Part II of YOUR Military Move to Hawaii

In Hawaii Military Relocation YOUR Military Move to Hawaii PART I, I gave you information on the being proactive in YOUR Military Move to Hawaii and Hawaii Military Relocations. You now know that there is quite a bit of difference living on an island out in the middle of the Pacific Ocean and that the environment and culture are mysterious and diverse and that the homes and land sq/ft are definitely smaller than the Continental United States (the ‘mainland’ we call it) so scale down on the household goods!
You also learned that the main Hawaii Military Bases are on the island of Oahu; which is Honolulu County and that you will have to get your pets ready with shots and checkups way before you leave lest they be put in quarantine for a lengthy stay.

Now we have Part II of the Series on YOUR Military Move to Hawaii.

RENTING vs. BUYING your Hawaii Home

Everyone needs a place to live in YOUR Hawaii Relocation to an island paradise. You are still wondering if you’d like to live on base, rent off base or buy a home in Hawaii. Regardless, what you decide you want to be proactive in your search for homes, condos or townhouses or contact your base Community Housing.

Renting a Hawaii Home: You can peruse the listings for rentals on www.ahrn.com which is a great place to get the criteria picked out for what you want to spend. Most likely you want to stay in your BAH range and you can check out Honolulu County 2009 BAH for your criteria. Don’t forget to do a budget including your utilities and make sure that if you have a big dog that the complex (if condo/townhouse) allows for or has limitations on the size or kinds of pets. That is one big factor to consider when doing your search. Look for pet friendly buildings and rentals.
Buying a Hawaii Home: You have been Searching for Hawaii Homes and contact me to get more information on how to get started with the real estate transaction process. You have read all about the First-Time Homebuyer Credit Expands and that you will get the regular tax breaks throughout the years you are paying a mortgage and that this year you will be getting an $8,000 tax credit when you file your taxes…..as long as you close on the property BEFORE December 1, 2009. (meaning, Nov. 30 or before!) And just think….that BAH is extra money for housing and yours to invest in your own property.
No matter if you are planning on Renting or Buying a Hawaii Home during your tour of duty here you know that you will not be able to have us hold a rental or a property for sale until you get here. It’s just known that with rentals it’ll be first come, first served. In home buying it’s the same.

In any case, you will need to see the property before making a decision.

So, Searching for Hawaii Homes for sale and searching for rentals on www.ahrn.com is the best thing to do right about now to get started. You’ll get an idea on the sq/ft, the neighborhoods and the properties closest to your Hawaii Military Duty Station when you make that Hawaii Military Relocation in the near future. At least you’ll be getting prepared with learning about the different neighborhoods, schools, that will be closer to your duty station and more appealing to your idea of the neighborhood you’d love to reside in.

Honolulu County Mililtary Base Housing: The following links provide you with your Base Community Housing contacts and websites to get more info on getting on the list should you decide you just want to live in base housing.

•Hickam AFB Community Housing http://www.hickamch.com/ and their number is 808-423-4650. Other information on Honolulu County here>> Air Force Communities.

•Fort Shafter Housing Office, (808) 275-3800. Report to the housing office within 3 working days of your arrival to have your name placed on a housing list or to be able to get authorization for off-base housing. Be warned that housing lists are sometimes six months or more of waiting. More on TLA here>> NEW ARRIVALS- Housing

•Kaneohe Marine Corp Base- Building 455, at the corner of Lawrence and Pancoast Street. Hours of operation are Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday from 0730-1530, Wednesday from 0730-1400.Toll free: 1-866-224-7942 or 808-257-1257. BASE HOUSING INFO

•Army Hawaii Base Family Housing- Go here for info on>>Our communities
Army Hawaii Community Homes available for Aliamanu & Rim/Red Hill Housing Communities, Fort Shafter Community, Tripler Community, Wheeler AAF Community and Canby, Porter, Hamilton, Sante Fe and Kalakaua Communities on Schofield Barracks.

•Pearl Harbor and Navy Housing- The Navy Aloha Center (Family Housing Office) is located at 4825 Bougainville Drive, Bldg 2652, Honolulu, Hawaii 96818. Call 808-474-1800. You can also apply here>> for a Welcome Aboard Packet

Regardless of where you decide to reside in Honolulu County you have to admit one thing.

What a life to be living and working in paradise!

We’ll cover all of this – and more -in YOUR Military Move to Hawaii series.

Part I- Six Months Prior to “Moving Across the Pacific Ocean”

Across the Pacific Ocean to Paradise. You are moving to a tropical island in the middle of the Pacific. You already know to expect a smaller land area but that means you’ll be living in smaller homes with smaller sq/ft. as well. You’ll be living on Oahu with its dense communities and neighborhoods that will appear one after another. The island of Oahu IS Honolulu County with a population of almost a million people and you can read more here>> What You Didn’t Know About the Hawaiian Islands

Expect a Totally Different Environment! Keep an open mind for an experience unlike any other you will have in your lifetime. With a wide variety of ethnicities and cultures from all over the world, you will certainly get to experience different foods as well as each culture and their way of living all in one place. From Historic Honolulu to Chinatown to the tourist scene in Waikiki you definitely won’t be bored!

Weather and Clothing Wear! Tropical island weather means sun, rain, cooler, warmer, tropical breezes and no snow (except during extreme conditions on the top of Mauna Kea on the island of Hawaii (aka Big Island). Wait until you get here to go shopping at the Aloha Stadium Swap Meet where they have t-shirts, swim suits, swim shorts, sarongs, shorts, tank tops and everything you need to start your tropical island ‘wardrobe’.

SCALE DOWN on your Household Goods! If you haven’t used it for at least six months and it’s doesn’t have the sentimental value you used to believe then put aside everything you need to have a garage sale or put in storage. Stuff is just stuff and you WILL NOT be able to fit all that ‘stuff’ in a smaller home. Prices of homes go according to interior or land sq/ft regardless if it’s a rental or you are going to Buy a Hawaii Home.

Getting Your Pets Ready! Hawaii is a rabies free state and our Quarantine laws are strict. You can avoid putting your pet through a long quarantine if you start the process on immunizations and checkups NOW. You can find more information in the Animal Quarantine’s Hawaii Rabies Quarantine Brochure (info about pre and post arrival requirements, quarantine station procedures, policies, rules, operations and fees) and the Checklist for Hawaii Resident Pets will give you a

Hawaii Home Buying Means Being Proactive! Start by Searching for Hawaii Homes and take a look around the different neighborhoods and their price ranges. When you’re ready to have me set you up with your own personal webpage with specific criteria and getting you prequalified with loan officer who is seasoned with Hawaii VA Home Loan Transactions. Also, the Current Hawaii Market Report will give you an update on our current market statistics.

The majority of Hawaii Military Bases are right on this island with Schofield Barracks (Army), Wheeler Army Air Field, Hickam Air Force Base, Pearl Harbor Navy Base, Honolulu Harbor Coast Guard and Kaneohe Marine Corp Air Station being the main bases for each branch of the military.

Honolulu County Military Bases Military Lodging Hawaii Other Useful Links: