Hello,
My wife and I (no kids) are planning on moving back to Hawaii next September after having spent 5 long years in California. I will be retiring from the military, and will have 3 months of paid leave and a decent pension to get us started until we can find jobs. My wife is bilingual English/Japanese, so I will be relying on her income at first. Our plan is to sell our house in San Diego, and using the equity, buy a home for cash in Waianae or Makaha, or apply a substantial down payment to a home in another location. I realize that there are places to retire with much lower costs of living, but I spent 12 years of my career in Hawaii, 7 years in California, 1 year in Japan, and 3 years in Illinois. Hawaii is by far where my heart is, and I don't want to start over in an unfamiliar place. California is nice, but my mortgage and property taxes are killing me and the only way to cash in on my equity is to sell and move. I would appreciate any feedback, good or bad on our plans. Here is a list of nagging questions I have that can only be answered by folks already living there.
1. How accomodating are the neighborhoods of Waianae and Makaha to newcomers from the mainland (we are looking at a place in Lualualei)?
2. How much is regular gasoline going for now on base?
3. Does Barber's Point still have any facilities open (mini-mart, exchange?)
4. What are utility prices like? Water? Trash? Electric? Sewer?
Your opinions are appreciated! Mark
My wife and I (no kids) are planning on moving back to Hawaii next September after having spent 5 long years in California. I will be retiring from the military, and will have 3 months of paid leave and a decent pension to get us started until we can find jobs. My wife is bilingual English/Japanese, so I will be relying on her income at first. Our plan is to sell our house in San Diego, and using the equity, buy a home for cash in Waianae or Makaha, or apply a substantial down payment to a home in another location. I realize that there are places to retire with much lower costs of living, but I spent 12 years of my career in Hawaii, 7 years in California, 1 year in Japan, and 3 years in Illinois. Hawaii is by far where my heart is, and I don't want to start over in an unfamiliar place. California is nice, but my mortgage and property taxes are killing me and the only way to cash in on my equity is to sell and move. I would appreciate any feedback, good or bad on our plans. Here is a list of nagging questions I have that can only be answered by folks already living there.
1. How accomodating are the neighborhoods of Waianae and Makaha to newcomers from the mainland (we are looking at a place in Lualualei)?
2. How much is regular gasoline going for now on base?
3. Does Barber's Point still have any facilities open (mini-mart, exchange?)
4. What are utility prices like? Water? Trash? Electric? Sewer?
Your opinions are appreciated! Mark
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