Advice needed for moving to Hawaii

[Steve Eady]

Every state and city have there ups and downs. I live in what I call Deading (Redding) CA, population about 150,000. Our unemployment rate is down now to about 14%, another 25% on welfare, a good job is part time and maybe 10 cents over minimum wage "if you can find one". I built my own 3000 sq ft home here on 5 acres for $ 340,000 about 20 years ago. I add that up with the $ 4,500.00 I pay in just property taxe every year for 20 years, totals $ 90,000 plus the original 340,000 Lets be reminded I spent 9 months of my hard labor building it (its a very nice custom hm) and it all totals out to $ 430,000. If I sold it now I might get $ 450,00 for it minus realator fees and all the other selling costs. This was a bad investement period, I will losse money. So how bad can it be in HAWAII LOL LOL I can hardly wait to move there, at least the diving is good.

 

[DebbyDiver]

Thanks, Steve, sounds pretty sucky where you are now, sorry! When are you moving to Maui?

We are diehard renters. How lucky we are that we rent here...nobody is going to be able to sell their home for anywhere near what it's worth on this island for a very, very long time. We can just stick our stuff on pallets, or in a container, and never look back.

 

[Thalassamania]

The property tax situation is somewhat better (though I disagree with your math, property tax is not part of the cost of the house, it does not add value to the property, it part of your cost of living.) You got bit by the housing bubble, just like everyone else. You built a house at a cost of $340,000 that is now worth $450,000. Sounds to me like you made out better than most of the folks I know.

Anyway, if you build or buy a house here, you should file for "homestead" exemption(s) immediately. Once they send the tax bill it's too late. This is especially true if you are 60 or over, it makes a huge difference. It also has some bankruptcy protections. Details: http://www.hawaiipropertytax.com/Forms/pdffiles/HOME EXEMPTIONS Brochure.pdf

 

[Steve Eady]

I will be moving there within a year at the most, I hope alot sooner. I realy do not look at property tax as a cost of living, if the tax was at a fair % I woul;d not complain. OH well I would never own a home again, just going to rent.

 

[gkndivebum]

[...]So then, what we need to do next is get a quote for shipping the vehicles. Does anyone know which shipping companies come in to Hawaii? The shippers I used to get here from SoFla only ship within the Caribbean. Shipping SoFla-STX was very uncomplicated but I'll bet STX-HI is going to be more complicated.[...]

I've shipped several vehicles here to Hawaii, twice with Matson (POV – Book Your Car – Matson: Automobile, Vehicle, Auto, Car Move Shipping Transport to Hawaii, Guam, Micronesia - Matson Booking) and twice with Horizon (Domestic and International Overseas Car Shipping and Global auto transport services from ShipMyVehicle.com : Car, Motorcycle, Automobile and Vehicle Shipping overseas to Alaska, Hawaii and Puerto Rico. Get quotes, cost and rates for shipping a car.). My experience with Horizon was more positive. All four vehicles were shipped here from southern California (ports at Long Beach / LA); logistically I am not sure how it will work from southern Florida to here but there will obviously be some sort of land transport before hitting a port on the west coast.

 

[DebbyDiver]

THANK YOU GNKDIVEBUM! I didn't know who ships to HI, thanks. I'm guessing our stuff has to go to Miami via Tropical Shipping, then via rail car to LA. Just guessing.

Our home here was burgled for the second time in a week last night; they now have pretty much all of our dive gear and our big home generator. We spent the day purchasing security items and the guy's here now installing it. I'm sure that HI has it's share of theft too, but I'm so p.o.'d right now that I'm ready to pack up by the weekend.

 

[Hockeynut]

THANK YOU GNKDIVEBUM! I didn't know who ships to HI, thanks. I'm guessing our stuff has to go to Miami via Tropical Shipping, then via rail car to LA. Just guessing.

Our home here was burgled for the second time in a week last night; they now have pretty much all of our dive gear and our big home generator. We spent the day purchasing security items and the guy's here now installing it. I'm sure that HI has it's share of theft too, but I'm so p.o.'d right now that I'm ready to pack up by the weekend.

Think positive, now there's less stuff to ship. They're saving you money!

 

[DebbyDiver]

:mooner:

 

[knotical]

...Our home here was burgled for the second time in a week last night; they now have pretty much all of our dive gear and our big home generator. We spent the day purchasing security items and the guy's here now installing it. I'm sure that HI has it's share of theft too, but I'm so p.o.'d right now that I'm ready to pack up by the weekend.

I feel your pain, even though our experience was over 30 years ago. While living in Guam our house was broken into, stuff stolen, and the place trashed. We felt both depressed and violated. While we were cleaning up a neighbor/friend came by and insisted we stop what we were doing and go out for an evening on the town with them. Great advice. During the evening, we came to realize it was just stuff. ymmv

btw, not long after that we moved to a security-conscious condo - and someone stole my pickup truck with several hundred dollars worth of tools from the parking lot. Even then I laughed at the irony.

 

[DebbyDiver]

Thank you for your post, you made me giggle!

We agree, it's just stuff; however, my partner is a tugboat captain and is often away from home...hence my fear. We had a guy install a BUNCH of security stuff today and he's coming back tomorrow; meanwhile my partner is taking time off work to stay home with me until the security guy is done. And I picked up an application for a firearms permit.