Reddit trolled me away, so here I am... (Hilo, Kailua: for sale, hotel)

[acampbell2229]

Hey all, so I know people post in here probably everyday about wanting to move to Hawaii. I've actually done my research and I've been planning the move for several years now.



By the end of the year, I should have around $14,000 USD saved by the time I'm in Hawaii. I plan on moving to the Big Island because of its affordability. I understand to stay out of the Puna area due to the recent volcanic eruption. It's my understanding that virtually everyone has evacuated Pahoa and its surrounding areas. I plan on most likely moving to the Captain Cook area and commuting to Kailua-Kona for work.



I'm posting here because I have a couple of questions...

Should I apply for jobs before coming, or just wait until I'm there? Apparently nobody will take you seriously until you're on the islands.

What should I do for housing until I'm actually approved for a place there? Get an AirBnB in the meantime? A cheap motel?

I'm bringing my car, so no need to ask me about transportation.

I have no pets, and I own very little, so I'll be able to bring everything I own on flight with me to Hawaii.

I'd actually like to live in a converted garage at some point, but that's a different discussion for a different day. I understand that people rarely permit their 'dwellings' on the Big Island, since enforcement does little to nothing about it, and I'll probably follow that trend with caution.



Anything else I need to know? Do you think I will be prepared enough? I'd rather be safe than sorry, I've moved states before and ended up broke, so I'm committed to making sure this time will be different. Thank you for reading.

[Dreaming of Hawaii]

First question for you -- what kind of work are you seeking? Do you have any leads? There was a recent thread here, with some excellent advice from Hotzcatz, about finding work in Hawaii. Look at "Are Jobs Really That Hard to Find on Hawaii Island" thread.

You could stay at a legal AirBnB, although it may get quite expensive. Depending on the season, you might talk the owner into giving you a monthly deal if they have vacancies. Consider looking at Hotel Manago, in Kealakekua. It's old, but clean and reasonably priced.

Don't listen to whoever is telling you that people "rarely permit their dwellings". The County is cracking down on unpermitted structures, and it really is not a good way to start out. Same thing with someone illegally converting their garage. You might be able to slip under the radar for a while in far away Ka'u, then sooner or later you'll be found.

[acampbell2229]

Originally Posted by Dreaming of Hawaii

First question for you -- what kind of work are you seeking? Do you have any leads? There was a recent thread here, with some excellent advice from Hotzcatz, about finding work in Hawaii. Look at "Are Jobs Really That Hard to Find on Hawaii Island" thread.

You could stay at a legal AirBnB, although it may get quite expensive. Depending on the season, you might talk the owner into giving you a monthly deal if they have vacancies. Consider looking at Hotel Manago, in Kealakekua. It's old, but clean and reasonably priced.

Don't listen to whoever is telling you that people "rarely permit their dwellings". The County is cracking down on unpermitted structures, and it really is not a good way to start out. Same thing with someone illegally converting their garage. You might be able to slip under the radar for a while in far away Ka'u, then sooner or later you'll be found.

I'd like to get into construction, landscaping, or something along those lines because I know it's always in need no matter where you are, and it's something I will have enough experience doing by the time I'm ready to move there. I'm familiar with Hotzcatz, I see her posts all the time - I used to lurk these forums pretty often. I'll have to check that out, thanks! And nobody in particular told me, although I've seen quite a few people mention it - I used to go on Realtor very, very often and look at land for sale, as well as cheap homes to get a feel for prices around the Big Island. I couldn't tell you how many unpermitted structures I've seen that were for sale. Admittedly, they were probably for sale because they were unpermitted, but either way, there were dozens and dozens of places like that, namely around Pahoa. I wouldn't be living there obviously, but I felt it was worth mentioning.

Anyway, I'm just rambling at this point, thanks for the comment and I'll check out some more starter threads.

[hotzcatz]

Aloha Acampbell2229,

Actually, the volcano has pretty much stopped and folks have already flocked back to Puna and Pahoa. Property prices there have gone nutz. Less than a year ago, there was lava flowing and property prices were really low and now that the lava has stopped flowing, the prices are almost on par with Hilo or even the Hamakua coast. How bizarre is that?

The days of unpermitted structures is pretty much over, although there's still a few of them out there. The County didn't used to go looking for them but now with satellite imagery, it's really easy to find them.

For construction and landscaping type jobs, mostly it's an in person sort of application. They don't care about folks who are planning on moving over, they usually only care about folks already here unless they need some sort of specialized installer.

For inexpensive living situations, perhaps you may want to look into WWOOFing? Willing Workers On Organic Farms, although there's all sorts of places and not only organic farms. Usually you do some work in exchange for a place to stay. The places are all over the map, too, you may find the carport to live in you were looking for.

You could look into the Manango Hotel, perhaps. I'm guessing that's about as close to a cheap motel as anything we'd have around here. Hawaii doesn't do motels.

As for moving and not ending up broke - live cheap until you get more money coming in than going out.

Theft is a major problem in some areas on the island, so don't keep your cash and valuables in your car. It might be worthwhile to get a small storage locker until you get your housing situated. If you stashed your stuff somewhere secure, then perhaps even camping would be an option for inexpensive living.

[Arktikos]

Good advice above. Btw, Captain Cook is in hazard zone 2, which puts it at greater risk of lava flow than Hilo and much of Puna.

[teeej]

TSA is hiring.

https://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/519826200