Opinions about central and west Oahu (Honolulu, Waipahu: apartment, condos, house) - Hawaii (HI) -Includes Honolulu - City-Data Forum

thornpicker · 03-22-2008, 11:27 AM

Aloha,
We are traveling to Oahu in May to look at possible neighborhoods to live in and would like to get some opinions from those of you who actually live in these communities or know about them.

A few things about our move:
We do not want to live in the city of Honolulu
We are looking to buy a small (700-800 sq. ft.) condo outside of town
We know the traffic is horrible coming from the west side
We like the price point of properties out there as well as having a small yard

We plan to visit Ewa, Mililani, Waipahu, etc...
We know the Bus is great and plan to use it to get to work ( we think we can handle a long commute if that means we won't have to live in a giant apartment building)

What are the plusses and minuses of these neighborhoods?
Do you feel safe there?
How about Makakilo?
Are there any other areas you would recommend with similar housing prices?
Are there any areas that you would totally avoid such as Kalihi?

Any insight is greatly appreciated!!
Mahalo to you all!
Thornpicker

HI2CA · 03-23-2008, 12:36 AM

Have you been to any of the neigborhoods in Hawaii yet? They are very different than the mainland in that you can pay a ton of money for your home and live next door to someone that has three cars parked on their non-watered lawn,tables in the carport from last weeks party inluding the beer cans still on the table. What i'm getting at is that there is not much control in the neighborhoods in that regard, so be ready to see some interesting stuff! If your wanting to live central, I think the most "normal" looking areas would be Mililani or Waikele, stay away from Waipahu,Waipio. We lived in Makakilo for two years, It's quite outdated but, the veiws are amazing from there (we had Diamondhead from our front deck and a full on ocean veiw from our back deck). The sunsets and rises were gorgeous....that being said, It was tough to see the neigborhood looking so bad. That plus the cost of living sent us packing back to the mainland. Fortunatly we still own our home in Makakilo. My bro-in law rents it from us, so needless to say we can visit anytime and have his car to drive while were there and thats just fine with us. Hawaii was a great adventure with no regrets. But for us i'ts a great place to visit but don't want to live there.

HI2CA · 03-23-2008, 12:38 AM

ps if you have to commute at all, I would def. stay away from Ewa. It can take 45 min. just to get to the freeway.

thornpicker · 03-25-2008, 05:01 PM

Thanks for your input--I'm surprised that nobody else has had anything to add.....

Why stay away from Waipio and that general area?
We are not looking to live in an area built in the 70's or older--just don't like the outdated look myself

Driving from Ewa sounds really unappealing--express busses seem the way to go--does anyone do this commute?
What are your experiences?

Again mahalo to anyone who has some insight!!
Thornpicker

TERRIE · 03-25-2008, 11:12 PM

3/4 of the island is probably 70's and older...the attitudes run in that same time period as well..the bus system is decent, but not express. IMO this isn't your place...

thornpicker · 03-26-2008, 05:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TERRIE

IMO this isn't your place...

Why? There are lots of condos/homes in the areas we are looking at that are built in the 80's 90's or this century.
Just because I don't want to live in a total dump doesn't mean that Hawaii isn't for me!!

I used to live in Kapahulu in an old building--my friends still live there--and their 2 bd/1 ba "condo" would go for $375,000. It's run down and outdated as are many of the neighborhoods on Oahu, I agree.

I am just looking for opinions on what life is like for those who actually inhabit these neighborhoods I initially described.

I currently live in an old neighborhood, built in 1960 and have had to remodel my entire house--just not really looking to go through all that again.

I love Hawaii and feel like I need to be there again--
Once again, I appreciate any input about life in central and west Oahu that you are willing to share.

Thornpicker

rk262 · 03-29-2008, 12:28 AM

I would highly recommend you check out Salt Lake/Moanalua and secondly the Pearl City area if you are interested in a condo and interested in using the Bus. There's lots of condos in this area located very close to bus lanes and you are only 15 to 25 minutes away from Honolulu. I lived in Salt Lake and really enjoyed living there when I was in my 20's. Then I bought a house in Ewa and missed the convenience of Salt Lake being so close to Honolulu.

TERRIE · 03-29-2008, 07:40 PM

I guess I meant is that if you don't want to live in "run down area" it will be tough unless your wealthy and can afford the really nice areas, portlock, Kahala, some of Hawaii Kai. The middle of the road stuff that is newer will be in very crowded areas with narrow streets etc. (these areas still have the problem with people not taking care of their surroundings). The plus side of the older areas is that you'll usually get a decent veiw. Another poster said it best...."Don't try to change Hawaii, let it change you". It's a whole different lifestyle and it does take some getting used to. If your a adaptable person and accept Hawaii just the way it is you'll do fine, just bring a very BIG wallet!

thornpicker · 03-30-2008, 12:37 AM

Thanks Terrie--I agree, that unless you have lots of money, you're going to have to make some sacrifices--that I know for sure

I've been looking at a lot of properties on the MLS and have found lots that are newer, but like you said, they are in very crowded areas very far from town. We are now thinking of living closer to town in either Pearl City area or Mililani, which I have not heard a lot about.

The run down places with 3 cars in the unwatered yard I can handle to some degree--might not like it, but I can adapt very easily. I'm not looking to change anything when we move there, I just want to be comfortable and safe. I can make the inside of my house beautiful even if my neighbors keep the outside of their homes a wreck.

As far as the views go, I appreciate the reality that we might have an awesome view from an older neighborhood.

Thanks to you all for the input!!
Does anyone have anything to say about the Mililani area?
Never been there and we are planning on checking that out as well.

The only real reason I am asking for advice a month before we go back there to really give it a good look around is that I'm hoping someone who lives in these areas (or visits them often) can shed some light.

Mahalo and Aloha!
Thornpicker