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Where did you stay on BI while you were shopping for your Puna place (real estate(RE))? Was it an apartment in Hilo, an ohana or other rental in the neighborhood that you bought in, or some place else? I doubt that everyone bought while visiting BI for a week or two of vacation, regardless of how many vacations that you had spent on BI.
We are retired and averaging 10 days a year on BI for the last seven years, thinking about staying longer.
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Best advice is to come over and rent, vacation rental for month plus or better, before you buy. Neighborhoods change from block to block.
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We lived 8 different areas in 3 years when we first moved here; S. Kona, Naalehu, Mt. View, Honomu, Hilo, Orchidland, HPP, Hawaiian Beaches.
We chose Mt. View for the elevation (5-10 degrees cooler than sea level), lot size, and the views.
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I did work trade north of Hilo. I took about 2-3 months to zero in on something tasty.
Didn't have to pay for food or accommodations and wasn't in a hurry (which I would have been in had I just been vacationing).
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We rented a place in the neighborhood we were looking. Although neighborhoods to change block by block, I found it helpful to get an idea of how long it would take to get into town, what options were (and weren't) in the closest town, etc.
Leilani Estates, 2011 to Present
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My partner stayed in a bunch of different "vacation rentals" all over Puna, Ka'u and Hilo for anywhere from 1-3 months each for 2 years before buying. The market was sky high but just starting to fall when he came over from the mainland, so he waited for prices to drop before buying the house we just moved out of in HPP. He is glad he did, because the area he thought he was going to want to live is not where he ended up the first time, or where we just bought a place together. There is no replacement for living somewhere to get the lay of the land.
I did work trade for rent for years, so until we got together I didn't need to think about buying or renting. I was just keeping an eye on an elderly couple with no family here, and driving them in their car on errands once they couldn't drive anymore, in return for a sweet little private cottage. Don't rule out something like that, I ended up with my current career/job through people I met while playing chauffeur and it was a great place for very little work. If I had been house shopping it would have given me plenty of time to look without spending much on overhead. Do not underestimate how fast the Big Island can empty your wallet when you first move here, it is astoundingly quick, so anything you can do to reduce overhead is a big help.
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We came over and spent 2 weeks vacationing, 1 week on the east side and 1 week on the west side.
The next year we spent a 2 week vacation driving through the Puna subdivisions, becoming intimate with all of those of interest to us.
The third year we packed up and drove to San Diego, put the car on the ship and bought 1 way plane tickets for ourselves.
We stayed 1 night in a tourist hotel type accommodation, then 2 weeks in a vacation rental while looking for a longer term rental, finally in a 3 month rental while actually looking for the right place to buy.
Maybe we're either better or luckier than most. We found exactly what we wanted and have no regrets. We did put in a grueling 3 months + of sun up to sun down searching. But then, we came over committed to making this our new home. We both were experienced in making long distance moves to new, relatively unfamiliar places and knew how to make judgement calls on what we'd be getting into. We're here to stay and love it.
EDIT:
Almost forgot, after the 1st 2 weeks on BI we spent 2 weeks the next year on Kawai'i. That is where we decided to come back to BI and take a closer look at it as a place to live. The following year was the familiarization with Puna trip.
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Was a Democrat until gun control became a knee jerk, then a Republican until the crazies took over, back to being a nonpartisan again.
This time, I can no longer participate in the primary.
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I've always been afraid to buy.. at least if you rent you can move if the family from devil's rejects moves in next door. Or if you get tired of the scenery.
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quote:
Originally posted by alaskyn66
I've always been afraid to buy.. at least if you rent you can move if the family from devil's rejects moves in next door. Or if you get tired of the scenery.
Buying has worked very well for both of us, separately and together. The greatest benefit is not being subject to the whims of a landlord. We can stay as long as we want and the "rent" never changes significantly. We get the tax write-off, plus something back if we decide to sell, sometimes a lot, sometimes only a little bit, and rarely sometimes nothing. When renting all you get is what you can carry off when you leave, assuming it's yours. The greatest differences are buying requires a commitment, and responsibility for maintenance. But, the cost of maintenance is covered in the rent you pay. And, like renting, you do have the option of simply walking away from it if you decide to. Plus, our complete monthly "rent" costs are less than actually renting an equivalent property.
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Was a Democrat until gun control became a knee jerk, then a Republican until the crazies took over, back to being a nonpartisan again.
This time, I can no longer participate in the primary.
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Reed's Bay is very affordable, and every 7th day & 4th week of a single stay are free. Within a month you will probably have an idea of which neighborhood is worth trying out.
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