Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I didn't see anyone suggesting that newcomers should buy used couches or mattresses and of course stuff like that should be and can be purchased new and even at island prices, will be cheaper to buy here than shipping a container.
Other stuff...amazing furniture (think desks, tables, dressers, etc), appliances, kayaks (we stocked up on those!), etc. etc. etc., pennies on the dollar on Craigslist.
Silly to ship most books unless you REALLY are going to read them again, or if they are signed collector's items or something. We have good libraries here and of course there's Kindle... Donate your books to your local Friends of the Library and just walk away. Think your books have any value? Price them on half.com...you'll end up donating them before you move, lol.
I personally left behind amazing furniture on the mainland when I moved to the Caribbean...the thought of my stuff being on a ship, tossed around to be potentially damaged and then subjected to the high humidity of island living, was too much for me. My exquisite items were gifted to friends; the rest donated to charities and friends' young adult children moving to their first apartments. I love thinking of how much my friends are really enjoying my beautiful things, some of which are antiques. They were grateful and so was I. And of course I could always go visit my "stuff", lol.
As a side thought, before I came two members were ADAMANT that (1) I could not afford to mail my clothing here (craziest posts on C-D forums EVER...still laughing at THAT silly assumption) and (2) I should come with very little clothing because I could replace it all at yard sales. INSANITY!!! I think it was only about $35 per box parcel post to ship our clothing and of course we had nice things that fit us that were in good shape. If anyone tells you that you will save money by driving around the islands at our high gas prices trying to find clothing as nice as what you already have, that fits you well...report them to the mods!
Edited to add more on the clothing thing, depending on where you move, much of your clothing will be inappropriate. And you may want to second guess other things...I so totally regret getting rid of my winter clothing, because I find it to be very cold on Big Island. I ended up having to replace a bunch of Lands End/LL Bean stuff that I donated before moving.
So far as replacing things, Amazon Prime is your new best friend, we have all new small kitchen appliances and lots of other stuff for not much more than what it would have cost us to ship our old stuff.
And most of us, in moving to Hawai'i, are also undergoing a lifestyle change to some degree, so I think the question really becomes: "What will serve you best in the future you are living into?"
Most people moving from the mainland to the islands move to smaller places. Island style, on average, is much less formal than mainland style, And island style in general reflects the realities of active lives of sun and sand and high humidity and less concern with appearances.Don't move anything that is susceptible to high humidity or mold.
Keep in mind that a lot of homes in Hawai'i have no AC, and for those that do have it, the cost of operation is prohibitively expensive, so a great many people forego regular use of Air Conditioning.
Is that personal opinion for the above? I can see that for people about to retire for lifestyle change but not for working adults. If you aren'r retiring, what is the lifestyle change, you still have to pay the bills. Most people regardless of island have to work 8 to 5 or later - and repeat the grind, it is just warmer weather.
Most people move to smaller places in Hawaii? Opinion? I see plenty of places on each island where they are the same size as on the mainland. This thing where everyone is broke or near broke moving to Hawaii and have to live in these tiny places is I believe a false premise. People moving here with money stay in similar places - people with little money stay in smaller places like where they came from - I don't buy everyone has to downsize or wants to downsize
AC prohibitively expensive??? Opinion? What if you have solar? Or, lease solar? There are plenty of ways to mitigate expensive AC - especially if you come from the mainland with expensive gas. I just went out with someone that said there gas bill in Denver was several hundred dollars in the winter (as in $500+) - AC won't typically be that much in HI.
Seems you never heard of Ethan Allen furniture - pretty nice stuff actually, can't get the same quality stuff in HI - here is the link: http://www.ethanallen.com/
Last edited by whtviper1; 03-25-2013 at 02:38 AM..
Is that personal opinion for the above? I can see that for people about to retire for lifestyle change but not for working adults. If you aren'r retiring, what is the lifestyle change, you still have to pay the bills. Most people regardless of island have to work 8 to 5 or later - and repeat the grind, it is just warmer weather.
I think most people move to Hawai'i FOR a lifestyle change, one way or another. Why else would they accept lower salaries (on average) than the mainland, and pay higher prices (on average), to live in smaller homes (on average)? For the lifestyle changes, real or imagined, they expect to get from making the move!
Quote:
Originally Posted by whtviper1
Most people move to smaller places in Hawaii? Opinion?
No, real estate industry statistics.
Hawai'i consistently ranks 50th (out of 50) states for average home size listed for sale. For example, Inman News reported that in September 2011 the median home size for sale in the US was 1,761 sq ft, and the individual states ranged from 2,305 in Utah (#1) to 1,308 in Hawai'i (#50). 10 states with the biggest houses | Inman News
And Hawai'i consistently ranks 1st (out of 50) states for median house prices. For example, as the Honolulu Star Advertiser reported on Nov 29, 2012:
Quote:
Hawaii tops the list of states with the highest average home price, according to an annual Coldwell Banker Real Estate study made public Wednesday. The average listing price of a four-bedroom, two-bathroom home in the isles was $742,551, the study said, far exceeding the average of $489,063 in second-ranked Massachusetts and the $431,625 average for No. 3 California. Average home price in state tops in U.S. Hawaii News - Honolulu Star-Advertiser
Quote:
Originally Posted by whtviper1
People moving here with money stay in similar places - people with little money stay in smaller places like where they came from - I don't buy everyone has to downsize or wants to downsize
It's a common theme here on the forum, frequently repeated, that because homes are more expensive in Hawai'i, and smaller, many (not all, but many) wind up living in smaller, but more expensive homes than they had on the mainland. The facts bear that out. And many working people accept lower salaries to work in Hawai'i (for the lifestyle change), which lowers the maximum mortgage they can qualify for, thereby putting further pressure on the price/size equation.
Quote:
Originally Posted by whtviper1
AC prohibitively expensive??? Opinion? What if you have solar? Or, lease solar? There are plenty of ways to mitigate expensive AC - especially if you come from the mainland with expensive gas. I just went out with someone that said there gas bill in Denver was several hundred dollars in the winter (as in $500+) - AC won't typically be that much in HI.
It's a common theme here on the forum, frequently repeated, that because electricity and residential gas are so much more expensive in Hawai'i than they are on the mainland, most folks try to minimize their use of AC, leaving windows open to catch the breeze, spending more time outside, etc.
Sorry my satire went over your head. Of course I've heard of Ethan Allen furniture, and even looked at it on a couple of occasions. I just never cared for most of it. But to each his own.
I think your baseline assumption of just because things are more expensive in Hawaii means that it will require some big lifestyle change is false - it doesnt make it true based on dreamer posts. Net cash flow may be reduced but plenty of people move here without this drastic change. I read these posts about have to give up this, reduce that, live in tiny house, eat farmers market and not the store, sell all your stuff and go to garage sales and I say to myself, no wonder the BI economy has been such a train wreck and if this forum reflects that as a reality how is it ever going to recover there if everyone is in tiny house mode, no stuff, garage sales, used this and that. That is one of the root causes of BI economic issues, it attracts such a low income and savings demographic. Until the BI gets some people who can spend cash I don't see a recovery.
I just noticed a new thread just now on a poster with limited income. And where does it end up, the BI. The people on the BI need to fight for a higher income demographic.
I think that it all depends on where you are coming from, what you were making there, how much you will make in Hawaii and how much you researched, planned and saved before you move to Hawaii.
Daisymae, are you sorry you started this now off-topic thread?
How is it now off topic? OpenD and Whtviper1 may disagree, as they often do, yet there is some really good information in there that I think pertains to the original topic. It is up to the person who is doing this research to figure what is right for them.
I think your baseline assumption of just because things are more expensive in Hawaii means that it will require some big lifestyle change is false - it doesnt make it true based on dreamer posts.
Opinion?
Quote:
Net cash flow may be reduced but plenty of people move here without this drastic change. I read these posts about have to give up this, reduce that, live in tiny house, eat farmers market and not the store, sell all your stuff and go to garage sales and I say to myself, no wonder the BI economy has been such a train wreck and if this forum reflects that as a reality how is it ever going to recover there if everyone is in tiny house mode, no stuff, garage sales, used this and that.
Opinion?
Quote:
That is one of the root causes of BI economic issues, it attracts such a low income and savings demographic. Until the BI gets some people who can spend cash I don't see a recovery.
Opinion?
The fact is (as stated by the State) that tourism and agriculture are the economic engines for the Big Island, and both have been hit hard by the global economic depression. In addition, BI agriculture has been suffering through several years of drought and a lot of damage to crops like Kona coffee and Big Island beef. Now there is some recovery in the tourism sector overall (according to the state) but the percentage of improvement for the BI lags behind the rest of the state (according to the state). Until the key economic engines for the county recover, and/or some as yet unforeseen new industry emerges, along with the creation of new jobs, the county will predictably remain in low gear economically... according to the state.
Another fact to consider is that Oahu is the beneficiary of a huge infusion of military payroll and other Department of Defense spending... $1 Billion and $6.1 Billion respectively last year... which many, including the author of this article, credit with keeping Honolulu county economy afloat. Otherwise Oahu would be in much the same crunch as the Big Island is, but with fewer papayas to sell. Be grateful for blessings received. Hawaii Real Estate: Military Spending in Hawaii is Saving Oahu's Economy - Hawaii Commercial Real Estate
A couple of other things I suggest you keep in mind...
Don't assume that discussions of tiny houses, sustainability, farmers markets, buying used, etc., are necessarily motivated by lack of money. One thing the Big Island IS a leader in is environmental awareness and experimentation with alternative energies, building methods, agricultural methodology, and other emerging environmental technologies. Recycling, aka Resource Recovery, has this simple mantra: Reduce... Reuse... Recycle. Many of us believe that living with this focus in mind... Reducing our consumption, Reusing what is not broken, and Recycling what cannot be reused, is simply the right thing to do for the planet, and for our grandchildren's future, regardless of our financial status.
Don't assume that inquiries and discussions about cheap land and off-the-grid living in Puna (and HOVE) are representative of the whole county. As far as I can tell, this has been a common theme for discussion for more than 40 years. Yes, there are million dollar properties in Puna, but the majority of the district is still agricultural and undeveloped land, so it still has some remarkable values for those who can cope with the lack of infrastructure and loose regulation. And those qualities do attract some dreamers, yes. But they are not the whole picture, not by a long shot. People who are coming in to the BI to buy vacation homes or retirement homes do tend to gravitate toward the Kona districts and North Hawai'i, including Waikoloa and Waimea, and property values there are much higher. We just don't get a lot of participation on this forum from that demographic.
Don't assume that your personal preferences and opinions are relevant to Big Island life. Over and over here you've made your disdain for Hawai'i County clear, even stating recently that you find Hilo "barely tolerable." And yet there are many of us who LOVE the Big Island, so what's your point, really? Why keep bashing a place you don't live in and have no investment in? As long as people show up and make a personal investment, whether they have $300K liquid, or $10K, they can contribute to the economy, and who is to say that one way or the other way is the "right" way? My Volcano neighbors are civil servants and college professors and construction workers and store owners and attorneys and scientists and park rangers and artists and sales reps and plumbers and authors and rich people and spiritual leaders and disabled people and you-name-its. All kinds of people. All kinds. Including quite a lot of people who have very different lifestyles than you might personally choose for yourself. And versa the vice.
So?
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Be grateful for blessings received. 
