What To Know When PCSing To O'ahu
Are you in the middle of a military relocation to Hawaii and don't know where you should live? In this episode of Aloha O'ahu, I'm going to walk you through some things you need to know about your military relocation to Hawaii, specifically to the island of O'ahu. We’ll look at everything from military housing to commute times so you can best plan for your move.
PCSing To O'ahu
Much military personnel and their families relocate here to O'ahu. Before they do, they always ask me where people live once they are assigned to their new duty station. If they don't want to live in military housing, what are the best parts of the island to live on based on where they’re stationed?
I cannot speak to what suits you best, but I can give you a few ideas about where people live when they are stationed at specific bases. The first thing you need to identify is what military base you will be stationed at or near so that you can begin to look for housing in that area. O'ahu has many bases for each of the services spread across the island, but let's go through some of the major ones.
Navy And Air Force Bases
The central part of the southern coast of O'ahu is home to multiple military bases. The major Navy and Air Force installation is called Joint Base Pearl Harbor Hickam, otherwise known by the acronym of JBPHH. This area also includes Camp Smith, a Marine Corps installation that houses the Indo-Pacific Command.
If you are going to be transferring to the army installations at Tripler or Fort Shafter, these are also in the same general area. If you are relocating to any of these bases, you have a lot of options for where you want to live—depending on your desired commute time or your lifestyle—because of its central location.
The closest area to live to these bases is Aiea and Pearl City. However, Mililani is only a short drive up the H2 and also has options for dining and shopping. If you prefer the windward side of O'ahu, which includes the towns of Kailua and Kaneohe. This popular area is about a 20 to 25-minute drive on the H3 Highway and is popular with many military members.
Please keep in mind that it tends to be on the pricier side. If you are looking for newer build homes and a slightly more suburban mainland feel, then the leeward areas of Ewa Beach and Kapolei are within a 30-minute drive to the west.
Army And Marine Corps Bases
Switching gears, if you're relocating to Schofield Barracks Army Base on the northern part of O'ahu, then you need to be looking at some other different options. The closest areas to Schofield are Mililani and Wahiawa to the south and the town of Wailua to the north. You still have the option of living in Aiea or the leeward coast if you're willing to make that 25 or 30-minute commute.
If you are PCSing to Marine Corps Base Kaneohe, then you will want to focus on the windward side of the island in the towns of Kaneohe Bay or Kailua. These areas offer easy access to the base and are very popular with personnel stationed at Marine Corps Base Kaneohe.
With that being said, some military members are not afraid of a commute, and the island is not that large. There are even a few Marines stationed in Kaneohe Bay that make the commute from the other side.
Housing Costs
Regardless of where you choose to live, if you're going to rent or buy, getting started early on in the process is essential. Good housing opportunities go really quickly. The earlier you get started, the better. If you are going to purchase, this is where a realtor comes into play.
Depending on where you're coming from, you will also have to get used to the housing costs. One thing I tell military members on my calls all the time is that you're going to have to compare apples to apples. You cannot compare the cost of housing on O'ahu to the cost of housing in North Carolina. Do yourself a favor and pull up that BH calendar online to find out the amount you will be allotted here.
Because our housing costs are so high, many decide to include their COLA into their budget for their off-base housing options. My advice is to outline a budget that you want to dedicate to your housing and go from there.
Commute Times
Next, you need to decide how far of a commute you want to have from work. You want to find an area where you will enjoy where you live and not have to travel too far from the base where you’ll be working. Another big tip I give to my clients is to use Google Maps. Just because something is only 12 miles away on this island doesn't mean it's only going to be a 15-minute commute.
My advice is to plug the base where you will be stationed into Google Maps, the area you are interested in living at, and the exact time you're going to be commuting. This way you'll be able to see your commute and what it will look like in real-time. For example, Ewa Beach to Joint Base Pearl Harbor Hickam is approximately 15 miles. If you are going to be commuting at 6:30 am, that drive time is about 50 minutes.
Alternatively, Kailua to Joint Base is 20 miles but takes less than 25 minutes at that time. So don't be fooled simply by the distance, as traffic patterns are very different depending on where you are coming from or going each day. We all know military members don't work 9 to 5.
Working With Your Realtor
Once you have an idea where you want to live, it's time to have your realtor start to send you listings so you can get used to what's available on the market. I often work with clients for months before they are ready to transfer to set them up with updates on current listings.
It is best to start looking as soon as your orders look fairly solid. In this way, you can start to see what types of homes are available in the area in your price bracket. Starting this process early will allow you to adjust your search if you are not seeing any options that appeal to you. Once you have your orders, you may have the option of taking house hunting leave to explore your new location.
This is not a mainland move. Depending on where you're coming from, this may be more difficult with the transfer to Hawaii due to the long travel times and high costs of travel. However, I highly recommend it. It's still a good option if you can make the trip. House hunting serves as a great time to check out schools for your children if you have them. It also allows you to see different housing options in different neighborhoods and check out the commute for yourself.
Enjoy Life In O'ahu
I hope this gave you some insight into how it works for military members who are relocating to the island of O'ahu. If you have any additional questions, I would love to help you find your next house right here on O'ahu.
Don't forget to subscribe to my channel for more information on living on the island of O'ahu. Stay tuned to the next episode of Aloha O'ahu to see what I feature next!