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I live on The Big Island at the ocean front for half the price that you are talking about in a 3800 square foot house. I also have health issues, but my insurance covers me to fly to Oahu for them. You might want to consider that option. The flight is 45 mins long, it would take you that long to drive to most medical facilities on Oahu.
I live on The Big Island at the ocean front for half the price that you are talking about in a 3800 square foot house. I also have health issues, but my insurance covers me to fly to Oahu for them. You might want to consider that option. The flight is 45 mins long, it would take you that long to drive to most medical facilities on Oahu.
I'm scratching my head here at your logic.....
a 45 min. Island hopping flight..then unless you get dropped off on the heliopad atop a hospital, you will still have to take a Cab, have someone pick you up, or rent a car to get to the hospital..that's a hell of a lot more than 45 minutes...especially in Oahu traffic.
"I'm scratching my head here at your logic.....
a 45 min. Island hopping flight..then unless you get dropped off on the heliopad atop a hospital, you will still have to take a Cab, have someone pick you up, or rent a car to get to the hospital..that's a hell of a lot more than 45 minutes...especially in Oahu traffic."
It may be a little bit more complicated.
For instance, most other islands' medical facilities cannot handle simple surgeries like cataract removal. So supposedly you have to deal with the cataract, you have to fly to Oahu. But it is not only you because when you get discharged the clinic requires another one driving you home. So most likely your spouse has to fly to Oahu too. And it is a two day procedure. So you have to rent a hotel room if you have no other place to stay. And also you have to rent a car or uber/taxi.
Our OP may need quite frequent visits to medical facilities.
Moreover, boarding inter-island flight is a hassle now. You have to get to the airport 60 to 90 minutes in advance. In 1990s I could check in as late as 10 minutes before departure.
So, that being said, where are there good public schools with friendly neighborhoods and homes in the $700-$900k range where a net income of ~$140k/year AFTER TAXES would be sufficient? My net income is comparable to what I was earning when I was salaried at $225k/yr so I am using a home income of $175k/yr as a basis for my criteria.
So, with these factors also as considerations, would the same areas still be the best recommendations? (so far the recommendations made were: Nuuanu, Kaneohe, Kailua, Kaimuki, Waipio, Waipahu, Mililani, Ewa Beach, Kapolei)
First, I think you should raise your home price expectation to 1 million.
Use zipcodes in Zillow to look at home values in the neighborhoods you are considering:
It's been a long time so I figured I'd update this thread with where we are now, but before that - please let me say thank you to everyone who replied. It really means a lot to have so many people to ask for help when you have no one personally who could. That being said, my update goes like this:
It is true that my wife and I don't need to commute so traffic plays no part in our decision. We found the biggest issue to be with the school offerings for kids with special and emotional needs. Since my daughter is now 12 and will be entering 6th grade next, Kapolei offers a program at the middle school level that accommodates kids like my daughter. So, that being said - our house is being listed April 8th. As soon as we have an active listing, I can then get prequal'd for a mortgage in Kapolei. I've found some great houses in the 700-850 range that would be great for my family.
Does anyone have any negative opinions about Kapolei or warnings that I should keep in mind before I start the biggest journey of my life? My wife and I are selling off almost all of our belongings so that we can just refurnish when we get there. We're not too good for Costco lol
We have UPack delivering a small shipping container (picture a kingsized bed 7 1/2 feet high) on Wednesday. If anyone has info for an honest realtor, please message me their info. Ideally what I hope can happen is that we can close the sale of our current house by the end of June and have tickets to fly out at the same time. Kapolei's middle school begins at the end of July, so my oldest daughter won't have a real long Summer break but she'll get back into a school routine soon after moving. I also hope to have the closing of the house we buy there.
Again - thank you all for your amazing and informative help. It's truly been what's given me confidence that I can make this move successfully.
Does anyone have any negative opinions about Kapolei or warnings that I should keep in mind before I start the biggest journey of my life?
Have you actually spent time in Kapolei?
For me, too dry, dusty, and not near nice beaches - the housing reminds me more S. Cal than Hawaii.
With that said - the biggest risk, in my opinion, for people making a purchase in that area moving here - Kapolei/Ewa Beach area when the next housing bubble hits tends to start in that area and gets hit the hardest.....
Viper, any thoughts on why that area gets hit the hardest? Talking to a friend that owns rental properties nearby, housing bubble is not far away in her opinion.
I would definitely get a reference on a local realtor and get their opinion on the housing market. I am in the same situation and finding the housing market to be more complex in so many ways compared to the mainland. I'll keep this short since I have zero proof about the housing bubble comment but local advice is worth a lot in your situation. Personally, I plan to rent until I get comfortable with location and the housing market (no kids, very different situation). This was the advice given to me and taking it seriously. Everyone is different but you are making a big leap with the house without getting a feel for traffic, neighborhood vibe, etc. unless the answer to Viper's questions is YES, we've spent time in Kapolei.
Viper, any thoughts on why that area gets hit the hardest?
Yes. You tend to have a lot of first time homeowners in the area - as it has lower prices. When the economy goes down, they often have less reserves - and if they lose a job, get pressed to make mortgage payments. Miss payments - means foreclosures and the ripple effects with it.
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