08-11-2012, 02:10 AM
quote:
Originally posted by Hotzcatz
Don't buy a house when you haven't lived in the area for at least a few months first. There are micro-climates, there are neighors, there are the neighbor's roosters, there are coqui frogs, there are traffic patterns, there are just way too many variables to be able to buy a place and get a nice one from a distance. I'm not saying you won't, you might, but I'm saying if you do find a nice house it will be luck and not first hand knowledge if you do. You also may buy the house you found online and live in it for six months just to discover that you really would have preferred being two miles over. You'll get a much better house if you are living in the area before you buy it and considering the cost and hassle of moving, it's worth the expense and time of renting for six months first. What house you choose to buy will make a huge impact on your life.
If you find the perfect lot and want to build a house, it might be nice to work with a local designer who will understand things such as that the wide eaves are for keeping the sun off the house, not the rain. They will know about tradewinds, post and pier, available materials, etc. Plopping a kit house down isn't always the easiest answer to live with afterwards.
Couldn't have given better advice, Hotzcatz.
I moved to Hilo January 06' after living in Honolulu for 6 years. I have a Jeep with just a bikini-top at the time, and swear I fighting a case of depression by March. It was a horribly rainy year for us, and I literally had a trash bag from fresh towel in the back at all times. I ended up settling down in Kapoho and have absolutely no complaints. For the few days in summer where the Trade-winds take off, it does getting sticky. But nothing a fan won't cure.
Besides, no matter where you live, worst case scenario, drive 30 minutes in another direction
Living on the side of creation.