Moving this Year-Hilo Vs. Kona

[mella l]

Aloha Lenny,

Just a few book suggestions that we used in making our decision of where to live 2 1/2 years ago. So You Want To Live In Hawaii author Toni Polancy

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0966625307/104-3839909-1619141?v=glance&n=283155

This site you can look at the table of contents of the book and see if it is something that might be helpful to you. Also two others you can find on amazon also

Affordable Paradise author H. Skip Thomsen

and

Hawaii The Big Island Revealed author Andrew Doughty/Harriett Friedman

We also had a Ready Map Book of the east side denoting all the subdivisions. We highly suggest this map and it can be found on line at www.GeckoFarms.com
or you can find it at Borders Books in Hilo and or Basically Books on the Bay front in Hilo which is a wonderful local resource of all things local, like the night skys, maps ect. It is located at 160 Kamehameha Av and a fun shop! www.basicallybooks.com

Good luck with your search.

From your responses here I think you can hear a resounding old addage that it is How you live not where you live that is the essence of life. That being said we have choosen the east side for the precise essence of spirit of all the people we have met and come to know who live on the east side.

Aloha, Mella L
PS Just one word of caution that the prices in these books are more than likely out of date so web sites of property searches would be most current for that aspect of your searching.


mella l

Edited by - mella l on 06/03/2006 04:53:39

[lluberesm]

Thank you mella l I appreciate the info and I will be sure to pick up the books ASAP. As to the adage "How you live not where you live that is the essence of life" is 110 percent right. That is the reason why I am moving and hoping to raise my family with a different set of values. Here it is too often about what you have or don't have, how big is your SUV, what kind of clothe you have and so on. I have never been a fan of that sort of thing and I need to get away from that. We walk around merely existing instead of actually living. Allowing time to pass me by right in front of my eyes and not get up and do something about it was no longer an option for me. I am being not being encouraged about the move at all.

My family is not wealthy and neither am I. However, where I come from it is rare if not almost impossible for anyone to achieve the family and financial security that my husband and I have. It is really not much at all, but, for where we come from it is practically impossible to achieve what we have. Everyone we know feels that I am crazy by putting all this in danger for the prospects of a life with insects, and wildlife, and rain, and less money and probably a job out of corporate America. My answer to them is simple: At least I will be living and not merely existing.

Recently in a somewhat heated discussion with a family member where we were debating this issue I told him that even if I had to work 12 hour days for 6 days out of the week and only have a few hours to spend with my family hiking, having dinner outside without freezing to death, watching to sun set with my kids, picking sea shells in the water, or just enjoying conversation with neighbors on our Lanai,(i love saying that word) would be worth it. Versus going to work when its dark out, driving at 3 miles an hour because the snow and ice make it impossible to drive, getting out of work when its dark , driving home at 2 miles an hour because its rush hour and the snow makes it impossible to drive, having take out for dinner because the snow and traffic make you too stressed to cook and it is too late to cook, and going to sleep only to get up the next morning and do the same thing again. Than waiting for the weekend where you can't really go out because it is really to dangerous to drive and there is no parking anywhere because the snow is piled up everywhere. Living like almost 9 month out of a year is crazy! That is not an exaggeration. **sorry for rambling but for those that have never lived on the east coast I wanted to paint a somewhat clear picture of a day in NJ** I think that is why we have so many malls and so many stores and no real mom and pop shops. They would be too small for people to spend their day in because there is nowhere else to go, and if they were big enough to hold half the entire city in there the merchandise would be gone in a day because everyone shops as a hobby for things they don’t even need. There is no outdoor lifestyle even if you want to have it. For those that have the budget to afford not driving for themselves and “going out” it’s the mall, the nightclubs, dinner at expensive restaurants, and all superficial enjoyments. Hawaii I think will get me away from the meaningless of everyday city life. Inside our home we are extremely close; my kids watch very little if any TV at all and we spend time together however we can. But it is all within the limits of what city life allows. Simply put……. I want more!



Lenny LLuberesm
lluberesm@optonline.net

[pslamont]

things to look at i think will include what to do for a living, what style living you want. We chose a country life and are most pleased. Only 30 minutes from Hilo, we stumbled on 30 lovely acres in the rain belt. It rains most days but when we have sun.... whoa! it's the bomb! Lovely and happens more often than I expected. There are subdivisions where you need to build your own home, a few where you can buy and have a decent home with still a couple acres, some privacy and all the delights of the east side. I happen to know a couple who is about to put a lovely little 3 bedroom o the market in Fern Acres... it's nice there... so I know there are good opportunities for those of us who want a little space for the kids, etc.

There are also the older neighborhoods and some of them have lovely homes. We spent 6 weeks here just cruising around getting the feel for things before making a decision. There are those who opt for small cabins to start in, often buying unpermitted and then building their dream home. There are many ways to go. You will find yours. My strong recommendation is to rent for 6 months and really find what you are looking for.

I invite you to contact me and stop over while you are here. See one version of "the dream".

The recommendation for the books is GREAT. You will especially need the map book as your are searching around. It is so incredibly comprehensive it's amazing.

Good luck with your new adventure. Without regard to what your friends and family in NJ might say, this is a whole new world of kindness, warmth and good living. You just have to find your spot here.

Aloha! Pam

Just another day in P A R A D I S E !!

[mella l]

Sorry I forgot one last web site that is informative when searching for your spot.

http://www.city-data.com/county/Hawaii_County-HI.html

You can search it by town size and such and it is from perhaps outdated census information but still informative. Good searching! Aloha Mella

mella l

[emorata]

Aloha lenny,

I think you will find lots of aloha here in puna....if you are looking for a unique home/rental property in a great neighborhood with private water - (i'm told the best in the islands), i have a rental property in hawaiian beaches with great neighbors. the home is an older lava plantation home (approx 1300 square feet) with koa wood walls and ceilings, large open living/dining/kitchen areas that have a wall of glass and large slider doors openng to two large lanais - one that is open and another that is screened - its very old hawaiian but updated, theres a very large carport downstairs, workshop and laundry area and another downstairs lanai....oh and the place has gauvas, mountain apples, huge avocados, mangoes and macadamias...there are two large bedrooms with nice windows that let in alot of trade winds so its nice and breezy inside the entire home.

please contact me if interested, or for any information on other neighborhoods in the puna district.

noel
707-869-8166
****also living with aloha in northern california

[Robin C]

I wasn't here when the big storms hit, so am not familiar with how common flooding is. In rural areas the ground is so porous that puddles quickly diappear.

Building vs Buying a house is a great thing to look into. Check out some of the threads in the Building in Puna forum. Building seems to to take a long time....but you can get exactly what you want. I have found Pam's "Lamont's latest" and Royall's "Latest step completed" to be very informative.

We decided to buy an existing home. We found one on an acre that fit like a glove. For us, this was the right decision.

Check out the Hawaii Information Service for MLS listings.
I second (or third) the recommendation to buy the East Hawaii Readymap book. We used it during our visits and also when doing research to cross reference with the MLS to see pricing differences.

I also recommend subscribing to Harry Pritikin's daily updates. It shows MLS updates daily. Harry's a realtor, but you aren't obligated to use him just by subscribing. [A note: We have used him for a purchase and he was great to work with.]
You can get on the list by emailing him at trust@bigisle.net
Ask for the Hilo update to get the Puna area. He also has updates for Kau and Kailua-Kona.

Robin

[macuu222]

To me, Kona reminds me of Los Angeles....Hot and Dry with very little rain, its smoggy (voggy),its chocked full of tourists, it has horrible traffic, and it's very expensive. Yes it does have beautiful beaches but I'd be more than willing to drive an hour and a half to get there when and if I had the urge.

[lluberesm]

Aloha Pam,

Thank you very much for the warm advice. I greatly appreciate it. I humbly accept your invite to stop by when I am there. It excites me to know that there are so many lovely people willing to offer such great advice. Hopefully we can keep in touch. My husband and I want space for our 3 year old twins. We want them to grow with the freedom a city can NEVER OFFER! Do you know if these areas have county water and if not how well does the catchment system really work? What are the common problems with such a system? My husband and I are very down to earth and don't care much for luxury.....but we have this fear (especially him) of not having sufficient water or good water. He experienced it as a child before his family came over to the US and does not wish to back to the no water having days! lol

Mahalo,

Lenny

Lenny LLuberesm
lluberesm@optonline.net

[lluberesm]

Hello Noel,

I am interested if you would not mind sending me an email with the details as well as any information on that or other properties you have I would greatly appreciate it. I want to arrive at the end of the month armed with all that I can so my research can be as thorough as possible before the big move. It sounds absolutely lovely.

To ALL: How is the insects and critter situation with older homes? I read one horror story I think on KonaWeb about a home that was infested with rats, geckos, and other things in between the walls. In that post the person mentioned that for inspection purposes they are not allowed to check between the walls and so it is easy to get stuck with a home that has a huge infestation and not know it.

Mahalo,

Lenny

Lenny LLuberesm
lluberesm@optonline.net

[lluberesm]

I forgot to mention, we are actually planning to live in a rental for at lease 6 month if not a year before we buy. I would live there while I get us somewhat settled down and my husband will be staying here. We are taking that precaution in case something unforeseen happens we can always have one income available if we HAVE to come back to New Jersey. I want to take that time to research the best school for the children and the best place to buy or build.


Lenny LLuberesm
lluberesm@optonline.net