Paradise Lost?

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Here's my 2 part issue: I have to decide whether to stay here in Hawaii or not. And if I stay here I have to figure out a way to make a living! I think I need a partner to continue in real estate since it is commission based. One person's base living expenses here are $27,000 and for 2 people it is $33,000. So to find a partner, going online is an option but stick to people in Hawaii???
And if I move, I would likely return to Arkansas since my people are there. I would have to make a living there, too...
Carol T. in Hawaii
　
Mimi Says: Aloha Carol! Ah, to stay or leave paradise. There are so many reasons why people move to islands but virtually all of those folks run into the inevitable conclusion that unless they brought everything they will ever need- including enough funding to see them into their golden years, they will have to find a way to stay there. Real estate is in a tough place right now… for sellers. Especially if they are American property owners trying to free up some cash. You mention the idea of finding a partner to stay in the real estate game in the islands. If I can play psychic for a moment, I would say that the current economic disaster that we are all facing, will not go on forever. Land, and especially land on a big ole gorgeous island, will always be valuable and given the privacy island living can offer the well to do, it will always be what they crave.
How about creating something that doesn’t exist right now, as far as I know? Instead of trying to have someone move to Hawaii to start a business with you, why not use the Internet and your realtor connections to find a few fellow female real estate agents in places like, Japan, England, Germany, emerging nations like India, and also, the USA and create a woman to woman network of property investing? In my state, (Michigan) we have had people coming over from the U.K. and purchasing homes at ridiculously low rates and then renting them as absentee owners. They just want in on the investment possibilities. It’s a buyer’s market and women comprise more than half the population of the world. We are also, finally, gathering our own wealth. Creating a group, right now, of women that assist other women in real estate purchases will put you ahead of the game. While you’re pulling that idea together, there are certainly other talents in your repertoire you can bring out in the light again. Perhaps something in the fashion world, or something related to organizational skills. You’ve got them, others need them! One woman I knew from my days in the tour and travel world, left our old business and started a wildly successful company in Scottsdale, Arizona. She now arranges private V.I.P. limo shopping tours for women to the finest specialty shops and boutiques in the Valley. Start your own in the islands or get in touch with her and ask about opening a branch office in Honolulu! And by the way, even if you decide to return to Arkansas to be near family, you can still start businesses like this, selling real estate in Hawaii while you sit in the shade of a magnolia tree and sip your sweet tea!