Can't get this Hawaii dream out of our heads! (Hilo: real estate, 2014)

[faithhope7]

Husband and I met when we were living in Oahu. Absolutely LOVED it there. That was paradise for both of us. Truly, paradise in every way. Great people, scenery, lifestyle. We now live in Florida, husband is from here. It is very affordable compared to Southern California, which is where I am from.
I am tired of florida. It has been good to us but no mountains, same scenery over and over and I am super far from all my family. I have been trying to convince husband to move back to California, I do love it there also and of course would be close to the fam. However he is not crazy about it and he always brings up Hawaii. I don't blame him
So our hearts are still in Hawaii, of course life was different for us then, we were single. Now we are parents to 3 little keiki. A 3 year old (with Down syndrome), a 2 year old and a 3 month old.
Our dream is to own a piece of property at least 1 acre, preferably larger. Grow our own food, eventually grow enough to hopefully sell at farmer's markets. We want to become as self sufficient as possible. WE want to live as greenly ( is that a word?) as possible. We want to raise our kids away from the hustle and bustle of the big cities, yet not be too isolated either. We want to love our neighbors and know people when we are in town. For as big and busy as Oahu is, this is how it was for us. There was so much love and closeness. God's presence is felt strongly.
However Oahu we realize is way too expensive for any of these dreams to happen. So I search and search and the Big Island seems to have alot of affordable properties many even with nice homes on them.
Sorry for the long post, questions are or is:
Can anyone recommend good areas for us to think of visiting and possibly moving? We have good friends is Pepeekeo and I will pick their brains as well but if I can get some info here, that would be great

Yes, I know, we want alot! Why can't we have it. Oh also, anyone out there with special need child? How is Hawaii for services? I am thinking probably not that great. Not sure that this matter so much for us. We are blessed, our children are all super healthy and what Noah needs most is love
God Bless!

[Joliefille]

I would think the Big Island would be the first place to look. Acreage is much more affordable. As for assistance with a special needs child, I would speculate that Cali would have much more help available through either the school system or social system.

[TorgWhiteBeard]

I have wistfully longed for Alohaland, especially in the depths of our graysoggyfrigid winters north of the Emerald City. Given the vog, it seems to me Hamakua coastline is likely best. You may not need an acre, but it depends on your crop strategy, of course. It is so labor intensive to try to make a profit on produce, isn't it? I'd look at what commodity fetches the best price and has the least availability or competition from providers. You should see what the special needs programs in the public schools are for DS kids. May the Divine Spirit be with you and counsel you as you meet the challenge of empowering your DS child. Above all, patient love is the best, I feel, eh?

[hotzcatz]

There are several places along the Hamakua coast where you can lease farmland to grow crops. It's pretty inexpensive, less than $170 per acre per year, but you have to fill out a lot of Department of Agriculture paperwork to get the lease and join the local farm co-op. I think that's $100 for membership and $100 to apply for a lease. The acreages start around five acres. It was all old cane land so there's soil, some areas have more rocks, some areas are on a steeper slope, there is an additional charge for irrigation water. Most of the lots when you get them are covered in guinea grass which is nose high if not higher. If you have any experience or education in farming, you'd be able to get a farm lease. You can not, however, live on the land, just farm it. But, if you were living nearby somewhere and were able to grow all the crops on the farm and sell them at the farmer's market that might provide a living. Other than making your own employment, there isn't much around, but if you can make your own job then it works.

Pauuilo school is good but you have to live in the school district, the principal isn't taking students from outside their area. Pauuilo is near the farm co-op lots, too. Not too many services for special needs kids, that I know of though, but then I haven't looked so what do I know?

There is cheaper land on the other side of Hilo in the Puna area, however, the land has almost no soil. It's composted leaf litter over lava rock and although things can be grown in it, it isn't farming like you may be used to. We also have a huge problem with insects and feral pigs eating crops. Check out the University of Hawaii's College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources website: Welcome to College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources, University of Hawai‘i It is a bit convoluted to find stuff on their website, but they have loads of information about growing things in Hawaii, crop profits, what should be grown, how to grow it, etc. etc.

[Dreaming of Hawaii]

You can buy inexpensive land on the south end of the island and grow your own crops. I have a friend who lives on Lorenzo Road, right near South Point Road, who is doing great growing vegetables and chickens, and who sells eggs and some of her produce at the local farmer's market in Naalehu. It took her a really long time to clear the land, and get things going, so you can't plan to be self-sustaining right away. The reason that I mention Lorenzo Road is that the area gets a lot of rainfall, which is important because there is no county water there. In fact, a large portion of the rural areas on the Big Island are on catchment, which means that you may or may not have enough water for your domestic use at any given time. 2010 saw a terrible drought which lasted many, many months. People on catchment had to buy water, which is a huge monetary output when you are trying to live sustainably.

There is a new farmer's market in Ocean View where people are selling their home-grown produce, so it is doable. The rainfall within individual subdivisions can vary widely, so it is very important to spend lots of time looking around at different areas. Talk story with locals, not just your real estate agent.

Regarding schools, I doubt that there are very many special needs programs in the rural areas. The schools are having a hard enough time just trying to keep the regular kids learning, and there isn't any money for special programs. You may need to home school your special child.

[faithhope7]

Wow! Thanks so much everyone. I am always just blown away by the wonderful people who are willing to take time out to help out a stranger. You all gave great information and lots to think about. Crazy thing, we have never even been to Big Island. This dream is not something that will happen for awhile.
It is a dream for our future. We want to save money enough to pay for a home in full and to be able to have as little bills as possible.
We both know that the Hawaii lifestyle is one that we would love to raise our family in : )
To all the dreamers out there and those already living the dream. God bless you and hope to be your neighbor. By the way, off topic a little. We have been watching alot of great documentaries on the food industry and subjects like this. If anyone is reading this and hasn't already watched these, please watch: " FOOD, INC." , " Food Matters", " The Future of Food", "King Corn". The list goes on and on.
It is scary what is happening to our world. It is nothing new but it is far from finished. We are destroying ourselves and sadly our childrens future. OK well hope that some who haven't seen these take time to watch.

Thanks Again!!!!!

[cozarino]

I, too, met my husband on Oahu in the 1990's. We loved it but the traffic and high housing costs dictated we move to the mainland. We have just moved back to the Hilo area in 2014 because of low housing prices. But, beware, there is a reason housing is so much less expensive than the other islands. First is most obvious, lots of rain and gray skies, most days Hilo Bay is gray, no sandy beaches; only rocky ones with black sand, underground springs make most of the beach parks not swimmable as the water temp. is COLD, very limited food choices in restaurants, our neighborhood is polite but very distant, making friends has been challenging despite us joining lots of groups, (yes, we are haole), other than the Merrie Monarch Festival, there are few Hawaiian cultural events; ie hula demonstrations, Hawaiian music concerts, etc. Also, there is a lot of poverty and homelessness and the downtown is in great need of upgrading in many ways; ie dumpy buildings, roads full of ruts and ridges, and an amazing amount of traffic for such a small city. One last thing; to be a vendor at the Hilo Farmer's Market you must get a General Excise Tax License to report your income to the state.

[hotzcatz]

Pretty much to be a vendor anywhere you must get a General Excise Tax License and collect taxes and give them to the state. It's not just the Hilo Farmer's Market.

Give it a year or two, your neighbors will warm up after they figure out you're not heading back to the mainland.

[SoloPilot]

HOLY RESURRECTED ZOMBIE THREAD, Batman!

[hotzcatz]

Well, "the dream will never die" or some such similar quote. Things pretty much stay the same, don't they? Maybe we could just put all the threads on a timer so they reoccur every other year or so and save us all the effort of typing replies?