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I am a Honolulu landlord for almost 40 years. I just rented two of my properties. They went within 3 days from posting on Craigslist. Rarely will I hold a property for someone and it is usual to have one renter moving out on the same day the new renter is moving in.
Have all three of you visited Waikiki and are over it? If not then you should live in Waikiki for at least 6 months. That is where your age group will be. Even if you go for cheaper rents across the Ala Wai you will always imagine that more fun is happening in Waikiki and you will be frustrated driving in and fighting parking. Plus the beach is right there.
My suggestion would be to book a vacation rental thru VRBO for a month or two. You could be ON the beach in the DH Gold Coast area for around $3,000+ and be a 15 minute walk into Waikiki. Maybe 1st month Gold Coast and second month Waikiki. You're about a 45 minute bus ride to HNL.
I'm also a Bay Area resident and ended up in the East Bay. Nice 3/2 suburban house but always thought I missed out by not living in the City. For the 13 years I worked in the City I always planned to stay and enjoy what the City has to offer after work but rarely did. I will probably vacation swap my Diamond Head place for monthly stays in SF.
Two bedrooms in Waikiki will probably have only one parking. The rent will be $2500-3500. Some include utilities, some just hot water. If you have your own HW tank you will pay more electricity. Extra parking off site will run $90-150 each. Cars are a hassle in Honolulu. Easier to rent a car as needed. Share one car.
Even tho you have free shipping over don't bring any crap that you're not willing to pay to ship back.
Thank you for replying. The information you have posted is appreciated. I will, however, say that we are not interested in Waikiki after discussing that possibility to the group. All three of us are quiet individuals that tend to keep to our own private matters, and we have all collectively experienced Waikiki before. We are used to fighting for parking since living in San Francisco is a Battle Royale itself. I guess it's time for round 2.
In regards to shipping our "crap", we only plan on bringing a few personal effects and one of our cars. We are selling everything else and starting from scratch.
Thank you for replying. The information you have posted is appreciated. I will, however, say that we are not interested in Waikiki after discussing that possibility to the group. All three of us are quiet individuals that tend to keep to our own private matters, and we have all collectively experienced Waikiki before. We are used to fighting for parking since living in San Francisco is a Battle Royale itself. I guess it's time for round 2.
In regards to shipping our "crap", we only plan on bringing a few personal effects and one of our cars. We are selling everything else and starting from scratch.
I'm interested. Where and why would you live ????
Salt Lake... All the high rises but none of the amenities. Close to work.
Makiki .. all the parking problems, same high rises, none of the amenities.
Miliilani .. uh, LA suburb
Kaneohe/Kailua oh, nice three bedroom house, a little expensive suburban Hawaii lifestyle.
I would not live more than a year in Waikiki although there are plenty of long term residents there. I would only live DH, Kahala, Kapahula area to be near things but be away from the core.
I keep meaning to start a thread asking why people like where they live. Some of it is economics.
:-) I have crap. I love some of my crap. Hawaii puts a dear price on keeping your crap. Drive Waikiki on a Friday evening and see all the "good" crap that is placed on the street for the dump. Thank God for the scavengers that cull thru the crap to keep it from the land/ocean flll.
I'm interested. Where and why would you live ????
Salt Lake... All the high rises but none of the amenities. Close to work.
Makiki .. all the parking problems, same high rises, none of the amenities.
Miliilani .. uh, LA suburb
Kaneohe/Kailua oh, nice three bedroom house, a little expensive suburban Hawaii lifestyle.
I would not live more than a year in Waikiki although there are plenty of long term residents there. I would only live DH, Kahala, Kapahula area to be near things but be away from the core.
I keep meaning to start a thread asking why people like where they live. Some of it is economics.
:-) I have crap. I love some of my crap. Hawaii puts a dear price on keeping your crap. Drive Waikiki on a Friday evening and see all the "good" crap that is placed on the street for the dump. Thank God for the scavengers that cull thru the crap to keep it from the land/ocean flll.
Truthfully, I wouldn't know what to tell you. I am only familiar with the area around UH: Manoa since my cousin teaches there. From the areas you have listed, I would say Miliilani or Kaneohe/Kailua sound appealing, but for viability and realistically.. I still wouldn't know what to say. Despite the plethora of information pouring in from this website and others I have looked on, I still cannot garner enough information or even fathom which neighborhood would suffice. I think I will bank on my trip on the 3rd and 6th to really see the areas myself.
I am elated that you love your crap. We love our crap, too. It would just be way too bothersome to go through and pick and choose which crap to bring. I might just take you up on that Friday evening drive. Hopefully the crap there isn't as bad as the crap they leave out here in San Francisco.
I wouldn't recommend Mililani for someone in their 20's, the commute is awful to/from the airport in rush hour - I'd look into Kakaako for a short commute and a vibrant area for your age.
Truthfully, I wouldn't know what to tell you. I am only familiar with the area around UH: Manoa since my cousin teaches there. From the areas you have listed, I would say Miliilani or Kaneohe/Kailua sound appealing, but for viability and realistically.. I still wouldn't know what to say. Despite the plethora of information pouring in from this website and others I have looked on, I still cannot garner enough information or even fathom which neighborhood would suffice. I think I will bank on my trip on the 3rd and 6th to really see the areas myself.
I am elated that you love your crap. We love our crap, too. It would just be way too bothersome to go through and pick and choose which crap to bring. I might just take you up on that Friday evening drive. Hopefully the crap there isn't as bad as the crap they leave out here in San Francisco.
If you would be more forthcoming with your desires/needs you could avoid a lot of wasted time. We all have our biases but you should be able to cut to the chase based on the help you could receive here. Now your cousin could be a huge help but again it could be based on his experience and bias. Manoa is nice but expensive and two bedroom condo would be elusive.
WV1 is correct to eliminate Mililani. North Shore to HNL? Different lifestyle but know people that commute if only a few times a week and off hour.
WV1 has experience on Kailua. Commute and housing. At what price point would 3 tenants find a nice living and what would that living be like?
You are correct in that sense, Honobob. I do dabble a bit in the whats and wheres, but for the sake of decision making I think will look further into the Kailua and Kakaako area. If either of you need a number then we are able to spend $2500-2700 a month, not including utilities and everything else. We are taking a bit of a paycut coming to Hawaii unfortunately.
WV1, how pricey is pricey considering the numbers above? Looking on google maps for Kakaako and seeing how close it is to the airport is very appealing. What is the general market like for that area?
This actually brings up another question; I think you can answer it with your landlord experience, Honobob. Is it true that Hawaii has some of the highest credit requirements for renting? The three of us average 730~770.
Kailua is great for a commute to the airport on H3, 30 minutes generally door to door regardless of the time of day.
But, it is pricey - but the beaches are awesome.
I'm not a fan of Kaneohe personally - to much rain and to many strip malls.
OK, let's talk. I don't like the windward side. Friends in Kaneohe on the Bay and never noticed excessive rain only excessive clouding on the mountains. Strip malls? Maybe for about 8 blocks and away from residential. Isn't the Round Table I keep getting drug to in Kailua in a strip mall? And isn't Kailua Town basically a strip mall? And can most people from town side determine the difference from Kaneohe and Kailua? I think I've posted here before that Waikiki s 5-8 neighborhoods that most people wouldn't realize until they've lived here a few years.
You are correct in that sense, Honobob. I do dabble a bit in the whats and wheres, but for the sake of decision making I think will look further into the Kailua and Kakaako area. If either of you need a number then we are able to spend $2500-2700 a month, not including utilities and everything else. We are taking a bit of a paycut coming to Hawaii unfortunately.
WV1, how pricey is pricey considering the numbers above? Looking on google maps for Kakaako and seeing how close it is to the airport is very appealing. What is the general market like for that area?
This actually brings up another question; I think you can answer it with your landlord experience, Honobob. Is it true that Hawaii has some of the highest credit requirements for renting? The three of us average 730~770.
Aloha, I think you're priced out of Kakaako. You're probably better off looking at Kapiolani area like the Marco Polo. Kakaako is mostly new but I think there will be deals there as more product comes online. It is maybe 10 minutes closer to the HNL than Waikiki and Kapiolani. The whole Ward (Dave & Busters) area is thriving. Still, the only reason I'd live there is to get square and plumb construction. Who wants to cross 6 lanes of highway to get to the beach? WV1 can tell you what you can get at your price point in Kailua but I don't think it looks good.
OK, let's talk. I don't like the windward side. Friends in Kaneohe on the Bay and never noticed excessive rain only excessive clouding on the mountains. Strip malls? Maybe for about 8 blocks and away from residential. Isn't the Round Table I keep getting drug to in Kailua in a strip mall? And isn't Kailua Town basically a strip mall? And can most people from town side determine the difference from Kaneohe and Kailua? I think I've posted here before that Waikiki s 5-8 neighborhoods that most people wouldn't realize until they've lived here a few years.
What's pricey?
All the way to Round Table in Kailua? It isn't even a nice Round Table (I like the pizza, not the restaurant). There has to be decent pizza in Kaneohe - or drag them to the 3 Round Table's in Waikiki. Anyway, I live by Round Table - go street side, look up the hill and to the right - I guess that is a bit of a strip mall - I use the local Safeway. But, to be fair, if you take Kalanianaole and do the Keolu Dr loop, you get exactly 1 "strip mall". My issue with Kaneohe is Kamehameha Highway when you go from H3 to Windward mall - personal opinion, a huge eyesore, but - the area caters to the military.
As far as rain, Kaneohe gets about 12 more inches per year than Kailua - or at least 20% more. I often can look out my window and see it pouring rain in Kaneohe and it is clouds or sun where I live.
As far as pricey - Zillow says median home price is over $900K
I may be leaving Kailua soon - I stay in my house for 2 years then rent it out and look for the next one - I may stay in the area or I may join you around Diamond Head. Spring is when I am on the move.
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