40k a yr. Will i make it (Hilo: insurance, loans)

[stillooking]

Im new to this & having a hard time figuring out how to get a strait answer on finding work & if & what island a 50 SWM can make it. It would be great if found a partner before i moved to Hawaii, but it looks like ill be doing it alone. Simple ? cost of living OAHU,MAUI, or HAWAII which one is the cheapest. & which one would be the best bet for a Semi Retired Handyman to make it.

[Balad1]

The cheapest place to live is on the Big Island of Hawaii but there would be more job opportunites on Maui and Oahu.

[Dreaming of Hawaii]

There are a lot of contractors and handymen looking for work right now. With the economy down and loans impossible to get, no-one in our part of the Big Island is building new homes, so the contractors are taking on small jobs just to try to make ends meet. With so many established people out there scrambling for work, there's just no chance for a new guy to pick up enough odd jobs to make a living.

You should also check into the Hawaii laws about licensing. I see a lot of people advertising for work under $1,000, so there must be some cut-off for what level of license you need. I have a friend who is a contractor and it took him almost a year to get his license and insurance due to the county's slow operating speed.

[Balad1]

Handyman is to $1K, anything over that and a contractor license or other certification is needed.

[Calico Salsa]

I think one reason it's hard to get a straight answer is that it's nearly impossible. How much work you get will be determined by both how much work there is to be had (we can answer some of that) and also how good you are (we can't answer) and probably most importantly by how good you are at getting the work in the first place (again we can't answer).

There are some people that are still working a lot during a down economy, and that's because they are both good at what they do and excellent at finding more work. The former means they continue to get referrals and they don't spend a lot of time cleaning up a fiasco. The latter means they put in the time and energy to look for and ask for work, are good at selling themselves, and people want to hire them.

No one here can possibly tell you if you can make it, without knowing you. We can tell you the general cost of living, but again we don't know how you like to live and spend. We can tell you how much work and building we see for your trade, but we have no idea how you are about pursuing the work and actually doing it.

I think the best answer is pretty obvious - there's lots of competition here, but if you are good at what you do, people will use you. The kind of person who is self-employed and making it in Hawaii right now either has something that people want or else really wants to live here and therefore does what it takes to make it happen. If you are somewhat ambivalent about living here, or which island, then it may not be for you.

[hotzcatz]

If the "semi-retirement" includes the 40K a year with the handyman part merely as additional income, then you'd be able to make it. The 40K a year wouldn't go as far on Oahu or Maui but it would go further on the Big Island. On Oahu you'd be able to do without a car to save expenses and that might make up the difference between Oahu and the other islands. So, in order of expense of living I'd list the islands as:

1. Oahu (if you have a car)
2. Maui
3. Oahu (if you don't have a car)
4. Hawaii (generally called "the Big Island)

And the Puna/Hilo side of the island of Hawaii is generally less expensive than the Kona district.

[Balad1]

Originally Posted by stillooking

Im new to this & having a hard time figuring out how to get a strait answer on finding work & if & what island a 50 SWM can make it. It would be great if found a partner before i moved to Hawaii, but it looks like ill be doing it alone. Simple ? cost of living OAHU,MAUI, or HAWAII which one is the cheapest. & which one would be the best bet for a Semi Retired Handyman to make it.

If you have ample savings or a good pension you'll be ok while you get the handyman thing on track, otherwise forget it.

[survivorqt]

i think you will do fine with 40k/yr on oahu or the big island