Is Relocating to Hawaii Doable . . .

. . . or is it just whatanyone thinks - instead of vacationing there every summer, maybe I should just move there!

A preliminary, initial search indicates that on Oahu, the condos around Diamond Head average $250K, and the housing market around Honolulu averages around $300K, although the square footage is small - often less than 700 square feet - and the structures are historical (and not necessarily in a good way).

Apartments appear to cost around 1200.

The opportunity for a transition job doing hotel work appears to be possible, although career work appears to be more of a challenge, according to the book, "So you Want to Live in Hawaii."

And of course, funding the Hawaiian adventure comes with its own hourglass - placing a limit on the freedom to lie on the beach between employment.

While I suppose one could fly back and forth for the occasional interview, I would never hire someone who didn't already live there.

The question is:

While one can research issues of employment, housing, etc., to limit risk, unless one is self-employed or has it like that, one still is hoping to make it where many, including non-California Carpetbaggers have failed, including hoping that someone will provide an opportunity to live the rest of one's life in paradise (or atleast Oahu) as opposed to be considered another mainlander on a Hawaiian adventure.

Is the risk of pursuing the thrill and possibilities - only to come up empty and be forced to return, broke, to the mainland outweighed by the security of a mainland existence, with occasional Hawaiian vacations?

I say just go ahead and take a chance. You will have the gratest challenge of your life, "not knowing"......

This thread "Living In Hawaii" is useful:

http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic=10909&forum=1

but raises another question, set forth by Maui Tiki, is living in a 700 foot cottage and doing hotel work on Hawaii all good - or is it merely a case of the grass being greener?

A friend of mine did it for a while in his 20s after working at Hughes, but then came back here.

Of course, doing office work and paper shuffling here the rest of one's life, even if you get to live in a larger place, not too far away from the ocean, is hardly anything to get excited about.

The following Q & A frames the issues (which appear to boil down to employment and housing):

1.) Is there a reliable, accurate website or websites I can go to to find jobs and apartments?

2.) In your opinion, based on my experience, where do you think I can best find a job. (ex. Honolulu?)

3.) Can you paint a picture of my costs and challenges relocating?

For item 1, not really, you can try http://www.monster.com, and the local newspapers websites. [http://starbulletin.com/ and http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/]
Honestly, it will probably be easier to look once you arrive and contact a professional placement agency, as well as ones located in the outer islands. Perhaps you can try contacting an agency directly now, before you move.

2. Definitely Honolulu, although I understand many people live on the outer islands and commute (yes, via plane each day) to Honolulu and back home. They do this because the costs of property is significantly lower in other places (except Maui, its expensive there too).

3. Unfortunately, I have no professional experience with relocation costs. I only have my own personal experience. When I moved, I only brought my luggage and sent three boxes. But that’s because I didn’t know if I was going to stay here for very long. How much moving will cost depends entirely on what you want to move and from where. If it’s a whole house, I recommend you look into the large shipping (freight) companies. (Try searching Google for “moving company”.) Depending on the time of year, your move may be somewhat cheaper. I would avoid the tourist season (May-August) and the holiday season mid-November-mid-January). The housing and job markets get very sluggish from about Thanksgiving until mid-January.)

Consider putting aside as much savings as you can spare set aside for the costs of the move, your flight, getting storage, renting cars, having to make a security deposit (usually 1 month’s rent), making copies, phone calls, and purchasing items you’ll need when you move in, as well as to cover your expenses for at least two to four months. In Honolulu, rent for a single person in a one bedroom can run from $700 to $1,200, gas is about $2.35 per gallon, the city bus costs $2.00 per ride (there are transfers for extended trips), cars (if you decide to buy a good quality used car) run about $2,000-8,000, electricity may run from $30-$70 per month for a single person; automobile registration is about $120, while food depends on where you shop and whether or not you eat out.

The biggest challenges you will face will include finding housing and employment. Because you will settle the issues of where to live and work when you arrive (that’s exactly how I moved here!) I would recommend that you make at least a two-fourth month contingency plan trying to anticipate what you will need and what it may cost you.

When I arrived, I put the bulk of my belongings in storage and proceeded to visit all the islands, with my resume and other credentials in tow (you’ll want to bring bank statements in case for when you apply for a rental). [Now that I think of it, bring copies of your final “credit” statements for electricity/gas, phone bill, and where you currently rent. Since you have no references on the island, everyone (phone company, electric company, the bank, and the land lord) will want t know that you are a worthy risk.] Also, pay a visit to the local bookstores as soon as you arrive, they sell the best maps of the islands.

Transportation: Plan on renting a car. Although there is a bus system, next to a bicycle, a car is the easiest way to get around. Especially when you are exploring neighborhoods. There are both national and local automobile rental agencies. Consider the latter, the cars aren’t perfect, but they are much cheaper. I rented a “so-so” car for a month at $200. Be prepared to have a cellphone or to buy many rolls of quarters for calling jobs and places to rent. Consider getting a P.O. Box shortly after you decide which island you’ll move to.

The other major challenge is simply keeping it all organized and expecting the unexpected should things not go as planned.

Another challenge will be adjusting to the oddities of life in Hawaii. It’s the U.S., but it is different. Violent crime is low, but property crime is high (my car has been broken into twice, my home once, and I’ve had mail packages stolen). Its paradise, but you’d be surprised how much traffic and stress there is here in paradise!

Culture and Language: there is a common local “pidgin” dialect that many people of all walks of life use. (I‘ve even picked up a bit.) I found it a little confusing at first, but it gets easy after a while.

There are some “cultural norms” here that are different from the mainland. Nearly everyone removes their shoes before entering someone’s house, drivers rarely honk, the elderly are treated with greater respect, men rarely wear suits or ties, you always bring a small token when invited to someone’s home for dinner, flower lei are given for all occasions of note (birthdays, arrivals, departures, for new hires, honored guests, and honored hosts, etc.), “Aloha” (Hello) and “Mahalo” (Thank You) are used frequently, and being open and friendly to your neighbors and co-workers is much appreciated and in many ways expected.

Life moves a little bit slower here (except where looking for housing is concerned), that said, expect to wait a little longer for some things to happen. (The mechanic, the plumber, the lines at the phone and electric companies and the shops.)

http://www.askanowner.com/qa/view.asp?s=1&qid=149816

The First time I moved to Hawaii I was 20, moved to Maui (Lahaina)to teach scuba diving.
Maui especially was great.Lots of Californians living there.BUT.... when it came time to look for accomodations you had to act quick.As soon as the paper came out you had to act wiki wiki, the rooms/houses for rent went FAST.One place I went to go see ended up being basicaly a tree house.Another place I went to see, there was a for sale sign out front, (the guy said, Oh, don't worry about that).It was definetly hand to mouth living, working 6 days a week (12 hr. days..)living on macaroni and cheese...LOL! most of my friends went and lived over there at some point after school.Living like that is fine when you are young and single.My wife and I talked about moving over, but as you seem to be realizing, you really need to have a game plan if you want to make a good living and get ahead over there.I figured it costs roughly about 30% more to live there then the mainland.

Tiki Dug should really weigh in on this one!

On 2005-03-21 21:43, Island Savage wrote:
The First time I moved to Hawaii . . . Maui especially was great.

Aloha Island Savage,

Have you lived in Hawaii multiple times?

Have you lived on an island other than Maui?

There's a fine guide to relocation here in the state site.

[ Edited by: filslash 2008-09-13 12:12 ]

Hey you moved to paradise. Try NYC with a duffle bag and $400.00 in your pocket.

Ok I was a little crazy.

While relocating to hawaii is not for everybody, my own personal experiences have all been positive. I left california about 2 years ago and moved to kona on the big island. While I am not earning the same money I made in California my spirit and my soul are healthier & happier than ever. When considering what Island to move to I looked at oahu, maui, and The big island of hawaii. oahu is fun & beautiful but also expencive and crowded. Oahu has the best Employment opportunities but the traffic and cost of living are too close to California. maui is beautiful but also has a cost of living out of my range and the traffic there is also a big negative factor. i chose the big island because the deals are much better for housing. The traffic on the big island is confined to a few blocks around Downtown kailua-kona but the rest of the island is your own Private Playground. The big island is twice the size of all the other island combined. big island hawaii cost of housing is also the best of all the islands. real estateis climbing but there are still lots of great deals on big island housing, especially compared to what you are paying in california. As more and more people discover this, kona is rapidly becoming kon-ifornia. If you are seriously thinking of relocating to hawaii I recomend living here for at least a month and not in a hotel. There are lots of vacation rentals in neighborhoods where you get a feel for the island lifestyle as a resident and not as a tourist. If you are interested in sampling the big island, I offer my kona vacation rental as an option. To learn more, please go to: http://tikiislandhawaii.com/index.html or http://www.tikiislandhawaii.com and it check out. But all the Islands offer similar Rental Deals on the internet. When you stay in a Home you get the feel for going Grocery Shopping and the other routines of life as a resident. Employment opportunities on the big island are plentiful as well but the pay is not great. hawaii has the lowest unemployment of all the states in the usa but we also have the highest number of workers with 2 jobs to earn a living. You only need a part time job with 20 hours to get full health benefits however so that is a Big Plus. I also recomend the book, "so you want to live in hawaii'as a good reference on relocation information. My only problem with moving to hawaii is a reverse island fever. I enjoy my life on the islands so much that I am now uncomfortable with the idea of ever visiting the mainland usa or any continent again!
If you have any specific questions on hawaii relocation, you can contact me through my tiki island vacation rental or [email protected].

[ Edited by: tikidug on 2005-03-23 09:07 ]

[ Edited by: tikidug on 2005-03-25 11:23 ]

Moving to Hawaii was a real temptation for me... but instead of moving to the Islands, I moved to Island, Ky. It would just be too hard to establish a similar life in Hawaii. Got a nice 3200 Square foot home (1500 sq ft is basement) for $116,000! All monthly bills (water, electric) run about $120 a month on average. You can drive 25 miles to work and it only takes 30 mins. One murder every ten years in my county (of 15,000) and maybe four houses get broke into each year. The beach is a 10 hour drive, but I'm only 2 hours from Kentucky Lake, 2 hours from Nashville or Louisville, 4 hours from St.Louis, Indy, or Cincy. Our salaries look low, but cost of living is so much cheaper... Plenty of money to go out to eat, save for kid's college, vacation twice a year. Turns out Paradise was closer then I thought.
Turns out Paradise was closer to home then thought.

[ Edited by: Rorysm on 2005-03-23 08:33 ]

did it in 94. felt like i had been there before. made friends in the surf in 3 days, had an "auntie" at work, tourists asked me questions like i lived there my whole life. i was 24, shaved head, tattoos, 200lbs, surfed a longboard well in bigger surf, and drank alot of cheap beer with the bruddahs. i was the opposite of the long blond haired californian rippers. life was great.

Here is a board dedicated to such issues:

http://www.hawaii.com/phpBB2/viewforum.php?f=7&sid=850b771c9818760ddddd37f837d12f2e

After learning homes near Honolulu are around 700 squ feet and cost $300,000, I realized I had underappreciated the cost of living in a "little grass shack on Hawaii:

This bungalow comes with its premade tropical jungle for under $300 in metro Oahu - close to Waikiki - but only 700 square foot http://www.hicentral.com/properties/prop_detail.asp?listnum=2502109&type=mls

This is a beautiful condo at $200K, near a beach, but it is on the East Leeward side of the island, so a drive from Waikiki or Honolulu.
http://www.hicentral.com/properties/prop_detail.asp?listnum=2415647&type=mls

Beautiful with balcony and grounds at $255, but only 800 squ feet in Central Oahu, off the fwy
http://www.hicentral.com/properties/prop_detail.asp?listnum=2500214&type=mls#

Diamond Head 2/2 at $250K with 1030 square foot reminds me of the Village Green, but no balconies and no patio (one photo set is much better)

http://www.hicentral.com/properties/prop_detail.asp?listnum=2502307&type=mls#. http://www.hicentral.com/properties/prop_detail.asp?listnum=2502379&type=mls

The same (Diamond Head 2/2 - 1030 squ ft. $255K ) with balconies, but no grounds.
http://www.hicentral.com/properties/prop_detail.asp?listnum=2500637&type=mls

The prices dont seem any higher than they are here in O.C. In fact maybe less.

On 2005-03-24 19:13, christiki295 wrote:
... I realized I had underappreciated the cost of living in a "little grass shack on Hawaii:

Not cheap to be sure, but not too off the mark of what folks pay here in NJ & in the metro NYC area. My understanding is that porperty taxes are a lot cheaper in Hawaii too.

Plus, you have to keep in mind that if you lived in Hawaii you'd probably spend a lot of time outside. So, the relative size of your place would not be as big of a deal as it would in other places.

Good luck!
Tiki Chris

On 2005-03-25 00:26, Tiki Rider wrote:
The prices dont seem any higher than they are here in O.C. In fact maybe less.

They are cheeper than a similar size in Ventura.

Why Hawaii? You could go to the Cook Islands and live way cheaper. They speak English and are friendly. The native culture is largely intact. Tourism is pretty low, so there is not a lot of that crap. Real paradise that is such that you can afford to live, not work like hell to barely live.

The down side is living in a primitive land. If you have kidney failure or something, you risk dying on the island. But, hey, you wanna live in paradise? The Cook Islands, for beauty, is like Tahiti on overdrive, at 1/10th the cost!

On 2005-03-25 14:11, Swanky wrote:
Why Hawaii? You could go to the Cook Islands and live way cheaper.

Way to think outside of the box. I suppose I never thought of living and working in a foreign land.

Why Hawaii? You could go to the Cook Islands and live way cheaper

Easier said than done.It's not like you can just pack up and move to the South Pacific.Unless you have a highly specialized skill that no locals can fulfill, or have LOTS of money, then it is basically impossible.( I know first hand, I have lived in Tahiti, Fiji and Samoa amoung other places.)The Cook islands are ESPECIALLY strict.You are supposed to have Hotel accomodations before even entering the country.And they keep tabs on tourists big time.If you overstay your welcome, they WILL track you down, and then bar you from the country for 5-10 years.

[ Edited by: island savage on 2005-03-25 18:44 ]

On 2005-03-25 00:26, Tiki Rider wrote:
The prices dont seem any higher than they are here in O.C. In fact maybe less.

While I'm not sure using the current ridiculously inflated value of SoCal housing is a worthwhile standard, true, the condo prices are a little less.

The cost of the homes are less per house, but more considering the age (and probable poor condition as a result of the age) and square footage, the costs are extremely higher.

Nevertheless, it's not the housing costs in a vacuum, but the housing costs relative to the lower salaries and the higher living expenses, which is the issue.

It also is the knowledge that if things don't work out and one is forced to return to the hyper-inflated SoCal housing market (even if prices cool as per the recent UCLA report), one is still out quite a bit in the efforts to return to the So Cal housing market.

I always wonder if I have the evidence all around me that moving to Hawaii is not that easy, when I consider California has the highest amount of islanders living outside of Hawaii.

The TC response is also split:

Regarding moving to Hawaii, two have stayed:
Filslash and Tikidug.

Two have returned from paradise: BigKahuna627 and Island Savage.

having moved to Hawaii in 2000. here's our story. Moved to Oahu one of us had a job lined up (although hadn't fiqured in hawaii state taxes off our paycheck)personally Oahu sucked just like any big city so moved to the big island in 2001. prices for land and houses much cheaper than Oahu but the jobs don't have great pay. construction work on the big island is booming at the moment and you would get good money there.
Hawaii real estate market is in an upswing at the moment i.e. 1 acre of land in our area you could buy for $1000.00 - $5000.00 is selling for $20,000- $40,000 and more(at least it's listed at that!)
I think if you feel like moving to Hawaii go for it!!! The worst that could happen is you will end up back where you started. Life in Hawaii is expensive food, gas rent etc. We had planned only to live on Oahu temporarily and had arrange our vehicles to arrive on Oahu and rented accomodation normally 1 yr lease. we have found Hawaiian express to have good rates for shipping items to hawaii they are based in Ca.
have you heard how great the scottish hospitality is? Well the people of Hawaii I've met have had the same attitude and made me feel more at home but with better weather.

The price of Waikiki renting is also quite steep. Typical is a needle in the sky studio - $1000 for 600 square feet.

http://www.hicentral.com/properties/prop_detail.asp?listnum=2412579&type=rental

This 2 bedroom house may be a better deal at 1,000 in Honolulu. http://www.hicentral.com/properties/prop_detail.asp?listnum=2405068&type=rental

i live on the east coast, ocean city, md. hawaii really is the other side of the world. i had to ask myself, how many times would i see my parents again. once a year, every 2 years?.... same for my 2 brothers. a plane ticket for one, not too bad. plane tickets for a wife a daughter also, really begin to add up.

My boss just breezed into our office this morning and announced he and his family are selling everything and moving to Hawaii in six weeks. He has been talking about it for years and finally decided to go for it.His wife already has a job as a teacher and he will be working at a hospital, lucky skunk!

WOW! I wish I could go to work and make an announcement like that! Oh well, perhaps one day soon.

I've lived in Hawaii for the past ten years. I spent time here once or twice a year for the ten years prior. From what I've seen there are a couple types of people that come here. There are people that move here and (either immediately or eventually) assimilate and adopt some or all of the local idiosyncracies and basically are open minded and can roll with stuff and accept when things dont work quite the same as on the mainland and are willing to make concessions (I dont consider these things concessions really, but for lack of a better word...) these people usually staick around.

Then there are the people that try to bring their world here and expect things to work "the way they did back home" and they want to bring us all up to speed on the right way to do things. They usually last about a year or two. Fun to watch sometimes, but a pain in the ass to do business with.

The biggest thing to remember is that the outer islands are essentially a minor outlying province. Things are a little off but pretty great. Our clocks run slower and our lunches tend to be longer and when the surf is up dont be surprised if half your crew doesn't show up til noon. (Best solution for that one is to be in the water before them, get an hour of board time in and then say "well, it's getting kind of blown out- we may as well go to work")

And my advice to anyone who wants to do the outer island thing is maybe think about skipping kona- it's really getting filled in fast. I'd say the hamakua side or South Point, Naalehu area- but the growth is even reaching out there. Molokaie, perhaps.

Aloha and good luck- Toby

Lots of good information here.
My friend wrote the book "So, you want to live in Hawaii" I'd recommend it. It will answer all your questions.
http://www.booklineshawaii.com/book/bgb/625366.html

When I moved to Maui back in 1979 there were tons of jobs but no where to live. The cycle turned to not many jobs in the mid 90's, now we are back to plenty of work but no where to live. The problem is that the average person will never be able to afford their first home on Maui. if you have a home to sell, you have some money to put down. You'll have to downsize for sure. the average home on Maui is now around $800,000. the cheapest condo I've seen is about $350,000. Be careful when buying a condo. You may be able to afford the payment, but remember the association (or maintenance) fees. They'll kill you. My parents own a condo on Maui and were just assessed $5,000 for a new elevator.

pets are difficult to bring over, so if you have a Dog or Cat, start the process with them 6-8 months before you move. Reptiles are out.

Good luck. As an employer of a handful of people, I see them struggle paycheck to paycheck. They enjoy the lifestyle, but eventually realize they'll never be able to afford a home and have a family over here. They usually last 3-5 years, if they can make it through their first 6 months. I had two employees within the last year quit within three weeks of starting and move back to the mainland, because they couldn't make the lifestyle they were used to work for them on Maui.

Let me know if you have specific questions and I'll do my best to help you out.

Pet Quarantine is only a month now, I believe- and there is a quarantine facility on the Big Island (We used to have to do that in Halawa, Oahu). I agree with the sad situation of people living paycheck to paycheck, and I pretty much quit hiring mainland employees for the reason that you stated- they never stuck it out (Though I do have one older gentleman that has lived here and Alaska for 14 years, but he's a tough old guy!) I have had to adapt quite a bit to work here- not really a bad thing, just different. I hire all locally grown kids and train them. Despite what some may say the local kids I've hired and trained have turned out to be pretty diligent, attentive craftsmen and hard workers (when they're there!) We're pretty casual about showing up in the morning and knocking off in the afternoon- something that didn't happen on the mainland but amazingly enough once I accepted it as a fact of life I found that my life was better for it. And ten years later I'm still solvent.

... you could become a bounty hunter and catch drug addicts... make a million dollars... land a cable tv show deal... write a book... do a comic book series on your adventures... you could be the tiki bounty hunter with full leo zulueta sleeves (fakes available at walmart)...

... with a future like this who needs a past...

... honestly, become a bounty hunter, or sell pharmaceuticals... guaranteed work for many years to come...

Funny- I kickboxed with Leland Chapman a couple times a few years back. Nice kid- tough kid- rough upbringing.

Something I remembered that I'd left out earlier- just the concurrance that yes- you need to do a bunch of the pet legwork with your vet on the mainland in order to save them all kinds of time in the clink.

[ Edited by: T_lifehater 2005-12-28 17:23 ]

Found an article about moving to Kauai to share...
Escape to Hawaii
(they must have some great investments..."We came with no intention of looking for jobs")

Way to think outside of the box. I suppose I never thought of living and working in a foreign land.

It is funny for me to read this thread for many reasons. First the comparison to Hawaii and here in Key West; the costs, which are about the same, the real estate which is MUCH cheaper there (80 residential properties sold here in 2005 at an average of $1.1 MILLION each!, condos are NO less), the makin ends meet, 2 jobs? try 3!....well not me, but many do! Buy a house and raise a family here? HAHAHA :lol: That's a joke! And I half grew up here!

The second thing that intrigues me is the almost naive fear about making the big move. I guess I've been lucky, I grew up a Navy brat and a son of a hippy :wink: I went to Afghanistan, Pakistan and India when I was 17....ALONE! :o I've got around 40+ countries under my belt, most 2nd, 3rd and 4th world, and I've lived in 6 different nations. So when I read about getting used to how things are done in HI I just laugh :lol: When I was a younger man my school chums used to ask me how did I go to all these places (this is after I started doing it on my own) and my answer was/is "just get on the plane". Now Swanky says go to the Cook Is., and another says no way, and the latter maybe right, BUT if you really want to go live the 'vida loca' it is VERY possible! Hawaii? PLEASE! It's still the USA.....mostly. Granted there is the questions what will I do with the dog, kids will I ever see my folks again etc......BUT that is not the real question now is it?! The real question is WHAT DO YOU WANT TO DO WITH YOUR LIFE!?!?! :lol: :evil: :lol: This is the BIG serious absolute question in the end. Believe me if you want to go to HI I am sure it is quite do-able and it sounds like the big island even has some deals real estate wise still. The consideration is what will your compromises be, can you not live as a mainlander anymore and only see your folks every other year for a week (I was so out of touch with mine in the late 80's when I lived in OZ that my Mom sent a postcard to my last known address frightened of the worst....and for good reason but that is another story :wink: ) can you really not live in NJ, or CA and get your daily fix of the local culture you grew up with and know so well, is that REALLY needed in your life. Do you need to have a professional career "future" (whatever that is in this post Reaganonmics era) with plenty of square footage, income, pension, medical, how will you feed the kids dog, myself?.........Ahhh this is all fear factor, you'd be amazed what you can do if you want to, ESPECIALLY if you are single. There are 1000's of jobs and ways to make a living all over the world, Viet Nam has so much possibilty it is amazing! Or how about Brazil? South Africa? China is simply BOOMING! On and on it goes, bottom line is if you want to move to the 50th state or Puerto Rico to live in the palm tree's sway it is very possible, it's just a matter of can YOU personally handle the compromise and is that what you want out of your life? Remember life's not a dress rehersal, you get one go and it's over for good. :wink:

Me, I'm still looking and mulling over where we'll buy 500-1000 sq. meters of beachfront to build and open a South Seas style bar and grill. Still hoping to find something in Mindoro, Philippines......the fool that I am :blush: :D

Oh, and one more thing to remember, where ever you go, there YOU are!

[ Edited by: Rattiki 2006-09-11 01:46 ]

BTW now that it is a year and a half after this thread was started, christiki295 did you ever go?

On 2006-09-11 01:33, Rattiki wrote:
BTW now that it is a year and a half after this thread was started, christiki295 did you ever go?

Thank you for inquiring, but no, or atleast, not yet.
As I have lived all of my life, except for schooling, in Southern California, picking up in moving seems like a drastic step, and makes me nervous.

However, some life altering events have occured and are on the horizon, involving family and employment, which may provide motivation, or at least less of an anchor. In addition, a (former?) girlfriend who is relocating to Maui next year made a passing reference to me joining her.

I had wondered if moving to Miami Beach was more doable because of the cheaper real estate, but after seeing Al Gore's An Inconvenient Truth, I am wondering if oceanside real estate in Florida is such a good investment.

In the interim, I have been struck by who many ways Southern Cal resembles Hawaii:

1. Palm trees galore
2. Beaches
3. Hula shows in the park
4. wide-open expanses of land, parks, golf courses, etc.
5. mountains on the horizon
6. balmy nights
7. Tiki bars (even more than on Hawaii!)

Nevertheless, I have not forgotten the advice of Humuhumu, who remarked that even if one goes and has to come back, one is still better for the experience.

Also, I have never had an extended period of time away from work in my adult life, so maybe I should take advantage and make it happen, lest I always wonder, "what if?"

This thread is too funny - as I have done the exact OPPOSITE of what you are all contemplating. I grew up on Oahu, and by 18 I was ready to get off this tiny island and "see the world"! Went to college in illinois for 4 years, then lived in Santa Monica for about 5 years following my Hollywood Dream. Every time my wife and I would visit my parents back in Hawaii I'd wonder why I ever left. Clean air, beautiful beaches, AMAZING weather. Soon the hectic life of the entertainment industry took too much of a toll on us and we sold almost everything and got out of LA. We knew we wanted to wind up in Hawaii, but we took a detour for a few years in Japan to have a bit of a "life adventure" that we meant to try after college but had put off to start our careers. Moved back to Oahu in 2000 and couldn't be happier. It was a bit rocky at first - the dot-com startup that hired both of us went belly up a week after we bought a house - but in the end we put together our own business and are very happy (albeit occasionally either way over worked or alarmingly under-worked) :)

It is not uncommon at all for companies to hire folks from the mainland. My father does it all the time when hiring engineers, and I know of several artists and designers who were "headhunted" from the mainland. If you have a lot of experience in your field, chances are Hawaii needs you!

PS - Ms. VanTiki is from Illinois - and she hasn't experienced "island fever" (unlike a lot of transplants I know) but the drivers here drive her nuts (me included!).

http://www.vantiki.com

[ Edited by: VanTiki 2006-09-11 19:56 ]

On 2006-09-11 16:56, christiki295 wrote:
In the interim, I have been struck by who many ways Southern Cal resembles Hawaii:

1. Palm trees galore
2. Beaches
3. Hula shows in the park
4. wide-open expanses of land, parks, golf courses, etc.
5. mountains on the horizon
6. balmy nights
7. Tiki bars (even more than on Hawaii!)

Nevertheless, I have not forgotten the advice of Humuhumu, who remarked that even if one goes and has to come back, one is still better for the experience.

Also, I have never had an extended period of time away from work in my adult life, so maybe I should take advantage and make it happen, lest I always wonder, "what if?"

First a question: how old are you? If you under 30 I'm wondering why you are not already there :wink: And if you over 40 then you should KNOW that you should be there already! :lol: Obviously your not married and probably don't have kids......so go already!

Another thing, not to slag Cali-phorny-ans tooooo much, but the 'we got it all already Dude' is a good way to spend your life thinking the world is made of DisneyDrive-Ins, In&OutBurgers and Orange Julius stands. So-Cal is nice (my step Mother's family owns the Rancho San Julie Ann outside of Santa Barbara, so I've spent a lot of time there) but it became the left coast's over crowded 'rat race central' a long time ago. It is easy to believe that it is the be all/end all if you are surrounded by it and see alot of Baywatch style self-hype. Personally living there in 85-87 is one of the main reasons I left the country for an extended period as an adult. :P :evil: :P

Bottom line is that you're putting WAY too much thought into it all, just let go and GO! Sell what you don't want, store what you can't bring yourself to get rid of (I've got a pile of stuff at a friends farm in Luxembourg, you want a 1000 Ninja Kawasaki, or some cook books?), and take only what you really need! You really don't need all that stuff, and you can get new stuff, or ship the old stuff, hey it's just stuff! :lol: The question is do you really want to go, and what do you want from it? If it is an expanded horizon then their is little reason to wait! Personally I think you should be really adventurous and go live in Asia! :wink: :P :lol:

Tiki-tiki! :tiki:

[ Edited by: Rattiki 2006-09-12 01:40 ]

Good advice! Interesting option, move to Hawaii and look for work - put my tikis, Bamboo Ben tiki bar & sleigh bed in storage. After all, who needs all those trappings when already in Hawaii.

Or, skip working and live in Bali for a year!

A friend tells me that housing prices are decreasing, so I may be able to reenter and not have lost any equity.

Funny, lately I've been obsessing on this subject. So far, I think what I'd really like to do is live in both Hawaii AND SoCal. Hawaii 2-4 months out of the year, Los Angeles, the rest. Being that I'm self employed, it could work. I do music, composing, producing, recording etc...My main focus is composing and with a laptop, keyboard, and a few guitars, I can be mobile, and set up shop in different places. I just need to get more work to make this happen, and land a few bigger paying commercial spots, but it's been getting better.

I've been on alot of Hawaii message boards, and have been looking into places like the Puna district of the Big Island, the people who live there really love it. Alot of middle aged folks retiring and building their dream home in paradise. But it's very desolate out there, so I worry about that feeling of being in the middle of nowhere. I mean, where I live NOW in SUNLAND is too "out of the way" for me (and it's only like 25 minuted from Hollywood), so it would take some work on my part to adjust.

I really love Kailua on Oahu, and of course the North Shore, but you need to be really swimming in money to have anything there. I like Kona alot too. Right now, I'm selling my place and hoping to cash out on it (hopefully before the market starts a fast downslide) so I can put some money away and figure out a way to make this work.

There is also a part of me that just wants to just move to a place like Puna, open a little coffee shop, or small local restaurant and just do that...change it up completely.

I don't know, but it's sure occupied ALOT of my time thinging about it.

Anyone interested in Puna, they have a forum full of happy residents, who LOVE living there.....They'll answer any questions about Puna and the Big Island....
http://www.punweb.org Check out the Punaweb Forum, lots of posts about living there.

[ Edited by: tikiyaki 2006-09-13 00:21 ]

[ Edited by: tikiyaki 2006-09-13 00:23 ]

I spent the day in the Puna area once, and spoke with a friend who used to live there. What I noticed at the time (and what the friend said about it) was that there were a lot of young runaways (many deadheads) who just camp out there looking for handouts and drugs. I didn't like that aspect of it, though it may have changed with more retirees moving in. I think that may be one reason why the prices were (are?) lower than they are in Kona (and the remoteness). I liked Hilo much more than Puna. Hilo has more historic buildings and seems less developed for tourists than Kona, but it's less sunny than Kona.

I have been told of homeexchange.com (homechange.com) for residential swapping.

Moving to Hawaii and spending my golden years there has become my Big Goal in Life. I have a good job and life here in the Bay Area but there's just something about Hawaii (spec. Oahu) that pulls me like crazy. I was depressed for a month when we returned from our 5th anniversary trip there earlier this summer. I'd weep watching reruns of "Hawaii 5-0" because the location scenery brought back the memory so vividly. Okay, not weep, but maybe get a tad misty. I want to make it over there, for good, in about 10 years. I'll be 53, more than ready to slow down and retire from the rat race.My ace in the hole is also my biggest obstacle - my wife, who, unlike me, is actually close to her family. She wants to get a PHD in Theater here and then begin teaching. They do have Theater programs - which include Research potential - at U of H, so I am nudging her ever so gently but relentlessly to apply there. And keep applying till they say yes...then at least one of us will have a job before we make the move. Otherwise, a simple life is all I dream of. I have a great job here (film programmer for the Parkway and upcoming Cerrito) and it's the only job I've ever enjoyed or been good at, so that's the biggest sacrifice. I'd do it anyway - especially if Monica has a prof. gig and I can just be the house hubbie while I scout around for odd jobs. I like to write so that may be an option though even fewer people will be reading in 2016 than now, I'm sure. Oh well - I say put the dream out there and sometimes Life will provide the opportunities to make it happen, you just gotta have the guts to make the leap when that door opens.

I couldn't live in Hawaii. I love visiting it, but the pace is too slow for me and there is not enough to do for someone like me who likes to go see bands all the time (that aren't Jimmy Buffet, ha ha). Most of the bands I like never play there. I think I would get bored and fly to the mainland all the time for something to do. That's just me at this point in my life though, it may change when I'm 60.

Some folks who have come over to my place on the bay in Alameda say it's like being on vacation in Hawaii, but with better drinks. Ha! And I would miss Forbidden Island too much!

Dry vs Wet:
The Big Island. My best friend moved from LA to Puna about 5 years ago. I hung out there often. Once for a 3 month visit. Puna is on the wet side of the Big island. Lots of jungle. Lots of nice island people. (you might cal them hippies) We went to some spectacular "raves" at full moon parties out in the open: at jungle locations, out on the lava, at beaches. Amazing events with amazing people. The most beautiful place I've seen so far. Whats great about Hawaii is you feel alot like being out of the US (and out of the rat race) and in another country, but you still have all the infrastructure of the US. Try being in Thailand and getting sick or injured- no fun my brother. So my friend moved there and he is extremely happy. He went very native. Bought a house at a amazing price. (for California). Lives a shot walk to the beach. Teaches yoga. Cleanest air on earth.
But, me, I'm aiming at moving to the other side - Kona. The dry side. Best thing is on the west side you see those famous tropical sunsets. Less jungle, so less mosquito's. And I think they have better beaches there - white sand instead of black. My move is planned for December this year. Job? I'm moving my company there. (we're a small two man operation). Family? I'm moving my mother there. (she's 73 and lives with me cause she's not so good on her own anymore.) Heck, and as for friends, I still know lots of fun people there from those old full moon tribe days. And I plan on having a guest room, cause many of my LA friends are now planning on visiting me, and getting a place to stay FOR FREE!
25 years in LA and all I see is the traffic getting worse and worse. Life's too short to sit in traffic. I love CAL culture, and will miss it. (there are no Tiki Drive-ins in Hawaii) But I have friend's places to stay here when I visit too!
Remember what Dr. Frankenfurter said "Don't dream it, be it."

On 2006-09-13 12:39, AquaZombie wrote:
Moving to Hawaii and spending my golden years there has become my Big Goal in Life. I have a good job and life here in the Bay Area but there's just something about Hawaii (spec. Oahu) that pulls me like crazy. I was depressed for a month when we returned from our 5th anniversary trip there earlier this summer. I'd weep watching reruns of "Hawaii 5-0" because the location scenery brought back the memory so vividly. Okay, not weep, but maybe get a tad misty. I want to make it over there, for good, in about 10 years. I'll be 53, more than ready to slow down and retire from the rat race.My ace in the hole is also my biggest obstacle - my wife, who, unlike me, is actually close to her family. She wants to get a PHD in Theater here and then begin teaching. They do have Theater programs - which include Research potential - at U of H, so I am nudging her ever so gently but relentlessly to apply there. And keep applying till they say yes...then at least one of us will have a job before we make the move. Otherwise, a simple life is all I dream of. I have a great job here (film programmer for the Parkway and upcoming Cerrito) and it's the only job I've ever enjoyed or been good at, so that's the biggest sacrifice. I'd do it anyway - especially if Monica has a prof. gig and I can just be the house hubbie while I scout around for odd jobs. I like to write so that may be an option though even fewer people will be reading in 2016 than now, I'm sure. Oh well - I say put the dream out there and sometimes Life will provide the opportunities to make it happen, you just gotta have the guts to make the leap when that door opens.

AquaZombie...Funny, you and I are both the same age :) I feel "the pull" all the time. I think it could be the age we are, growing up with the Polynesian craze being in it's last laps in the late 60's, and watching those awesome Brady Bunch episodes...Being a kid in NY, Hawaii was as far away as it gets, and only the rich kids got to go there for vacation.

I have my next visit set up for December. I will spend most of it in Kailua (Oahu) and some of it in Kona(Big Island). Living in LA is great, I love it, but those islands are something beyond description, something spiritual, I don't know.
Ultimately, Kailua or the North Shore of Oahu would be ideal, but prices make it almost impossible if you're not loaded, even by California standards.

Funny, When I moved to LA in 95', it was SO affordable...now it's almost as bad as NY.
I know about the rain in Puna, and that's a factor for me, because rain depresses the sh*t out of me. But a rainy day in Hawaii could be a different experience than the ones I used to get in NY.

I know there is a big hippie contingent there in Puna, but I also know that there is an almost Utopian-like community growing there, like America in the 1950's, where neighbors bring each other fresh baked goods, and fruit from the tees in their yards, and the huge expanses of undeveloped land, with neighborhood tracts in the middle of it all. Small town Pahoa with it's old Hawaiian charm.

No clubs or Starbucks (I'd miss Starbucks!) but I also know that things won't stay like that forever. Eventually, places like that get built up, and the big chains move in....not necessarily a bad thing....I still love convenience and lots of shopping possibilities. But, I think alot of folks in here are retro geeks, and would love living in a place that's like America in the 50's...I think I'd like it. Build an Eichler neighborhood there, and its perfect !

Then there is the other stuff....Like having an active volcano miutes away....scary to some, but not as bad as it sounds.
Being able to go see the lava flow less than an hour away. Awesome.The outdoor activities are endless.

So I think of it on the investment side too...you know...buy a piece of land there for under 100K and in 10 years it's with 5 or 6 times that. It happened in California, it probably will happen there too.

Either way, I still feel the pull, and am making small steps towards making it, at least, a second home to California, and eventually, the place to retire.

[ Edited by: tikiyaki 2006-09-14 08:53 ]

[i]On 2006-09-14 08:52, tikiyaki wrote:

Funny, When I moved to LA in 95', it was SO affordable...now it's almost as bad as NY.
.. .

So I think of it on the investment side too...you know...buy a piece of land there for under 100K and in 10 years it's with 5 or 6 times that. It happened in California, it probably will happen there too.

A good point to remember, Tikiyaki. It is an island, so land is limited, and the value will increase.

On the flip side, the high cost to enter the market adds to the cost of living and a considerable portion of the available housing, particularly around Honolulu is very old and one wonders if it is a good long term investmentl, particularly given the weahter.

On 2006-09-15 00:25, christiki295 wrote:

[i]On 2006-09-14 08:52, tikiyaki wrote:

Funny, When I moved to LA in 95', it was SO affordable...now it's almost as bad as NY.
.. .

So I think of it on the investment side too...you know...buy a piece of land there for under 100K and in 10 years it's with 5 or 6 times that. It happened in California, it probably will happen there too.

A good point to remember, Tikiyaki. It is an island, so land is limited, and the value will increase.

On the flip side, the high cost to enter the market adds to the cost of living and a considerable portion of the available housing, particularly around Honolulu is very old and one wonders if it is a good long term investmentl, particularly given the weahter.

Well, buying land in Honolulu is pretty much impossible at this point. I'm talking about Puna, which has active lava flow nearby, but is still affordable and growing. Most of it is lava zone 2 which is only less dangerous than Lava zone 1.
But alot of people are setting up camp there, and a strong community is growing. As an investment, it may not be bad.
As far as the weather goes...well, it IS a Rainforest :) but some people like that. I'm more into the dry SoCal weather, so that's what gives me the reservations about wanting to live there.

Still, strictly as an investment, who knows...AND having a nice little vacation spot there might be cool, rent it out when I'm not there.
Either way, something keeps pulling me to the islands :-/

[ Edited by: tikiyaki 2006-09-15 08:53 ]