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Old 06-29-2017, 07:55 PM
 
Location: Hawaii Kai
206 posts, read 184,911 times
Reputation: 410

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Quote:
Originally Posted by whtviper1 View Post
Absolutely - listening blau808?
Uhh I own my own home in Hawaii Kai, but I am under no illusion how hard it is to live in Hawaii compared to other states. It's reality.

Last edited by blau808; 06-29-2017 at 08:05 PM..
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Old 06-29-2017, 08:10 PM
 
Location: Honolulu
1,708 posts, read 1,135,140 times
Reputation: 1399
Actually Ray had been in a better position to buy a house in Hawaii than most other local people do. His income was not affected by any economic downturn and he could get low interest VA loan.

But it is all hindsight now.
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Old 07-06-2017, 12:43 PM
 
95 posts, read 295,321 times
Reputation: 166
Quote:
Originally Posted by whtviper1 View Post
Gosh Ray - it reads like some really poor planning on your part.

I can see someone taken aback by the cost of living by someone who just got here - but someone here 30 years? And complaining now?

In 1986, you could have bought a single family home at the median for $171,200 - and it would be paid off by now.

Didn't have the money in 1986? Lets save for 15 years (just $2,000 a year). As recently as 2001, you could have bought a single family home at the median for $299,900 - and you'd be halfway done with a 30 year mortgage. And sitting on nearly $500K of appreciation.

And in more recent times, you could've bought a median single family home in 2011 during the great recession for $575,000. You'd probably have a good $200K in appreciation about now and I'm skeptical your place in Virginia will ever have the potential for that kind of appreciation.

And you certainly don't need to spend a million for a 3 bedroom/2.5 bath even in Kailua. Even today a couple making $75K each in their 30's should be able to buy a home at the median.

Personally, I see a lot of progress with the homeless. The population is no longer growing. I see police enforce sit-lie laws downtown all the time. I rarely see homeless in Waikiki where it is essentially illegal. The Kakaako camp is gone. The just broke up the Dole camp. Eventually they'll get pushed west more out of sight. I don't think the government should be responsible for housing. Want to fix the homeless situation - change the federal laws allowing Micronesian immigrants to come to the US visa free - they lack the language skills and education even for basic jobs but given the choice of being homeless on some speck of an island in the Pacific they choose Hawaii as a better alternative to be homeless.
#1. I wasn't planning on living in Hawaii for 30 years when I first came here.....

#2. I stated I was a "young married sailor" which means I was lucky to net 1K a month in 1986...

#3. You suggested I save for 15 years to make a purchase..... Why would anyone want to do that when life circumstances change very quickly... My housing needs today don't reflect what may be going on 15 years from now. Besides, in 30 days of moving from here to VA, I was able to use only 1/2 of my VA loan eligibility for a place I could never dream of in HI and still have 250K to spend on my next home after only living in current one for a year. It is easy for you to Monday morning quarter back a situation but the bottom line is you better be rich or have one hell of a support system in place if you want to even think of buying on Oahu.....
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Old 07-06-2017, 02:35 PM
 
Location: Kahala
12,120 posts, read 17,789,553 times
Reputation: 6175
Quote:
Originally Posted by Rayinhawaii View Post

#3. You suggested I save for 15 years to make a purchase..... Why would anyone want to do that when life circumstances change very quickly... My housing needs today don't reflect what may be going on 15 years from now....
Gosh Ray - if every 20-something or even 30-something had that attitude then yeah, pretty tough to buy a home.

My point is and it isn't Monday morning quarterbacking is that you have to save money and have the discipline to do so. If you had banked a very modest $2,000 a year during that timeframe (1986 to 2001) you would've had no problem buying a median single family home in 2001. But if the attitude is why should I save - obviously home ownership is elusive.

And had you done that your 2001 purchase likely appreciated $500,000 by now and be halfway paid off.

So yeah, if everyone today wants to throw up their hands and throw in the towel buying a home here won't be possible.
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Old 07-13-2017, 12:33 PM
 
80 posts, read 87,442 times
Reputation: 179
Agree with your sentiment. I was born and raised in Hawaii, family goes back many generations, and I go back and forth whether I want to stay here. With all my family still in the islands, that's certainly the biggest reason to stay, but without them here I'd move in a heartbeat. I make good money so I can't complain, but I'd be much better off financially and professionally on the mainland, which is the same sentiment shared by people I grew up with who chose to stay on the mainland, some of whom work in advanced fields that Hawaii could use more of but just isn't supported locally.

However, what bothers me most is the general direction Hawaii seems to be going. Of course the homeless problem. Tourism is growing without bound and it's affecting quality of life. There's a lot of non-locals with money getting their share of Hawaii while locals are left behind or simply leaving. As locals leave, they are replaced by foreigners and other non-locals who want a piece of the Hawaii action, diluting local culture. Housing, buildings and overall infrastructure is worn and outdated. I never used to be nostalgic, but I do miss the Hawaii of my youth

There's pros/cons to anywhere you live, and everyone is different as to what they prioritize, but I think it's a bit ignorant and somewhat aggravating when people look at Hawaii as some utopian paradise. It always annoys me when non-locals only see the nice superficial aspects of Hawaii, equating their nice vacation here as everyday life for locals when it's not.
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