Another potential family move to Oahu. Home and school neighborhoods? (Kailua: best neighborhoods, rentals)

[sunflowers02]

Hi,

We are currently in discussions about a new job for husband, working out of the University of Hawaii.

We have 3 young children (one is elementary school aged).

What would you suggest are the best neighborhoods to start our home search in? We will be renting.

Also, do all the schools work off an enrolment boundary zone? i.e. you can only go to the particular public school for the area you live in.

Thanks.

[whtviper1]

Originally Posted by sunflowers02

Hi,

We are currently in discussions about a new job for husband, working out of the University of Hawaii.

What would you suggest are the best neighborhoods to start our home search in? We will be renting.

I'd stick with Manoa or close to Manoa near UH. Decent single family homes rent for around $4K in the area - you can of course find cheaper but you get what you pay for.

[msjwilliams2000]

Hi, Sunflowers02. We are about to make the move to Oahu and found that with a substantial amount of research and planning (and money ) you can have a good experience. I spent a lot of time researching school districts because we knew private school wasn't an option. We then narrowed down our options based on commute time and overall neighborhood feel.

Visit if you haven't yet. We've been numerous times to stay with family so we had a pretty clear picture of where we wanted to be. Schools are indeed zoned by where you live so be sure your rental property is zoned for the schools you want. There are charter schools but we really wanted our girls to attend neighborhood schools. (Did the magnet school thing before and was hoping to avoid the situation again.)

You didn't indicate a budget for housing, but coming from ND you will likely experience sticker shock. Our monthly housing expense is very close to what we're paying for our mortgage in Dallas (property tax here is crazy!) but our rental home is half the size. We are thrilled with the rental we found (it has a 2 car enclosed garage and large fenced in yard-woohoo!) and agreed to a 2 year lease to get the property. If you start looking at rentals on craigslist you'll get a good feel for what you can get for your money. The forums are full of great information (and some entertaining commentary!) so dig in and start planning. Best of luck to you!

[sunflowers02]

Originally Posted by msjwilliams2000

Hi, Sunflowers02. We are about to make the move to Oahu and found that with a substantial amount of research and planning (and money ) you can have a good experience. I spent a lot of time researching school districts because we knew private school wasn't an option. We then narrowed down our options based on commute time and overall neighborhood feel.

Visit if you haven't yet. We've been numerous times to stay with family so we had a pretty clear picture of where we wanted to be. Schools are indeed zoned by where you live so be sure your rental property is zoned for the schools you want. There are charter schools but we really wanted our girls to attend neighborhood schools. (Did the magnet school thing before and was hoping to avoid the situation again.)

You didn't indicate a budget for housing, but coming from ND you will likely experience sticker shock. Our monthly housing expense is very close to what we're paying for our mortgage in Dallas (property tax here is crazy!) but our rental home is half the size. We are thrilled with the rental we found (it has a 2 car enclosed garage and large fenced in yard-woohoo!) and agreed to a 2 year lease to get the property. If you start looking at rentals on craigslist you'll get a good feel for what you can get for your money. The forums are full of great information (and some entertaining commentary!) so dig in and start planning. Best of luck to you!

Hi msjwilliams2000,

Thanks for your response.

It looks like our move is on the cards and happening very quickly. So overwhelming. I find out 100% tonight when hubby gets home.

Did you find your house on Craigslist or another site? Sounds like you got a good place. We are looking for something similar. Thinking anywhere from Aina Haina down to Hawaii Kai or potentially even Kailua.

Any schools you researched that you would definitely steer clear of in those areas I mentioned above?

Thanks.

[rya96797]

what is your home budget and what size/type home are you looking for? Townhome, condo, house? I'm guessing you're looking for a 3br/1.5ba with small yard house?


I think these are primary considerations, and will help narrow down the location. whtviper made an excellent suggestion, but if a 4k house isn't in your budget, then you need to look at other areas that are.

[msjwilliams2000]

Originally Posted by sunflowers02

Hi msjwilliams2000,

Thanks for your response.

It looks like our move is on the cards and happening very quickly. So overwhelming. I find out 100% tonight when hubby gets home.

Did you find your house on Craigslist or another site? Sounds like you got a good place. We are looking for something similar. Thinking anywhere from Aina Haina down to Hawaii Kai or potentially even Kailua.

Any schools you researched that you would definitely steer clear of in those areas I mentioned above?

Thanks.

We asked my husband's coworkers who already live there for suggestions. We narrowed things down to Hawaii Kai and Kailua based upon their recommendations. Mililani has schools that are highly ranked but we ruled it out because of commute time and lack of proximity to the water (relatively speaking, of course). I'm not familiar with Aina Haina so I can't speak to schools in that area. Kaiser high school in Hawaii Kai has an IB program which is why we settled on that area.

The rental was found through Craigslist. My sister and her husband were already on island so I was able to have them preview properties we were interested in. We submitted an application the same day after a virtual tour and signed the lease and paid the deposit a week later when we arrived on island. I want to stress that we did not wire any money up front.

You'll have a tough time securing a property unless you are already here. If you can't come for a house hunting trip, book a furnished short term rental so you can look for a place without being rushed. That will also give you time to really explore the neighborhoods you're interested in.

[blau808]

Anything East of Manoa to Hawaii Kai have the better public schools on the island. Also the better commute if your husband is at UH. Rent in these neighborhoods will cost you 3k-4k for a decent place though. I'm out in Hawaii Kai if you have more questions!