Requests for updates for Kailua, Oahu (Honolulu, Kaneohe: for sale, real estate, apartment)

[nursemomof5]

I found this on this forum---- and was interested in perhaps an update for 2012?? Please see below, for my questions. Thanks!!! ----

Area you are describing: Kailua - the one on Oahu, not the one on the Big Island. If you have looked up "Kailua" on the City-Data pages, the information there is a little of both, which is confusing.
Weather: A little more cloudy, and with a little more rain than Honolulu, but generally great! Here is a day-by-day history of weather for the last year at the Marine Base (listed as Kaneohe, but really on the edge of Kailua): History : Weather Underground
Schools: Two High Schools - Kailua and Kalaheo, a full slate of other public schools, and several private schools, including one highly rated - Le Jardin.
Commute: About 30 minutes to downtown Honolulu. Same to Hickam, the airport and Pearl Harbor. MUCH better than when I did it every day in the sixties, since H-3 has made the commute to Hickam and Pearl Harbor a piece of cake, (used to be 45 minutes to an hour) and has taken the pressure off the routes through the other two tunnels, Pali and Likelike.
Food: There are many more restaurants than you would expect for a town of about 30,000. This is because of so many Vacation Rentals in Kailua, where the tourists eat out every night.
Shopping: Three Safeways, a Foodland, and a Times for groceries; A Macy's; A Don Quijote for discount everything; No Big-box stores; A Mall in the next town (Kaneohe), about twenty minutes away.
Air quality: Most of the time, when the trade winds are blowing, excellent. When we have Kona weather, we very occasionally get some mild VOG.
Economy: A bedroom community of Honolulu. As Honolulu goes, so goes Kailua.
Crime: Probably better than the average of Oahu.
Housing prices: $600,000 to Multi-Millions. Here are some typical neighborhoods: Lower Priced: 96734 Real Estate & 96734 Homes for Sale - Zillow Mid Priced: 96734 Real Estate & 96734 Homes for Sale - Zillow High Priced: 96734 Real Estate & 96734 Homes for Sale - Zillow
Good neighborhoods: "Beachside" Kalaheo, Lanikai, Kuulei Tract for over a million. Enchanted Lake and Aikahi Park for just under a million.
Culture: Mixed. More Haole than "average" Oahu (there's really no such thing).
Stuff to Do:Enjoy the town, which is a great "Walking Around" place. Go to the beach - often listed in "World's Best Beach" lists. Go to the theater, Symphony, etc. in Honolulu, about 30-40 minutes away. Hike. Snorkel. And all the other outdoor things for which Hawaii is famous.
Other: Just a great place to live. Of all the places I have lived and later re-visited, Kailua is the least changed.


--------------------
Thanks for reading through that! It's 2012 now, and I'm wondering about living in Hawaii. I'm a soon-to-be RN and will have a job (hopefully) at the Queen's med center in downtown Honolulu. We have a family of 7 (5 kids) and we're in Michigan currently. I am a native Californian and I really miss warm weather and could really use a BIG change of scenery. We're seriously considering moving to Hawaii for 2-4 years, longer if we love it and don't get Rock Fever or otherwise want to leave. My husband is former military, so I don't think that living near the Marine Corps base would be an issue. Kailua looks like a good area for us, family oriented, close to work, but it's own community. It looks like about a 30 minute commute. House prices seem to have come down quite a bit. We'd probably be buying something, in the $300k range. Is this feasible in that town?

What are some pros and cons to living there? How is the weather? How many days a year does it rain? I don't mind rain, it rains quite a bit here in MI, it's just a lot colder.
I will make decent money, for Hawaii standards, but my husband will not have a job lined up.
We will probably want to buy something, assuming it's cheaper than renting, which it seems it is, right now, at least.

What advice, info, thoughts do you have on living in that area? We're really interested in doing all of the outdoors things there, swimming, snorkeling, hiking, whatever. We're pretty easygoing, laid back kind of people and we don't have have have to have air conditioning, so we're not too totally worried about electricity or things like that. We like to explore local foods, and I actually prefer to eat local, especially fish, rice and fruits/veg. so I'm hoping that will help with the food costs, as I understand meat/milk and imported foods are very expensive.

Are there local farmers markets/produce markets around?
Is there a local food movement?
How do people feel about green energy? We'd like to install solar panels to offset electricity use, assuming we buy vs. rent.
What is the transport situation from Kailua to downtown? Will I have to have a car or are there buses that run reasonably to and from?

What are some of the big blunders you see newbies make that I might be able to avoid?

Thanks in advance for all the info. We have well over two years to plan our move, so nothings urgent, or set in stone.... Just checkin things out right now.

[PaliPatty]

Things are just about the same, generally, except that Don Quijote's is closed and slated to be torn down and a Target will be built in its place. Whole Foods should open in a few months and Executive Chef just opened.
During rush hour it takes at least an hour to get to town, usually.
If you are counting on getting a new grad RN position here on Oahu I think you'd best investigate what's happening here as far as nursing opportunities go. Local new grads are finding it terribly difficult to secure nursing positions now and are finding it necessary to relocate to the mainland for jobs. Two hospitals just shut down on Oahu, leaving approximately 300 experienced RN's back in the job market.
Please check out the Queens website---there are RN openings but they all require at least one year's experience minimum in specialty areas such as Labor and Delivery, Neuro ICU, and Cardio ICU, or require an advanced practice degree.
New grad positions are few and far between. If any exist, they go to the new grads that are already working at Queens as ward clerks, ER techs, nursing assistants, etc. And I've seen even those new grads who do get nursing positions wait up to a year to get them. The nursing programs keep pumping out new grads and there is a huge glut of very experienced nurses here so the odds of this situation getting better any time soon are pretty low.
Not to mention that any job opening is very likely to go to a local candidate. Why? There's a clue in your post: "We're seriously considering moving to Hawaii for 2-4 years, longer if we love it and don't get Rock Fever or otherwise want to leave." And employers are very familiar with that line of thinking. All things equal, the job will go to the local resident---they're keepers.
Everyone here is all for local produce and going green. There are farmer's markets. Costco might be a better bet if you are looking to save money, however. Costco also sells quite a bit of local produce, which is nice to see. Sam's Club has little to offer in the way of local produce.
You don't have to be "worried about electricity" to have the cost of it impact you even if you live somewhat frugally. Recent threads here have explored that topic.
I dunno...I'd be thinking twice about uprooting five kids to get a "Hawaii Experience."
Biggest blunder I see newbies make? Thinking that all the wonders of Hawaii will somehow cancel out any problems they may encounter, that they won't mind working more than they did on the mainland for less, that all will turn out okay because they can go to the beach, believing that if they give aloha they'll get aloha. We'll soon be in our thirteenth year here and I've seen more people come and go than I can remember now. All start out with glowing positive reviews of EVERYTHING (WOW) and by the time they're ready to head back to the mainland they're ripping our little island apart. Hey, the warts were here when they arrived. They just put the malihini blinders on and tried to ignore them until they couldn't do it any longer. Then they left.
Unrealistic expectations, plain and simple. This is life here, with all that life entails. In a nice physical environment with great weather, but life nonetheless.

[MovingAloha]

Originally Posted by nursemomof5

I found this on this forum---- and was interested in perhaps an update for 2012?? Please see below, for my questions. Thanks!!! ----

Area you are describing: Kailua - the one on Oahu, not the one on the Big Island. If you have looked up "Kailua" on the City-Data pages, the information there is a little of both, which is confusing.
Weather: A little more cloudy, and with a little more rain than Honolulu, but generally great! Here is a day-by-day history of weather for the last year at the Marine Base (listed as Kaneohe, but really on the edge of Kailua): History : Weather Underground
Schools: Two High Schools - Kailua and Kalaheo, a full slate of other public schools, and several private schools, including one highly rated - Le Jardin.
Commute: About 30 minutes to downtown Honolulu. Same to Hickam, the airport and Pearl Harbor. MUCH better than when I did it every day in the sixties, since H-3 has made the commute to Hickam and Pearl Harbor a piece of cake, (used to be 45 minutes to an hour) and has taken the pressure off the routes through the other two tunnels, Pali and Likelike.
Food: There are many more restaurants than you would expect for a town of about 30,000. This is because of so many Vacation Rentals in Kailua, where the tourists eat out every night.
Shopping: Three Safeways, a Foodland, and a Times for groceries; A Macy's; A Don Quijote for discount everything; No Big-box stores; A Mall in the next town (Kaneohe), about twenty minutes away.
Air quality: Most of the time, when the trade winds are blowing, excellent. When we have Kona weather, we very occasionally get some mild VOG.
Economy: A bedroom community of Honolulu. As Honolulu goes, so goes Kailua.
Crime: Probably better than the average of Oahu.
Housing prices: $600,000 to Multi-Millions. Here are some typical neighborhoods: Lower Priced: 96734 Real Estate & 96734 Homes for Sale - Zillow Mid Priced: 96734 Real Estate & 96734 Homes for Sale - Zillow High Priced: 96734 Real Estate & 96734 Homes for Sale - Zillow
Good neighborhoods: "Beachside" Kalaheo, Lanikai, Kuulei Tract for over a million. Enchanted Lake and Aikahi Park for just under a million.
Culture: Mixed. More Haole than "average" Oahu (there's really no such thing).
Stuff to Do:Enjoy the town, which is a great "Walking Around" place. Go to the beach - often listed in "World's Best Beach" lists. Go to the theater, Symphony, etc. in Honolulu, about 30-40 minutes away. Hike. Snorkel. And all the other outdoor things for which Hawaii is famous.
Other: Just a great place to live. Of all the places I have lived and later re-visited, Kailua is the least changed.


--------------------
Thanks for reading through that! It's 2012 now, and I'm wondering about living in Hawaii. I'm a soon-to-be RN and will have a job (hopefully) at the Queen's med center in downtown Honolulu. We have a family of 7 (5 kids) and we're in Michigan currently. I am a native Californian and I really miss warm weather and could really use a BIG change of scenery. We're seriously considering moving to Hawaii for 2-4 years, longer if we love it and don't get Rock Fever or otherwise want to leave. My husband is former military, so I don't think that living near the Marine Corps base would be an issue. Kailua looks like a good area for us, family oriented, close to work, but it's own community. It looks like about a 30 minute commute. House prices seem to have come down quite a bit. We'd probably be buying something, in the $300k range. Is this feasible in that town?

What are some pros and cons to living there? How is the weather? How many days a year does it rain? I don't mind rain, it rains quite a bit here in MI, it's just a lot colder.
I will make decent money, for Hawaii standards, but my husband will not have a job lined up.
We will probably want to buy something, assuming it's cheaper than renting, which it seems it is, right now, at least.

What advice, info, thoughts do you have on living in that area? We're really interested in doing all of the outdoors things there, swimming, snorkeling, hiking, whatever. We're pretty easygoing, laid back kind of people and we don't have have have to have air conditioning, so we're not too totally worried about electricity or things like that. We like to explore local foods, and I actually prefer to eat local, especially fish, rice and fruits/veg. so I'm hoping that will help with the food costs, as I understand meat/milk and imported foods are very expensive.

Are there local farmers markets/produce markets around?
Is there a local food movement?
How do people feel about green energy? We'd like to install solar panels to offset electricity use, assuming we buy vs. rent.
What is the transport situation from Kailua to downtown? Will I have to have a car or are there buses that run reasonably to and from?

What are some of the big blunders you see newbies make that I might be able to avoid?

Thanks in advance for all the info. We have well over two years to plan our move, so nothings urgent, or set in stone.... Just checkin things out right now.

WoW, well Kailua is one of my favorites on the Windward side of the island. It is also one of the more expensive communities, $300K may get you a 1 bedroom apartment. I was a Realtor when I lived there most recently and Kailua is a great area, but not cheap. Of course that can be said anywhere on the island. You say you're coming from Michigan, so I know you've probably done your homework, but I can tell you the prices haven't come down that much. The home prices have been fairly consistent with some downtrends, but nothing like what some of the Mainland states have suffered. I don't know if its cheaper to buy than to rent, because the price of housing is so high, that renting sometimes is the better deal and this is coming from a Realtor! If your spouse is prior military, he can use his VA to buy the conforming rate on island is higher than the $417K on most of the Mainland. But again, take a hard look at the price of your mortgage and comparable rent. If it in deed seems better to buy vice rent, then it may just be better to wait for him to get employment, so he can use the VA option; he must be working or receiving retirement inorder for VA to guarantee the loan. If you want to PM me, I can hook you and your husband up with an ethical mortgage guy who is an expert on VA.

Five children, I'm thinking private school is probably not in the cards for you, but don't know all of your personal situation. Make sure you get into an area where the schools are decent. Kailua schools are okay; Hawaii Kai and Aina Haina have decent schools and an area of Aiea called Moanalua (Salt Lake) have very good schools. A little further away from downtown is an area called Mililani, and all of their schools through high school are very good.

Are you going to be working at the Queens downtown? I used Kaiser, so not sure if there were more than one Queens location. The commute using H3 from Kaneohe will be an easy one, but once on the H1 or H201,it always backs up, depending on time of commute, when heading into and coming from downtown.

The weather on the Windward side gets more rain than other parts of the island, but that's why it's greener on that side. It still is not a debilitating rain, mostly early morning and during the Winter months. The mountains (Koolaus) are just breathtaking on that side of the island. Hawaii Kai (East) and Ewa (South) are the hottest and dryest parts of the island. Mililani is in the center of the island and a little higher elevation and slightly cooler.

I hoped I helped you some. I just moved away last June and as it's looking now, we will either move again to California or back to Hawaii this Summer.

[newUHprof]

Originally Posted by nursemomof5

We'd probably be buying something, in the $300k range. Is this feasible in that town?

In a word, no. I know several 2-bedroom condos going for twice that. Family of 7 for 300K? Nowhere near Kailua. I can't really imagine it anywhere on the island, actually.

[whtviper1]

Originally Posted by newUHprof

In a word, no. I know several 2-bedroom condos going for twice that. Family of 7 for 300K? Nowhere near Kailua. I can't really imagine it anywhere on the island, actually.

The absolute cheapest place as of my posting date in Kailua is $335K for a sub 1,000 sq ft place.

http://www.realtor.com/realestateand...4_M89673-67608