Any info on Kohala Estates in Kohala district

[Robin Rossi]

Originally Posted by Jungjohann

Didn't you post here a while back, under a different name, before you were 86'd? Just askin, cause your kukae pipi kane sure sounds familiar..

Different pipi kane, brah.

[Robin Rossi]

Originally Posted by CyberCity

You are moving to a location based upon the distance to the nearest Costco? That might be swamped by other things to consider in daily life here:

What is the weather: wet or dry, warm nights or cold, windy or not, voggy or not? How far to the nearest medical (doctor) office? How far to the nearest hospital? How far to the nearest church/worship? How far to the nearest market? How far to the nearest pharmacy? How far to the nearest gas station? How far to the nearest restaurant/fast-food/deli? How far to the nearest animal vet? [I'll not even get in to if children are involved.]

I suggest you contact the [URL="http://www.kohalaranchhawaii.com/link/linkshow.asp?link_id=85050"]Kohala Ranch HOA[/URL]. They have strict rules, you'll want to be sure it is a good fit for you. Dues are about $3K per year. Property taxes are based upon how much of your property you use for residential and how much is alone. It can be a long drive up the hill for higher elevation lots. For tax reasons, I think there is something about needing to run cattle or some such thing, which is done by one of the ranches above the subdivision... I'm not sure about that, but the HOA will know.

All these things will be well known considerations by a realtor that is familiar with that area. Connecting to a realtor at this point in time might be your best avenue. That is the same advice I'll give to anyone who might read this thread in the future. If you do not live here or are unfamiliar with the area(s), use a realtor who is knowledgeable about that area as a professional source of information. And, NEVER BUY SIGHT UNSEEN.

Thanks for your input.

I am looking for something on the dry side, not a fan of lots of rain or damp air. Costco is important, but not critical, to us. We find it a great convenience, and a source of diversion, at least around here. I get my meds, my gas, my food, clothes etc., there.

[NCHammerhead]

We just got home after spending a week renting a house on Kohala Ranch. Its definitely dry, and we were there during some very high winds, but I don't think that's typical. We bought groceries at the Foodland in Waimea, and drove into town a few times during the week. The drive is longer than what we are used to living in our current city, but we didn't find it unreasonble. Waimea seemed like a nice town with most of the basics, anything that we couldn't get in Waimea we would be able to get from the Kona Walmart, also not an unreasonable drive. We visited the farmer's market on saturday and enjoyed it, and ate at a couple of the local restaurants (great service at the Hawaiian Style Cafe). We have been considering purchasing a lot on Kohala for retirement, and this trip was intended to be a first bit of "reconaissance" of the area, and we came away with a very positive first impression.

[Robin Rossi]

Originally Posted by NCHammerhead

We just got home after spending a week renting a house on Kohala Ranch. Its definitely dry, and we were there during some very high winds, but I don't think that's typical. We bought groceries at the Foodland in Waimea, and drove into town a few times during the week. The drive is longer than what we are used to living in our current city, but we didn't find it unreasonble. Waimea seemed like a nice town with most of the basics, anything that we couldn't get in Waimea we would be able to get from the Kona Walmart, also not an unreasonable drive. We visited the farmer's market on saturday and enjoyed it, and ate at a couple of the local restaurants (great service at the Hawaiian Style Cafe). We have been considering purchasing a lot on Kohala for retirement, and this trip was intended to be a first bit of "reconaissance" of the area, and we came away with a very positive first impression.

That's great info. Thank you.

[local1guy]

Personally, I feel being 30 miles from Kona and Costco not a problem. There are folks who live above Kona, and that might be more to your liking. The fish market is VERY close to Kohala Ranch. Waimea has grocery stores.

[Wileetoyote]

I know this post is a bit old but but here's a little more insight for anyone else looking/researching. We're in the exact same situation but with quite a bit less of a budget. I'm hoping to retire on the Big Island in about 10 yrs. and with the real estate market down, now is the time to buy. My wife and I have made two trips this last year both visiting family and land hunting and have stayed in both Hilo and the Waikoloa Beach resort area. It is definitely windy on the Kohala coast at times and constant 30-40 mph wind days on end are nothing to ignore... talking with some friends who stayed at a rental in Kohala Ranch, they mentioned recent 50-60 mph gusts rattling windows and making trying to sleep somewhat difficult.

We had a list of Google researched ideal properties we wanted to see but quickly scratched all of them off the list as each had something majorly wrong with them once you see them in person. We then started looking at other places from Kona to Kohala Ranch and finally made an offer somewhere in between (still in negotiations).

2nd or (dropping to) 3rd on our list is Kohala Ranch which has great views but was just a tad too 'exclusive' for us with manned security at the two entrances and nothing else for your high HOA fees (e.g gym, tennis courts, etc). The master plan calls out for a golf course and equestrian center to be built across the middle of the community but knowing Hawaii, don't hold your breath. If/when it happens, that should drive the cost up even higher making it more exclusive than it already is. That all said, a lot of the homes there are 2nd homes and/or rentals so I do see the benefit of manned gates with all the empty houses around.

My $0.02 is you really need to make a few trips out there if you're serious about this. The high winds may become a turn-off for you once you experience them (there's 1 or 2 vids on youtube of the wind). I have experienced them first hand which is why KR dropped down my list.

The weather stats make it seem like the Hamakua Coast gets A LOT OF RAIN but we haven't seen that in any of the trips we've made... afternoon or evening light showers is common but a lot of the incoming storms get diverted around the 13,000' mountains (aka volcanoes ) as they get closer. Because of the light breezes and slightly cooler temps, it gets a little chilly at night actually and you may end up liking that side instead. We spent many evenings there at my uncles place and my wife always had to bring a sweater. Waimea gets downright cold at times (was in the low 50's one early November afternoon as we stopped for bite once).

I don't think you're going to care as much about the cost of groceries or gas as much as the convenience of their locations. No matter where you end up, you'll be 15-30 minutes from town... any town pretty much.

Local folks seem surprised but like it or not, my wife also has concerns over how far Costco and Walmart is but we'd only plan to go there when needed... 1-2 times per month. I'm more concerned about how far golf is... they're all on the dry side of the island which weighs heavily on my list. The rest of the time will be at the beach or having a drink on the lanai (as it should be in retirement).

Good luck.