02-28-2009, 09:22 AM
Aloha, don't give up on your dream! It was my 30 year dream, it can all be do-able, it happened for me after 48 years in Alaska! We stumbled our way through the owner-builder process, met some wonderful people while on the way, and we're on our way to a final permit on our beautiful plantion house in Pahoa. Our electrical, plumbing and concrete contractors were awesome, couldn't have asked for better! We have an awesome neighbor that watches our house like a hawk (we're on 1/4 acre lots which helps). It has worked out good for her, and good for us. She airs it out a few times each month, runs the water to make sure everything is working, etc.
With that being said, yes-there was times it was stressful, and yes-we are still married, we passed the test! In the big picture, if you rent it out as a short-term vacation rental, in order to keep it affordable, the actual profit you make isn't a whole lot (electricity is a big chunk). There is a lot to be said for the pride of ownership, being able to watch your plants grow each trip back over. I tell our friends we don't have grandchildren yet, but we have a Hawaii house instead! Be organized, keep good track of your receipts, a lot of the items are deductible on your taxes.
We made 2 trips over last year to build, we used the www.vrbo.com website for lodging,it worked out great both times, stayed in Pahoa. We're not ready to make the "renting to strangers" step yet, we are keeping it simple, just renting to friends and family through word of mouth.
If you get serious about it, I would be happy to give you all the names and numbers of the contractors that helped up - don't give up!
Take care - Dot
With that being said, yes-there was times it was stressful, and yes-we are still married, we passed the test! In the big picture, if you rent it out as a short-term vacation rental, in order to keep it affordable, the actual profit you make isn't a whole lot (electricity is a big chunk). There is a lot to be said for the pride of ownership, being able to watch your plants grow each trip back over. I tell our friends we don't have grandchildren yet, but we have a Hawaii house instead! Be organized, keep good track of your receipts, a lot of the items are deductible on your taxes.
We made 2 trips over last year to build, we used the www.vrbo.com website for lodging,it worked out great both times, stayed in Pahoa. We're not ready to make the "renting to strangers" step yet, we are keeping it simple, just renting to friends and family through word of mouth.
If you get serious about it, I would be happy to give you all the names and numbers of the contractors that helped up - don't give up!
Take care - Dot