We have now closed on our new property in Hawaii. I went over soon afterwards to make arrangements with the property management, and with contractors to make some repairs and improvements including refinishing the kitchen cabinets, repainting and installing air conditioning and a new hot tub.
I had a lot of help from Nick our new property manager and from Tai the interior designer and the work continues after I returned to Seattle. Everything went quite smoothly with transferring the water and electricity accounts, having the cable and internet connected and arranging rubbish pickup.
I had a very pleasant experience and everyone I met and dealt with was very friendly and competent. I was very busy during the week with the chores around the house, including throwing out many bags of rubbish that was left behind by the previous owner and making a dent in the garden weeds.
During the week I picked up new pool furniture which made a nice difference to the pool-side ambiance.
I also participated in a number of work calls, some of which were quite early in the morning given the time zone difference. But I was very happy to get out for a kayak twice which was a very pleasant way to start my day.
One aspect of living in Hawaii that we will truly enjoy are the sunsets. Each night they just seemed to get prettier.
Once all the work is completed, we will be doing vacation rentals (the property is already booked from May 27 through June). Then we figure in around 18 months we will move over to enjoy the property full time. In the meantime, Grant and Luke will use the place for their honeymoon and we’ll have a family vacation over Christmas.
I’m really looking forward to it!