Is the grass greener in Maui? Contemplating relocating from Saint Paul. (Hilo: real estate, lease)

[maui-intoxicated]

So me and the wife came back essentially Maui Drunk, me more than her but I am 1/2 committed to moving to Maui now. To the point where I have a realtor coming to assess my 3yr old mortgage situation, and I already had a phone interview for a job out there.

I feel if I plan properly to move there and continue to be the savvy guy if not a more savvy guy I can live pretty comfortably.

Fun facts so you guys can weigh in on my decision.

31 yr old Caucasion, wife is 30. We both don't do a ton around town during the weeknights, mainly because her job is strenuous on-call 24/7. We own a golden retriever but no kids, are not attached to any personal belongings and are actually quite minimalist. We do love the weather and the oceans and the whales and all of the towns in Maui. We've visited most... I've lived 3 other places she's only lived 2hrs from home. I currently have a monthly cost of living at $4000. Combined we make a bit over 100,000 and we don't party much, i don't drink at all. We eat and live healthy and simple and are minimalists at heart...

Reason we are interested in leaving is plentiful but the shortlist is this:
Climate, snow sucks!
Friends don't come by as much since we stopped partying
Not interested in having kids for a few years
My career will allow me to maintain a 70-80k/yr salary.
Rebecca is interested in part-time work, and wondering if 20-30k part time is a reality in Maui.
My employer would allow me to "work remotely" which essentially I do 1-2x a week as it is.
Mom and Dad and In-Laws favorite place to vacation, parents have been 3x, in-laws 6in the past 14yrs.
The "easier laid back" atmosphere. We are trying to understand I feel that we are sick of the fast-paced go here, do this, do that, suburban city life.

With the above facts, is this something that might be right for me and my wife? I am pretty determined and she is not a risk-taker at all, but when she was there she was loving the solitude way of life. We understand that is vacationing that is part of that...but I feel this will give her a kick in the butt to find a new line of work, or else just take it easy for a bit and ease into mother hood while I continue to work...

I have researched and gotten serious enough where I am talking to the realtor Saturday to see about unloading my home here in Saint Paul. The transition is a bit confusing to me, but I anticipate the process something like this.

1. Sell current home...breaking even is fine but if I lose money I wont move to Maui.
2. Find housing in Maui. We liked Lahaina, Kihei, Wailea and would settle in Kahului. Suggestions welcome and I am willing to pay $1800-2000/month with 1 income on housing. With my above figure you realize that puts me at $4000/month disposable income so $2000 in monthly living expenses.

Would we be able to find a 2br for this price?

Question: I would presume I should do a short-term 6month lease until I can find a viable property to buy...

3. Figure out how to get my 80lb 11yr old golden to Maui.
4. Firesale belongings from 2200 sq ft house, 4br 2ba, and a cpl bonus full of stuff, the boat, the motorcycle, the truck, SUV, sports car and Tahoe.
5. Ship 1 vehicle from Cali to Island...potentially a motorcycle as well I don't know yet.


I would presume the process would be get a contract in motion for current home, at that time begin lining up housing in Maui somewhere close to whatever is an IT district, or Nursing economic potential for the wife.

Some general questions for you guys are this:
I would need the fastest internet available, what would that run me a month...I currently pay $80/month + $130/month 4g wireless. And do I need to take this into consideration while finding housing?

Is setting a 3month timetable to get this done aggressive? Do people usually spend time going back and forth checking out places or is it kind of get to the island, and then worry about a more permanent thing? I am kind of worried about burning time and money simply finding the RIGHT place for us to rent.

Privacy is something we value #1... obviously giving up the 3/4 acre might put a damper on privacy but is it still feasible to live in a more private place?

Thank you ALL ahead of time and I've read and learned a ton already from this forum! Mahalo!

[maui-intoxicated]

Oh and yes, this is a serious case of Maui fever. But hey I'll let you know if it wears off.

[oregonwoodsmoke]

The very first thing you want to do is to start the paperwork procedure for the dog. It's not difficult, but it must follow a very precise time table, everything must be in order, and it takes several months to complete the process.

[MitchTempo]

Originally Posted by maui-intoxicated

2. Find housing in Maui. We liked Lahaina, Kihei, Wailea and would settle in Kahului. Suggestions welcome and I am willing to pay $1800-2000/month with 1 income on housing. With my above figure you realize that puts me at $4000/month disposable income so $2000 in monthly living expenses.

Would we be able to find a 2br for this price?

Question: I would presume I should do a short-term 6month lease until I can find a viable property to buy...

I would presume the process would be get a contract in motion for current home, at that time begin lining up housing in Maui somewhere close to whatever is an IT district, or Nursing economic potential for the wife.

Some general questions for you guys are this:
I would need the fastest internet available, what would that run me a month...I currently pay $80/month + $130/month 4g wireless. And do I need to take this into consideration while finding housing?

Our housing market is very tight right now and to give you an idea, at under 400k (using 2k/month for an estimate) for a single family home (I excluded condos from the search) there is 21 in the areas that you mentioned that do not have contracts on them at this time. I ran the search for homes, since you probably want the yard space for the dog. There are some new houses going up in Maui Lani Kahului that are 3 bed 1300 sqft homes, for under 400k, with a 3000 sq ft lot. (There are about 40 active condos on the market at this time in case you are wondering)

Since you mentioned the size of your current home as well, among these homes there is only 2 over 1400 sq ft. and the rest between 800-1100 sq ft. Its a good thing you're minimalist, because downsizing to something half the size will be about right. Lot sizes are around 7000sqft to 10,000 sqft average in this price range.

note: this is for straight 400k loan amounts, if you're adding a sizeable down payment the list grows obviously.

We don't really have an IT district, but if I were to call it one it'd be Kihei Technology Park. That's where Boeing, US Defense, Akimeka etc have offices in, but we don't have a computer store like Fry's or even a Best Buy. Radio shack/officemax/wal mart/Costco for computer supplies but I buy my stuff from newegg and ship.

[HiloDiver]

What OWS said, call your vet TODAY and make the first appointment. All of the info is on the HI Dept of Ag dept; I recently moved here with two dogs so feel free to PM if you have questions after looking over their site.

And no matter WHERE on planet earth you move, I think it's foolish to buy right away. Real estate is not a liquid investment. If you end up hating your neighbors or hating Maui or hating living in the Pacific, you are stuck with it. Rent for six months to a year. Yes, I realize that renting with a big dog might prove to be a problem but then again, it might not. Granted, it's Big Island but a friend of mine has rented two different homes here, really nice ones, that let her have two 50 lb. dogs. We rent a gorgeous furnished home and the landlords welcomed our two small dogs. It can be done if you're good at searching.

[maui-intoxicated]

Originally Posted by HiloDiver

What OWS said, call your vet TODAY and make the first appointment. All of the info is on the HI Dept of Ag dept; I recently moved here with two dogs so feel free to PM if you have questions after looking over their site.

And no matter WHERE on planet earth you move, I think it's foolish to buy right away. Real estate is not a liquid investment. If you end up hating your neighbors or hating Maui or hating living in the Pacific, you are stuck with it. Rent for six months to a year. Yes, I realize that renting with a big dog might prove to be a problem but then again, it might not. Granted, it's Big Island but a friend of mine has rented two different homes here, really nice ones, that let her have two 50 lb. dogs. We rent a gorgeous furnished home and the landlords welcomed our two small dogs. It can be done if you're good at searching.

Thanks Hilo Diver. I never understood why people pulled the trigger so fast when it comes to real estate transactions. I think emotions get involved a lot of times. I've bought and sold enough to know it's worth searching just a little bit more. I can understand the competition is probably thick, but a deal is a deal and that's the name of that game...you just need to get the deal done.

As for the dog I appreciate the input. I will make sure I begin the paperwork as soon as possible. I do understand renting with a dog could be a hassle, but I will find a place...even if I have to entice the landlord with an extra pet deposit I am confident it will work out. I also realize a lot of folks own dogs as guard dogs, and not so much as a "pet" in Maui.

[GER308]

Not sure if it is greener but I remember it being pretty good.

[topchief1]

My wife and I spent a week in Maui a year ago, visiting a friend who lived in Haiku. It was very nice, but I had commented at one point that while everything around was very pretty, I didn't think that we would appreciate it as much if we lived there full time, as opposed to visiting on occasion. Regardless, go for it, the worst thing that can happen is that you move back.

[OpenD]

Originally Posted by maui-intoxicated

I do understand renting with a dog could be a hassle, but I will find a place...even if I have to entice the landlord with an extra pet deposit I am confident it will work out.

Take the time to Search the archives for previous discussions on this topic. Landlords are not allowed to collect "extra" deposits, and doing so could set them up for issues if you later had a conflict over payment/deposit that wound up in court. They can set the rent whatever they wish, but are limited to collecting a month rent and a month deposit. That's "another little difference about living in Hawai'i" #1,007.

[maui-intoxicated]

Originally Posted by OpenD

Take the time to Search the archives for previous discussions on this topic. Landlords are not allowed to collect "extra" deposits, and doing so could set them up for issues if you later had a conflict over payment/deposit that wound up in court. They can set the rent whatever they wish, but are limited to collecting a month rent and a month deposit. That's "another little difference about living in Hawai'i" #1,007.

Will do. I am clearly in the early stages of this decision. I heard a ton of dogs, and saw a ton of dogs riding in trucks around town so I am confident something will work out. My dog buddy is part of our family. I understand he will pass too as nothing lasts forever.