50k and a plane ticket (Hawaiian Beaches, Hawaiian Ocean View: fit in, insurance, houses)

[Hawaiiseeker]

So, I have 50k, and a plane ticket.

I would like to buy a cheap lot in Hawaii for roughly 8k, and place a small cabin on it (I have the cabin reserved 15x15) . I understand there are some places where people have small shacks that are unpermitted, and that the county does not come after them. I also understand they have water catchment.

Well, this is what I wish to do. I may have a contact in Hawaii to provide me with a used truck. So, when I get there, I'll have this truck, then I'll have to buy the lot mentioned, and finally, have my small cabin transported to the lot. I already have links to my compost toilet, and filtration devices.

So here is my question.

What areas would be ideal for me to implement this plan?

I would like to be within two hour walk distance (get in shape) of the beach, maybe some stores, esp. a hardware store.



Any ideas as to subdivisions?

What about community organizations, can they get in the way of my plans.

What about CC&R's?

I am also looking for a contacts in Hawaii. I have skype.


Thank you.

[winkosmosis]

Where is this $8k lot?

[hotzcatz]

Sounds like HOVE or Nanawali. How about Royal Gardens? (snarky joke - RG is covered in live lava) Nanawali, though, has CCRs so you'd have to get a building permit. Otherwise, it might be a viable choice since you'd be able to walk to where you want to go. HOVE or rather, Hawaiian Ocean View Estates who now frequently refers to themselves as merely "Oceanview" is much more remote and has a lot less rainfall although there might be a county water tank over there at some point. Both HOVE and Nanawali have catchment.

Also, the days of building without a permit are about over. The County is starting to notice things on Google Earth and lots of things show up on satellite maps. Also, being a mainlander, if your neighbors ever get upset at you, calling the building department to turn you in will be one of the first things they consider. It's a lot easier and cheaper than going to court. Anonymous, too.

To buy a lot, there's a time frame involved. You make an offer, they accept it, there is paperwork that gets done, it takes about a month to buy land even if you use cash.

Look up the requirements for an "efficiency dwelling" in the Uniform Building Code. See if you can make your house fit in that description and then you'd be able to get a permit for it. Square footage is pretty inexpensive to build in Hawaii since we don't have the same requirements for insulation as the mainland does. There are also people who take old cane houses and relocate them to a new location. That would probably fit within your budget, give you a bit of history to live in as well as good karma for rescuing a house.

Move over, get the truck, try WWOOFing or something else to give you a place to stay while you buy the lot and that will also give you time to look at these different places. There are so many variables between the different areas that you really can't make a decent decision without seeing them.

[whtviper1]

Just make sure it is a round trip plane ticket.

[hotzcatz]

Brilliant point, Whtviper1!! Yup, a round trip ticket isn't that much more expensive than a one way and it's cheap insurance.

[timbo31958]

I have found round trips cheaper than 1 way sometimes. or just a very few dollars more.

[AbleGardener]

If you find out how to do this, sell me the book. I would like to be able to move to Hawaii too.

[OpenD]

Originally Posted by AbleGardener

If you find out how to do this, sell me the book. I would like to be able to move to Hawaii too.

It IS a persistent dream. I think in some ways it has replaced the Old West as the Getaway-From-It-All American Dream, along with Alaska. Some people come to Hawai'i first, chasing that dream, while others go to Alaska first, before coming to Hawai'i.

But anyway, thanks for the book idea...

[1hotnspicy1]

Hawaiian Beaches....Tiki Gardens......Black Sands....Cheap lots......Small lots.....No CC&R's.

[oregonwoodsmoke]

There are plenty of lots available for $8,000. Just check the realtors listings. Also, I suspect that some of the slightly more expensive lots listed for a long time period would accept an $8,000 offer just to finally get the lot sold.

I think the best $8,000 lots are in Nanawale, but Nanawale won't work because they have a 600 square ft minimum size for a dwelling, which must be permitted.

I suggest that you place your building with a permit. You never know what teh future might bring and if the building is property permitted, it would be an awful lot easier to resell. A small inconvenience now in exchange for a huge benefit later.