Another Newbie Coming to Hawaii (Honolulu, Kaneohe: for rent, condos, violent crime)

[bluebullet]

Hey Everyone,

I'll be moving near Honolulu in early March and just have a few questions. First off, can anyone recommend an area nearby honolulu (Hickam) to live? I'm looking at a quiet, safe and friendly neighborhood/town. I was scanning at houses/condos for rent and I seem some as low a $1200 and as high as $2500 with same amount bed rooms, etc... Is$1200 common or is might it be in a not so nice neighborhood? Also, is vehicle inspection pretty strict? I was going to ship both my good and beater cars there, but afraid wanted to make sure the beater will pass inspection.

Thanks in advance for the help!

[MsHell]

Originally Posted by bluebullet

can anyone recommend an area nearby honolulu (Hickam) to live? I'm looking at a quiet, safe and friendly neighborhood/town. I was scanning at houses/condos for rent and I seem some as low a $1200 and as high as $2500 with same amount bed rooms, etc... Is$1200 common or is might it be in a not so nice neighborhood?

How big of a place do you need? You should be able to find a studio or maybe a one-bedroom condo for around $1200 - $1500 in the Aiea or Pearl City areas, which is near Hickam. Also Salt Lake is in the same price range near Hickam. For the most part all are safe neigborhoods. Although we have alot of property crime in Hawaii. I owned a (nice) condo in Salt Lake and in 3 years my vehicle was broken into 3 times and stolen once (never recovered).

Originally Posted by bluebullet

is vehicle inspection pretty strict? I was going to ship both my good and beater cars there, but afraid wanted to make sure the beater will pass inspection.

IMO - yes it is strict. You really don't see "beater" cars on the road here. You might want to search previous threads, I believe someone posted the inspection check list.

[bluebullet]

Hey MsHell,
Thanks for the reply! I'm actually looking for something w/ two to three bedrooms and maybe with a nice lawn space. It doesn't have to be too close to Hickam (currently, I commute 40 mins each way to base). And by safe neighborhood, I do mean areas where my car won't be vandalized, broken into nor my house would be broken into. I live in NJ right now and live 40 mins from base solely because the area around base is be known to be "problematic".

I read other posts and from what I'm gather Kapolei and Mililana are very nice areas with decent apts/condos/houses. Am I correct in that assumption?

[MsHell]

Mililani and Mililani Mauka (newer side) are nice.
Kapolei is nice, bit further out (more traffic).

Pearl City and Aiea are good areas, older neighborhoods, but closer to Hickam.

For a 2-3 bedroom with a yard, I'd expect your rent to run around $2500/month.

[Imdogdazed]

Hey there Bluebullet - we too are heading to Hickam (a bit later than you - July). How is the search for info going? We've just started looking. Any insight would be appreciated.

Stuff we are looking at:

Safe neighborhood - quiet -
Patio area (love to BBQ!)
Garage (a must)
Reasonable commute to Hickam
Would like to buy - House not condo

[timjoe48]

just wondering...are garages necessary anywhere in hawaii?...for instance, lots of people in florida don't have them because they simply aren't necessary.

Originally Posted by Imdogdazed

Garage (a must)

[kani-lehua]

bluebullet and imdogdazed: have you considered the kaneohe/kailua areas?

timjoe48: IMO garages aren't necessary. but, speaking for myself, we like a covered garage. don't like getting caught in the rain. rather be dry getting into or out of the car. i guess you could just use an umbrella. one of our neighbors converted their garage into a workshop. they park outside on their grass.

[dub dub II]

hi everyone,

I am also considering a move to hawaii (surprise, surprise). Someone asked why some homes are around $1200 yet others are around $2500. I found that kind of weird.

Thanks.

[Imdogdazed]

Hey Kani-lehua and timjoe48

For us a garage is a must because of a motorcycle and fears of theft. We're thinking house, so I think Kaneohe/Kailua is out of our price range. There are condos to consider, so that's a possibility - but we'll try for a house first.

Any idea on commute times to Hickam? Kaneohe/Kailua, Ewa beach, Millani , Waipio?

Imdogdazed...

[kani-lehua]

Originally Posted by Imdogdazed

Hey Kani-lehua and timjoe48

For us a garage is a must because of a motorcycle and fears of theft. We're thinking house, so I think Kaneohe/Kailua is out of our price range. There are condos to consider, so that's a possibility - but we'll try for a house first.

Any idea on commute times to Hickam? Kaneohe/Kailua, Ewa beach, Millani , Waipio?

Imdogdazed...

if you choose ewa beach, mililani and/or waipio you will most definitely be caught in rush hour traffic. that's if you work the "normal" 8-5 shift. it's not unheard of for some people to leave those areas 1 1/2 -2 hours prior to their start time. and, it takes just as long to get home.

the kaneohe/kailua areas would take you app. 30 min. to and from work.

lastly, you will most definitely want a garage to secure the motorcyle. while, we do not have a lot of violent crime, property crime is a problem.

you should really consult with a realtor on other areas to consider such as aiea, salt lake/stadium and moanalua. also, are you able to disclose a price range for a home?