Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I did recommend about the only neighborhood that fits the criteria - Nuuanu
I agree that Nuuanu would be ideal in terms of access to the best medical facilities on Oahu and good schools... but $800K will get you a plot of dirt in that area, never mind the house.
I agree that Nuuanu would be ideal in terms of access to the best medical facilities on Oahu and good schools... but $800K will get you a plot of dirt in that area, never mind the house.
Ok. I had actually had to look that up.
And.......
You are right!
I've personally never looked at real estate in Nuuanu - the rain was a deal breaker for me - seems to lack nearby grocery stores/restaurants - and it is a hike to the beach. My spot check of places for sale and recent sales seems one needs to step up to $1.2M+ which is obviously quite a bit more than I expected. Clearly the commute is hugely appealing.
So, poster should be prepared to significantly up the budget.
As oceanus mentioned, if he was a DINK, hell or even a DI with kids , it would be a lot more feasible. If he was a SINK, I'd say 60k or so, should be fine. But he has some real challenges, especially with the medical stuff.
Why are you still talking about salary, DINK, or SINK? The guy says he has a income without needing to work. He says he can't work because of his health and disability. And he has kids.
Obviously, he hasn't told us his level on income, nor would I expect him to, so that's why we put in realistic income-equivalent numbers for him to compare and decide.
The housing and schooling is much more limiting, it seems. I thought for 800K he could find something for his family on Oahu, I guess it is going to be more. Then again, he is visiting and he can go see for himself what he can afford and whether he likes the neighborhoods and schools. It seems like the whole purpose of this forum is to get the dreamers down to earth and come for a fact-finding mission. If they can do that they'll have a more realistic view and real data to compare to their individual circumstances. And that's what this family wants to do, but you're still being negative.
I've personally never looked at real estate in Nuuanu - the rain was a deal breaker for me - seems to lack nearby grocery stores/restaurants - and it is a hike to the beach. My spot check of places for sale and recent sales seems one needs to step up to $1.2M+ which is obviously quite a bit more than I expected. Clearly the commute is hugely appealing.
So, poster should be prepared to significantly up the budget.
Nuuanu, you probably could get a 3br/1ba 80-100 year old home half falling apart with tiny/no lot for $800k. To get a decent home, looking at more like 1 mil+
More realistically, to get a 4br house at that price, you're looking out towards waipio/waipahu/mililani/ewa beach/kapolei.
Sir, I just moved here with my family of 4 kids. I am telling you in your situation, I'd just vacation here for 3 to 6 months a year.
As far as resources for your daughter, this here is not comparable to what your daughter gets where you are living. As for your health, the vog is not a fun thing to endure.
This is comparable to New Jersey, but with you and your wife not working, that is a challenge for this fluctuating environment.
Try renting out your current home and renting a place here for 1 year before you decide to purchase and stay here. It's a great place to visit, but living here takes creativity and work.
Where you are, you know the environment, how to prosper there.
Not sure if it's a common thing outside of hawaii, but A LOT of the people I know, even the ones with kids making decent middle class money in Hawaii has more than 1 job. They'll have their regular job, and they'll have their second job, whether it be retail, contract work, construction work, realtor, their own small business, etc etc.
That's pretty much what many people need to do to survive and save money. This is especially true if peopel are working lower paying jobs. They may need their regular job and 2 part time jobs to make ends meed.
I do know other people with a single lower paying job, but they're typically living with their family in a multigenerational house, and pay little of the normal living expenses of people living on their own. People in their 30s, 40s, living with their parents, probably will continue doing so until their parents pass away, and they (hopefully) inherit the house. Someone moving here has the additional challenges of not having this type of support network in place.
Thanks so much for the feedback, but I realize that I didn't provide enough information, so let me add to what I initially wrote, since there seems to be a discrepancy with my income situation, and so hopefully providing some further detail will help those offering advice, a more clear representation of my situation and needs.
So, yes - my wife is a homemaker and hasn't needed to work, but that's largely in part to my income. I don't know where the one commenter got his information about the income of an Internet Security Engineer, but when I was working, I was earning $225k/year. Now that I'm retired, my wife and I take home approximately $10k a month after taxes. So, with a 10k monthly income and a $400k downpayment, we're looking for a home in the $700-$900k range.
With regards to medical facilities and needs, I have no ongoing medical needs, so I don't need an abundance of local resources, but would like to be on an island that has the resources just available for the "just in case" situation. And regarding my daughter and her Aspergers/Autism, while I'm not looking for best-in-the-country offerings, I'm looking for some kind of accommodations, which in my mind means a school district with services for special needs. Nothing extravagant or extraordinary as my daughter is high-functioning and extremely intelligent, just lacking in social skills. Sure she has special needs, but thats primarly why my wife is a stay-at-home mom.
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.
Bear in mind that I will have no commuting expense, no travel expenses, no work expenses, no clothing expenses for business attire, no daily lunches, no tolls or parking expenses, and generally no monthly costs other than living costs. My fuel costs will be for leisure driving and errands, or bringing kids to school if bussing isn't an option.
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)
I'm determined to make Hawaii my home eventually as I've grown tired of mainland living, and with a "wake-up call" like cancer to really put life and quality of living squarely in focus, I want to do this as much for myself as for my kids, and the few friends that I've known to have moved to Oahu, I am ready for the lifestyle changes and welcome them.
Thanks so much! I'm blessed to be alive and will consider myself to be blessed beyond my wildest imagination to make Hawaii mine and my family's home.
With the additional info you provided, you should be fine. Moving from HCOL area to HCOL area, there shouldn't be huge lifestyle challenges I would think (such as living like a king in a LCOL area, then as an ordinary person in a HCOL area)
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
