Telecommuting and home schooling -- Will I buck the trend? (Kihei: rental, houses)

[jgriffi1]

Originally Posted by dply

Do you have pets?

No. Our dog died last year and we've purposely held off on getting another one.

[dply]

Originally Posted by jgriffi1

No. Our dog died last year and we've purposely held off on getting another one.

Sorry to hear.

[jgriffi1]

Originally Posted by KoaKine

That's a good plan . Do you plan on bringing a car or 2? If you use something like AFB pods or the like its $3900 each there 6x7x8 high with a 200lb limit. cars will run you $2300 ea aprox I paid $2190 from western NY a 20' container will run you 8 grand.

Some food for thought.

I'm still not sure about the car. When the time got closer, I was going to figure out whether it would be best to:

a. ship my car there and back (probably not cost effective)
b. ship my car there and then sell it when I leave to come back to VA
c. leave my car here and buy a cheap used one there and then sell it again when I leave
d. leave my car here and lease/rent one for a year
e. drive my car across the country to Cali (we have friends all along the way we've been wanting to see) and then ship it from there (which would presumably be cheaper than from the East coast)

[jgriffi1]

No feedback from anyone on the car issue?

[Calico Salsa]

Didn't see a question in your post about the car...seemed like you were just thinking in text, in your post.

Kind of hard to answer without knowing more about the car. And you didn't mention the option of selling your car there.

What kind of car is it? Is it worth storing? What's the resale value? What's the emotional value? Is it paid off?

As you pointed out, it would be costly to ship here and back, for just 1-2 years use.

A good basic car or SUV or truck would be easily sold here, but probably not as much market for a high-priced specialty car. For the latter, you would easily get more money for it on the mainland.

Is it a fancy car? Remember the sun and salt will take a toll on the paint and undercarriage.

Have a high resale value? Maybe you should sell it there and buy a cheap 2-year car here, or a truck to haul around your recreational gear during your adventure.

Paid off? Then it's easier to calculate whether you get value or not. If not paid off, and you decide to store it there, then you are paying twice for a car you aren't using, and still having to get some transportation here. Maybe better to sell it, if you can, and start over when you return.

What are you going to do when you return? Would you still want the same car?

Renting a car here would be too expensive. Do need a status car? If not, buying a used car would probably work for you.

If you like the thought of driving across country, maybe you should take the drive and sell the car in CA. But then that might bog you down looking for a buyer and doing paperwork when you are trying to get on a flight to come over.

[UHgrad]

Originally Posted by jgriffi1

No feedback from anyone on the car issue?

Car will cost you about $2500 each way per vehicle from VA. It will take a month, maybe 6 weeks to transport. If you drive to the west coast it will cost about $1100 per car each way. I recently moved from Oahu to VA (hampton roads) so that is how I know. I would recommend just getting a car when you get there. Hawaii has the most cars per capita of any state if i remember correctly, and most used cars will sell for close to what you bought them for two years later. Whatever you drive, make sure it has A/C. The sun there is no joke!

shipmyvehicle.com

As far as your overall plan, it sounds fine to me. My advice is to bring as little as you need to get by, most fun things in the islands are free or relatively cheap. Posessions can just be stolen or cause conflict when you try to protect them. Petty theft is an issue in the islands, wherever these people on the forum live that they leave their doors unlocked... was not the neighborhoods I lived in. My place was burglarized twice in the 9 months before we left, just minor stuff, most likely drug related given the ice problem in the islands, but that was one of the reasons we decided to relocate. My previous place, near the university, was burglarized as well and all of my tools were stolen. If you have a surfboard, bike, snorkel, and kayak you can entertain yourself for quite a while. If you are a strong type-A personality you may be frustrated and feel out of place, I only say this because you are from the DC area and have a high income, which I see a lot of up there. Ask questions, listen, don't tell people how things are better where you came from... smile, wave, lend a helping hand. You will probably encounter some *******s but overall the folks, in my experience, are very friendly over there. (I have some friends from Lahaina and Kihei so I visited a fair amount but I did not live on maui). Bring plenty of sunscreen and have a good time. If you are a person that likes a slower pace you may never want to leave, especially since you are making over 2x the median household income for the state and maui has possible the worlds perfect climate for human beings (especially upcountry where it is a little cooler).

[mdand3boys]

What kind of car is it? Mileage? Overall condition? Paid for?

You can save a bundle on shipping costs if you drive it yourself to one of the West Coast ports and it may make sense for you to do that. Drive it the the port and fly back to Virginia about 3 weeks before you move. Gas and the one-way plane ticket back might cost you $600, plus you get to see the country along the way. This way, your vehicle gets to Hawaii just before you do, saving you the cost of renting a car when you get there.

[HankDfrmSD]

Originally Posted by arodrigues88

You're right, anyone can move anywhere they want because they can. BUT you just don't move across country and 3,000 something miles into the Pacific ocean just because. Again, if you're just planning on going for a couple years, it sounds more like a vacation than actually having the experience to live here. I'm not trying to bring you down on moving or anything but it doesn't seem realistic to move your family and your things all the way from VA to Hawaii just for two years. Like I mentioned earlier, IF you guys do decide to make this move, please do your research correctly and weigh out all your options as far as places to live and what island. Don't just move on a limb because you will be very disappointed. Again, it's completely different from living in Hawaii than just visiting for a few weeks or so.

That is one point of view, but there are others. I am particularly reminded of the Navy officers I knew who moved about once every two years in the fifties and sixties for "career-enhancing" transfers. Families pullled up stakes regularly, from New London, to Hawaii, to Guam, to Washington DC, to San Diego, to.............

I knew many who were none-the-worse for it.

Hank

[jayteefoster]

There's a world of difference between going into the military and what this guy is talking about. In the military, you go in knowing you'll be moving every couple years, but you also know that pretty much everything will be taken care of: you'll have a home, a job, and a network of soldiers and others in the community to help you along.

Little bit different than telling the kids one day "Hey we're moving to an island for two years! You have to leave behind all your lifelong friends and just when you start to make new ones, we're moving away again!"

[jgriffi1]

The kids are on board, they're excited. They know we're coming back and we're pretty sure we'll have a decent stream of visitors. Maybe 1 year is more practical than 2. The beauty is that it doesn't matter. We'll go with the flow.

Thanks to everyone for the car info. It's a 2006 Odyssey. By the time we get to HI in a year or two, it will have over 100K miles on it. Definitely not worth shipping it back to VA if we do end up bringing it.