Puna, Hawaii (Hilo, Mountain View, Kurtistown: sale, homeowners association, squatters)

[leilaniguy]

Aloha, Ainaloa is in a pretty wet area. It's near Pahoa, gets wetter as you go up higher in the subdivision. Books don't fare well here without precautions, i.e. kept in ziplock bags or in a closed space (closet) with a dehumidifier or piano heater. If you keep books in the open they have to be periodically wiped down with bleach/water or vinegar.

[josephjjj]

Wow! We decided that we are going to sell all of our belongings here and move to Hawaii and let me tell you there is alot to think about. The internet is an incredible resource and it seems that one can find any opinion they are looking for just by searching hard enough.

I guess where to live is the hardest decision and I could use some input from anyone willing to offer it. We are not rich by any standards but after selling our long list of possessions we will be ok for many months. We are willing to work basically any jobs and are actually looking forward to doing hard, physical work instead of desk jobs. Can anyone give me some advice as which area to live in Hawaii? We just need a safe area with mostly nice people and have to be a bit close to a beach.

Thanks

Joseph

[leilaniguy]

Aloha. You didn't say, but it sounds like you may be ready to "drop everything and move to Hawaii", without visiting awhile first. I did that in 1989, it's really a bad idea. I know, been there, done that. Come here first for a visit, once, twice, maybe three times before you make the "big move". Hawaii is different than anywhere else in the USA, not only weatherwise, but lifestyles are different. You may not want or be able to adjust. When I first came here in 1989, Hawaii chewed me up and spit me out. It took me 2 more tries coming back from Oregon to make sure this was " MY" place, and that I could make it here. Puna and Kau are the cheapest places to live in Hawaii, but also the hardest to make a living without a long commute to Hilo or Kona for jobs, unless you are willing to take low paying local agriculture/farming jobs, or you can get a job in construction..

[josephjjj]

Thanks for the response I appreciate your help. We have been there two times in the past and the thing I remember most is getting off the plane and thinking that the air was the most wonderful, sweetness I have ever smelled. We loved it there but are lacking in the "living there" information. We have been devouring books on living in Hawaii and feel that the windward side is where we would like to live. Any thoughts about the other Islands? We have traveled the world and even lived on the Island of Crete for a year but now we have two children 13 and 15. Amazingly they are up for the adventure.

How is the job outlook? We are adaptable and are willing to do just about anything and hope to leave the desk jobs behind.

Would you mind explaining how Hawaii spit you out and chewd you up? Is there racism that I have heard about on this site?

Any continuing advice would be appreciated and thanks so much.

Joseph

[leilaniguy]

Aloha Joseph, Well, if you've lived on Crete, I guess Hawaii would be easy. When I first moved here in 1989, I worked in construction, and the economy here was dead at the time, couldn't find work. My house was broken into twice in a few months, they took everything I had of value. (There was no police force to speak of in Puna at that time). Also I had a hard time getting used to the bugs and dampness. Now I'm used to regularly, (every few months) wiping off mold from the woodwork and stomp on cockroaches with bare feet, no problem. There's a real police force here now. I've never been broken into in the seven years I've been here (knock on wood). The school system here is not that good. I don't have children, but I hear from those who do that there is some prejudice by local kids against newcomers of any race. Many people enroll their kids in parochial school or in one of the state sponsored alternative charter schools. Lately there has been a building boom in the Puna region, but except for construction and agriculture most of the jobs are still in Hilo and the only highway into town gets very congested at rush hour. I don't know too much about the other islands, but I crossed them off my list before I moved, Oahu: too much like any mainland city, Maui and Kauai: too expensive for me, Molokai and Lanai: too small, not much there.

[josephjjj]

Aloha Leilaniguy:

Thanks for the great information as it will be alot of help when we arrive. We are thinking about doing some sort of shorter term rental (if available) and really researching the areas a great deal (i.e. different times of the day and night to check activity, noise levels, etc). We figure ten or so thousand dollars in the short term will possibly pay great dividends in the long run.

Any ideas about rentals as I mentioned above? What did you do when you arrived in Hawaii? You say the commute is long to Hilo so what is considered long. I hope you do not feel that I am using you for info (well actually I am), but our plan once we arrive is to give back to the community, simplify life so we can do that, and be as happy as possible. I am under no misconception that there will not be plenty of difficulties, but living in the rat race we live in now is no way to live.

Sincerely
Joseph

[leilaniguy]

Actually it's 25 miles or less from most anywhere in Puna to downtown Hilo, but there being only one highway in lower Puna and one from upper Puna, traffic bottlenecks and can slow to a crawl where they merge at Keaau village. If there is a wreck, you're sunk. I spent 4 hours one day sitting along with thousands of others while the police investigated and cleaned up a fatal crash. When I decided to move here this last time I stayed in a hotel, spent a week looking at houses. Having lived here before, I already knew where I wanted to live, and where to avoid. I was lucky enough to have the money to buy a house for cash, (they were much, MUCH cheaper then!) There are furnished vacation rentals available by the week or month while you look for permanent housing, anywhere in price starting at just under $100 nightly. House rent starts at about $800 mo. If you can "rough it", you can get by for much less, wouldn't be my first choice though. Be aware groceries (and just about everything else here) are more expensive than most of the rest of the US. There are a few bargains though, at farmers markets and roadside sales, and once you get to know people, there is a lot of produce swapping and sharing. (I gave away 20-30 pounds of apple bananas the other day, and will have hundreds of avocados in a few weeks.)

[josephjjj]

Again thank you so much for taking the time to answer my questions and I'm sure I will have more of them as we get closer to moving day. I hope Hawaii won't chew us up and spit us out!! Ouch.

Joseph

[testing123]

Hi J,
We're in a similar boat. We visited Hawaii in the past but only seriously considered moving there recently. It seems feasible --but only because we're extremely versatile and open-minded. (we think) You probably are too, as are most of the people who manage to live there. Well, except those who can afford to build 2000+ square foot homes in neighborhoods with paved streets, electricity, sewers, running water, garbage pickup, and views of the ocean. They don't need to be tough.

But doing lots of research and asking LOTS of tough questions will help you with the decision making process. It isn't easy to find honest assessments of "real" life there. Too many people don't want to scare off newcomers, who keep their property/investment portfolio values up. There are many investors who own multiple lots in Hawaii, who've NEVER actually seen them. They're just waiting for the right moment to cash out. And from what we've seen, prices have been leveling off quite a bit. When you do property searches, 1000s of listings come up, all with descriptions like: "Hurry!", "Best deal around" or "One of a kind!" --Now that's one way you'll get chewed up and spat out, economically. "Buyer Beware" takes on whole new dimensions in Hawaii!

We plan to go back in a few months and rent a place for a few more months to further assess the situation, pester people (including homeowner associations, neighborhoods, local government and realtors) and see if the mosquitoes really do "like the smell of new-comers" or not.

Be cautious!
Good luck to us all...

[MrTudo]

We had planned to go to the big island 2 years ago to look around. It appeared that a decent 1600sq ft house could be bought for 200K or thereabouts. Then Hurricane Charley knocked our house down and we obviously had to cancel our trip ( were supposed to leave in september!).

Prices seem to go crazy over there around that time.

Are they coming back down just like they are in Florida now? It's definitely becoming a buyers market in Fla.

???