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Our family is considering a move to Oahu. I've read tons of threads and seen all the good and the bad. We have made several big moves in our time, the last being small town on the Eastern side of the US to Southern California. So we've experienced big changes in cost of living, culture, etc. We are pretty adaptable. We would not be moving without a job or anything ridiculous like that. We're not crazy people just looking to live the Hawaiian dream. We would be moving for a great job offer that my husband is entertaining. I have some specific questions that I am really hoping some of you can pitch in and offer some good advice. We are a family and we have children in elementary school. As I mentioned this is a good job for my husband but doesn't make us rich by any means and certainly not by Hawaiian cost of living standards. We would be living modestly on a budget but we're pretty well accustomed to that here in So Cal. So here goes and again thank you for any feedback you can give...
1. What is so terrible about the schools? I've seen several schools that had terrible ratings but I've also seen several that have excellent ratings. Are they all bad? Is safety a concern? Or are there just areas we should avoid? Private school is really not an option.
2. My husband would be working at the airport. What areas should we look at that would be a decent commute, affordable and have good schools.
3. What's up with the bus lines? Is this a good mode of transport? Is it feasible my husband could take the bus to work? Is it necessary for us to have 2 cars?
4. Temporary housing...what do people do in the beginning? It seems many rental places or people only want to deal with you if you are already on the island, not to mention if we bring our furniture we will certainly get there before it?
5. And furniture/belongings...I've seen many people say you should just sell or store everything on the mainland and begin acquiring things there or look for furnished rentals etc. What is everyone's take on this?
I'm sure I have many many more questions but this will certainly get me started. Again I appreciate any and all feedback that can be given. It's a big move and I want to have our bases covered and try to figure out what we need to negotiate for as far as a relocation package goes...
5. And furniture/belongings...I've seen many people say you should just sell or store everything on the mainland and begin acquiring things there or look for furnished rentals etc.
There are several aspects to this that you might not ordinarily consider for a mainland move...
1. Homes in Hawai'i are generally smaller than mainland homes, so there is typically less room for all that stuff.
2. Lifestyles in Hawai'i tend to be more relaxed, and clothing and furniture styles are similarly more relaxed.
3. Not all furniture is suited for the higher humidity of tropical climes. IKEA type pressed wood furniture in particular doesn't seem to hold up well.
4. The cost of shipping a lot of stuff to Hawai'i is high. If it isn't essential to your life, why bother?
2. My husband would be working at the airport. What areas should we look at that would be a decent commute, affordable and have good schools.
Both my DH (husband) and DS (son) work at the same facility on Ahua Street which is by the airport. We live in a condo (that we purchased) in the Moiliili area. We all carpool to/from work, my DH drops me off and picks me up downtown as both he and DS drive to work. I do get a bus pass from work - this morning I rode the bus. But I can also walk to work if I feel like it (2 miles one-way). My husband has cycled to/from work as well (prior to my DS and I arriving).
3. What's up with the bus lines? Is this a good mode of transport? Is it feasible my husband could take the bus to work? Is it necessary for us to have 2 cars?
The Bus does get us where we need (see above). Tonight my DS has to work overtime so he will ride the bus home as opposed to carpooling with my DH. We shipped one vehicle here and sold the other vehicle we had on the mainland. We (my DH and I) will never have more than one car. Since my DS is almost 20, he will at some point purchase a vehicle. Where he will park it if he is still living with us, is a whole other issue.
4. Temporary housing...what do people do in the beginning? It seems many rental places or people only want to deal with you if you are already on the island, not to mention if we bring our furniture we will certainly get there before it?
My DH moved in March (he has been here almost a year now) and stayed at a hostel for a month (he hated it), then found a roommate for another couple of months (the roommate ripped him off in the end) and then moved into my dad's condo after my dad went back to the mainland for the summer. When my DS and I arrived mid-June, all of us were staying in my dad's condo while waiting for our condo to close at the end of July. All of the stuff we shipped was placed in storage here, except for our vehicle which we were using.
5. And furniture/belongings...I've seen many people say you should just sell or store everything on the mainland and begin acquiring things there or look for furnished rentals etc. What is everyone's take on this?
We downsized from 1,457 sq ft to 488 sq ft - pretty easy to do the math - our furnishings were not going to fit. We did ship some furniture (to include Ikea furniture that was not yet put together). Once we moved into our condo we purchased the following: queen mattress and frame (had the frame made here - another story in itself), sofa, dresser, bar stools, an entryway table, lanai furniture, and two upright storage units for the lanai. We also shipped our TV and TV stand, computer. The Ikea furniture shipped included a desk, and 3 Expedit shelving units of various sizes. A couple of nightstands that we shipped were a no-go once we set up our place, no way they would fit.
3. What's up with the bus lines? Is this a good mode of transport? Is it feasible my husband could take the bus to work? Is it necessary for us to have 2 cars?
The bus lines go all over the island and are pretty frequent. My wife used to ride the bus to work every day and still does on occasion. Monthly passes are $60, and some companies subsidize the pass price. The down sides are that the bus rider population of people that are not professionals can be rather unpleasantly odorus. I'll stay away from stereotypes at this point and just mention that the code of ethics for open seats is different here than on the mainland. Some cultures that live here have not been exposed to things like giving up seats for women or the elderly, or they just don't care....I'm past the point of caring which it is and have just accepted it as fact.
We sold 1 car prior to moving, and shipped the main one. Very glad to have shipped the main one, and it's still a great (paid off) car. Sometimes it would be nice to have a second car, but where would we park it? Parking is at a premium in town, we wold have to pay both to park it at home and work...another $150-$200 a month for that alone. Car insurance is higher here than Washington state.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Camiller26
4. Temporary housing...what do people do in the beginning? It seems many rental places or people only want to deal with you if you are already on the island, not to mention if we bring our furniture we will certainly get there before it?
I came over 2 weeks prior with a list of places to check out from craigslist. I stayed in an inexpensive hotel until I found the first place where we could stay. We stayed in that first "starter place" for a few months until we scoped out what area we truly wanted to be in. Seeing locations in person on the priority list that I made from the mainland changed the order of the places completely.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Camiller26
5. And furniture/belongings...I've seen many people say you should just sell or store everything on the mainland and begin acquiring things there or look for furnished rentals etc. What is everyone's take on this?
I never liked furnished places, but that's just me. We sold all our furniture and only brought what we could ship in flat rate boxes and bins on the plane. Re-furnishing is time intensive and costly. I try to tell people to give some serious thought to what it actually costs to replace things that you have built up over many years. Plus, I'm picky, so it took a while to re-furnish over here. The prices are higher and there are fewer places to get stuff. It can be done though, just be prepared to be patient.
A friend of ours moved to Maui several years ago and she kept her belongings in storage. She numbered and inventoried the contents and would have family send over specific boxes as she needed. This seemed to work well for her. We didn't mind downsizing everything.
Our family is considering a move to Oahu. I've read tons of threads and seen all the good and the bad. We have made several big moves in our time, the last being small town on the Eastern side of the US to Southern California. So we've experienced big changes in cost of living, culture, etc. We are pretty adaptable. We would not be moving without a job or anything ridiculous like that. We're not crazy people just looking to live the Hawaiian dream. We would be moving for a great job offer that my husband is entertaining. I have some specific questions that I am really hoping some of you can pitch in and offer some good advice. We are a family and we have children in elementary school. As I mentioned this is a good job for my husband but doesn't make us rich by any means and certainly not by Hawaiian cost of living standards. We would be living modestly on a budget but we're pretty well accustomed to that here in So Cal. So here goes and again thank you for any feedback you can give...
1. What is so terrible about the schools? I've seen several schools that had terrible ratings but I've also seen several that have excellent ratings. Are they all bad? Is safety a concern? Or are there just areas we should avoid? Private school is really not an option.
2. My husband would be working at the airport. What areas should we look at that would be a decent commute, affordable and have good schools.
3. What's up with the bus lines? Is this a good mode of transport? Is it feasible my husband could take the bus to work? Is it necessary for us to have 2 cars?
4. Temporary housing...what do people do in the beginning? It seems many rental places or people only want to deal with you if you are already on the island, not to mention if we bring our furniture we will certainly get there before it?
5. And furniture/belongings...I've seen many people say you should just sell or store everything on the mainland and begin acquiring things there or look for furnished rentals etc. What is everyone's take on this?
I'm sure I have many many more questions but this will certainly get me started. Again I appreciate any and all feedback that can be given. It's a big move and I want to have our bases covered and try to figure out what we need to negotiate for as far as a relocation package goes...
1. What is so terrible about the schools? I've seen several schools that had terrible ratings but I've also seen several that have excellent ratings. Are they all bad? Is safety a concern? Or are there just areas we should avoid? Private school is really not an option.
2. My husband would be working at the airport. What areas should we look at that would be a decent commute, affordable and have good schools.
Since you mentioned your husband would be working at/near the Airport, I would recommend the Salt Lake, Moanalua areas. There is quite a bit of Condos and single family homes. You didn't state whether you are attempting to buy or rent. But I am basing this purely on location to work.
Some of the better public schools, Moanalua Elementary, Middle and High School are also in that area. I've known several people who've sent their children to these schools and they all speak highly of all three. Honolulu Magazine consistently ranks Moanalua at or near the top of all the Hawaii public schools.
3. What's up with the bus lines? Is this a good mode of transport? Is it feasible my husband could take the bus to work? Is it necessary for us to have 2 cars?
My limited experience with the bus was that it was fairly cost effective and pretty efficient. My sons used the bus more than I did and found it to be a really good and easy mode to get around the island; just needed a little "housekeeping."
4. Temporary housing...what do people do in the beginning? It seems many rental places or people only want to deal with you if you are already on the island, not to mention if we bring our furniture we will certainly get there before it?
There are temporary housing units in Waikiki, you need to research that and get your reservation in early. I know the Ilikai has temp housing; and probably others in the immediate area.
5. And furniture/belongings...I've seen many people say you should just sell or store everything on the mainland and begin acquiring things there or look for furnished rentals etc. What is everyone's take on this?
You need to scale down the amount of large items you will be bringing over. If it is important to you both utilitarian or sentimentally, then make the decision. But as some else mentioned, the housing is much smaller than you may be used to. I live in California and some of our older California Bungalows are small (1200- 1500 sq ft), if you're in one of those, then you may not have too much of an issue.
Easy to pick up stuff off Craigs, etc. (start w/air matresses) We downsized to nothing but realized an additional suitcase was cheaper than shipping so I packed minimal requirements, a few hand tools, one set of silverware per person, etc.
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