Hello, I have been reading all the post here....some very helpful, some not so helpful, some is really discouraging! They will not change our minds....We are going to move to Puerto Rico with in the next year. (hopefully right after Christmas!) My husband is from the Island born and raised there until his mother and father divorced and he moved to Michigan when he was 13. We have been to PR yearly and usually we stay for a month sometimes longer! We have inherited a home (so greatful) and that has made it possible for us to move...I just need information such as: should we ship our stuff or sell and buy new stuff? Should we ship our autos (they are paid off) or should we sell and buy new ones (can't really afford to) We really do not want to have any added expenses until we get settled and atleast my husband finds a job! If there is anyone that has shipped their household items... what company did you use? How was your dealings with that company? Would you use them again? Any advice is appreciated!
Moving to Puerto Rico....
Hi and welcome to the forum!
I hope other member will be able to help you soon 
Regards
Armand
I did not ship furniture so I cannot recommend any moving companies. At one point I did try to contact a PR-based company that advertised in the States for an estimate but they never answered the phone or returned my messages. I have posted about how I shipped my car under some other forum threads. I used Crowley from Jax to San Juan. In the other threads I discuss the procedure for shipping, importing, paying tax and registering, along with costs - all step-by-step. Good luck and try to have fun with it!
What part of Missouri are you from?
Malden, Missouri we are about 41/2 hours South East from the Ozarks. When are you planning your move? I see that you have a trip in Feb. planned? We are going in December! Can not wait!
Amy
If your mind is made up then I just have one piece of advice- bring considerably more money with you than you have planned, especially if you don't have a job when you get here. Unless you are going to eat nothing but rice and beans every day the food bill alone will drain you.
Gregg
If your cars are in good shape, ship them... to buy a used car here is a real crap shoot: cars here are generally abused by bad
(REALLY bad) roads, floods and bad drivers who don't always keep their cars serviced. Trust me on this one, it will cost you a few $$ to ship and pay the local taxes but as i said, if your cars are in good shape you will save in the long run. I shipped a 7 year old car via ROSA DEL MONTE several years ago but i don't know if they are just in NY. it cost me at that time about $1000-$1100 to ship and then about another $1000 for local taxes, marbete and tabllia ( plates & registration) but i had the car till last year and I knew it was in good shape.
Furniture: sell everything you can. life here is much simpler. you will find all the "stuff" you have accumulated is useless. metals will pit if you are near the ocean. you don't want heavy, north-eastern decorations in an airy, bright island home. we also have Marshall's, Home Goods, Burlington and Bed Bath and Beyond and MORE if you need anything
Food is expensive but don't let them get you crazy; we have Costco, Walmart and Sam's for bulk and good quality buying. There are also good discount services such as YUPITI.com and GROUPON.com which allow you to try restaurants and services at discounted prices.
hope that is helpful.
Thank you for the information on shipping my cars....this we will do because they are paid for and we have taken care of them and kept them serviced. The food i am not that worried about we have grocery shopped there before. His family cooks all the time...and we will budget shop! Thank you so much for your information. Yes our minds are made up! We will have no rent or mortgage so we will be okay!
GREAT!! i'm sure ....if you take a breath when things get crazy.... you will love the place....;-)
We're moving WHERE? wrote:GREAT!! i'm sure ....if you take a breath when things get crazy.... you will love the place....;-)
Best advice here on this forum!
Definitely ship your cars. Cost of used cars in PR are very expensive. Even a 1980's beater sells for thousands. It's ridiculus what people try to sell cars for in Puerto Rico. I agree with the previous posts that Rosa del Monte is the way to go.
Hope your move to the island goes well.
~Martin
Rosa del Monte has a branch in Chicago that we used. Still a little distant for you guys...
Another consideration for your stuff; unless you will have A/C in PR (a big if considering how expensive electric is right now -- we have friends paying $600/mo), think about how high heat/humidity will affect your possessions. Alot of our stuff quickly turned green with Illinois mold and we had to toss it anyway. Leather, melamine(!), unfinished wood, cordura nylon were particularly susceptible. The books for some reason have held up well.
And I just ran into a guy from Michigan the other day. His father pastored a Hispanic church in Grand Rapids for 32 years...
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