housing market and rental options (Waimea: rental car, rentals, lender)

[Dreaming of Hawaii]

Originally Posted by pumpkin-pie

ugh! We also have TWO GOLDENS!!! We will be there next month. Move is likely sometime in May. We will try to look at houses to see if we can buy and close before we get there. Job is in Waimea and we need to stay within 15 mins to town so its not like we have much choice anyway. Is it too early to look at houses? No one can take the dogs, there might be one but he can only take 1 dog The dogs can stay longer at the boarding but its $$$$. Is it crazy to look at houses that soon? We have no plans to build.

Just curious what you mean by "buy and close before we get there". PLEASE don't tell us that you are thinking of buying something sight unseen?

If you heed the advise here of renting before buying, perhaps you could just bring one dog and leave the other with your friend until you could buy? I've hear that it's hard to find a rental that will take dogs, but you certainly would have better luck with one than two. Or perhaps your could find a vacation rental that allows pets.

[pumpkin-pie]

Originally Posted by Dreaming of Hawaii

Just curious what you mean by "buy and close before we get there". PLEASE don't tell us that you are thinking of buying something sight unseen?

If you heed the advise here of renting before buying, perhaps you could just bring one dog and leave the other with your friend until you could buy? I've hear that it's hard to find a rental that will take dogs, but you certainly would have better luck with one than two. Or perhaps your could find a vacation rental that allows pets.

No I mean our visit next month maybe we should be house hunting instead of rental hunting.

[C92653]

Pumpkin- Coming from Louisiana you are going to be in for a bit of a price shock. In Waimea and Kona you can't touch a decent home for under $500k now (unless you want a postage stamp lot). I think you should rent for a while to be sure your husband is happy with his new employer before you sink $100k into a down payment. (I guess you could opt to pay PMI).

Check out Big Island Real Estate | MacArthur Sotheby's International Realty and look at South Kohala.

[OpenD]

Originally Posted by pumpkin-pie

No I mean our visit next month maybe we should be house hunting instead of rental hunting.

But how will you know where to buy until you have lived here a while? This is perhaps the most consistent single theme to the advice given here on the CD forums, going back many years... don't buy or rent anything sight unseen, and don't buy anything until you have spent some time here. Life in Hawai'i is different from what you're used to, and different from the picture in your mind, in ways you can't even guess at until you're here and dealing with it every day.

Good luck!

[pumpkin-pie]

I honestly appreciate all the comments and we will proceed as cautiously as possible. My husband's employer is helping us out on the relocation as well. I just want to say that we are not typical mainlanders. I spent the first 20 yrs of my life of an island (granted it was not the BI). My husband has spent more than a year living (weeks to few months at a time) in South America and the Caribbean over the last 10 yrs. We have to live in Waimea, this is non-negotiable with the job. The dogs are complicating this move a bit but I assure you if there is anyone I trust that we can leave them with we would do that, but this is just not an option for both of them (I will consider leaving one behind though). We are prepared for sticker shock, we are not originally from Louisiana, it was a huge mistake moving here. We will never buy/rent sight unseen that is just ridiculous.

[hotzcatz]

Well, if you're going to be based out of Waimea, you could try looking in Waikoloa if you preferred dry weather or as far *south* (that's a mainland term that means "towards Hilo" when you are up in the Waimea area) as Pauuilo. Laupahoehoe might be an option, but there's the gulch between your house and your husband's job and the road isn't reliable all the time around the gulches. Nor is there a detour, so you're just kinda stuck for awhile until the road is cleared. I suppose, you could detour via Saddle road, but that would be 30 miles to Hilo to get to the beginning of Saddle, then over Saddle (haven't a clue how long that is, just a sheer guess of fifty miles or so?) then a dozen miles back to Waimea on the other end of Saddle.

Honokaa might be the answer you're looking for, although I'm kinda partial to and biased towards Honokaa so it would be best if you checked it out for yourself. Some areas are nicer than others, so checking them out personally is best.

[pumpkin-pie]

Google map says Waikoloa is 26 mins from center of town What are your thoughts of living in town? This is our plan for now. Closer to the beach is better but I don't see much online listings within 10 mins from town within our price range that way. There seems to be more choices in town. Definitely will need to check the area. I like living in a neighborhood where I can walk the dogs, like on a daily basis.

[hotzcatz]

If you can afford in town, that would be lovely. There are a couple of new subdivision areas going up on the dry side of Waimea. Dunno what the prices are, though, since it's way out of our price range. There are some tiny lots right across from Waimea Park (the one next to Parker School) that would be nice to build on if you didn't mind tiny lots. Those are right in the center of town and you could walk everywhere.

[OpenD]

Originally Posted by pumpkin-pie

We have to live in Waimea, this is non-negotiable with the job.

OK, but for the benefit of others, there's still a big decision to make, because one side of Waimea is dry, and the other side is wet, and you might not realize there is a difference if you haven't spent some time looking around the area, talking to people, exploring in different weather.

Oh, and let's not forget looking at the property you're considering at different times of the day... you might not realize that there's a rooster farm with 100 birds backing up to your property unless you happened to be there early in the morning when the sonic assault begins. Likewise, you won't know if you have a deafening coqui frog infestation unless you check the property after dark.

Or you might run into other unexpected problems if you don't check it out personally. My favorite story in recent history was the woman who put down a large deposit on a $1.4 million property in Hilo, sight unseen, based on descriptions and a few photos, but who was later appalled to discover the area was rife with prostitutes and drug addicts, so she tried to back out and get her deposit back, which resulted in a messy lawsuit.

[pumpkin-pie]

Thanks! I have been keeping an eye on a few listings that fits the criteria, two are new construction. But it seems that houses are moving fast they may not even be on the market when we get there. haha! Anyways, I am keeping a close eye for anything that comes up. Too many houses for sale in that one neighborhood and I am wondering if this is a good or a bad sign. I think it is Lualai??