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Can someone tell me their thoughts on the new development HILOLANI ? My husband will be working in Hilo and I'd rather he not have a long commute. If we lived in Puna or something. We're coming from the Northeast coast USA so we're learning alot from this forum and others. We're looking to move Summer 2007.
Is it a high risk in the tsunami zone?
Where is it related to the lava zone and insurance?
I saw that Hilo gets the most rain, how are the mosquitos in this area?
How is crime?
Our children will be 6-7 months old by that time-is this area family oriented?
Our motorcycles typical transportation on the islands? I'm concerned about all the rain and my husband using it to commute to work. Any thoughts?
Thanks,
Kspeed
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It seems from your post that you have never been to the Puna area ? If not , I would urge you to visit.
I am not a local , still waiting for my home to sell here in South Carolina, so I cannot comment on HILOLANI.
In regards to lava zones, rainfall, most realtor websites have maps etc. detailing this.
During my time there, I did see a few guys on their bikes / Hogs , but I would not think that a good mode of transport, simply because of the intermittent rain / showers.But thats me.
Read everything on this forum, it is GREAT , and the numerous newcomers, realtors, builders, and locals that frequent this site are an absolute wealth of info.
Remember, Puna/ Hilo is as large as Oahu , if you have visited there.
Once again, you really need to visit, have a realtor drive you around ( mine did for 10hrs)and go from there.
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The previous advise was good. I have been by the development during it's beginning. It looked nice and the adjoining neighborhood looked nice too. I would not think it is close enough to the coast to have tsunami issues. I would guess it's in lava zone 3. Motorcycles are fine if you like wet. Mosquitos in more suburban/urban settings like that are usually an issue of how you and your neighbors are about reducing breeding opportunities and on county spraying. Confirm the tsunami and lava zone with a Realtor or the county. I can only guess on the crime but I would think it would be ok as the neighborhood looked ok. You will have some city noise from the near-by businesses but also enjoy the convenience of close shopping.
On second thought I'm not 100% sure it's the development I drove by, that was just starting a year ago. It does appear to be in the same area, very close if not it.
S. FL Islander to be
Edited by - oink on 11/03/2006 06:40:21
Pua`a
S. FL
Big Islander to be.
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Kspeed, we moved here without visiting first, so it can be done (I came here to go to the University). Hilolani is a brand new subdivision on the east side of Hwy 11 just a little up (south) from the Prince Kuhio Plaza Mall (Sears, Macys, Safeway & the usuall mall type stores & WalMart, Borders mall just down (north)from that & Home Depot across the way). Between the two is Hawaiian Homeland housing, which is a mix of house styles and conditions, and not at all like Hilolani. This area is at about 200-300 ft elevation, so is out of the tsunami flood area, and is in lava zone 3, which is standard house insurance. It is lower than the highway, so may not get much in trade breezes nor view, but that would dependant on the house & lot. The subdivision is typical suburbia looking, just getting moved into. I noticed that after the heavy rains 2 1/2 weeks ago, most of the homes had just installed drainpipes from the downspouts to the street & some looked as if they had a little washout in the yard (the grass had just been planted, so this probably will not be a big deal in a couple of months).
As the Hilolani homes are very new, it is hard to say what the neighborhhod will be like. There are no really close by public grade schools, all are across Hwy 11 (which is only a couple blocks from Hilolani. The Hawaiian Homelands homes do have many families, and many multigenerational households. I do know that the subdivision had barracades up during construction, but do not know why.
The rain on the east side is not as much a problem as one might think (we were from the Chicago suburbs, and it is a lot like spring/fall all year round) with some torrential rains, but mostly 1/2 to 1 rains, every 1-3 days, with some some dry weeks, and totally rainy weeks. We had a friend visit last March during the middle of a very wet period, and had a blast. The temperature is always nice (65 lowest 90 highest temp throughout the year, with normal temps 70 at night, 85 day).
A lot of people motorcycle, you just always have your raingear handy. Much of intown Hilo has road speeds of 25-30 mph, so riding on light days is not bad. There are a few commuter bus routes, but not a lot (there are 2 intown Hilo routes & one out to Puna that are useful, if you live and work near the stops. Most routes go to the malls and Downtown Hilo Bus Station). Motorcycling to work would also depend on where in Hilo the work is. If it is on top of Mauna Kea, at the observatories, NO (road conditions, high wind & icing)! Most other places, yes.
Many people do rent here for a 1/2 year before buying, this gives you a little time to find the area that fits you, others work with a good real estate person (John Dirgo comes with a lot of high praise by many) from afar. What works for you?
OK, now that I may have confused you more,
Aloha, Carey
Edited by - Carey on 11/03/2006 09:27:17
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aloha all,
kspeed, have you folks been to Hawai'i, the Big Island, or Puna? as Carey stated, moving "sight-unseen," can be done, but be ready for some culture shock. Hawai'i is definitely not the mainland, and depending upon the type of people you are, it could be easy or rough. the rain is abundant, but it also makes everything lush and beautiful. to live in Hawai'i, is to live with bugs. coming from the northeast, i'm sure your used to mosquitos, but you'll always be aware of da bugs! (if you don't know, don't kill the geckos, they'll kill the bugs!) the moto riding might be tricky, due to the likelihood of rain, but you'll adapt.
guess it depends on where your husband is leaving from and moto'ing to. good luck with your move, go slow and smile, you're in Hawai'i!
aloha,
holahan
:?)
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IMHO, Hilolani looks pretty SoCal to me...
Thats Hank Correa's project isnt it, or is he just the listing agent/firm?
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Hank Correa's the listing brokerage. I'm with Cat -- I wasn't impressed when I saw them, but that's just my personal opinion. kspeed, you may love them, but they just weren't for me.
John Dirgo, RA, ABR, e-PRO
Island Trust Properties, LLC
808-987-9243 cell
http://www.hawaiirealproperty.com
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Aloha, kspeed. Hilolani is a bit too cookie-cutter for my tastes, but it is located near many conveniences. This forum has a good search function, and you should use it to access the wealth of info on all sorts of topics here. Hope you find what you are looking for.
Cheers,
Jerry
Edited by - JerryCarr on 11/03/2006 15:34:20
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Here's a link to it: http://www.hilolani.com/
David
Ninole Resident
Ninole Resident
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David, I was going to include the link, but noticed some errors on their web page, including the statement that University of Hawaii, Hilo was 1/2 mile away. I did not know if they were looking at this development because they thought it was only 1/2 mile from the university, when it is probably over 2 miles to the university. The other overstatements on the site are more opinion stuff, as far as I know.
Aloha, Carey
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