Moving to Kona for business owners (Kealakekua: car rental, real estate, renters)

[IPHBali]

Hello! My husband and I are both small business owners. Our businesses are somewhat mobile. My husband and I lived in Bali for 15 years before relocating to the east coast 3 years ago. We go away for one month in the winter but my oldest daughter is now in Kindergarten and will be in 1st grade next year. So escaping winter during school year is no longer be our reality.

We missed our way of island life (gardening all year, diving, surfing, spear fishing, etc) but moving back to Bali is just not feasible. Getting in and out of Indonesia for visa runs, complicated business practice, and poor infrastructure/ water and air pollution due to overcrowding population. Our businesses can be based anywhere within USA but we chose to move back to the east coast because we wanted to be closer with our family. We still own a home in Bali and we will sell it when we find the right place to live. We have long terms renters for the last 3 yrs.

Currently we live in a beautiful resorts/ cute beach town in New England. Don't get me wrong! it's beautiful in the summer. BUT Winter is long and rough for us tropical islanders. We spend a lot of money to escape winter (we also work and conduct business while we're away). I want our kids to grow up outdoors surfing, hiking, diving etc. It's hard to be active outdoors when we get brutalized by northeastern winds with a single digit wind chill.

I've been to Oahu twice for one month combined.. My husband visited Maui sometimes ago. We are going to check out Hawaii again next winter. Ive always thought Hawaii is a good compromise between Bali and the mainland USA. I'm interested in Big Island because it's the least expensive island in the Hawaiian islands (real estate). Rental in Big Island and a resort town in NE are about the same, actually it's higher here due to high property taxes.. I think expenses will be about the same.. maybe 15% more but we are saving a bit from paying $500/ month heating bills.

We are going to check out Kona area next winter from Jan-March. Do you think I can enroll my daughter who will be in 1st grade in school for 3 months only? Can I enroll my daughter in Hawaii public school by providing a rental agreement? I'm renting a 2BR condo in Kona through AirBnb. Is there short term workshop/ small tradesman space to rent around Kona areas? Should we buy a cheap car or rent a reliable car for 3 months? Thanks in advance for your inputs!

[Dreaming of Hawaii]

There aren't a lot of people on this forum who live in Kona. I suggest that you also post on Konaweb.

Car rental rates are fairly high here. Renting a reliable car means going through the big agencies. There may be some "rent a wreck" companies, but I think their cars can barely make it down the road. May be better to buy something cheap and resell it when you leave.

[terracore]

The BI is nothing like Oahu or Maui, and at about 4000 square miles, bigger than all the other Hawaiian islands combined, and roughly twice the size of Bali. I wouldn't recommend hatching your Kona idea without first performing a minimum 2-week reconnaissance trip to the BI to understand why we have 10* of the world's 14 climate zones.... with Kona, in some people's opinion, being one of the least desirable of them. In other people's opinion, the most desirable. You won't understand until you've experienced them.

* Some people say it's only 8. Whatever, it's probably not what you're used to.

[IPHBali]

Thank you for your inputs. Neither of us have been to BI that's why we are going to spend 3 months in BI next winter. We have no expectations just feeling the vibes and seeking the possibilities living in Hawaii. I'm hoping I can enroll my 6yr old daughter in school in January through end of March since I have mix feelings about public schools in HI. Definitely looking at the housing market.

I'm VERY familiar with two, very different, polar climate zones.. tropical and north east USA. We're picking Kona this time because I think it's a practical part of BI for both business and schools. We also need to be very close to the beach for the kids.

[KaraBenNemsi]

There's work space you can rent around the Kona Old Industrial area. Also near Costco/Home Depot. Depends on what line of biz you two are in you can look at Kealakekua in South Kona. There're maybe some spaces next to Kawaihae Harbor, and that's where the most sandy beaches would be for the kiddos. Don't shy away from leasehold farms owned by the Kamehameha School trust. There you get the most land, privacy and often spectacular views. Some agricultural requirements but they are often bendable. If the leases come close to their renewal you need to come up with cash, because banks don't finance them anymore.

I wouldn't worry about Hawaii's public schools when it comes to elementary school. Last year of middle school and high school altogether is what you want to avoid (sex, drugs, violence). But your kids are young so you will have ample time to find the better schools (there are a bunch).