My name is Irina. I am Realtor on the Big Island. Hawaii Island is a very diverse place from snow to sea in the climate and from a mansion to a shed in the building construction. Who is my neighbor is the most important question to answer when move to the Big Island.
7 Top Questions to ask when you move to Hawaii
- How far is my next door neighbor? Diversity is the key word for Hawaii Island including density of houses per acre. In the Residential Zoning it can be up to 6 houses on 1 acre. In the Agricultural Zoning it can be 1 house on 1/3/5/10 > acres.
- Is my future neighbor hospitable to his neighbor? This is very important to know especially if you buy a spaghetti lot. The last thing you need is to find yourself stuck between two war camps.
- How far is a junkyard or an unfinished construction from my future house or lot? In Hawaii a junkyard doesn’t mean a bad or poverty district. It’s just a junkyard. In Chapter 25 – Hawaii County Zoning
§ 25-1-5 “Junkyard” means an outdoor or partially enclosed area, more than two hundred square feet in size, used for storage or keeping of junk, scrap, or nonhazardous waste materials, or for dismantling or wrecking vehicles or machinery or for storage of parts resulting therefrom.
- Is the area kid-friendly? It totally depends on community. Some communities can include parks and playgrounds, tennis and basketball courts. Three communities include free swimming pools for all ages. A few communities offer kid friendly activities for all ages.
- Does the community design and social structure encourage healthy living and well-being? Yes, it does. Community centers in almost all subdivisions offer many options for residents to be as much involved in social life as they want.
- Does my neighborhood have Home Owners Association? Yes, it does but the better question to ask whether it is active. If HOA is active the association fee can be from $8 up to $300 per month. If it’s not active then there could be $150 annual road maintenance fee or nothing.
- Where is the nearest Convenience Store? Where do I go shopping? On the island there are well developed subdivisions within 5 to 20 miles of the big stores such as Costco, Walmart, Home Depot, HPM, KTA, Target, Ross, Macy etc. The rural subdivisions are located 30-50 miles of the big stores but within 2-10 miles of ACE Hardware, local supermarkets and farmer’s markets.
