This post is coming to you LIVE from the beautiful Island of Oahu, Hawaii. Traveling has been plentiful since the beginning of May for Arizona where came the Grand Canyon post, Meteor Crater post and a Las Vegas shop-talk session with Charles Richey. Now the time is perfect to enjoy some sunshine and scuba diving in the Pacific with family.
But traveling so much gives me a unique opportunity compare homes in Oahu to homes in Snohomish County similar to Arizona vs Washington post on the Seattle Real Estate Professionals blog. Some basic things to expect are; climate has to influence building, topography makes it challenging to build and natural resources will determine the amount of growth the region can sustain.
The flight enabled me to see quite of few neighborhoods and shed some unique light on the on neighborhood planning that maybe overlooked at the ground level.
The biggest item affecting neighborhood design, excuse my limited knowledge of Hawaiian building, is the Island's topography. Like Pacific Northwest real estate, the builders of Oahu have to plan around the natural topography and fit neighborhoods on top, the side and/or around the foothills. It seems to give distance (if that can even apply to Island living) between neighborhoods unlike in Snohomish County where neighborhoods are built on top of each other.
A question popped into my head regarding the number of builders, developers and construction companies. There can not be an exuberant number we find in Snohomish County just because their probably not the abundance of work available. It makes me wonder what the actual number is and might have to Google it and get some rough statistics.
Now here is something to ponder; what are the challenges or issues facing Island living?
The biggest environmental issue facing Hawaiian real estate is the abundance of fresh water. Fresh water is scarcity in Island living and the environment impact of new construction can reek havoc on the nature ecosystems. Since the island's fresh water comes from the mountain rain water, unlike ground water in the Pacific Northwest, the lack of fresh water will determine the amount of growth the island can support.
What else can be determined from look at aerial photographs? Hmmmm, not real sure I guess will take for getting out there and seeing it up close and personal. So look for one more post sometime this week regarding the travels and my take on Hawaii real estate.
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