Anybody have any recent experience with a Hawaii PCS?

We are looking at buying and are debating between Mililani, Kapolei and the Ewa Village area. Anybody have any positive/negative thoughts on those areas?

Also, since the military shuts off TLA after you decline on-base housing, does anybody have any experience with buying a house prior to arrival and prior to seeing it with their own eyes (we have friends who can check it out/send pictures and videos and look at the neighborhoods)?

Anyways, appreciate any/all info anybdoy has!

I have friends making the same move in the next few months, they will interested in this answer as well.

Have been in the Army family for 30 years and have not known anyone who bought a home there. Even the non-military family member who permanently lives there rents! Probably because mortgage and property taxes too high?

[This message has been edited by armymom (edited 5/15/2014 1:32p).]

Armymom,

Thanks for the info. Surprisingly the property taxes aren't as bad as I thought they would be. Honolulu county charges $3.50 per $1,000 of assessed value and they give you an $80,000 exemption just for owning the house.

One of the things I learned throughout this process was that the VA offers a 2nd tier loan for homes over $400,000. That allows for a much smaller down payment which makes the home much more affordable.

My biggest concern was all of the houses being lease-holds but that only makes up the minority of listings I have seen. If we couldn't own the house and the land there would be no point in buying.

I know both military folks and NWS folks who have been transferred or taken govt positions in Hawaii.

The military folks all lived in base housing. The NWS folks all got disillusioned with the high cost of housing - RENTING, not BUYING - and transferred back to CONUS as soon as they could.

I was there from 2004-late 2011. It all boils down to where you work imo. I have known several folks that bought homes out that way. All areas you listed have fantastic homes. You might also want to check out Ko Olina if you are working at the NIOC/Schofield. If you are going to be stationed at Pearl Harbor, Ko Olina is quite the haul in traffic. I envy you. Very, very much!

EDIT: Yeah that lease-hold stuff seems to be a very common thing due to some interesting archaic laws from the mid-late 1800s.

[This message has been edited by Oahu_Gigem (edited 5/16/2014 12:07a).]

Oahu,

Thank you so much for the input!

I will be working at Hickam so I know that unless I live on base or out near K-Bay the drive will be terrible, so I have come to terms with that.

Do you know anything about the high schools over there? I have heard that Mililani, Kapolei and Ewa all have good high schools but I was hoping I could get a first hand account of them from somebody that has lived there.

Also, are you familiar with the Ewa Village area? Is that area safe?

Again, thank you so much for the help!

No worries! I have never lived in Ewa Village but to be honest, almost all areas on Oahu are relatively safe. Only areas i'd stay away from are towns on the extreme west side, Waipahu, and Kalihi.

Unfortunately, I can't really speak from experience about schools. I didn't have any dependents when I lived out there.

Send me an email. My aunt and uncle have lived there for years (uncle is retired military). Aunt is a real estate agent there, and cousin went to school there. May be able to put you in contact.