Can a 25 year old, male, single, no kids, no debt, straight dude live well in hawaii making... (Honolulu: for sale, real estate)

[YoungTraveler2011]

75-80k/yr?

The only thing I would be looking to buy is a condo of one bedroom or a loft in the main island.

I might be getting a job there so I'm trying to get as much info as possible.

Thanks!

[whtviper1]

Originally Posted by YoungTraveler2011

75-80k/yr?

The only thing I would be looking to buy is a condo of one bedroom or a loft in the main island.

I might be getting a job there so I'm trying to get as much info as possible.

Thanks!

The straight dude in the title made me crack up, what does that have to do with anything?

$75K+ a year can "live well" in Hawaii, better than most. It all comes down to how you define living well.

[winkosmosis]

Yes. Though you should research real estate prices and maintenance fees. No matter what, you should probably rent for a year or so before buying. That way if you want to leave, it won't be that difficult.


I don't know if you want to call Oahu the "main island", because us country folk on the "lesser" "minor" "outlying" "neighbor" islands might take offense.

[YoungTraveler2011]

Originally Posted by whtviper1

The straight dude in the title made me crack up, what does that have to do with anything?

$75K+ a year can "live well" in Hawaii, better than most. It all comes down to how you define living well.

Idk, I said straight for the hell of it lol.

but yeah, I own everything I need cept for a condo and a SURFING BOARD LOL....that's the first thing im gonna get when i get there (if i end up moving for sure).

[YoungTraveler2011]

Originally Posted by winkosmosis

Yes. Though you should research real estate prices and maintenance fees. No matter what, you should probably rent for a year or so before buying. That way if you want to leave, it won't be that difficult.


I don't know if you want to call Oahu the "main island", because us country folk on the "lesser" "minor" "outlying" "neighbor" islands might take offense.

Gotcha.

And the reason why I said "main island" is because of how the person I spoke to about the position referred to it as....sorry! no offense!

[hotzcatz]

With that type of income, you'll do fine. Try renting for awhile first, though, since there are so many diverse areas and it takes awhile to figure out which one you want to live in.

There really aren't any "lofts" in Hawaii since most of those are made from old warehouses turned into housing, aren't they? Hawaii has very little manufacturing so very few old warehouses to do anything with. Plus most of the old warehouses were on the line of either made of sheet metal or quonset huts so they aren't anything to rebuild. There are a few, though, I think an old brewery or old firehouse, forget which one, was redone into apartments a decade or so ago. The old cannery was turned into offices and smaller commercial spaces. But,"lofts" are very few and far between. Most of the high rise housing is either apartments or condos and there is a LOT of those to choose from. I'm not sure exactly what the difference between an "apartment" and a "condo" is but I'm sure someone around here would know if it mattered. If you are going to buy one, check to see if it is "fee simple" (you own the property under it) or if it is "leasehold" where you only own the building and not the land.

[vahnessuh]

I doubt you'd be able to buy a decent condo in an area you want to be in and live well.... but you can live well while renting.

[YoungTraveler2011]

Originally Posted by hotzcatz

With that type of income, you'll do fine. Try renting for awhile first, though, since there are so many diverse areas and it takes awhile to figure out which one you want to live in.

There really aren't any "lofts" in Hawaii since most of those are made from old warehouses turned into housing, aren't they? Hawaii has very little manufacturing so very few old warehouses to do anything with. Plus most of the old warehouses were on the line of either made of sheet metal or quonset huts so they aren't anything to rebuild. There are a few, though, I think an old brewery or old firehouse, forget which one, was redone into apartments a decade or so ago. The old cannery was turned into offices and smaller commercial spaces. But,"lofts" are very few and far between. Most of the high rise housing is either apartments or condos and I'm not sure what or if there is much difference between those.

I see I see.

I'll be most likely looking at one bedroom condos.

How much do they go for? I know in Southern California they go for around 1k. Maybe more, maybe less. I was just wondering if in Hawaii they were more expensive. And now that I think of it, is the cost of living in Hawaii greater than in California?

[hotzcatz]

Check Craig's List for comparisons and then Google street view to see what the neighborhood looks like, but don't actually rent one until you are there on the ground. Most folks get a vacation rental for several weeks to a month first so they have a place to stay with all the utilities already in place along with furniture and such.

Studio apartments or sharing apartments is quite common in Honolulu. You may want to look at a room mate share type of place to start so you will have folks already living there to help you along with advice. Which area of the island will you be working at? Getting housing as close as possible to work will save tons of commute time. Oahu is very congested and getting around takes time.

Depending on which part of California and which part of Oahu you are comparing, they could be similar or a bit less or a bit more.

[whtviper1]

Originally Posted by YoungTraveler2011

I see I see.

I'll be most likely looking at one bedroom condos.

How much do they go for? I know in Southern California they go for around 1k. Maybe more, maybe less. I was just wondering if in Hawaii they were more expensive. And now that I think of it, is the cost of living in Hawaii greater than in California?

Try Find Real Estate, Homes for Sale & Houses for Rent on Realtor.com - Realtor.com® and punch in zip codes 96815 or 96814, that's where a lot of the straight dudes live (Waikiki)