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So, I have figured out the bit about getting a container and shipping it from a west coast port to Hawai'i. But does anyone have any helpful advice about getting all of our stuff from here in upstate NY over to the other side of the mainland? Do moving landbound companies coordinate with the over-water shippers? Is a moving van the same size as a container? We are planning on taking our Prius (can't live without it!), so I guess we'll be driving over to CA ourselves, and shipping it over from there.
Anyone out there who has moved to HI from WAY over here on the east coast?
Last edited by Sweetbeet; 10-19-2007 at 08:51 AM..
Reason: Title was wrong
So, I have figured out the bit about getting a container and shipping it from a west coast port to Hawai'i. But does anyone have any helpful advice about getting all of our stuff from here in upstate NY over to the other side of the mainland? Do moving landbound companies coordinate with the over-water shippers? Is a moving van the same size as a container? We are planning on taking our Prius (can't live without it!), so I guess we'll be driving over to CA ourselves, and shipping it over from there.
Anyone out there who has moved to HI from WAY over here on the east coast?
As for the vehicle. Could always sell it and then buy one when you arrive in Hawaii. Saves on shipping and driving, and vehicles are the same price really.
We are also from the East Coast (Westchester County - NY State) and my husband and I are in the final stages of signing with real estate agents who are also relocation experts. They will be helping us sell our home here in Westchester; get us an apartment when we arrive in Maui, (Where we plan on living). Also, we plan on purchasing a home as soon as possible, and they will help us with this too. Being we are using them for everything we will be getting a reduced commission rate, which is great for us, (Unless your on the receiving end, commission is such an ugly word). We have already been in contact with the real estate rep/office in Hawaii and they send us listings via email fitting our price range/desired location, etc. So far, this seems to be an excellent choice for us, but we still have a lot to discuss with them on the whole “relocation process”. They did tell us that because they move so many companies and people they can get much better rates than the average person on shipping household items, etc. We are selling our cars here and will just buy new ones when we arrive, so I don’t have to worry about that. It’s also a load off my mind to have someone help me out with some of the details. We are also moving with three cats and my elderly father-in-law, so fun time ahead for all! I figure any added help I can get is a blessing. Before you have your stuff sent cross country by truck, look into the possibility of shipping by water from the NYC area. I don't know how far upstate you are but shipping out of New Jersey may be an option with all the ports there. (I am from the manufacturing field and we get all our product in through those ports). I will post again when I have more info. Just do yourself a favor and research, research, research, everything! We have been doing that for over 5 years now and knowledge is power, read all the books on moving to Hawaii and look all over the internet for all sorts of good information. Also, read all the boards/forums you can, there are a ton of nice folks out there that know a lot more than you and I, especially on moving issues.
Good luck in your move! We are very excited here and we are going to be leaving as soon as my husband gets through this school year (he is a teacher) and we can sell our home and get everything in order - so hopefully within 2008 – early 2009…Yeah!
Location: not sure, but there's a hell of a lot of water around here!
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Just leave the "stuff" behind, and sell it. Bring your cats, (if you're looking for a few Maui purebred wild cats I can hook you up), and your ohana, save yourself a lot of trouble. I moved here with a suitcase and 800 bucks in 1975, worked for me, although the 800 bucks didn't last long...
Thanks Frangi! Sounds like you are sort of a kindred spirit. When we go (not sure yet if it will be summer '08 or summer '09) we will be (hopefully) bringing our two cats and my elderly mother, also! We are in Ithaca so there will be some trucking involved, to get to any port. I am in the process of researching now, just thought I'd ask here as well (as you have suggested).
We are not wealthy, but not strapped either. Of course I'd like to do this as inexpensively as possible, but I'm also thinking of the total expense - including the cost of purchasing things after we arrive, and the "cost" of hassle and difficulty. There seem to be a few "full service" or "intermodal" companies that do the whole thing (I haven't found the real estate service included yet, that's a nice twist - something you can find down near the city but not up here in the 'boonies', I'm sure!), and that sounds nice - but I haven't gotten to the point of getting quotes yet. I'm thinking that we might have a full container load (40') - we will have our stuff, my mother's, and also my sister's (she moved in August but is coming back this summer to get her stuff - had to see if she could get a job, if the school worked for her daughter, etc.).
My husband has his own business that requires a lot of hand and power tools, as well as wood and supplies. He cannot "sell everything" and buy it again there - much of his stock is VERY rare and difficult to find, gathered over 25 years of searching and luck., not to mention aged (20 yr.+) wood. While we don't have a lot of traditional furniture (all of our bookcases fold up, as do our beds and such), we have a few large pieces that are not something you can just go buy at WalMart (e.g., a large solid oak table that was a cast-off from old Cornell). Some of those things we definitely want to take. And then there are the family photos (several generations worth), books (again, some are irreplaceable), etc. My mother also has a whole (albeit small) house full of stuff, much of which she's getting rid of (antique dealer coming today, in fact, to peruse), but some of which it makes more sense to take than to sell or leave.
So we'll keep researching, here as well as during our next two week trip to Kauai in February, during which we intend to search for jobs and a place to live (as well as for me to take the HI bar exam, something I swore I'd never do again when I took NY's 15 years ago!). Mom's going too, to make sure she can deal with the climate (she has respiratory problems) - she is SO psyched!
Good luck with your move! Let us know how it goes.
Well we both have our work cut out for us that's for sure! We are using Prudential Realty, so if you have an office close to you check out their relocaton service. I think Century 21 has a service similiar to this too. My husband and I are still learning as we go along this path, so we figure to keep things simple we first want to see if we can go with one source. If you come accross any interesting information, please let us know and we will do the same.
Best of luck to you - keep on posting so we know how you are doing.
My boyfriend and I just moved to Honolulu from Houston...not quite so far as east coast but i hope you find these information useful!
We used the preferred shipping company from my boyfriend's work since they are the ones actually paying. Here were the quotes we recived....
Door to door service from Houston to Honolulu for 600 cubic feet/4000 lbs/3 crates: $8000.
For the car, from LA to Honolulu $1000, Houston to Honolulu $2500.
We actually got rid most of our stuff! We took only some clothes and (lots of) books we have collected over the years. No furniture, no appliances. And we shipped the car from Houston to Honolulu. The total cost was about $7500.
We actually moved our dog too! I am sure you already know about the animal quarantine policy. It's actually not too bad. Just make sure you have copies of EVERYTHING!
We moved from Florida to Hawaii (Honolulu) in 1998 - our ocean container was loaded in Florida and then taken to California by rail - then via Matson shipping lines to Hawaii. It was called an "intermodal" move and Matson coordinated most of it - we set it up by calling one of their representatives.
The container was pulled by truck to our apartment complex and dropped there (it was called a "container spot") - we were responsible for loading it and securing the goods inside the container (we packed ourselves and then hired a local moving company to help us load everything) - after it was loaded the truck came back, hooked it up and pulled it away - the next time we saw it was in Hawaii a few weeks later. We had to (separately from our arrangements with Matson) hire a local moving company in Hawaii to pull the container from the port to our apartment and unload it for us.
When we moved from Hawaii to California last year, the moving company coordinated everything - ordering the container, dropping it, packing everything in our house and then loading the container - they coordinated all shipping arrangements, trucked it to the port once it was loaded and then also retrieved it from the port in California and unloaded it at the destination.
Much better than loading a moving van and then trying to transfer everything into a shipping container once it arrived on the west coast.
As far as the car - from Florida to Honolulu we used a company called "Auto Driveaway" - they use qualified (their terminology) drivers to drive the vehicle from the origin to the destination and handled all the shipping arrangements for us as well - it shipped with Matson. There is also the option of having it transported by flatbed truck cross-country but that was way more expensive. Some companies will ship cars in your container - some will not - but it doesn't sound like you will have room for a car (even in a 40') with everything else you are shipping.
It was much easier when we moved to California - we just dropped it at the port in Honolulu (we used Horizon Lines) and picked it up from Long Beach when we arrived in California. For what it's worth, we liked Horizon Lines very much - it was $975 and they ship in enclosed containers instead of just parking them on the decks - much less salt/rain/wind damage.
I wish you the best as you are sorting everything out !
Location: not sure, but there's a hell of a lot of water around here!
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I furnished a two bedroom condo here on Maui 4 years ago for about 16K. That was beds, matresses, bedroom cabinets, dining room set, pretty much everything. Think you'll find that your tastes in furnishings will change after you've been here for a while. Lot's of rataan and bamboo with Hawaiian style floral prints to reflect your surroundings. Check out HawaiianInteriorz, or Minds Eye out in Lahaina, lots of nice stuff, at reasonable, (matter of perspective), prices. And don't forget to get a Hula girl lamp, it's mandatory.
And don't forget to get a Hula girl lamp, it's mandatory.
are you sure you're not a journalist in disguise? maybe related to lee cataluna? too funny jungjohann!!! frankly, i like palm trees and pineapple motifs. got to get myself that lamp, though.
happy fishing! (responding to your other post)
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Hope this is helpful...
frankly, i like palm trees and pineapple motifs. got to get myself that lamp, though.
