Sources to buy RE in Hawaii

[masayako]

Hello there,
Looking for good sources to buy RE in Hawaii?

[sdrealtor]

what island?

[masayako]

I am open to suggestion, really. I don’t have a lot. Budget is around $600k or below.

[briansd1]

In HI, be prepared for a big montly water and electric bill and an old house like in Clairemont.

[sdduuuude]

[quote=briansd1]… and an old house like in Clairemont.[/quote]

Awesome !

[flyer]

A family member who is looking to buy in Hawaii tells me they checked out a site called hawaiimoves.com. This is not an endorsement, but it appears to have quite a bit of info that may help you.

[briansd1]

[quote=sdduuuude][quote=briansd1]… and an old house like in Clairemont.[/quote]

Awesome ![/quote]

haha, I was trying to say I love Hawaii, but you pay a lot for what you get.

Over there, everything seems to be from the 1970s. Once a house is built it’s never updated because materials and labor are expensive. A lot of houses have window air conditioners or none at all.

The strip malls look old and not attractive compared to the mainland.

In HI the power plants run on imported oil so electricity is super expensive.

HI weather is great to sit on the beach whereas it’s cold in SD. But SD weather is great for indoors. In HI, it gets muggy indoors so you need AC.

Hawaii is a little bit like going back in time. The weather and culture are great though.

[Anonymous]

Lived on Kauai for 15 years – if you would like some names, send me an email.

[Jazzman]

Masayako, I have been looking for a home in Hawaii for about a year. Choosing which island is the first step. Here’s my very brief run down:

1) Big Island is the cheapest. Hilo is very wet and more local. There are some homes in beautiful lush areas above the town. Tsunamis are an issue. Oustide Hilo becomes rural. Kailua has a bit of a California vibe and is drier. Beware of SO2 which emanates from the volcano, as it wraps around the island and sweeps across the town. It has known health issues.

Conclusion: Much better value, OK if you like quiet, best bet is probably north of Kailua towards Wailea.

2) Maui is first choice for many. Kihei has it all. Sunny, close to best beaches, but nicer homes are in south Kihei, and are often association run. Beware of N Kihei due to cane burning. Kahului is better value but a very drab place. Lahaina is hot and dry, and a longer drive from Kahului.

Conclusion: Quiet expensive, but some deals out there. Best bet is probably around Kula due to moderate climate. Bummer is Kula (hinterland) is not close to beaches due to poor road infrastructure planning.

3) Oahu has it all. A thriving city, beautiful lush landscape and bigger choice of homes. As with all islands, it has a windward (wet) side and Leeward (dry) side. Diamond Head has some nice homes and is close to Honolulu.

Conclusion: Least likely to find good deals, but housing is hurting. Water and Electricty are in crisis (on all islands) so VERY high utility bills. Best bet maybe Keneohe due to higher precipitation (if you want a lush lawn), and enough sun to drive PVs, and not the most expensive homes either.

I have not researched Kuai, but imagine it is similar to the Big Island. Generally, homes in HI are of a less substantial build than the mainland, but are comparable in price to CA metropolitan areas. Property tax is possibly the lowest in the US.

No Redfin or ZipRealty unfortunately. Not even sure Trulia or Zillow have full data there. Below are the best I have found for listings.

http://www.hicentral.com/properties/mls_statemap.asp
http://www.hawaiis.com/
http://www.adrhi.com/

Maui Real Estate

If you want more specifics, please ask and I will help if I can.

[jwizzle]

My family lives in the islands – big island and Maui. I second a lot of what Jazzman says.

For the big island, if you want to be on the ‘dry side’ (leeward), make sure to go north of Waikoloa – you don’t need to go as far north (or inland) as Wailea. The vog (as SO2 is known) can get nasty south of there. I personally really like the Hamakua coast – relatively affordable, rural but not totally removed from the city (Hilo – and I do use ‘city’ in the loosest sense of the word), and absolutely gorgeous. Tsunamis aren’t really a big threat in most places – just very edge of the coastline. My family lives in a rural area south of Hilo. Its so peaceful, and it was cheap (they bought land and built a 3500 sq. ft. house for about $250k). But you have to look at lava flow maps, since a Mauna Loa eruption could wipe out your house if you are in a flow zone.

Kihei is awesome. 80, sunny, low humidity almost every day, not a ton of mosquitos, and one of the more affordable beach cities on Maui (at least when compared to Ka’anapali and Lahaina). There are a lot of condos, relatively less houses.

[indogirl]

Hi Jazzman, did you buy in HI? i’m interested buying a condo in kauai ,if anyone owns a vacation rental in Hawaii, can you share the god/bad experiences?thanks.

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