it permanent. We lived on the Big Island for 3 months last year but had to move back to Las Vegas due to family problems, but now we are moving to Oahu.

Another positive is that my car is already on the Big Island so it's only a few hundred dollars to get it shipped over to Oahu.
Also, the company I work for on the Big Island loved me and said I am welcome to work with their company anytime I decide to come back, and they are located on Oahu also!

The downside:
We need a place to stay....We would like to live close to Waikiki, for the first first year or so and then we were thinking about moving to Makaha, we would prefer to be further away from the city.
I have read a great deal of threads on this forum and from what I can tell Aiea would be a great place for us to live, but I am open to other cities outside of Honolulu.
I am looking for about a 30 minute or so commute to work (each way). My work would be in Waikiki.

I have never rented an apartment in Hawaii, and am not familiar with the way things work over there with deposits and such.
I have a few questions, once I find an apartment complex I would like to move into, would I send them a full deposit in the mail? Before I get to the island?
How would I make sure that they recieved it, and didn't take the money and run?
Please let me know.

I have also researched a few apartment complexes and would like some input on how they rate to everyone here.

We just need a studio or one bedroom. We are looking for around $1,000 a month including all utilities.

If anyone can give me some good apartment complexes to look into, I would appreciate it.

Mahalo!

[MsHell]

Originally Posted by MistyG

We need a place to stay....We would like to live close to Waikiki, for the first first year or so ...
I have read a great deal of threads on this forum and from what I can tell Aiea would be a great place for us to live, but I am open to other cities outside of Honolulu. I am looking for about a 30 minute or so commute to work (each way).

I have also researched a few apartment complexes and would like some input on how they rate to everyone here.

We just need a studio or one bedroom. We are looking for around $1,000 a month including all utilities.

If anyone can give me some good apartment complexes to look into, I would appreciate it.

Mahalo!

30 minute commute to where? Do you know where you will be working?

Personally I would look for apartments that have:
* W/D on premises, in your unit is even better.
* Reserved parking, secure/covered is even better.

[MistyG]

Originally Posted by MsHell

30 minute commute to where? Do you know where you will be working?

Personally I would look for apartments that have:
* W/D on premises, in your unit is even better.
* Reserved parking, secure/covered is even better.

*edited* I will be working in Waikiki

[MsHell]

Originally Posted by MistyG

from what I can tell Aiea would be a great place for us to live, but I am open to other cities outside of Honolulu.
I am looking for about a 30 minute or so commute to work (each way). My work would be in Waikiki.

You won't make it from Aiea to Waikiki in traffic in 30 minutes.

Areas to consider:
Makiki
Manoa
McCully
Ala Moana
Kapiolani
Kaimuki
St Louis Hts

[kani-lehua]

you really ought to listen to ms. hell's advice on areas to consider rather than makaha. you'll never make it into town from there in 30min. especially with an a.m. commute. if you are lucky, it could take you more than an hour. now, if there's an accident on the freeway, stalled car or something else, just forget it! the only way to get to waikiki from makaha in 30 minutes would be to leave before the roosters start crowing. and, that's pushing it.
it sounds like you'll be driving. i hope your employer provides parking?! parking is a commodity in honolulu and the rates atrocious!

[SeaJenSurf]

I'm 50% moved to Oahu from San Diego - meaning my fiance is there, we have a place, but figuring out the logistics of moving (or selling) "the big stuff".

What made a huge difference to us is Craigslist. I don't recommend placing a deposit on any home site unseen. However, some places will "hold" a unit until you get there to see it. This nonrefundable deposit is usually in the ballpark of $300. It's a way to have a little security in knowing you have a place you can rent. Upon arriving to the island, if you decide you don't like it well enough, or if you find a place that suits your needs better, you lost only $300 - not a whole deposit. You are also not stuck in a rental agreement for a place that you don't feel happy in. Also, check to see what units have been posted for rent for a long period of time. You may be able to negotiate the rent.

When we were apartment hunting from the mainland, we reserved one unit for $300. We found a place we liked better once we got to the island. We lost the $300, but really appreciated the security in knowing we wouldn't have to resort to a hotel unless we wanted to. We viewed both units for rent the same day our flight landed after picking up our car at the shipping port. It makes for a busy day, but totally doable.

It seems to help if you have copies of a recent credit report and rental applications. You can send those via fax and avoid the credit check charges (usually). Then fed-ex your check with the hard copies (and with delivery confirmation).

I hope that helps.