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Ok I need some advice... I am a single mother. I have a degree for medical assisting and have also done medical coding and billing for a year so I'm not worried about finding a job once I'm there. My main concerns are... health insurance how long does it take to get and I need some input on what I should do I ran into some money this year so I have about 35000$ to get myself set up. Should I use most of that for a down payment bank a condo and get a mortgage?? Also how are the schools my daughter will be starting kindergarten ... I'm going to visit my friend who lives in Hawaii in 3 weeks where I planned on getting most of this taken care of as far as looking for a place. I'll be in Hawaii for 11 days then I'm flying home and hopefully coming back for good with my daughter ... comments concerns ideas are very welcome!
Where in Hawaii? Suggest you get a job and rent for a year. Employment for a year or so is usually required to get a mortgage. It would also give you time to decide exactly where you'd be happiest. Enjoy Hawaii!
You asked how long it would take to get health insurance. Assuming that you would get insurance through your employer, I would think the answer would depend on what the employer offers. Have you actually looked at what kinds of jobs in the medical field are available and what the salaries are?
Regarding the down payment for a condo, perhaps the best place to start would be to see what is being advertised for sale to see what you can afford. From there your financial adviser or lender should be able to tell you how much you need for a down payment. Don't forget that condos come with hefty HOA fees and may not include parking. I think that Harpaint gives excellent advise about renting first.
There have been a ton of posts on this forum about cost of living, where to live, commute times, etc. as well as discussions about the various schools. You may want to spend some time reading through them. Depending on where you are coming from, the cost of living may be a lot higher than what you are used to.
It's great that you have a friend here and you are coming for a visit; we see a lot of people who want to move here sight unseen because they can't afford a visit to check things out.
As a single mother, how good is your support system where you are? Considering the REALLY expensive cost of living in Hawaii, you may not have much leftover $$ to pay for childcare assistance. Will your friend be able to help with childcare?
I have a friend who had to move to the mainland to be near her family when she became a single mom because she couldn't keep up with work and childcare.
Maybe while you're visiting you'd be able to check around for employers. Depending on where you work, that would make a huge difference as to where you'd rent. Traffic into town from the less expensive places to live is HORRENDOUS. Taking more than two hours out of your day to sit in traffic when you have a child to care for as well, would put a lot of stress on things. So live as close to work as possible.
Thirty five thousand dollars is not a lot of money. The congress is going to alter Obamacare and no one knows what that looks like. You already have an list of essentials before you move anywhere: health insurance, diabetes medicine, childcare and a place to live. What happens if you become ill? Any family in HI to assist you? Is some family member going to fly to HI to help out? Whatever your motives are for moving to HI are irrelevant, but the challenges are real and immediate. Those who suggested renting and finding a firm, good paying job first are spot on. Be very careful. Good plans tend to have hiccups. Good luck.
In some areas of the mainland, $35K could almost buy a house and then there'd be no mortgage payments. Hawaii is nice, but it's not a place that's easy to live. If you had a paid for house and a job, you'd be able to frequently vacation in Hawaii which is a way nicer experience than trying to live here.
I am a mainlander transplant so I know the expenses of moving and living here by myself with no dependants or debt, and its still hard financially.
It can cost $15k-$20k just to fly here with all your belongings, home search and to pay a deposit on an apartment. Once you have employment, tiny Condos start in the $400k range. Can you live in 600 sq ft? Hawaii is expensive to live by yourself, but adding a dependent will make it even more expensive due to childcare expense. I just paid $4 for a half gallon of milk, $5 for head of lettuce, and $5.50 for loaf of bread.
All typical expenses totaled, I would never move here without an $80k job in writing.
If you move here and can't make it financially? Its costs thousands to leave, so we have a HUGE homeless problem from people chasing dreams, but now live under a tarp in the park with no way off the Island.
Unless you have someone here willing to let you live rent free indefinitely, don't risk it.
I think Oceanus provided very good advice. I would take his advice seriously.
Living in Hawaii is hard enough without the additional challenges of medical issues or being a single parent.
I'd also like to add that the maintenance fees on condos are typically in the $500-600 range. So assuming you have 20% downpayment on a 400k condo, your mortgage cost will still be $1500 plus the maintenance fee plus utilities plus real property tax plus insurance. You're probably looking at $2300/month just on housing expenses. Renting can be cheaper, you're looking at maybe $1500/month plus utilities for that 600sqft condo oceanus mentioned.
If you move here and can't make it financially? Its costs thousands to leave, so we have a HUGE homeless problem from people chasing dreams, but now live under a tarp in the park with no way off the Island.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but I was told from several people that the homeless population has a lot to do with mainlainders buying homeless people in their city one-way tickets to Hawaii. Especially people in San Francisco
For the OP, I would say don't have any great expectations for the schools to send your daughter.
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