Hawaii Relocation Blog

Many people who have moved to Hawaii from the mainland find living on the island far different from living on the mainland. While some of the locals will be welcoming most won’t be. The majority of your neighbors and co-workers will be standoffish and a few will be downright rude.

The attitudes you encounter may take you aback and make you feel alienated which can make living in a new area both uncomfortable and frightening. In order to truly make Hawaii your home you are going to need to put forth some effort to earn the acceptance of the people around you and form friendships.

Keep in mind that Hawaii is not just the home of Hawaiians, but many other cultures as well especially a lot of Asian cultures. Taking the time to learn something about each of these cultures and not lumping them altogether will go a long way in earning your neighbors and coworkers approval. Remain friendly even when you think that people are being standoffish.

You also don’t want to talk about how great the place you used to live was and compare your home in Hawaii to that place. While people are interested in learning more about you, limit those conversations to work and family rather than making comparisons that might alienate people you are trying to get along with.

Moving to Hawaii is not that much different from moving to any area you are unfamiliar with. Treat those you encounter with respect, take the time to learn something about them, their family, and their cultural beliefs and they will be happy to meet you more than half way. Your attitude is going to set the stage for how well you get along in Hawaii and what friendships you are going to make.

Become a part of your community and you will soon find that you can make friends and share experiences.

Keep in mind however, that due to the cost of living in Hawaii you may not be able to enjoy many of the things you did in your old home. With high rent and low incomes eating out may be less of an option than ever before. Other types of entertainment may also be limited or out of the question as well. Sometimes this lack of entertainment can make you feel even more alienated so making new friends is important as it keeps you more active and involved.

Donate your time and your efforts and do everything you can to make a niche for yourself in your new community and before you know it Hawaii will truly become your home.

Whether you are moving to Hawaii because you want to or because of your job it is important to find a good Realtor in Hawaii to help you find that perfect home. Most people do not have the time or money to make several trips to Hawaii to look at houses so that is another reason that you need a Realtor in Hawaii. You can figure out a date when you can make the trip to Hawaii to look at the houses that your agent has found for you and then take a week to visit Hawaii to look at them. One thing that you need to make sure of is that you let your Hawaii real estate agent know where you want to live, and the specifics of the type of house that you are looking for.

One way to find a good Realtor is to go to the Hawaii board of REALTORS (registered) where you will find a realtor that is not only a real estate agent, but also a member of the board. When they become a member of the board they are required to take classes every other year to keep up on what is new in the real estate world.

Some things that you need to ask a Realtor to make sure that you are getting one that is knowledgeable are to ask some of the following questions.

· How long they have had their license and business that they have done.

· Ask for client references

· How well they know the area

· How you will be in contact with each other

· Will they help you figure out how much home you can afford

Another way to find a Realtor in Hawaii is to go online and visit the various real estate websites and look at the houses that interest you. Then, you can get in touch with the real estate agent that is handling these homes and talk to them about the houses you are interested in.

You can also visit your local real estate offices and ask if they have any agents in the area that you want to move to in Hawaii that they can put you in touch with. Many of the larger real estate agencies may have offices in Hawaii and will give you the information on how to contact them.

The only other way is to take a vacation to Hawaii and visit the real estate offices there to find a Realtor.

It is a common problem with people as they plan to either buy or sell a property in Hawaii.  How do I get all my things from my old place to my new place?  When you are getting on or off the Islands, it can become an additional concern because you have to ship your things on the water and then on land.

Here are a few tips brought to you from our friends at American Auto Movers who handle a lot of Hawaii car shipping so you can avoid the common pit falls that many people encounter and make your move smooth.

• Do your homework: A common mistake people make is getting 3 or 4 quotes and failing to do the research on the companies who are giving them these quotes.  When you are looking for a realtor you want someone with a good reputation first and then you can see what they can do for you.  You should approach this the same way.  A good place to get the information on reputable car shipping companies is from the Better Business Bureau.  On that report you can see how many years they have been in business and how many complaints they have.  This is important on many levels but this will help you avoid scams where they quote you one price and then change the price prior to delivery.  Companies like that will already have numerous complaints.  Whether they are a member or not is less important, the years in business and number of complaints is more relevant.

• Avoid prepaying deposits:  A common misconception is that shipping companies need you to prepay the shipping upfront.  Your car shipping freight MUST be paid when your car arrives at the port.  However a common scam that people fall into is thinking the companies will need a $200-300 deposit upfront.  Not prepaying will help you avoid the fly by night companies who charge these deposits by quoting cheap prices and never moving cars.  They will be in business for sometimes a year running that scam, close shop and then do it under a new name.  Since the amounts are small it is hard for people to be serious about pursuing them with the authorities so they slip through the cracks.

• Ask for a prep list:  When you are shipping to or from the Islands there are certain things you need to do in order to have your vehicle ready.  It is very different than when you are shipping within the standard 48 because you are having your car at the port.  There are different requirements when you are shipping to Hawaii than when you are shipping from.  So when you do make a choice on who you want to book with ask them to email you a prep list so you know exactly what documents you need and how to properly prepare your vehicle for transit.  Not doing these things can result in delays and unnecessary surcharges at the ports in Hawaii or the mainland.

There are a lot of legitimate car shipping companies out there.  We just wanted to give you some pointers so you were able to sort out the the good from the bad and then you can make your decision with who you feel the most comfortable with so your move goes smoothly.