Moving to Volcano area - so many questions... (Hilo, Mountain View: for sale, rentals)

[b_a]

Longtime lurker here. Sometime next year, my wife (Hilo-born, with friends and family on-Island) and I are planning to move to Volcano from Oregon. We've decided upon this area for several reasons, but mainly proximity to her mother in Mountain View, temperate climate, and affordable housing. I've got some questions to start with (which I'm sure OpenD would tell me to do a search for, if he wasn't too busy to post here!) that hopefully I can get current answers to:

1. Do I need to be on-island to do a job search, or will I be able to do any preliminary work from Mainland? My experience is in automotive/truck parts mainly, but I have picked up some diagnostic competence, computer networking and electronics as well as a CDL with endorsements from working for a school district transportation department.

2. If we need internet, do we need to find a house (rental or purchase) with a current internet hookup and have it transferred into our name to get cable or DSL? Satellite is just an expensive PITA, from my experience at a VRBO rental in Aloha Estates last fall.

3. Is there any OTA TV up there? I see PBS has a translator in the area. Looked at an online tool and it seems like its pretty bad.

4. If we ship a 20' container, should we just buy an ocean-certified one here and sell it when we get there?

5. Any place for a guitarist to jam? I don't play slack key but am good with what I do...

Seems like a good place to pause. Thanks for reading - look forward to hearing from you all.

[hotzcatz]

Can you live with your mother in law for a month or so while you settle in? Can she ask around for rentals for you?

You'll probably want to rent first, you may find that you prefer a different location than Volcano once you try it out. The climate can change within several miles, mostly because of a change in elevation. Or you may find that Volcano is perfect and then you'll have time to find the perfect house.

Mountain View is pretty central on the Hilo side, so you'd be able to rent pretty much anywhere from Volcano to Hilo and still easily visit with mom. For traffic reasons, if it were me, I'd stay somewhere along that Hilo - Volcano corridor and not do the Keaau-Pahoa highway.

For your job search, most of your talents seem to lie in the areas where employers want to see the prospective employees except perhaps for the computer work. You could see if DOE needs a school bus driver, that may not pay all that well, but it might be a start. I'm not sure if that would be through the DOE (our school system is a statewide system so there's only one) or if Roberts (a tour bus company) does their buses. You could ask DOE and find out, I suppose. Automotive and truck parts would be based out of Hilo so living on the other side of mom might be helpful for commuting if you ended up in Hilo. Or you may find you prefer living in Hilo itself. So until you find the job, you won't know your daily commute so renting would be best.

Does mom have a spot to park a container for awhile? Then you'd not have to unload and sell it immediately. If you get an insulated aluminum container they're the most useful afterwards. If it's a high cube (taller than usual) one, then you could even add windows and doors and convert it to living space. Most properties are allowed a guest house of less than 500 square feet.

[leilaniguy]

For your OTA channels check with the FCC OTA map of Mountainview HI. They say 5 channels, less the higher up you go.

[b_a]

We'll probably VRBO it for a month or so until we get rental/purchase figured out. Have you ever tried living with a older relative that lives alone? We really liked the climate in Aloha Estates over Mom's place in MV - cooler and less mosquitoes - so we figure near the Village ought to be better yet, plus in a more "urban" area.

School buses are all contracted out, so that would be working for Roberts. I'd rather get something in government since I'm used to working in that setting, but I'm afraid I may be too haole to be considered. Just scares me spitless to move somewhere without employment.

Not sure about parking a container at Mom's - can it be stored at Shipman Industrial Park? Anyone know what that costs? Haven't seen anything in an insulated aluminum container, or a hi-cube 20' either for that matter - just the regular steel ones that are graded from chicken coop up to certified ocean worthy. Wonder if it's better to order and buy one from Matson than our local container dealer.

leilaniguy, that FCC map completely ignores translators. I use tvfool.com and it shows a PBS translator (virtual channel 10) registered to Kilauea Military Camp on channel 41 that should be watchable. Anybody on here that can verify? I guess if we can get hi speed internet we can stream, or bite the bullet and pay Dish or DirectTV.

[whtviper1]

Originally Posted by b_a

I'd rather get something in government since I'm used to working in that setting, but I'm afraid I may be too haole to be considered.

Uh - "haole" - your racist term - mostly get premium jobs. It is what it is.

[hotzcatz]

for myself, I've always considered haole more of a descriptive term than a racist term, although I suppose it does describe race so perhaps it is technically racist, but that term leaves a bad taste in folk's mouths. I figure folks use the Hawaiian word "haole" 'cuz "Caucasian" is hard to say and spell.

Well, for government jobs, other than being haole, the other drawback is being "not from around here". That's actually more critical. Government jobs are considered to be desirable jobs so they will frequently go to someone the person hiring knows if possible.

[b_a]

Perhaps I should have said "Mainland haole." I don't consider it racist either, just a way of saying "low on the melanin scale." Although my wife is local haole and was pretty badly treated back in the day at St. Joe.

[hotzcatz]

There was a container for sale on Craig's List. I forget the details, but they were asking over $5K. So, that might give you an idea of what an empty container is worth. It was a high cube, although I forget how long it was.

Would some of the trucking companies or a storage place have a place to put a container? Every time you move them, though, it costs money so you don't want to be shifting them around real often.

[Dreaming of Hawaii]

Is there really a good reason for the OP to buy his own container? He said that he was thinking of selling it after he arrives. Is it really cheaper to buy your own container? What about all of the logistics of arranging to have it shipped?

[b_a]

Well, if I can purchase a container for $2600 here in the NW, and sell it on BI for $4000, seems like I'm money ahead, doesn't it?