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Vic - in another thread is the subject that Hwy 130 from HPP to Pahoa is bumper to bumper stopped fully .this happens quite frequently Vic.
The other access road through Puna is also under construction and backed up for miles .
Vic - we strongly suggest you and your wife rent 1st for a minimum of a year prior to buying.
At this time there is a slow moving lava flow headed to the bottom of Hawaiian Acres and then Ainaloa and if she continues - towards Tiki Gardens .Pele could alter her down ward path just as she has done in 2014 with the pahoa flow but she is headed towards the ocean and only she knows her own schedule.
You do not have these issues in Oregon i am sure
Rent 1st is our strong suggestion .
Geochem and Seeb are both knowledgeable.
Born n Raise myself and my husband .
Mrs . Mimosa
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buy several lots side by side was just that,not to consolidate or subdivide
...just be sure it's worth paying multiple lot dues per year, in addition to the property taxes ("resident" exemption will only apply to one of these lots).
make sure you go by the house in all hours of the day and night
If it's vacant land, get permission to pitch a tent and stay the night. Yes, I have actually seen people do this.
use an agent, especially when buying in an unfamiliar area
If it's a specific subdivision, there may be an agent who specializes in those properties, and they will have deeper knowledge -- drive around and count the "For Sale" signs, if the same name keeps coming up, that's the agent to call.
Hwy 130 from HPP to Pahoa is bumper to bumper stopped
The technical term is "single point of failure", for which reason I would not want to live anywhere south of Keaau.
Rainfall, humidity, and temperature vary dramatically
...and unpredictably, but in general it gets wetter towards Glenwood, sunnier towards Kaloli Point. Nights get colder at higher altitudes.
there is also the coqui frog problem
Last I heard, the coqui hadn't gotten above ~3000' elevation, but they are slowly evolving tolerance to the cold...
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quote:
Originally posted by HereOnThePrimalEdge
If a house is sold for $100,000, the real estate agent/office takes a 6% commission on $100,000, or $6,000. That is deducted from the sale price when the funds are transferred to the seller.
Right, if the seller lists using a realtor, 6% is going to real estate agents regardless. If you have your own agent, he will split this 6% (usually 3% each) with the seller's agent. So, if you are looking at houses that are being listed by realtors, you might as well use your own realtor, who will help you choose, arrange for showings, and look out for your best interests, all at no extra cost to you. We used and can recommend Bruce Kekuewa (bruce@hawaiilife.com)
On the other hand, if the house is "FSBO" (For Sale By Owner), avoiding using a realtor indeed has merit.
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You need to find a real estate agent that has lived here awhile and knows about clear titles. One thing around here, there are tourists that step off the plane, get their real estate license and they often are selling the wrong lot. The other thing is the lot might look fine on the Internet but it ends up not practical to build on. If it is cheap, it is for a reason. Nanawale (correct, there is no 'v' sound in the Hawaiian language) might be OK, it tends to be rougher and utilities like electric, telephone and cable don't go all the way in on some streets. Renting isn't a guarantee but it can save grief down the road. The reality is that it isn't practical to rent a year in each micro climate of the island, best to take a couple exploration trips, hotel first, vacation rental second time, scope out a place to rent for a year, look around for a home during that time.
"Aloha also means goodbye. Aloha!"
*Japanese tourist on bus through Pahoa, "Is this still America?*
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I had a friend who lived in Nanawale and he had problems with meth heads all the time, and he lived near the community center. People would case his place, sometimes knock on the door with outlandish made-up stories. He had to keep his windows covered to keep people from looking in and he couldn't let his kids keep their windows open at night. He hated it and left as soon as his lease was up. That was about 18 months ago. I don't know if things are better or worse since then. His rental was uglier than sin on the outside but a bona fide palace on the inside. The owners did that deliberately so the place would have less "crime curb appeal".
Personally I wouldn't buy in lava zones 1 or 2 (Nanawale is LZ 2) but that's a debate that deserves it's own thread.
As far as real estate agents go, I've dealt with 7-8 and fired all but two of them. The best one in this situation is somebody who 1) Lives in Puna (never use a realtor who doesn't live in the area) and 2) Has both lived in Puna and been a realtor long enough here for it to make them more effective. The one we found to be the most effective is John Erickson at Remax. I'm not saying he is the best, just the best out of the 7 or 8 that we've worked with.
If you are considering financing, I recommend mortgage broker Karen Kline.
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Some people don't get it. If you're selling a $500,000 house and a realtor is involved then that's an extra $15,000 that will be added to the price to cover it. Make that $30,000 if there are two realtors involved.
Avoid realtors. It saves time, aggravation (they're often people who can't get any other job) and a LOT of money.
Unless they live in a particular subdivision then they won't know the first thing about it.
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4 years ago we were like you, planning to retire to Kauai, the perfect place, where we had done lots of research but spent little time. We rented a place for 6 months. At he end of 4 months I was counting the hours until the lease ended and we could leave Kauai for Maui. We rented there and that honeymoon lasted 15 months until we gave up and moved. The moral of the story is you can do lots of research but until you experience the area first hand, you don't really know. The Big Island is for us, but it will be another 6 to 12 months before we buy here.
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quote:
Originally posted by PaulW
Some people don't get it. If you're selling a $500,000 house and a realtor is involved then that's an extra $15,000 that will be added to the price to cover it. Make that $30,000 if there are two realtors involved.
No. It doesn't matter how many realtors are involved, the total realtor fees will still be $15,000.
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"Pahoated:
Nanawale (correct, there is no 'v' sound in the Hawaiian language)"
Pahoated, There is a 'v' sound in Hawaiian, but no letter 'v'
Rule 5. Inside of words, W can sound like V.
This is the only tricky rule that requires experience to get it right. Here are some loose guidelines:
First letter of the word: a w sound
After i or e: usually a “v” sound
After u or o: most frequently like “w.”
After a: either
Vic: I pronounce my subdivision Nah-na-vah-lay (I don't know the official pronunciation symbols, I'm just sounding it out for you)
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Aloha Vic, welcome to the madness of punaweb, which ain't anywhere near how whacked out Puna is when you're in it up close and personal like. But hey, life's an adventure right?!?
Though I can't recommend a good real estate agent in the lower Puna area I am writing to offer a few pointers on the many and varied posts here. First off I suggest you stay clear of any suggestion to not use a realtor. There are many good reasons people hire professional representation in the buying and selling of property. Sure when you have been here long enough to consider yourself a local maybe you'll be able to shave a few points off of a deal but otherwise the risks far outweigh the potential benefits of trying to navigate that one by yourself.
Second, and I can not say this enough, listen to Mrs. Mimosa, geochem, and the many others that say RENT BEFORE YOU BUY! If your plan is that far out in time, come on over for a few stints.. the sooner the better.. and stay a week here and a week there and get to know the options. As geochem says even the climate is something to get to know block by block. If you rent vacation homes in each subdivision you're considering you'll quickly get a feel for what we're talking about. And that way have a means to talk with potential neighbors, get a feel for the climate, the invasive species (very loud frogs and ants that bite being the big issues in some subdivisions), the traffic issues, and explore other options you have yet to consider.
And thirdly, I strongly suggest driving around the entire island and get a feel for the other sides. Puna is unique, and for some it's perfect, but the island has a lot of other options that upon review may be well worth your consideration.
Also, please do not take lightly geochem's suggestion that you familiarize yourself with the lava flow hazard zones map and what the different zones mean. This is critical and very very often overlooked. In fact, if you're going to do your due diligence with regards Hawaii's environment there's more to it than lava flows. Earthquakes, the potential for hurricanes, flooding, long periods of drought, VOG (volcanic haze), all play into the search for the place that's right for you. There's also questions about infrastructure such as does the neighborhood have water or do you need catchment? Power or not? It goes on...
Regardless of how you proceed, welcome and good luck to you!
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