Relocating to Hilo - Advice on Housing, Neighborhoods, Work? (transplants, rentals)

[blue_iris]

Originally Posted by Arktikos

The bus system is practically non existent and it's not a very bike friendly town, so unfortunately you will need a car. Yearly registration fee is based on weight of vehicle. You will find it to be at least double what Oregon cost is. Cars also must get yearly safety check. Insurance is fairly expensive. Yes, it's a necessary PITA.

Waiakea high school has a better reputation than Hilo high, in case you were wondering for your daughter.

I haven't heard of any neighborhoods to avoid. Downtown the street people seem to own the place after dark though.

Mahalo, @Arktikos. This is exactly the kind of information I need to find out. I'll plan on getting a car (not a huge, heavy one, haha!) and I'll budget for higher registration and insurance.

I really appreciate any info that can help my daughter feel at ease, so the school and neighborhood tips are good to know.

[blue_iris]

Originally Posted by Dreaming of Hawaii

There's a poster here -- nyfinestbxtf -- who has posted extensively about his wife looking for a teaching job on the BI. I suggest that you read through his posts.

Also been some threads here about the different schools in Hilo, and the state of schools in general in Hawaii. You daughter is going to have real culture shock!

You will definitely need a car. When was the last time you visited Hilo? It is very spread out. You'll need a car just to drive around looking for rentals when you arrive. Don't try to rent an apartment sight unseen. You really do need to be there to view each property and surrounding neighborhood.

Thank you for your advice. I appreciate it. My daughter already had a couple of culture shifts moving from coastal southern California to eastern Washington farmlands, and then to Oregon, and most recently to distance learning. She is very open and accepting of change and of differences. I have read that the schools in HI need help, and that's why I'm coming to the islands. I want to help!

Even though I love to walk, I take you at your word about needing a car. I used to have a little Kia Soul, and I see that there are many of those for sale (former rentals?). I'll buy one when I arrive.

I also appreciate the advice I'm getting not to rent sight unseen. I just found a nice landing place via Vrbo, and booked it for 10 days.

Do you think 10 days will be enough time to find and new place and move in?

[Futuremauian]

Originally Posted by blue_iris

Thank you for your advice. I appreciate it. My daughter already had a couple of culture shifts moving from coastal southern California to eastern Washington farmlands, and then to Oregon, and most recently to distance learning. She is very open and accepting of change and of differences. I have read that the schools in HI need help, and that's why I'm coming to the islands. I want to help!

Even though I love to walk, I take you at your word about needing a car. I used to have a little Kia Soul, and I see that there are many of those for sale (former rentals?). I'll buy one when I arrive.

I also appreciate the advice I'm getting not to rent sight unseen. I just found a nice landing place via Vrbo, and booked it for 10 days.

Do you think 10 days will be enough time to find and new place and move in?

It shouldn't be too difficult to get an extension on your VRBO property since the islands are pretty empty of tourists right now.

When I moved to Maui I rented a studio for 10 days and extended for an additional 7 while waiting for the right place to pop up. That was during high season in a busy year (2014). Fortunately a unit did become available that was exactly what I had hoped for.

Regarding high school for your daughter, I found the high schools on Maui to be better than ones in California if that's any consolation. Not sure about the Big Island.

Good luck!

[blue_iris]

Originally Posted by Futuremauian

It shouldn't be too difficult to get an extension on your VRBO property since the islands are pretty empty of tourists right now.

When I moved to Maui I rented a studio for 10 days and extended for an additional 7 while waiting for the right place to pop up. That was during high season in a busy year (2014). Fortunately a unit did become available that was exactly what I had hoped for.

Regarding high school for your daughter, I found the high schools on Maui to be better than ones in California if that's any consolation. Not sure about the Big Island.

Good luck!

Thanks, @Futuremauian! I really appreciate hearing your experience with extending a short term rental and finding a unit that you liked even during high season in a busy year.

It's good to hear some encouraging words abut the high schools, although I realize things vary from island to island and even across town from one school to another.

Mahalo, and congratulations on your successful move!

[terracore]

Originally Posted by Arktikos

The bus system is practically non existent and it's not a very bike friendly town, so unfortunately you will need a car. Yearly registration fee is based on weight of vehicle. You will find it to be at least double what Oregon cost is. Cars also must get yearly safety check. Insurance is fairly expensive. Yes, it's a necessary PITA.

Waiakea high school has a better reputation than Hilo high, in case you were wondering for your daughter.

I haven't heard of any neighborhoods to avoid. Downtown the street people seem to own the place after dark though.

Actually, I think the vehicle registration fees on the BI are negligibly more expensive than Oregon, and the BI doesn't have that horrible DEQ bs to go through. Though, it's fairly comparable to a safety check, which Oregon didn't have when I lived there.

Insurance will be more expensive here, because Hawaii law forbids things like lower rates for good credit scores, etc. The law was passed to deter "discrimination", so the insurance companies discriminate equally against everybody instead of giving discounts based on free markets.

[Nyfinestbxtf]

Originally Posted by blue_iris

Aloha!
I am selling my Oregon home and moving to the Big Island in June, 2021. I am a school teacher, have applied for my HI license for elementary school, and will be applying with ODE for teaching jobs for the 2021-22 school year. This is a huge move for me and my daughter, but we are determined to go. We don't have a lot of equity in our home, but enough to provide a small cushion until we get settled.

I would be grateful for any general advice. Here are specific questions:

1) How should I go about finding housing? Is it possible to secure a rental while I'm on the mainland? Will it be hard if I'm a teacher, if my 2020-21 job in Oregon is ending and I don't have a 2021-22 job lined up yet?

2) If there's reluctance from a property management company to rent to me, would it help if I paid for the first 3 months up front? 6 months?

3)Would it be better/easier to rent a room in someone's home and then look for apartments once we are on the island?

4) Are there neighborhoods to avoid? I would like my teen daughter to go out walking on her own and to feel safe. We will be fine with a tiny space to start out, even a studio apartment will do.

5) How is the bus system? Will I need a car? I currently walk and bus anywhere I need to go (about a 5 mile radius). Do bicycles get stolen? Ours were stolen in Oregon.

6) Any teachers out there? Do you know how placement in schools works? I see that I can't apply for a specific teaching job or even a specific location, just send my resume into a general pool. How does that play out?

7) I've reached out to volunteer for a local charity, have begun learning the basics of the Hawaiian language. I am interested in community and culture, and in what I can contribute to Hilo. What's the best way to start making connections now? We have 9 months before we move.

I know these are many questions. I am grateful for any answers to any of them.

Mahalo!

Hopefully things will be better for gaining employment as a teacher here. The more qualified you are the more difficult it will be. My wife is a secondary English teacher. She has her Hawaii teaching license, degree in business, degree in English, Masters in Education, Masters in Administration, and has six years of contracted teaching experience. She did interviews for 6 open positions and was turned down for every single one. I believe she is too highly qualified. The more qualified you are, the more expensive you are. I can’t see it was her interview that went bad. She had interviewed on the mainland this year and was offered a couple positions, but we decided to wait it out for next school year. Even if schools open back up in Hawaii, I believe she is not hirable for this state.

But the way it works is you are put into a pool for the islands you decide to teach in. Schools will pull candidates from the pool of teachers they need and interview them. You can turn down the interview and/or turn down the position if offered one only up to five times. After that you are removed from the pool.

[Nyfinestbxtf]

Originally Posted by blue_iris

Thank you for your advice. I appreciate it. My daughter already had a couple of culture shifts moving from coastal southern California to eastern Washington farmlands, and then to Oregon, and most recently to distance learning. She is very open and accepting of change and of differences. I have read that the schools in HI need help, and that's why I'm coming to the islands. I want to help!

Even though I love to walk, I take you at your word about needing a car. I used to have a little Kia Soul, and I see that there are many of those for sale (former rentals?). I'll buy one when I arrive.

I also appreciate the advice I'm getting not to rent sight unseen. I just found a nice landing place via Vrbo, and booked it for 10 days.

Do you think 10 days will be enough time to find and new place and move in?

A lot of vacation rentals are turning into longer term rentals. Our landlord has some nice properties in a decent part of Nanawale. She has one person staying in one of her rentals for 4 months.

[Nyfinestbxtf]

This is a thing to be prepared for, dogs barking. Maybe you get lucky and don’t have a neighbor that leaves their dog outside on a chain all day 24/7 with zero human interaction other than for food and water that barks non-stop. We have a neighbor behind us that has that dog. I have no idea how this doesn’t bother anyone else including the owner of this dog, but this does drive us nuts. These neighbors do not seem like the kind of people we can bring an apple pie to and ask them kindly. On top of the dog, they have some serious domestic issues. Lol. But yes, if you’re an animal lover like the way I am, you will be annoyed at that.

[Arktikos]

Originally Posted by Nyfinestbxtf

This is a thing to be prepared for, dogs barking. Maybe you get lucky and don’t have a neighbor that leaves their dog outside on a chain all day 24/7 with zero human interaction other than for food and water that barks non-stop. We have a neighbor behind us that has that dog. I have no idea how this doesn’t bother anyone else including the owner of this dog, but this does drive us nuts. These neighbors do not seem like the kind of people we can bring an apple pie to and ask them kindly. On top of the dog, they have some serious domestic issues. Lol. But yes, if you’re an animal lover like the way I am, you will be annoyed at that.

That's not OK, and I'm sure you're aware this constitutes a noise nuisance subject to fines, etc.

[whtviper1]

Originally Posted by Nyfinestbxtf

This is a thing to be prepared for, dogs barking. Maybe you get lucky and don’t have a neighbor that leaves their dog outside on a chain all day 24/7 with zero human interaction other than for food and water that barks non-stop. We have a neighbor behind us that has that dog. I have no idea how this doesn’t bother anyone else including the owner of this dog, but this does drive us nuts. These neighbors do not seem like the kind of people we can bring an apple pie to and ask them kindly. On top of the dog, they have some serious domestic issues. Lol. But yes, if you’re an animal lover like the way I am, you will be annoyed at that.

Well documented in other threads - you can also replace the word dog with roosters.