Posts: 45
Threads: 10
Joined: May 2007
I am looking to move to Puna (love it!) and am trying to find the perfect community. We are considering HPP, Ainaloa, and the Hawaiian Shores Recreational Estates. We are open to other suggestions, too.
Can you locales help by comparing and contrasting life in these communities? How are they similar? Different? What kinds of people has each community attracted? What is the "look and feel" of each?
I'm not asking "which one is best" because I am sure that each is best given one's criteria. I am asking what it is like to be in the community, from the standpoint of current residents. I can visit and look around, but that's not the same as being a part of the fabric of the community.
Thanks!
Jimmy
Posts: 1,516
Threads: 81
Joined: Dec 2005
Aloha Jimmy.
You really need to see each area to feel the difference and talk to people that live there who may be your potential neighbors.
There's so much info about each of these subdivisions if you go to the Search engine above and use those keywords.
Some have paved roads, some have mail delivery, others may not...same with catchment...some do, some don't. Really what are you looking for? That's what'll steer you in the right direction.
There are even websites for each I believe you may want to search for those as well.
Are you planning a visit soon? It's a great time with everything in bloom...getting warmer. Hope to get to know you.
Carrie
Posts: 45
Threads: 10
Joined: May 2007
Thanks for replying. Actually I've seen these places. What I am interested in are the insights of people who live in these communities. What's it "really like" to live in HPP, Hawaiian Shores, etc.?
Is the neighborhood cohesive? Do you feel safe? What is the "local culture" like? Are your neighbors primarily local families? Tourists staying short-term in rentals? Younger or retirees? Etc. These are things a visitor can't see!
What subdivision do you call home, Carol Ann? What do you like about it? What don't you care for?
Jimmy
Posts: 172
Threads: 4
Joined: Aug 2006
My thoughts on HPP:
-- Don't buy a house on side of street toward the mountain, unless the street is paved. You'll have cinder dust all through the house.
-- Don't buy without checking houses around, across, and back of you. Some have roosters, dogs, goats that'll keep you awake. Some have parties, mostly on the weekends, some have cockfighting.
-- Some areas are much, much safer than others.
-- We used to keep all our windows and doors open and would close them when we went away. We stopped closing the place since we wanted it to look the same if we were there or not. We installed timers on lamps that when on and off at different parts of day and night in different parts of the house to make it seem like we were walking around.
-- If you buy a place closer to ocean, be prepared for a good additional 8-10 minutes commute just to get to Hwy 130 before getting to Hilo, etc.
-- Don't expect much from the homeowners association and don't expect to have much input. They don't want owner input and limit it at the meetings.
-- Be prepared to hear Hwy 130 road noise if you buy within at least 5 blocks from the hwy, anytime, day or night. The off-road tires really make the noise, especially coupled with wet roads.
Posts: 45
Threads: 10
Joined: May 2007
Thanks, HiloHaole. This is the kind of info you can't get from driving through the community.
So, given your dissatisfaction with HPP, if you had it to do over again, what community would you buy into?
Jimmy
Posts: 1,516
Threads: 81
Joined: Dec 2005
We live in Hawaiian Shores. There are CC&R's and we pay a yearly association fee. The lots are approximately 15,000 sq. ft. It's lovely here. The coqui are loud. We have paved roads, cable tv, mail delivery and private water so no catchment. We have a small Japanese kine house and many Japanese neighbors who are very quiet and also nice. There's a community center here with a pool for the residents of Hawaiian Shores to use.
We see some wild boar, and last week a wild turkey strutting through the yard. Many cats (which belong to our neighbor friends) live on our street and visit us often, they are friendly.
It's a bit of a drive into Hilo for my husband each day but really about the same as it was to his job in Scottsdale, AZ. Not a big deal except for the gas prices, of course.
Carrie
Posts: 45
Threads: 10
Joined: May 2007
Thanks, Carolann. How do you mentally cope with the Zone 2 issue? Is it something that you worry about? Should be worrying about?
Enjoy those lava pools!
Jimmy
Posts: 1,516
Threads: 81
Joined: Dec 2005
Nope, no worries. Just buy insurance and hope Pele is feeling friendly. And really, no way to tell where it will flow or if or when. I just enjoy the view from my little place on the Island and feel grateful that I get to live in a place that's so beautiful. (The funny thing is that I feel like at least were in Zone 2!! LOL)
Carrie Rojo
Edited by - Carolann R on 05/30/2007 07:48:17
Posts: 6,214
Threads: 354
Joined: Feb 2006
Jimmy, we rented for 1/2 a year in HPP. We were near the ocean. There was a great neighborhood. If we didn't commute into Hilo daily, I would have bought there. There is one thing to note, anything close to the ocean gets salt spray, and this will affect everything metal (even your computers, TVs & such). The house we were renting needed a lot more routine work, window cleaning, replacing screens & such. Although we loved living in HPP, I was commuting into Hilo daily & decided that it was better to live close to the bus.
We now live a couple of miles from the ocean (can see it in the distance) & we noticed the year old door handles on the side of the house toward the ocean are showing a little salt corrosion.
Posts: 172
Threads: 4
Joined: Aug 2006
Jimmy, I don't know enough about the other neighborhoods to venture a guess about another one to live in. I like the ones with some covenants and that are enforced.
I find that tools rust even when kept out of the rain. Someone told me it was not the moisture in the air as much as the acid in the air from the volcano that causes the rust.
If you find a house near some roosters that aren't very noisy in the daytime, don't assume that it'll stay that way. Roosters have a high mortality rate and the next ones may be loud. If roosters are only in the back of the house, don't assume that they will only be back there. Raising roosters was so profitable for a neighbor near us that he/she/they added more and moved the additional ones to the front of the house, which increased the noise. Leilani has a covenant against roosters, I think. The problem is enforcing the covenant. If they are inconsistent or stop enforcing the covenant for some period of time, then the covenant can't be legally enforced later. At least, that's what I've been told by some homeowner association presidents.
|
