It CAN be done :) Only $12K, a hope and a prayer (Kailua: renting, house)

[mommyofmanykids]

Aloha & Happy 4th of July!

I just wanted to say that, despite logic, reason and common sense....and most of the warnings on this forum, my husband and I....and all of our kids.....DID sell everything we owned....and boarded a plane bound for Hawaii....with no jobs, no place to live, no savings, basically no game plan, just last week

We both interviewed immediately upon arrival and my husband was offered a position today and I expect my offer to be presented in writing next week. We also very quickly found a wonderful place to live and are very happy with our decision to relocate to Kailua-Kona, Hawaii on the Big Island.

(Oh, and we have never even been to Hawaii before. Ever. Not even to visit on vacation We just pulled the trigger and did it.)

It cost about $7K for plane tickets (very large family), $3K for shipping our car and $2K towards a rental, so about $12K in relocation costs.

There are other minor expenses once you arrive ($15 safety inspection on your car, $45 for a new driver's license - which, by the way, was a breeze at the Kona DMV) but nothing major.

I don't recommend this "hair brained method" to you...of course it would be easier if you can A) visit & do fact finding; B) gather up substantial savings / prepare contingency plans; 3) secure living arrangements or employment in advance, etc., basically following all of the repeated suggestions of the regular posters / advisors on here.

We were simply at the mercy / timing of our house on the mainland finally renting/selling in June; the timing of our children being off school for the summer in June (we wanted to move over break), along with a number of other reasons I won't bore you with, but it just came down to "now or never."

I just wanted to take a minute to reassure any of you out there who are considering such a radical cross-country move. If we can do it, anybody can

Mahalo to each and every one of you who answered my questions over the last 8 months while I was researching this crazy idea.

I joined CityData just last October with only a "What about Hawaii?" thought in my mind (knowing nothing about the islands whatsoever)...and now we are HERE, loving life every day & living it to the fullest.

The time spent on this site was more valuable to me than any of the books I purchased about moving here. I don't plan to be on this site anymore....the sunsets here are too beautiful, the ocean air too calming, the flowers too sweet...barely time or desire to even turn on the television or check Facebook or use Skype/FaceTime to update relatives back on the mainland...would much rather be out swimming with the sea turtles and watching my kids giggle.

Special thanks to WillowKim and OpenD. WK has become a "real life" forever friend and I hope to meet OpenD someday too

Much Love,
MOMK - Final Post

[CyberCity]

MOMK has shared her success story, happy endings are nice to read. She has departed this site, so won't be updating us on her new adventures, but I will add a couple of comments here for the benefit of others who might read this thread somewhere down the road during their research about moving to Hawaii.

"Getting here" is actually the easy part. "Staying here" is what eventually presents a hurdle for some that is difficult to overcome. Having enough savings as a backup is an important component to moving here, especially if you will be settling in this new place without a built-in-backup-system of long-term friends and family. Another thing to think of "long range" is planning for the education of your children (should you have any), and how to meet the challenges of the Hawaii school system.

Hawaii is a wonderful place to live and raise a family! Good long-term planning can help make it an enjoyable experience for the entire family.

[whtviper1]

Originally Posted by CyberCity

"Getting here" is actually the easy part. "Staying here" is what eventually presents a hurdle for some that is difficult to overcome.

I agree and can only say - the only thing to do now is start praying! "Many" times and often.

[Dreaming of Hawaii]

It is unfortunate that MOMK has chosen to not keep us updated on her experiences of actually living in Hawaii. I'm glad to see that she and her husband were able to score jobs, although she never did say what kind of work they do. That, plus the settling in and finding school information would be very helpful to future searchers.

MOMK, if you are still lurking, congrats on a successful move! Please check in once in a while and let us know how things are going.

[Robin Rossi]

Originally Posted by Dreaming of Hawaii

It is unfortunate that MOMK has chosen to not keep us updated on her experiences of actually living in Hawaii. I'm glad to see that she and her husband were able to score jobs, although she never did say what kind of work they do. That, plus the settling in and finding school information would be very helpful to future searchers.

MOMK, if you are still lurking, congrats on a successful move! Please check in once in a while and let us know how things are going.

I think that she has dropped from the face of CD and will remain so, with perhaps a few "last gasp" posts,Mod cut: baiting

However, congrats are in order and Best Wishes offered. I must admit a twinge of jealously.

[hotzcatz]

Moving to Hawaii is fairly easy, it's the staying in Hawaii part that still needs to be done. But, we will see. Right now they are in the honeymoon stage of moving to Hawaii where everything is joy and rainbows, give it six months to a year and then a report back would be worthwhile. Many folks who move to Hawaii miss the folks they left back on the mainland or are unable to save any money while living in Hawaii or have other valid reasons for why they don't want to stay in Hawaii anymore. But those reasons won't be apparent for months if they exist.

So, it took $12K just to make the move, we will see if they stick around. One would assume it would then take $12K to return to the mainland, one hopes they keep that much in reserve, just in case.

Sound like a downer, don't I? Well, it's still early days yet, I wish them well, but there have been precedents that haven't been as happy as one could wish.

[CyberCity]

Originally Posted by mommyofmanykids

I don't plan to be on this site anymore....

Originally Posted by mommyofmanykids

MOMK - Final Post

Originally Posted by Dreaming of Hawaii

MOMK, if you are still lurking, congrats on a successful move! Please check in once in a while and let us know how things are going.

She explained that she is gone forever. But we can still benefit those who will come to this thread later, if there is something to add.

[whtviper1]

Ok, I'll say it - maybe she's not really here? Seems like when you can really use CD the most is when you get to a place you've never even been to before. This final post I just arrived thing seems really odd - as if she knows detailed questions would be coming she can't answer.

[hotzcatz]

Hmm, that's an aspect I'd not thought of. Kinda makes sense CD would be really useful when you first land in an unknown place. Perhaps the OP is too busy looking at the new scenery? Maybe the OP fears further posts might not be as rosy as they'd hoped? Hard for say, maybe there will be further posts or other folks will chime in with what happened later. It is an island after all, word gets around to all sorts of places.

For those who do move over, the first six months is probably full of all sorts of new insights and advice that others who would want to move would really want to know. So, if possible, when you move over - keep in touch and let folks know how things go.

[Futuremauian]

Originally Posted by whtviper1

Ok, I'll say it - maybe she's not really here? Seems like when you can really use CD the most is when you get to a place you've never even been to before. This final post I just arrived thing seems really odd - as if she knows detailed questions would be coming she can't answer.

No doubt that thought has crossed many minds (including mine). It would be humiliating to admit defeat after talking a good game. The face-saving way out would be to say: "I made it in spite of what you all said", and then disappear for good. Who knows?
Either way, I hope this thread doesn't cause anyone "less lucky" to believe they can follow suit.