10-01-2008, 11:40 AM
hi renea,
Kathy is fine (rather than KathyH)
I suppose there are many reasons a location can turn out to be wrong or at least not the best choice.
Distance from town, isolation, bad neighbors, crime, not feeling sympatico with the neighborhood, too much or too little rain or sun, vog, proximity to lava flow, heat, cold, humidity, mold, fire ants, coqui, the list goes on.
A few other aspects:
you may not end up working (or not working) in the place or manner you planned
your friends or family may relocate - like I'm really tired of having to drive 2-3 hours each way to see my family after they all moved to the west side -- and I live north of Hilo, which is closer than Puna.
There is a lot to learn about both new construction and buying existing homes here.
There is a lot to learn about what goes on in neighborhoods and your tolerance to it.
Weather changes, and after a trip in November you really have no idea of the summer, or even with the winter, we have weeks that are like summer only cooler, and then we have weeks with flooding, thunderstorms, power outages, etc..
A simple example is with roads. You take one trip with an agent, or two. You are excited about Hawai'i, and the future. The poor road quality and the time and distance from town may not even impress you. But give yourself a year of having to drive in and out of that road every time you need the simplest trip to the store, and after all the novelty fades, and you might get sick of it.
You may think you'll be fine with catchment water, but you might not like it.
You may be unconcerned with the eruption hazards, but then a new vent opens up on the rift and suddenly you could be at risk. People here have gotten complacent. Be sure that you've studied the southeast rift zone and understand it can open up at any point and what that would mean to your property. Don't let the fact that all sorts of people are building there lull you into thinking it must be safe. Do your geologic homework!
Being taken around is not enough.
After you live here and meet people, you will be in such a better position to make an important choice that will affect your life for years to come.
Kathy is fine (rather than KathyH)
I suppose there are many reasons a location can turn out to be wrong or at least not the best choice.
Distance from town, isolation, bad neighbors, crime, not feeling sympatico with the neighborhood, too much or too little rain or sun, vog, proximity to lava flow, heat, cold, humidity, mold, fire ants, coqui, the list goes on.
A few other aspects:
you may not end up working (or not working) in the place or manner you planned
your friends or family may relocate - like I'm really tired of having to drive 2-3 hours each way to see my family after they all moved to the west side -- and I live north of Hilo, which is closer than Puna.
There is a lot to learn about both new construction and buying existing homes here.
There is a lot to learn about what goes on in neighborhoods and your tolerance to it.
Weather changes, and after a trip in November you really have no idea of the summer, or even with the winter, we have weeks that are like summer only cooler, and then we have weeks with flooding, thunderstorms, power outages, etc..
A simple example is with roads. You take one trip with an agent, or two. You are excited about Hawai'i, and the future. The poor road quality and the time and distance from town may not even impress you. But give yourself a year of having to drive in and out of that road every time you need the simplest trip to the store, and after all the novelty fades, and you might get sick of it.
You may think you'll be fine with catchment water, but you might not like it.
You may be unconcerned with the eruption hazards, but then a new vent opens up on the rift and suddenly you could be at risk. People here have gotten complacent. Be sure that you've studied the southeast rift zone and understand it can open up at any point and what that would mean to your property. Don't let the fact that all sorts of people are building there lull you into thinking it must be safe. Do your geologic homework!
Being taken around is not enough.
After you live here and meet people, you will be in such a better position to make an important choice that will affect your life for years to come.