Politics of moving to Puna

[csgray]

Look at all of your current purchases and then apply my husband's rule of thumb: add $1.00 per pound to get the Hawaii price. It works for everything from a pound of potatoes to a 100 lb. refrigerator. Gas will always be close to the most expensive in the country. Medical care may involve a flight to Oahu which gets expensive.

Be forewarned that you pay tax on EVERYTHING, including on food, prescriptions, and the full medical bill; both your share and insurance company's share. Even though it is illegal, many medical providers also bill you for the tax on the original medical billing amount, not the amount the insurance finally paid. I went to the ER for a kidney stone and the taxes I had to pay were more than my co-pay by several hundred dollars.

My husband and I are trying to make it on a Hawaii teacher's salary plus what he earns as a sub. It is harder to make it through the month than when we were raising 2 kids on a much smaller base pay, but the cost of living in Oregon was much, much lower, and we were not living in a cheap community by a long shot.



Carol

[Jay Bondesen]

I have a bias about CC&Rs and it’s probably because I am the one on the board that tries to enforce them in Leilani. Leilani is what it is in large part because of them. So it all depends on what one is looking for. Everyone is welcome and most groups are represented here. Paved roads, a great neighborhood watch group, mail delivered to your house, acres of athletic fields, covered basketball courts, the best trained CERT people in the County, and still low association fees.
We moved from California and at our age property taxes are considerably less here. Electricity is much more but we pay about the same per month since we don’t need AC or heat. Insurance in Leilani is high because it’s in lava zone one; if you want it it’s probably $2K a year. Medical is difficult because this island is poorly served. It’s getting better but many procedures, particularly with Kaiser, require a trip to Oahu. Oh, and travel back to the mainland is just about twice what it was not that long ago. You see some good fares from Honolulu but not from Hilo.
After all of that, we get along fine with everyone and have never felt threatened. I would be more nervous is most metropolitan areas on the mainland. But that’s mostly who you are and how you act, wherever you go you take yourself with you.
Everyone will say: You really need to spend 6 months to a year here to get a feel for the neighborhoods, the climate, the shopping, the eating out, the available activities, and I'll say climate again. Puna is not how many people picture Hawaii.

Jay

[Wuzzerdad]

Thanks for the comments, and a couple of e-mails too!

http://www.hawaiimoves.com/256435__13-34...Puna-96778#

What about this neighborhood in Leilani Estates? not this specific house but we could move into one pretty [8D]close to it.

Rick

[kalakoa]

My CC&R bias is "disclosure". I have seen many mainlanders who relocate to what appears to be a "residential neighborhood" only to later discover that it's really an "agricultural subdivision" -- some have strong enough CC&Rs to emulate "residential", others have no CC&Rs at all. CC&Rs are a double-edged sword, just like any kind of zoning, permitting, or land-use regulation. It's (theoretically) the real estate agent's job to explain this, but not all do.

Yes, you pay tax on "everything" -- Hawaii's is an "excise tax", not a "sales tax". There is an exemption for food, but you file the forms at tax time (phases out as you approach $50K annual income) rather than enjoying the exemption at point-of-sale (as in California and others).

I've heard that many transplants don't last six months, so that's a good rule of thumb; I would add six more months if you plan to build, get to know the land first, shape your house to fit the land and not the other way around.

With solar power/hot water and no mortgage, $50K/year would be pretty comfortable.

[leilaniguy]

quote:

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Originally posted by Wuzzerdad

Thanks for the comments, and a couple of e-mails too!

http://www.hawaiimoves.com/256435__13-34...Puna-96778#

What about this neighborhood in Leilani Estates? not this specific house but we could move into one pretty [8D]close to it.

Rick

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Hi Rick, I live on Hapu'u, about 500' from this house. There are no CCR's in this section (unit #1). the roads are not paved and there are farm animals here. Some people have small businesses. At least one neighbor has a four story house, also not permitted in unit #2. I've been here 13 years, some folks for 20-30 years. I like it here.

[Wuzzerdad]

Thanks for that information, I have been in that neighborhood, and this is close to a house that my sister owns and rents out. I could tell you the adress if you sent me an e-mail. Anyway, if we moved into it there would be a lot of improvements. from the sattelite view it seems her/our house would be about 12-1500 feet from there.

Rick

[Wuzzerdad]

Thanks again, I am thinking about comming for a 3 month stay soon, to see if I/we want to buy/build/ or run. I think being around a bunch of Punatics would be just fine, as long as I don't take myself to seriously or get in the old me mode of being able to change the world.

No more weed or alcohol for me, which I know is part of the lifestyle of folks I may be in contact with, however, it's just me, because I can't do it I don't think everybody should quit. (like reformed smokers and prostitutes do)[:p]

Anyway, keep posting please and I will keep reading, how about I promise a BBQ for everybody when we get there??? ( I love to eat almost as much as I love to sleep! )

Rick

[Kapohocat]

quote:

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Originally posted by csgray...
Be forewarned that you pay tax on EVERYTHING,... prescriptions...
Carol

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When I picked up my SO's prescription yesterday it had no tax on it. I actually asked them about this and they said no.

Maybe it was just the specific prescription (insulin).

[Guest]

Actually, you do not pay tax on prescription drugs. The key word being drugs. And prescription. Supplies, over the counter drugs, like asprin, etc. are taxable. You will pay tax on the syringe, but not the insulin.

As is anything tax based - its confusing as all but---- http://www6.hawaii.gov/tax/tir/1963_89/tir86-4.pdf

[csgray]

But if they give you any prescription drug in the hospital it is taxed, also any prescription "durable medical equipment" which for things like compression stockings that wear out every six months can run into $1000+ a year. Sorry I wasn't clear on the distinction.

Carol