Moving where we can afford (Hilo, Waikoloa Village: real estate, 2014, to rent)

[mailemaikai]

so im 39 and finally husband and I decided its time to move back to hawaii, we live in North florida now, so in 8 mos Nov of this year 2014 we will be making the move with 2 cars small very small household of furniture one dog and a 11 year old girl, why not right? I was born and raised for most but not all of my life in Oahu. so things have changed the last 15 years I know since living there although yearly visits keep me going. so keeau is my go to place it has reasonable homes, not to far form shopping and work for my husband and I and its affordable living nice homes as they show on the realtor sites, I figure my plan is go there is september get a house I will be buying I dont have a choice to rent being we want something to call our own and not have any landlords kona would be the idea spot but we cant afford that living over there so im content with south hilo area any tips on this, I havent lived on that side of the island ever and Im not too concerned with anything like cultural shock but reading these posts I feel like im in for a reality slap in the face concerning buying a home and moving maybe im in la la land thing thinking this is going to be a peace of cake, our budget is nothing over 250k.

[whtviper1]

Originally Posted by mailemaikai

I havent lived on that side of the island ever.

Make sure you stock up on umbrellas and ear plugs.

[AlohaLucy]

Originally Posted by whtviper1

Make sure you stock up on umbrellas and ear plugs.

Why ear plugs...the frogs?

[Due]

I believe that's what Viper is suggesting.
We don't live in that area and stayed there overnight only once; thus, don't have any personal information about the frogs.

[Dreaming of Hawaii]

OP, you didn't mention work, I don't think (kind of hard to follow your post). What kind of jobs will you be looking for?

Traffic into Hilo during rush hour can be really bad. The County is in the process of widening the highway, so maybe by the time you move it will be done.

I assume you are talking about Keaau, not Keeau. I'm sure that the further you go into Puna you will be able to find something affordable. I don't live in that area, so not sure about your $200,000 budget. You do realize that the houses there are in catchment?

[whtviper1]

Originally Posted by AlohaLucy

Why ear plugs...the frogs?

Yes, the frogs - the daily rain can become tolderable, the frogs for many are not. Although you'll find the occasional, I love the loud frogs.

[TheCatsMeoww]

Originally Posted by whtviper1

Yes, the frogs - the daily rain can become tolderable, the frogs for many are not. Although you'll find the occasional, I love the loud frogs.

I would think it would be kind of neat but who knows until you live it...we have extremely loud geese right in our backyard, sometimes they never shut up. It is cool until you are in a bad mood

[davephan]

Originally Posted by mailemaikai

so im 39 and finally husband and I decided its time to move back to hawaii, we live in North florida now, so in 8 mos Nov of this year 2014 we will be making the move with 2 cars small very small household of furniture one dog and a 11 year old girl, why not right? I was born and raised for most but not all of my life in Oahu. so things have changed the last 15 years I know since living there although yearly visits keep me going. so keeau is my go to place it has reasonable homes, not to far form shopping and work for my husband and I and its affordable living nice homes as they show on the realtor sites, I figure my plan is go there is september get a house I will be buying I dont have a choice to rent being we want something to call our own and not have any landlords kona would be the idea spot but we cant afford that living over there so im content with south hilo area any tips on this, I havent lived on that side of the island ever and Im not too concerned with anything like cultural shock but reading these posts I feel like im in for a reality slap in the face concerning buying a home and moving maybe im in la la land thing thinking this is going to be a peace of cake, our budget is nothing over 250k.

A budget limitation of $250K is on the low side. However, I did find condo properties in Waikoloa Village that are within that range, however they may come with a HOA fee of about $500 a month, some more than that. I don't know if they allow dogs. It rains very little in Waikoloa Village, so it has to be irrigated if you want things to grow. I stayed in Waikoloa Village for a week last November and it is very quiet at night. It is less humid than closer to the ocean, and there wasn't any VOG when we were there. It's probably very safe from tsunamis since its close to 1,000 feet above sea level. It's about only a 20 minute drive to Kona.

Why did you leave Hawaii? Your English isn't clear, so it makes it a little more difficult to read your posts. Maybe English is your second language. Is your husband also about 39 years old? If so, you both have about 25 years left to work. What kind of jobs do both of you have now? There is a lot of risk when you quit a job for a new job with unknown working conditions. Sometimes new jobs improve your life. Sometimes they can ruin your life. Do you have an emergency fund and have you saved anything for retirement yet? Do you have any debt? If so, how much debt?

The cost of living is cheaper on the Big Island than the other Hawaiian Islands, but it is probably about double the cost of living in northern Florida. Do you already have jobs lined up on the Big Island? If not, it is tough to buy real estate anywhere on the Big Island since the commute could be too far. If you don't have specific job skills which will translate into a good income stream, you could end up working several low pay 19 hour per week jobs with no benefits. If you don't have health benefits, what will you do when you need medical care? Maybe you do have the potential for earning enough income, but your original post doesn't give that impression.

Please fill in the blanks about the financial part of your life and what you do for a living now.

[smarino]

Funny, we live in Northern Florida and sometimes entertain moving back to Hilo! In fact, I was just about to post a question titled "How do people of modest means live in Hilo?" right before I saw your post (Kea'au is too isolated and local for my tastes, having lived there before).

I think the answer to my question is self evident....they live poorly! We have housing here that costs about 1/3rd of what it would in Hilo, utilities and groceries are about half of Hilo's, over there our income would be essentially the same, how do I think we would fare? It just doesn't make sense for us on so many real levels. The wife is flying there next month to visit her sons for a couple of weeks and can get a better look at how things are vs how they were when we left 10 years ago, but I don't expect any miracles. The money is what it is, and living poorly on the big Island is not fun.

[mailemaikai]

im 100% southern american girl but born and raised in hawaii, no hawaiian blood. I am a RN and a LMT, my husband has a six figure job now so im not worried about the financial aspect of him finding a job quickly . Yes my english is broken at 548 in the morning when I wrote my post....sorry, after looking with several real estate sites I dont see 250k being that bad at all in houses I have seen from what my realtor is showing me. maybe life is all rainbows and butterflies in my expectations in moving back, the only big concern I have is safety on that side I could care less about frogs and vog and rain,we have two luxury vehicles that we are shipping no matter what I have decided to bring our cars I know the risks. Kona is way out of our budget and the school we are planning to send our daughter to is on hilo side. along with our church, saftey is my number one concern on moving back and where we have chosen to live.