Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I lived on Maui for six months and loved it. just so you dont get island fever i did they say if you stay for two yrs your o.k I was single when i lived there but if i had my own familly i would have stayed it is heaven on earth so much aloha
Shanove what decision did you end up making?
I am in a somewhat similar situation. My husband's job has him relocating to Hawaii and neither of us has ever been there before. His actual office is in Kihei Maui, however he doesn't need to physically go to the office often if at all. He will be required to travel extensively throughout the Hawaiian islands and Polynesia. We own a home that has nearly 100K in equity, he will be making twice his current salary and I am on long term disability settlement which can be collected anywhere. So we don't really need to be on any particular island. I was considering Molokai and Maui. I was planning on renting out our home for about a year or so to see if we liked it and wanted to stay. If so then sale and either find a fixer upper with a decent amount of land or buy fee simple land and purchase a house kit from one of the local companies like KBM or Multi-Facefted Homes.
Shanove what decision did you end up making?
I am in a somewhat similar situation. My husband's job has him relocating to Hawaii and neither of us has ever been there before. His actual office is in Kihei Maui, however he doesn't need to physically go to the office often if at all. He will be required to travel extensively throughout the Hawaiian islands and Polynesia. We own a home that has nearly 100K in equity, he will be making twice his current salary and I am on long term disability settlement which can be collected anywhere. So we don't really need to be on any particular island. I was considering Molokai and Maui. I was planning on renting out our home for about a year or so to see if we liked it and wanted to stay. If so then sale and either find a fixer upper with a decent amount of land or buy fee simple land and purchase a house kit from one of the local companies like KBM or Multi-Facefted Homes.
It's tough to understand what it might be like without a visit. I can't wait to move to Maui, but I wouldn't want to live on Molokai or Lanai. Way too rural, and perhaps less accepting of newbies.
I suggest that you try out life on Maui, and make some forays to other islands. If Maui is too rural, try Oahu.
Best of luck to you!
Futuremauian,
Thank you for your reply. I am concerned about Molokai, not a single traffic light! Lanai was completely out of the equation. Although rural doesn't bother me too much. I wouldn't mind living in the upcountry as long as I could drive to civilization periodically. Then again that might get on my nerves after a while. I am wondering if I should put some thought into Oahu. You have given me something to think about. The only reason I was considering Molokai is that they have a lot more available land at affordable prices. Well at least what I have found.
This isn't the perfect equation by any means and it is very unsettling to me, but I am trying to make the most of it. The only other choice I would have is to not move and see my husband every three months or so for a couple of weeks. Although there are times that sounds nice I don't think that even the strongest of marriages could withstand that. I have a lot of concerns and wish that I could have at least vacationed there once or twice before this hit us. We went to Europe this year for vacation and I was planning on Hawaii next year. I guess it's just coming a little earlier than I thought.
Futuremauian,
Thank you for your reply. I am concerned about Molokai, not a single traffic light! Lanai was completely out of the equation. Although rural doesn't bother me too much. I wouldn't mind living in the upcountry as long as I could drive to civilization periodically. Then again that might get on my nerves after a while. I am wondering if I should put some thought into Oahu. You have given me something to think about. The only reason I was considering Molokai is that they have a lot more available land at affordable prices. Well at least what I have found.
This isn't the perfect equation by any means and it is very unsettling to me, but I am trying to make the most of it. The only other choice I would have is to not move and see my husband every three months or so for a couple of weeks. Although there are times that sounds nice I don't think that even the strongest of marriages could withstand that. I have a lot of concerns and wish that I could have at least vacationed there once or twice before this hit us. We went to Europe this year for vacation and I was planning on Hawaii next year. I guess it's just coming a little earlier than I thought.
You should rent out a while on Molokai, and its not going to change anytime soon. Lanai on the other hand looks like it'll have some upgrades in the future, but still a whiles away.
I followed Futuremauian's advice and started looking at Oahu. It does seem that there are a lot more rental options. I am now starting to look at rentals there in addition to Maui. I know that it is the most populated island, but it seems that it might be a good place to start for 6 months or so to get a feel of the rest of the islands. I definitely don't plan on selling my home here and purchasing until I am very comfortable with the decision to do so and which island to choose. If you already like big cities and are already used to long commutes with a lot of traffic will Oahu seem that bad? I would like to know what other people who were used to traffic jams before they moved there think of the traffic on Oahu.
I followed Futuremauian's advice and started looking at Oahu. It does seem that there are a lot more rental options. I am now starting to look at rentals there in addition to Maui. I know that it is the most populated island, but it seems that it might be a good place to start for 6 months or so to get a feel of the rest of the islands. I definitely don't plan on selling my home here and purchasing until I am very comfortable with the decision to do so and which island to choose. If you already like big cities and are already used to long commutes with a lot of traffic will Oahu seem that bad? I would like to know what other people who were used to traffic jams before they moved there think of the traffic on Oahu.
Maywin,
Another thing to consider is that if your husband will be flying regularly to other islands in Polynesia, he will be forced to go through Honolulu Airport. Living on Oahu should reduce his travel time. Even a trip from Kauai to the Big Island requires a stop in Honolulu.
Agreed. Maui is quite lovely in that respect. My idea of traffic is a bottleneck of cars in little Paia town on a Sunday afternoon, because meandering tourists cross the highway anywhere they want instead of the crosswalk.
In fact, that minor stop-up allows me to see what new boutiques and coffee shops have opened up. Thinking of actually stopping at the Tortilla Burrito Company next jam.
Thank you for your input everyone. I have seen read some posts of people that claim to like driving and traffic. I don't really enjoy traffic per se, I lived in the San Francisco area for a while and traffic there was pretty bad. Where I live now I have to travel a minimum of 30 minutes to get most places. I guess you get used to whatever you set your mind to getting used to. I have learned to make a lot of mix cds so I don't have to listen to commercials with one or two songs every thirty minutes.
Futuremauian you bring up a very good point about the airport. What about outside of Honolulu? Is the traffic bad on the whole island or just near Honolulu? What area of town is a good area to live in? I was looking at Kanohe, but since I don't know the area it's all a crap shoot at this point. One of my husbands supervisors happens to live in Wahiawa and he says he likes it, but overall doesn't care for Oahu as it is too crowded for him. I am looking to spend around 2500 a month in rent.
I also have a five year old to consider and after reading absolutely horrible things about the public schools system (why is this btw anyone have any guesses or solid reasoning/explanations?) I am considering private school or home schooling.
Is Oahu a little more receptive to non-locals? I do like the idea of Maui, I have heard it is really laid back. That sounds very nice, but Maui doesn't have a whole lot of places in my budget range though.
Thanks again everyone.
Last edited by 7G9C4J2; 10-21-2013 at 08:49 PM..
Reason: removed unnecessary link
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I don't think that even the strongest of marriages could withstand that. I have a lot of concerns and wish that I could have at least vacationed there once or twice before this hit us. We went to Europe this year for vacation and I was planning on Hawaii next year. I guess it's just coming a little earlier than I thought.
