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Im a white male in my mid 20's moving to O'ahu from Florida in September or October for dive school that starts in November. (That way I'll have plenty of time to find a car and home.) Just wondering a few things to help me stop overthinking and get a basic idea of where I wanna stay. I'll be going to the Hawaii Scuba University to get my instructor rating. Im using my Gi Bill so I will have $3000 BAH a month plus my disability payment (Right BK amputee.) Coming with 5-10k saved up.
For school I will be frequenting Schofield Barracks for class twice a week, and Kewalo Basin, Hawaii Kai, and sometimes the west side for dives all day Saturday and Sunday. Plus surfing every chance I get.
Places ive been looking at to live:
Wahiawa
Kunia
Mililani
Pearl City
Aiea
Kane'ohe
Ewa
whats traffic like in these areas and around what times is it unbearable (I hear the island is pretty congested especially to / from Ewa and Waikiki)
Don't mind Ohana style living but would prefer my own place even if its tiny. Id like to spend less than 1300 a month on rent for something furnished and kitchen access, Utilities included
I Don't really wanna live in a city, I love spectacular views, and being from florida I need a tropical setting. I love being outside and surfing, hiking, paragliding, eating fresh and generally enjoying nature.
I plan to explore the island a lot while im there (class is twice a week at night and dives are Saturday/Sunday 6-8 hrs)
Any suggestions on a good location based on my random slew of thoughts ive thrown at you?
Thanks in advance for the help! see you soon on island time
Im a white male in my mid 20's moving to O'ahu from Florida in September or October for dive school that starts in November. (That way I'll have plenty of time to find a car and home.) Just wondering a few things to help me stop overthinking and get a basic idea of where I wanna stay. I'll be going to the Hawaii Scuba University to get my instructor rating. Im using my Gi Bill so I will have $3000 BAH a month plus my disability payment (Right BK amputee.) Coming with 5-10k saved up.
For school I will be frequenting Schofield Barracks for class twice a week, and Kewalo Basin, Hawaii Kai, and sometimes the west side for dives all day Saturday and Sunday. Plus surfing every chance I get.
Places ive been looking at to live:
Wahiawa
Kunia
Mililani
Pearl City
Aiea
Kane'ohe
Ewa
whats traffic like in these areas and around what times is it unbearable (I hear the island is pretty congested especially to / from Ewa and Waikiki)
Don't mind Ohana style living but would prefer my own place even if its tiny. Id like to spend less than 1300 a month on rent for something furnished and kitchen access, Utilities included
I Don't really wanna live in a city, I love spectacular views, and being from florida I need a tropical setting. I love being outside and surfing, hiking, paragliding, eating fresh and generally enjoying nature.
I plan to explore the island a lot while im there (class is twice a week at night and dives are Saturday/Sunday 6-8 hrs)
Any suggestions on a good location based on my random slew of thoughts ive thrown at you?
Thanks in advance for the help! see you soon on island time
Get that number to at least $10,000 before you leave. $5,000 is not nearly enough considering you'll still have to buy a car (make sure to buy a very fuel efficient one). Decent used fuel-efficient cars here are likely much more expensive than the same car in Florida. You need contingency/emergency funds and you have zero.
If you're an avid surfer that frequents the water several times a week I wouldn't suggest any of those locations. They're pretty far from the best surf spots. If you don't mind driving a lot and occasionally sitting in traffic, you can probably find someone in those areas renting out a tiny ohana unit in their home for $1,300. Don't expect a nice place with nice furnishings at that price but you should be able to find a clean unit.
Maybe I should have asked for CONSTRUCTIVE CRITISISM
As a veteran I don't do anything without a contingency for my contingency.
Yeah Ideally id like to have 10k saved up but that might not happen. I only need to survive for a month before school starts and I get my BAH. I already have a temp place for $800 for that month. And I will only be on the island for 6-8 months. I just need a beater car to get me around for that time. I have one friend who lives there that might sell me his for cheap but if he decides to ship it back to the mainland when he moves he can help me find one (he's much more mechanically inclined than I)
If you don't suggest any of those places then what do you suggest? yeah I haven't been to the island before so of course I don't have completely realistic expectations, hence the questions. tropical doesn't have to mean sitting on the beach drinking Mai Tai's surrounded by girls in hula skirts. I just want some mah f*ckin palm trees ya feel me lol
Though I do love to surf it is not the only thing I have in mind while I am there. Im going to be traveling to those locations I mentioned for diving every week that im there. Not a huge fan of traffic but Ive lived in 12 different cities in FL so driving an hour+ for good surf isn't new to me. I get I cant have it all in one location so I figured being centralized was a good idea. apparently my logic is flawed and would love some HELP. that's why I came here.
Don't be offended by what you may read as a Tone, Im just a light hearted joker. But this is feasible and I feel discouraged every time I read these forums.
You cant stop me from coming. Ive made everything else in life work regardless of the situation and waiting for every single factor to line up will only prevent you from really living. and this one isn't even that difficult....
If you'd like some constructive criticism - here goes:
Listing or soliciting towns/neighborhoods is not the expectation you should be setting for yourself. Rather, if you have 1 month to find furnished housing for only 6 to 8 months you'll likely have to cast a wide net mostly island wide to fit within your budget and availability. Furthermore, many units you could have rented will simply not be available, they will have been snatched up by UH students and given this a landlord market right now - don't be shocked if many landlords aren't super stoked to rent temporary housing to a 20 something.
So, focus on getting a place - period. If it happens to be in a great area - nice bonus.
Start watching the traffic updates on H1 between Pearl City and Hawaii Kai. Lots of websites provide traffic updates and maps. This will give you some idea. Personally, I would never want to travel in that traffic from Central Oahu to South Shore on a weekday during rush hours (notice I wrote HOURS - plural.)
If you haven't already, make a complete & exhaustive list of everything you will need in your stay here. Things like rental cars, insurance, parking costs, ticket prices, food, hotel costs. Having made this move myself I would never attempt it with less than $10k ($20k if you are bringing pets, furniture and expect 1000sq ft of living space.) If you have someone who can loan you money in a pinch, thats good, but if this money is your life savings and nobody to help otherwise, I would be worried. There is a reason why there is a serious homeless population on the island. It costs money to LEAVE as well.
Make sure your living expectations are extremely low. Forget beach views, or beautiful anything, and focus on just a room, a sink, and a toilet. It gets "real" when you see what $500k buys you here, and then you walk in a grocery store and pay $8 for a gallon of milk, and then your electric bill looks like a car payment.
Its not my desire to sh** on people's dreams on here. I just can't blow sunshine. I admire your guts though, and I hope you do fine. If you have charitable and reliable friends here, you are better off than most who move here, I guess.
Im a white male in my mid 20's moving to O'ahu from Florida in September or October for dive school that starts in November. (That way I'll have plenty of time to find a car and home.) Just wondering a few things to help me stop overthinking and get a basic idea of where I wanna stay. I'll be going to the Hawaii Scuba University to get my instructor rating. Im using my Gi Bill so I will have $3000 BAH a month plus my disability payment (Right BK amputee.) Coming with 5-10k saved up.
For school I will be frequenting Schofield Barracks for class twice a week, and Kewalo Basin, Hawaii Kai, and sometimes the west side for dives all day Saturday and Sunday. Plus surfing every chance I get.
Places ive been looking at to live:
Wahiawa
Kunia
Mililani
Pearl City
Aiea
Kane'ohe
Ewa
whats traffic like in these areas and around what times is it unbearable (I hear the island is pretty congested especially to / from Ewa and Waikiki)
Don't mind Ohana style living but would prefer my own place even if its tiny. Id like to spend less than 1300 a month on rent for something furnished and kitchen access, Utilities included
I Don't really wanna live in a city, I love spectacular views, and being from florida I need a tropical setting. I love being outside and surfing, hiking, paragliding, eating fresh and generally enjoying nature.
I plan to explore the island a lot while im there (class is twice a week at night and dives are Saturday/Sunday 6-8 hrs)
Any suggestions on a good location based on my random slew of thoughts ive thrown at you?
Thanks in advance for the help! see you soon on island time
Try the TLA hotels used for military when they move. Normally the rent comes out of your moving costs.
I have used the TLA Hotel in the past and I am retired, Navy. I needed a place to stay for three days while our townhouse was fumigated, back in 2011. The TLA hotels, are usually short term rental apartments, that allow pets to stay with the families, while people wait for military housing. The price can be expensive and not in the best sections of towns? Cannot hurt to ask?
I hope this helps? https://www.hickamcommunities.com/Be...LA/TLA-Lodging
I just moved here from Albuquerque and am already looking for a new place due to broken A/C that the owner refuses to fix for $2,350/month!! You really have to lower expectations. My advice would be to pick the place you like regardless of traffic. I have not found the traffic to be any worse than any major city. However, most speed limits are very low. You could try Waianae which looks really rough but is beachfront with beautiful mountains as your backdrop and just 10-20 minutes from the north shore. The rents are cheap but housing is very simple and often run down. If you have anyone to check places for you, that would be awesome! People talk about Wainae as being rough. However after living in Chicago and Albuquerque, I am used to seeing homeless and drunks. Lol!! The violent crime is very low so no problem there and depending upon where you live in Florida, the theft is really not much worse than a lot of places. I have two dogs. You may want to foster a dog while you are here and get that added security. I am still looking myself. So, good luck and let us know what you find. Oh, also, since you are short term you will probably have month to month and can move if you don't like the place, have your BAH by then and have a better feel for the island.
I just moved here from Albuquerque and am already looking for a new place due to broken A/C that the owner refuses to fix for $2,350/month!! You really have to lower expectations. My advice would be to pick the place you like regardless of traffic. I have not found the traffic to be any worse than any major city. However, most speed limits are very low. You could try Waianae which looks really rough but is beachfront with beautiful mountains as your backdrop and just 10-20 minutes from the north shore. The rents are cheap but housing is very simple and often run down. If you have anyone to check places for you, that would be awesome! People talk about Wainae as being rough. However after living in Chicago and Albuquerque, I am used to seeing homeless and drunks. Lol!! The violent crime is very low so no problem there and depending upon where you live in Florida, the theft is really not much worse than a lot of places. I have two dogs. You may want to foster a dog while you are here and get that added security. I am still looking myself. So, good luck and let us know what you find. Oh, also, since you are short term you will probably have month to month and can move if you don't like the place, have your BAH by then and have a better feel for the island.
It's not 10-20 minutes from the North shore. More like 1hr
Last edited by thejackalope; 07-22-2015 at 01:54 PM..
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