Big 2 family move + business - Paradise Park - Big Island (Hilo: real estate, buying a home)

[bloomingud]

Hello to all ... Okay, here it goes! My husband & adult son (& his family) have decided to investigate the possibility of a major move to the Big Island. We have a close friend who moved several years ago to Pahoa and we have rented houses in the Paradise Park area (along with 1 in Kona). The family business is landscaping & landscape maintenance. We're in Arizona where the business has been growing for the last 6 years (originally from Oregon where we were all born & had a landscape business for over 30 years). What we'd like to do is find out all info regarding the possibility of making a living for both of our families by bringing over all of the equipment and work dump vehicle. We'd either purchase property and build a packaged home (yurt? maybe?) or find a home that we'd share until the 2nd family either built or purchased a home. We are realizing the initial costs of the move but our main focus is making a living. Our last visit to the Big Island was about 8 months ago (never in the summer) and again loved it and the life style. We've figured even with the humidity it can't be any worse than 117 degrees with humidity. We also are aware that the difference between snakes, scorpions & biting spiders are ants, mosquitos & Arizona's kissing cousins, the cockroach! Any advice? I know this is a lot to read but would appreciate any input anyone would be willing to give us. From: Eager to leave Arizona!

[cynmkolohe]

Department of Commerce & Consumer Affairs - Professional and Vocational Licensing (PVL)

Aloha, and welcome to the growing group on this forum from Arizona who are considering a move to escape the heat! I grew up in the South and thought we had some hot summers...

The link above is to the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs and will get you started on some of the technical aspects of starting a business in HI.

In many cases, those who come here and start their own businesses seem to be the most successful and happy. Networking and building a client base may take some time, but if you have the resources to get you through that start-up phase, you will likely find many who will respond quite well to a professionally run and reliable organization.

A quick story that may encourage you: a family friend who was a licensed contractor with a successful business in Seattle visited the islands a few years ago and impulsively bought 8 acres near Volcano. He went home, sold everything and moved his wife, 2 daughters, 2 grandchildren, 2 cats and a dog over to the Big Island with the intention of building his dream cabin in the woods and maybe doing "a little woodwork" on the side. His impression was that Hawaii is a hard market to break into...there are so many contractors around already....Well, two years later, he has yet to start his own house because he has been so busy working on a luxury property project on the Hamakua coast for one of the largest landowners on the Island. Our friend wasn't even pursuing it, but through casual conversations at Home Depot and a few dinners out in Hilo, he made some connections in the business and the head of this project was looking for quality, reliable folks to round out his crew. We saw him recently and he is breathing a sigh of relief that the property is nearing completion and he is looking forward to beginning construction of his own place.

One suggestion: consider that the start-up of a new business and building a house at the same time will be very demanding. With prices as low as they are right now in Puna, I would encourage you to think about buying a home that you can use right away as a showcase for your landscape work and maybe add a few touches (such as a spa area?) in your early months here. When the time is right, you could sell or use equity to build your own home if the first house is not exactly what you want for your permanent home. There are some newly built "kit" homes in Paradise Park that are just waiting for a landscaper to come along and add the extra touches! Good luck!

[bloomingud]

Cynmkolohe, WOW! What wonderfully helpful information you provided! I've already called the "kids" and read your response to them. They're already all over the site that you suggested and are investigating the channels necessary to become licensed. Your idea of purchasing a home makes much more sense than trying to juggle both major projects at the same time (starting the business and building a new house). Perhaps you could relate which real estate agency you work with. My email is Bloomingud@aol.com, even though we are quite a time period away from purchasing but are trying to plan an extended trip sometime this coming winter. Thank you again for your valuable input.

[cynmkolohe]

My pleasure. (I will PM you with my contact info...)

Every situation is unique, but there are some cases where folks moving here from the mainland are better served buying an already existing home, taking time to get to know the island and then pursuing dreams of building. As other posts have discussed, building in Hawaii has its particular ins and outs. On the other hand, this is a place for dreamers...so what works best for each individual will vary greatly from person to person!

[William Leland]

Wife & I left Tucson or is it toosoon? 3 years ago moved to Philippines where we own a paid for house.
Moved to Keaau 1 year ago. We both love this place, yes some issues but doesn't everyplace, I built homes in Catalina foothills. real estate passed away. still DOA. I personally believe you could do very well in the Hilo area with a landscape business. You need to mow weekly here. No illegals to employ however, they can't swim this far.