What is the best place on Oahu to buy a home?|197820

We would like to buy a house on Oahu...and ultimately live here full-time. We like Oahu because there is a little more going on in terms of restaurants, shopping, etc. - so please no answers saying _you should really look at this other island instead_!! We_d like to live bicycling-distance from the ocean. We_re interested in single-family homes not condos, and our taste runs more to Bohemian Beach Shack. No kids, so we don_t care about school districts. What neighborhoods would you recommend that we look at?

I don_t know about bohemian beach shacks - I haven_t seen too many beach shacks, bohemian or otherwise. But if you are looking to buy a single family home near the beach, you_d best be loaded. I_m thinking possibly windward Oahu north of Kaneohe might work for you, that would be places like Waiahole, Waikane, or Kaaawa. I think that is one of the less pricey areas. The leeward coast will also be less, but it isn_t a good place for someone fresh off the plane to acclimate to life in Hawaii. The north shore is nice, but expensive near the water.

Not really many bohemian shacks left, as most have been torn down for redevelopment. I guess you want the North Shore, which runs from Waialua to around Laie (where the Mormon temple is). You could look all the way down to Kaneohe, which gets more into the _city_ part of the island. Plan on at least $300,000 for a tiny fixer-upper and those would be very rare.

I agree with Joseph on choosing Kailua

Waimanolo had a laid back feel when I was there and yeah, if you_re a millionair go for Hawaii Kai

Are you a millionaire? Kailua

More affordable housing, crime-free, don_t mind concrete and home to home? Hawaii kai