My wife and I bought our first townhome back in 2013. We both thought it would be our "one-and-done" home purchase that we would grow old and die in, and that single-family home ownership would never be within reach. But in the 8 or so years that we owned our place, the value of our townhouse appreciated +$250K over what we originally paid for it, and it just made sense to sell. We ended up moving out west where homes are more affordable, but we finally ended up with a great single-family home.

High rise condos are a trap in every city in America as it relates to increasing HOA fees. High rise buildings are expensive to maintain.

this "condo trap" doesn't only apply to Condos, it applies to Townhome, and houses as well, the market overall is just too expensive

At least you made the first move with your condo buy. Gotta start somewhere. After getting married in 1978 and paying $135.00/month rent for a two bedroom walkup in Moiliili, we bought a 1 Bedroom condo near Punahou and paying $900.00/month mortgage. Eventually upgraded to our present home in Village Park where we have lived for the past 40 years.

After I bought our two bedroom condo was thinking of moving to mililani as kids getting bigger. However commute was not good. We just kept condo. Kids manage. Space was an issue but also paid private school tuition. Somehow we survived

Biggest problem is the HOA fees.

Thanks for the video. This is a real situation everywhere.

I've lived on Oahu all my life minus my 4 years on the mainland for college. Returned to buy a small condo that needed fixing every week. But then I ended up renting it at a negative hoping i could live there later. This was in the early 90s. Things changed, and I ended up with renting a condo in Waikiki and loved the setting and proximity to everything. But then we had kids and too many stories of babies falling out of buildings. We bought a fixer upper in Manoa which seemed like a dream, but single wall construction was always in disrepair. But the key to this is that my wife and I did better, we earned more, our investments did better and now we live in a dream home. The lesson is similar to that of minimum wage. Yes, you want a living wage, but if you get too settled, then everything passes you by and things get expensive around you. Without motivation to do better, you are stuck. I know this may sound elitist, but it is human nature to want more and it can happen. I'm sure KZfaq income helps as your side gig. BTW, all our housing purchases ended up with seeing an opportunity to rent a bifurcated unit. Rent helps big time. Lastly, if you are in a condo, join the board. I have worked with condos for over 20 years and I find too many board members are retirees that kick the can on maintenance. Increase maintenance fees gradually to avoid special assessments and use the 20 year replacement schedule as a map for savings.

Such a good video topic ! More people need to talk about this

And once again you're so on point great review and so true

I appreciate you sharing your experience- I have often fantasized about owning a condo in HI

We are in the process of moving home after being away for a long time. As soon as we sell we’re moving back. Been keeping a close eye on the market in HNL/activity. Ty for making this video, good to hear it from a local.

awesome Video Brotha!!

My friend's HOA went from 250 per month to 500 per month, and she lives in an old condo building. Other places are even much worse. Most new communities being built now, especially on the west side, all have HOAs and maintenance fees. Buy land and building on your own is best, but costly here in Hawaii. This is another reason why I chose to move to the mainland, to look for land and build my own home with no HOA or maintenance dues.

With starting a family in mind, my main priority was to find a house where there were good schools. I did have 2 hrs of daily commute.

So, a perspective from someone who lived on Oahu in the 70's and now lives in Colorado. Our daughter bought this 1980's modular home set on a concrete foundation on foreclosure a about 15 years ago for $224,000. It is now assessed at $850,000!!! Yes, we have a nice location in the foothills near a lake, but that is crazy - consider the property taxes that doubled this year. Makes no sense. We could sell it, but couldn't buy a comparable property that could house a multi-generational family including retired folks on a fixed income, so yes, we have equity, but what does that really mean? Housing in this country, and many others, is just nonsensical. We don't have a lot of income, but are managing to hang on due to the original price and a refinanced mortgage when the rates were low a few years ago. I don't know how young families without a really healthy income actually get into the market now without sacrificing everything else. We raised our kids in rural NY in a 150 yr. old house with no insulation, one bathroom, ancient heating, no AC, a kitchen with ice-cold floors in the winter. But we managed. In Hawaii, just before kids, we lived in single-walled plantation styled homes with no AC, small rooms and yards, in Waipahu and Wahiawa, my husband working at Pearl and me at the hospital in Wahiawa. But I still miss that so much (Hawaii). Unfortunately, I fear those houses are now ridiculously priced and unaffordable for young families. Sorry, this is so rambling. You really have to do your research these days and consider the value of the home, the community, the schools, the commute and the ohana that you can build where you live. Good luck with your decisions. It is not easy.

The new Honolulu condo area is primarily for two types: 1) Young professionals with no kids who can afford it and want the convenience and lifestyle of the area, and 2) retired folks who can afford it and want the convenience and lifestyle as well. Growing young families will need more space to grow and a quieter area for the kids that cannot be found in a Ward Village or Kakaako. I plan to retire in a place like Ward Village because I no longer want to do yard work, worry about fixing this and that around the house, want to drive less for simple conveniences like food & entertainment, desire to be around similar people with similar lifestyles, etc. And as I get older, money becomes less valuable while time becomes more precious…so the rising HOA fees will simply be the cost of having a life that maximizes my time. My vision of a typical day is to work out at the condo gym in the morning, get some bfast at home or a nearby restaurant, go play at the beach or pickleball or whatever nearby, grab lunch, spend the afternoon doing relaxing things nearby, grab dinner in the area, watch a movie or other entertainment, then go back to relax and sleep at home. Driving will become rare and chores to fix the house a forgotten nightmare…

Very good info!

Also, if you get an older place, factor in that there will be repairs needed on the regular, and some of those repairs can be very costly. As with a lot of things, you'll either pay on the front end or the back end, but you'll end up paying one way or another.

Your videos are so great mahalo 🤙🏽

What a lot of young people are not told by their friends or family is that you shouldn’t rush into buying a house or condo. It’s a huge decision and you need to look at all aspects. People are fixated on having their own place but don’t think about the long term effects. When we were ready we saved and got to the point where we could at least think about buying a house but I didn’t want something that only for my needs now but long term. Room for family, entertaining friends or even possibly an out of town guest. It was rough at first going from no mortgage to holy crap huge mortgage but eventually we adjusted. As we’ve become more established things are better. The point is take your time and do your research. Think long term and don’t be short sighted.

I love this video. It's so sad. I'm having to contemplate moving away.

I hate to tell you this, but the same topic has been discussed over and over again since the 1970s when Honolulu started building high-rises. It's nothing new and that's how we got Mililani, Hawaii kai and Ewa town houses. Somehow you'll survive and figure out your own path. And once the children are out of the house, then you go back to condo life again.

Owning a home to live in should never be seen as an investment strategy to build wealth but as a means to have the most autonomy one can have within their domestic life. I spoke to my former boss about this and each type of property offers varying levels of autonomy. Anything with an association that charges a fee and imposes certain rules have lower levels of autonomy while owning a house in an association free neighborhood offers you the most autonomy. When rates and prices were low and I could afford my own condo unit I was window shopping around and noticed that newer condos were expensive but had lower HOA fees than older buildings that were cheaper. Sometimes the monthly payments would add up to the same amount between a nice new condo and an old run down one all because of the HOA fee. I spoke to several condo owners and that is one thing they have little to no control over when HOA fees go up.

Don't buy a single family home. Buy a duplex or even better 3 to 4 units. You live in one and the rent from the other units will cover 80%+ of your mortgage. A single family unit does not put money in your pocket every month.

Condo maintenance fees vary with the age of the building and the amenities it has. All elevators need to be eventually replaced which is one of the bigger costs. Great amenities also mean higher fees to maintain all of it. Moved from a house on the west side to a Kakaako condo because the commute was just insane and a quality of life killer.

I’ve lived in Honolulu my entire adult life..in my 60s now…never bought property here, always rented. The condo trap is real and prices are insane. And as far as Hawaii actually having enough forethought to PLAN housing around rail..which is at least 30 years late already, good luck with that, lol

Good luck man. As grandpa used to say, "das y haad".

spot on.

Come windward, we’d love to have you. A suggestion, consider renting out your condo and then renting out your next home. Saves you all those closing costs, and you still own, even if you aren’t living in what you own.

I hope yall are able to get a house Chris. For the family sake! 👍🤙💯🙏

When we were looking to buy back in 2015....we looked at single family homes and condos/townhomes in Ewa.... And I can truly say, we got way more bang for our buck going with the condo then the single family that was in our price range. On the single fam, the living room downstairs was tiny, the kitchen was tiny, and the yard was tiny. On the condo, yeah there's attached neighbors on either side, but the living space downstairs and kitchen was waaaaay bigger, and the upstairs was comparable, the yard was pretty the same. But it felt better because it was so much bigger downstairs.

I bought my condo in Makiki , in 2011. But it was a lease hold property. So in 2016, as an owner, I was given the opportunity to buy the fee. So I worked really hard on my credit score, worked to pay my bills down, and I was able to get a mortgage in 2017 to buy the fee. Now I own my condo and the lease hold turned to condo status last year. My poor condo needs a full renovation and I never had the money for that. I’ll either sell it soon or try get the money to renovate.

I know I’ve said this previously, but there’s really no incentive to make Hawaii real estate more affordable. It’s like shopping for a Tacoma. You can’t negotiate because someone else will come along and buy it at full retail.

Wise words.

We were at 801 south for 3 years, and we just bought a house in Wahiawa. Can’t say we’re sad about it.

The only people who say there is a charm to loud mopeds are people who are trying to sell their condo and are trying to convince other people or have no choice but to stay in their condo and are trying to convince themselves.

Thanks!

Everyday, I receive an email from a local realtor, my request is for a 2 bed & 2 bath house or condo in Honolulu or the windward side and almost everyday I'm shaking my head in disbelief! Today, it seems as if only the rich can live in Honolulu or the windward side of the island. Much Mahalo for this upload!!!

My ex wife and I bought a condo at the waipuna condominiums on Ena Road in the 70s. It was located on the outskirts of Waikiki and the Kaiser hospital was nearby so it was a good location. It had security and it was nice but the one problem was parking if you only had one assigned parking space but had two cars. Parking on the street sometimes was hard to find.

6:38... exactly! I was wondering from afar too why there didn't really seem to be thoughtfully planned neighborhoods being started around the rail stations. There'd be more housing, more people being able to move away from car dependence for everyday commutes, and the rail would be more useful and convenient. Makes too much sense, probably.

Unfortunately, housing prices for single family homes are unreachable for many people even on the mainland especially in the larger cities. I agree that west-side condos should be going up now. I'm sure developers have already thought about it, but I don't know what restrictions are preventing them from starting or red tape needed to get started. I know there is some development going on on the west side between Kapolei and Waipahu. Don't know what those are going to be.

@ Chris thanks for this perspective. I knew didn’t want to buy in high-rise condo in Kaka’ako. Don’t care for city living like. So I bought a condo/townhouse in Kapolei. The maintenance fees are killer.

I wonder if it is possible to sell bare bones apartments. Structure, electrical, and plumbing is all standard and safe but the new owner needs to put in drywall, floor, sink, cabinets and closets. the plus side is if it costs $100,000, blue collars can afford a roof over their head with a low mortgage. Then they can deal with building up their place as they can afford it rather than buy a place for 1 million and struggle for 20 years to pay off a truck load of just the interest. This will also open a huge labor market for handy people.

Personally, I would never buy where there is a HOA fee but understand that for so many, it is a viable option. HOA's are out of control and need to be more regulated by the state and counties, but given how far behind the times and the technology our laws are, it will take decades to address though. Where does one go when they is no where for one to go, even if they have a decent paying income?

There are 2 condos be built around the 2 rail stations in Waipahu, but they are also taking out two of the larger supermarkets that serve Waipahu. Not really a good trade for the neighborhood. Greater density and fewer grocery stores. They are targeting blue and white collar workers. They will still need cars because plumbers and carpenters need equipment and trucks and they won't be on the rail. Nurses and Pearl Harbor workers need to work as early as 5 or 6 a.m. There is no rail to Pearl Harbor and busses from rural areas don't start early enough especially if you have to wait for transfers. If you work 12 hours or after 11:30 p.m. you would have to wait 2-3 hours for the next available bus. As it is there is never enough on site parking for high density units be it condos or townhouses for their residents an guests. You have to assume that more than one person has to pay the rent and they probably each have a car because the majority of people don't work in the same place or at the same time. So, they spill into the surrounding streets and neighborhoods. They usually are not built near schools or parks so there isn't easy recreation space within walking distance. Once the rail station on Middle street opens It should help, since there is good bus service in town. There is also no park and rides near the rail stations, and in the rural areas, they need more shuttle busses to bring people to the rail especially earlier in the morning, bus service is not as good as in town. It can be a long walk to a bus stop if you don't live on a main road and busses do not go into neighborhood clusters. Connections can be 20-30 minutes apart. Making the bus commute 2-3 times longer than a car. By car people in traffic can take 1-3 hours per day just on the commute with a car. It would be nice to have neighborhood shuttles that service every street. It would be better and more cost effective if people can reserve a pickup time 24 hours in advance or even for a week at a time. That would make the shuttle stops waste less fuel just driving around and pick up passengers at specific sites more efficiently.

I rented out my downtown condo for $2900 and now I live in a three bedroom house on Windward oahu for less.

We live in a small condo building and our HOA fees are about $900 a month. We have no yard to hangout and no pool. The HOA fees keep climbing every year. It’s terrible how those fees will broke you. 😢

Braddah! Maintenance fees will kill you. Aloha!!!!

The truth is all homes even the ones abandoned will cost more that 500,000k. I just closed on my home on the west side 4 bedroom 3 full bath for 750,000k. That home was first sold in 1994 for 150k. That’s the reality. But if you own any property on Oahu you’re very fortunate and will aquier equity.

Even buying a house in ewa, the maintenance fee is almost $600. HOA is at $150 quarterly, and the roads in the community are all pot holes and covered with steel plates.

Well, Lahaina is no different. With the AUGUST fires, there is just no that many housing out there for families. I went from paying (well my family house) a mortgage on my family home of 50+ years $1700.. To a 1 bedroom apartment for $2600... But Thank You for your perspective... Love your channel...

There is a transport system in China under development that is a bus/rail hybrid, a large flexibus that will ride on rails, and can easily transfer to steet use.

Altough a condo sounds nice. nice views.. cheaper than a house. but some places have really high HOA fees. some or over $1,500 a month. crazy.

- Hawaii is quickly coming up on 50 years since they passed the City Ordinance that requires condos being built from then on to be equipped with fire sprinkler systems. - Also in looking at age, when the Surfside condos in Florida collapsed, they were 40 years old. Yes, there probably were design factors, but the no chances were taken going forward as they tore down the damaged existing r=tower, and the twin tower also. - And unless a condo has a back-up power system, that can sustain the tower for even a short period, residents are going to get stuck in elevators and be without water for the duration of the blackout. - Perhaps residents should invest in 'solar' power generators, in the event of blackouts. That way they can power certain essential items, without the unsafe fumes of carbon dioxide that are produced by gas generators. - City planning: In Singapore, they are building a twin tower modular condo in their city. Another condo is complete with a floor that's a medical center, and shopping on another floor; that way residents don't 'need' to venture out for some of their daily needs. - 'botched' Oahu city planning: I don't like to bash rail, mainly because it's 'low-hanging-fruit'. But they were building a lot of these condos in Kakaako, with the thought that rail would pass by on Ala Moana Blvd., BUT now rail is being stopped at Chinatown/downtown Honolulu (at least for the foreseeable future), stopping short of the intended target riders/customers.

Yeah, I dont want to pay HOA fees for a condo/apt here on the Big Island, but luckily some here have an amount of $200-$0 at some places and a few places dont have an HOA, so I will have to see what is available when the time and savings are right..

HOA fees could be much lower with some government intervention. Currently, the main pressure on HOA fees is insurance, and insurance is so high because there are only two companies willing to insure 'older' condominium buildings. More competition would change that, and the government has been for years discussing the possibility of encouraging competition, but doesn't do anything. Also, what is 'old'? In New York or Boston, buildings 100 years old are well-maintained and can be valuable given their historical nature. When it comes to replacing plumbing or an elevator in a 50-year old Honolulu building, there is little competition, little use of new technology, and the process is a year-long multi-million dollar wrecking crew that makes the place unlivable. We need companies that use new and competitive processes found in San Francisco or New York. But in our closed market - just as in the case of insurance - a few companies sit on a very profitable and over-priced market in which the condo-owners are captive. The government talks a good game at town hall meetings, then goes back to protecting their big campaign contributors.

I think it is the same situation in a lot of other populous cities on the US Pacific Coast. There is no pipeline of new housing for homeowners to upgrade to. Essentially, no one can afford to move. And no one can afford to buy.

HOAs can really suck. I now live in FL and looking around and it's really difficult to find something not within a controlled environment where besides your purchase price you will have additional monthly feed.

I often say the wrong things. But here we go. Soooo. You have a nice, and wonderful something. And now you really want something better. But not something worst. Maybe settle for something you need. Or probably something within your means. The problem is not a condo. The problem is life. It’s like a competition. And the richer always win. You do have a nice condo, in the nicest side of town. You did save money on rentals, you are financially sound. You just want more. So you can try to make more. Get a better job? Get a second job? Rent a place near your future house, and rent the condo out? It’s risky, but sometimes you need to be, creative. May the fortune wind blows your way. Have an aloha day.

Thanks for your information, as someone planning on moving to O'ahu and considering buying a condo in Honolulu this was quite helpful. I'm dreading the HOA fees, I'm thinking I would be better off just renting for now then focus on buying a house later.

I went on vacation to Hawaii about 16 years ago and I couldn't have been more disappointed. I had no idea there was that much poverty in Hilo. I think we may have gone to the wrong island. I'll stay on the mainland for my vacations. South Carolina and in particular North Carolina has really nice beaches and it's a lot closer for me. I wouldn't want to live in Hawaii; too expensive and being stuck on a rock. I don't think so. LOL. Hope you find a nice place to raise your children

The price will NEVER go down in Hawaii, so... If you are "in the market", the price of your property will climb as the price climbs. Next step is to find a townhouse to step up to. Paying rent will never get you ahead. (However, since three and a half years ago, it is nearly impossible)

Same in California. Things are crazy expensive since minimum covid & wage triple in a very short time. Now houses rent for 4k & up a month. We have more working class homeless families that just can’t pay what the property owners want for the same houses built in 50’s that rented for $1200.00 Five years ago. Most people cannot afford to buy a house. Like you if we were to sell we would have to sell high to buy something else. Even the government is in your pocket if you sell your residence on the first $250 k to $500,000 in capital gains tax. It’s crazy you have to make 300k a year to even look at buying a house.

About how much you paid for your condo? I know this question is personal, Chris, but I am curious by nature and want to learn, too. Hope that you do not mind and can at least give me an approximation!

The housing market everywhere is wonky for locals. Especially when you have people moving from a higher cost of living to a lower cost of living market. For example: people from Los Angeles and San Francisco moving to San Diego, CA. It drives up cost and decreases the afordable inventory.

It might seem like a trap at first, but the game is staking your place and staying ahead of inflation. When you buy your condo or house, inflation is your friend and you will likely sell your first place for a lot more than what you bought it. Inflation will do nothing but go up. So will your equity. I bought my first house for less than 100K. That was a huge amount of money for my young self. Today, that house is worth multiples of that.

Coming from Texas to Honolulu we knew we’d have to sacrifice having a roomy home. We paid $275k for a ~1600 sqft home (bought in 2018). Last year we bought our condo for ~700 sqft for $580k 😅 We felt insane for doing that but we LOVE the walkability, which is one reason why we moved here. We are thinking about having kids in a year or so and I wonder how we will navigate that in a one bedroom condo. I have friends in the same situation but they have a kid now and they manage well. They love it since they’re a quick 5 min walk to the beach & surf everyday. It’s all about your lifestyle, I guess. We shall see 😅

we bought a 3bd 2ba thinking that would work even as we have kids but then we started working from home and my folks aka grandparents started visiting more... if it werent for the market rates we'd move asap

I love Oahu, but I love the Big Island More... both Hilo and Kona while sort of opposite climates are great! My favorite area is the Parker Ranch area though... Can your work skills transfer?

I looked at a condo at the Ritz Carlton residence. $9800 / mo HOA, I passed on it and purchased a 3BDR at the Club Residence at Park Lane Ala Moana $5175/month HOA

Your ideals are great to hear in thus day and age. However, you need to prioritize what your family needs are now and in the future. When you decide to sell your condo, it may not be to the most deserving people. You can't control who buys it.

Does Hawaii have rail? I feel like they should have dedicated bus roads/lanes. It's a more flexible system than rail.

what are you thoughts onto moving to the mainland

Hawaii is completely out of anything "affordable" with single family homes now costing 1 million plus dollars and condo prices rising, the situation for buyers is pretty grim. Buying a condo is slightly more affordable, but then there is the maintenance fees ( that always go up!). I was lucky I bought my condo in 2005, so for me, I'm better off than anyone looking to buy right now because my mortgage and maintenance fees are still way below market rent. Those newer condos down in the Kakaako area you were in are insanely priced, small as hell and have tiny and undersized parking that in alot of cases isn't even assigned! Yes, there are no property "stepping stones" here in Hawaii anymore, that is why so many are leaving and moving to states where they actually can afford to buy a place without putting every penny into just the mortgage. I guess Hawaii is all out of Aloha now.

which website you use to look up condo in Honolulu?

I'm sorry, your channel should be Hello from Honolulu since that's where your tops are all based on. Not all people that live on the west are rough; you should rent your condo out and rent a single family house in the west to try it out; your boys will have neighborhood kids to play with out in a nice yard.

Actually, the westside is quiet now. There's still fireworks but its rare and there's no mopeds it's all electric bikes.

Unfortunately when my Mom passes away we will have to sell her 7 bdrm 4-1/2 ba 2 story house in Moanalua. Don't want too, but siblings involved and 3 of us live on the mainland and only one will be left in Hawaii. Buying out siblings is impossible.

Hearing some horror stories of condo owners over the years makes me feel like I live in one unicorn over here in salt lake. Just saying people should REALLY dig in when buying one condo.

I just hate that feeling when there aren't any good answers.😢

One way Teeket to Vegas Bruddah! Oahus, eez pau hanas.

It seems like each passing year, buying single family house becomes more unreachable in Hawaii. We have it harder than our parents and our parents had it harder than their parents. Have you thought about the fact that your 2 boys may have a harder time buying a house in Hawaii than you and that they might move to the mainland? Have you thought that if you move to the mainland now, it will be easier for your 2 boys to buy a house in the future because you are positioning them to early enough? These are thoughts that I have for myself as well.

used to have a condo in sf.. sold it and moved to hi... found a great rental... for me, "buying property" is overrated... unless you have the cash to buy property outright, you'll be paying interest for years in the beginning... and then the total you'll be paying for it is way more than the price you bought it for... not to mention, if you get a property with hoa fees, it's sometimes as high as paying rent elsewhere... less stress than "owning" for me... lol sidenote: check out ramit sethi's "i will teach you to be rich" book...

Buy low sell high Bought a condo Sold a condo Bought a house Income needs to increase and so do sacrifices

Yeah, it sounds like you fell into both parts of that condo trap. You bought into affordable and are less than 10 years in and HOA fees have gone so high it makes it hard for you to save. I have family that bought into an old condo in Salt Lake 10 years ago and HOA fees have skyrocketed.

Too bad condo buildings can't have commercial space on the first three floors, if they could, the rent from those businesses could offset the HOA, and what fun it would be to have an inhouse restaurant!

As a realtor whos looking at the economy ... Mahalo!

HOA fees are ridiculous in Hawaii. That’s the reason I have not bought a second home there.

The only way you can really live a modern life in Hawaii is in downtown. Private school that would be perfect. But if you don't mind cockroaches or termites in a broken house go ahead and move to the west side or windward side but I just accept that you either have to stay in town if you want a modern Life in toughen up your kids for public school or face moving to the mainland which many do

What is the new tower going up in the background?

My first home that I own is a condo in Honolulu. But, if I could do it all over again, I wouldn't buy my condo.

I want to comment on the choice of caption on the thumbnail image for the video - "THE HAWAII CONDO TRAP." I noticed you didn't touch on how houses (as you said in the video, "a big boy house or a big girl house") in town are mostly *not* located in places that would be walkable to places that people tend to work in town in the same way that many condo buildings are, which you said was an important factor in deciding to buy a condo. You said your condo is in downtown. Yes there are a few houses in town, in places relatively nearby such as in Moiliili and Kapahulu, but lower-priced homes (still highly priced) in town are, for the most part, quite a bit older, and may require significant work (note your comment about condo buildings needing to collect additional money from owners to pay for improvements to the building, such as to elevators that no longer run well; single-family homes require paying for upkeep too, just for different things). Going back to the concept of a "condo trap": it's not some exogenous system of condo buildings in Honolulu trapping people. The trap here is your mindset and indecision on what is more important to you--living in a walkable place (near work, activities, city amenities) to avoid commuting vs wanting more personal space in a newer build structure that isn't going to have immediate costly maintenance, which necessitates you to spend time and money commuting to your job. One question worth asking: if money were no object and you could buy a house in town, where would you buy it *and* would you still walk to work, or would you drive (even if it's a shorter commute than a place on the windward side or the west side)?

We lived on Maui for first year then Oahu the second year and paid $2,500.00 for a 2br/2ba apartment and the housing purchase was out of reach at $600+ per sq/ft and rising. I moved to Pennsylvania and was able to buy a large house (1800 sq ft on 1/2 acre) in a great neighborhood for lower monthly payment. Yes, it isn't Hawaii but the fresh produce, food/variety and way lower gas and grocery prices make up for it. Road trips and mainland vacations give us plenty to see and do. Hawaii was awesome and the people we met were beautiful, proud and gracious. I can still vacation in Hawaii and still not be losing money by renting.

It's funny when couples talk about having 2 kids turned their lives upside-down. 😅

Soon it will be Hello from Vegas.

In Hawaii, you need double income...Great if your income can afford the Kakaako mortgage and maintenance fees. Luckily i bought 30 years ago.

Special assessment fee is the wild card 😬

Then there is always the "9th Island" Las Vegas. Were else can you find an ABC store on the mainland?

i think they are really really overdoing it in kakaako with regards to number of units. also the hoa fees are impacted by insurance premiums skyrocketing due to construction defects.