Seeking clarification in regards to apartment advice given on this forum.
OahuIncludes Honolulu
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There seems to be some confusion. I never stated that I was hoping to secure an apartment before arriving. What I was attempting to do was get some information as to whether the rates on the select properties that caught my eye were typical or not.
The forum gets a bunch of people trying to get an apartment lined up before arriving, and then getting ripped off. So, the advice of getting a temporary place first gets put out there like an auto-pilot kinda thing.
I didn't realize the rental market was such a tight market till after I arrived. So, it's good that you are starting to 'get in the game' now. Note that I had pets, so that made it even a tighter market for me.
those prices seem about right (maybe a little low) based on my experience searching summer last year. we were able to find craigslist listings in april for july occupancy. so looking early is never a bad idea. if you have friend or family locally, i'd suggest you ask them to check out the places for you in person. or like others suggested, get a short term rental and view the places yourself. good luck.
You are apologizing for the wrong thing. You should be apologizing for not having read the Terms of Service you agreed to on sign up, which clearly state you will not be allowed to post links until you have been a member the specified amount of time, and posted the minimum number of posts. It's anti-spam feature, not a defect.
I think this should be obvious, but you cannot go look at an apartment until you are actually here, and you should not rent an apartment you have not actually seen in person. No need to worry about it now.
Mod cut: personal attack
The ads in Craigslist cycle through too OP, keep checking them and be careful with Craigslist info, make sure the rental is really there.
thebedisintheocean:
I don't think there is any real confusion.
You asked "is there something that is outstanding about these listings that would make them a bad deal?" and that is what is being listed here is to help you. You also say "it seems when somebody asks for advice on this forum, members quote a much higher price that they can expect to pay for rent."
Some of the facts are these:
~Craigslist CAN be a wealth of information for "finding the right thing", HOWEVER, it only takes ONE spammer who takes advantage of you to rip you off badly.
~rent is expensive in Hawaii, like any major city where real estate is in short supply and demand is great...
~ try other rental listings sites like Trulia.com {http://www.trulia.com/for_rent/Honolulu,HI} or Honolulu Board of Realtors {http://www.hicentral.com/} to get a broader base for comparison.
You cannot really get any real "exact" idea until you are there and negotiating in person:
~There may be a "bait and switch" game going on with the lisiting, that is: they show you the luxury penthouse suite, at a "reasonable price' in the ad, but then tell you when you get there that that unit is no longer available but "I have a {much} smaller unit available at this {higher} price".
~The price quoted could be a "stale price"...it was good a month ago when the listing was put up, but not now.
~Like a hotel which lists the price of a room as "starting at" the lowest price they ever offer{rarely available}, the ad may list the lowest price for the worst condo for the lowest rental season available, but that is not representational of the unit you are looking atthe time you need it.
~The rate has been as much as 50% higher on arrival for no apparent reason. I found that out the hard way.YOu either pay up or walk away and seek something else.
~So beware and go armed wth a general ideas, but go in advance of your expected arrival date, and seek your new home out Before you actually move, and expect to pay more than you think.
~google "rental agents in Honolulu, HI" and try contacting them GOOD LUCK in your hunting for new condo! I hope you find the right unit at the right price.
our current place (592 sq ft) houses My wife, a baby, a 12 year old and myself.
What do you do, velcro the 12-year-old to the ceiling at bedtime???
I'll echo what the others have said. You need to BE ON THE ISLAND before you can pick a place.
If possible, come out for 3 or 4 days about a month before you plan to make the move. Visit the places which look promising, and GO BACK AT NIGHT. Noise and security may be radically different.
Find a place you can be satisfied with for 6 months, sign the lease, and go back home to pack.
When you get to O'ahu, spend the first month settling in, then spend several weekends scouting rentals, in case you decide you want to move again.
DO NOT spend a PENNY on a place that you haven't walked through, looked in the cupboards, run the water and looked around the outside of. I once rented (sight unseen) the only available place in the town I needed to be in for a couple of months. It worked out okay, but just barely, and just long enough for a better place to come available. That experience taught me never to try that stunt again!
I looked at the listing you posted for the Keoni Ana. It is a building I have been in before. I actually like the units in general because of the large windows and light, plus a decent size lanai. The building is old with dimly lit hallways. However, it is in a good location and overall not a bad building compared to many other building in the area.
Actually I was surprised that the listed rent wasn't higher...Particularly since the listing indicates it includes parking.
It was listed with a pretty well known Property Management / Real Estate company and if you go to the property management firms website independently, the same listing and unit is shown there for the same price. So that would tell me it is likely a legit listing.
Seems like a pretty good deal to me unless there are some charges & fee's that are not disclosed in the listing.
Good to know! I might bookmark that for myself, for someday
What do you do, velcro the 12-year-old to the ceiling at bedtime???
I'll echo what the others have said. You need to BE ON THE ISLAND before you can pick a place.
If possible, come out for 3 or 4 days about a month before you plan to make the move. Visit the places which look promising, and GO BACK AT NIGHT. Noise and security may be radically different.
Find a place you can be satisfied with for 6 months, sign the lease, and go back home to pack.
When you get to O'ahu, spend the first month settling in, then spend several weekends scouting rentals, in case you decide you want to move again.
DO NOT spend a PENNY on a place that you haven't walked through, looked in the cupboards, run the water and looked around the outside of. I once rented (sight unseen) the only available place in the town I needed to be in for a couple of months. It worked out okay, but just barely, and just long enough for a better place to come available. That experience taught me never to try that stunt again!
Thank you for the advice! Our 12 year old has her own room and the little guy sleeps with us in our bedroom. This is a typical living arrangement in Japan. We don't have a dining room like you would find in most of the U.S. we sit on the floor and eat at the short Japanese style table that we have.
Thank you for the advice! Our 12 year old has her own room and the little guy sleeps with us in our bedroom. This is a typical living arrangement in Japan. We don't have a dining room like you would find in most of the U.S. we sit on the floor and eat at the short Japanese style table that we have.
I can relate, as I still live in Asia, and that included Japan for 6 years. I have two little kids myself, and we all sleep in one room, and roll up the mattress each morning, so we have that same entire whole other room during the day.
Our living room doubles for the dining room as well. Sit on the floor, with the small table that comes out for meals. After you eat, you clear it out, and the dining room becomes the living room again.
I like that efficiency. Plus, it makes you naturally avoid pointless materialistic accumulation, as you really have no desire to turn your limited living space into storage space.
I can relate, as I still live in Asia, and that included Japan for 6 years. I have two little kids myself, and we all sleep in one room, and roll up the mattress each morning, so we have that same entire whole other room during the day.
Our living room doubles for the dining room as well. Sit on the floor, with the small table that comes out for meals. After you eat, you clear it out, and the dining room becomes the living room again.
I like that efficiency. Plus, it makes you naturally avoid pointless materialistic accumulation, as you really have no desire to turn your limited living space into storage space.
Plus i bet it makes you guys work on getting along more since theres no place to hide huh?
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