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General Hawaii Information

Schools | Short-Term Rentals | Neighborhoods | Pets | Beaches

Schools

Schools are of major concern to many families relocating to Hawaii. On Oahu, most of the public schools are K-6 for elementary school, 7-8 for intermediate school and 9-12 for high school. The entire state is a single public school district with the public schools varying considerable from area to area. In general, the public schools tend to mirror the homes in the area. In nicer neighborhoods where most of the students will be attending college, the parents tend to be very interested in their children’s education, support the PTA, etc. The schools reflect this interest both by the students and their parents. In contrast, there are areas on Oahu where a high percentage of students will dropout prior to graduation and more students exist that tend to create a disrupting influence in the schools.

A useful link for locating public and private schools is the greatschools.net website.

In our opinion, Honolulu Magazine provides some of the best information about Hawaii public and private schools.  Please click here to read the latest articles.

Short-Term Rentals

If you are looking for a hotel or short-term rental on Oahu, Oahu Accommodations is one of the better websites. Another good website is Hawaii Travel Planning.

Searching for “vacation rentals Oahu” or “beach rentals Oahu” on one of the larger search engines like Google or Yahoo will provide numerous links to websites.  Our favorite for Kailua and Lanikai beach rentals is Hawaiian Islands Bed & Breakfast. If you are a military/DOD retiree, consider the Hale Koa Hotel.  It is a first class hotel, on the beach in Waikiki.

Here are some other links that you may find useful:

Neighborhoods

In general, the most affordable neighborhoods are located in West Oahu (Ewa Beach, Kapolei, Makakilo, Waianae) and Central Oahu (Mililani, Wahiawa).  In general, the most expensive neighborhoods are located in East Honolulu, Hawaii Kai, and Kailua.

Pets

Hawaii is a rabies-free state. The quarantine law is designed to protect residents and pets from potentially serious health problems associated with rabies. In both 2003 and 2004, pet quarantine was made far easier. The formerly required confinement of all pets for 120 days at the State Animal Quarantine Station was reduced to a 30-day quarantine or a 5-day-or-less quarantine providing specific pre-arrival and post-arrival requirements are met. Moreover, local owners can now leave Hawaii with their pets and return with no required quarantine providing they meet specific requirements.

Pet Quarantine is a state website with frequently asked questions and links to the applicable rules.

Beaches

Honolulu is home to Waikiki Beach and Magic Island.  There are also a number of great surf spots along this stretch of coastline.

Hawaii Kai is home to Sandy’s Beach.  Sandy’s is the destination for the more adventurous body surfer’s and boogie boarders on the island.  The waves break on the shore and can easily injure inexperienced swimmers.

Waimanalo is home to Waimanalo Beach.  This beach stretches for miles and is not nearly as crowded as other parts of the island.

Kailua is home to Kailua Beach and Lanikai Beach.  These are two of the best beaches for swimming, kayaking, kite surfing, windsurfing, and stand up paddling.  Some parts of Kailua beach are also popular boogie boarding and surf spots.

Ko Olina is home to man made lagoons that are excellent for swimming and relaxing.

The North Shore is home to world-class big wave surfing in the winter and swimming, snorkeling, and scuba diving in the summer.

Waianae has beautiful stretches of beaches and is also home to great surfing when the south swells kick in.

Current Oahu Homes for Sale
Area # Price Range
Central Oahu 88 $169k - $8.0m
Ewa Plain 197 $325k - $3.9m
Diamond Head 159 $285k - $27.0m
Hawaii Kai 45 $50k - $8.9m
Kailua 60 $307k - $50.0m
Kaneohe 104 $130k - $25.0m
Leeward Coast 195 $166k - $6.5m
Makakilo 49 $198k - $12.0m
Metro Honolulu 1318 $24k - $30.0m
North Shore 84 $389k - $28.8m
Pearl City 82 $278k - $3.2m
Waipahu 47 $81k - $5.5m
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March 2024 Email Update

The February median sales price for single-family homes was $1,075,000 (8.9% higher than February 2023) and for condos was $512,500 (6.8% higher than February 2023). The Oahu real estate market appears to be recovering from the interest rate ...

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