Everything Big Island!

Hawaii Island Home Sales Get off to Roaring Start in 2020

2/10/2020

Big Island home prices rose by more than 30% in January, compared to the same month in 2019, according to statistics provided by Hawaii Information Service on behalf of Hawaii Island Realtors

By Janis L. Magin – Real Estate Editor, Pacific Business News
Feb 5, 2020, 5:32pm EST

Single-family home sales on Hawaii Island got off to a roaring start in January, with a 44% increase in sales and a 25% increase in the median price, compared to a year ago, while the median price of a condominium jumped 32%, according to statistics provided by Hawaii Information Service on behalf of Hawaii Island Realtors.

There were 213 single-family homes sold on Hawaii Island last month, an increase of 43.92% from 148 homes sold in January 2019. The median price of those homes was $450,000, which was 25.05% higher than the median price a year ago, which was $359,850.

The median price of a condo on Hawaii Island in January was $430,000, which was an increase of 32.31% from $325,000 in January 2019. The number of condo units sold last month, however, declined to 59 units, which was 7.81% fewer than the 64 units that sold in January 2019.

Single-family home sales for all of 2019 rose 3.5%, while condo sales rose by 3.36%. Prices for both categories also rose last year — the median price of a single-family home rose 5.7% to $378,920 for all of 2019, while the median price of a condo rose 3.43% to $362,000 for the year.

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Civil Beat | Buyer Beware: Oceanfront Homes Keep Going Up Despite Rising Seas

3/25/2019

Now, Hawaii lawmakers are considering bills that force sellers to tell prospective owners about vulnerable coastal properties.

By Nathan Eagle
March 18, 2019

The waves lap indifferently against the rocky revetment that guards a crumbling stretch of Kamehameha Highway in Kaaawa.
Immediately on the other side of this coastal road that connects several windward Oahu communities, workers are framing up the wooden beams of a new two-story house.

Sturdy Foundations, a Honolulu residential development company owned by Amanda and Michael Gregg, bought the empty 6,000-square-foot lot in October for $410,000 and by November had a permit to build a 1,700-square-foot home on it.

No one from the company returned a call seeking comment for this story. But it’s clear they plan to sell the property as soon as it’s done. The Sturdy Foundations website advertises an oceanfront home, just steps from Kaaawa Beach. A slideshow features artist’s renderings and photos of a palm leaning over a smooth stretch of sand.

But on a recent Monday morning, there is little to no beach. The tides fluctuate, and there is sand at certain times, but the beach is disappearing as sea levels rise and erosion intensifies.

Scientists have projected that this stretch of highway will be at least partially flooded with just a half foot of sea level rise, forecast for 2030. When it rises 3 feet, expected by the end of this century or sooner, mapping tools show the whole road and entire property will be underwater.

Now, Hawaii lawmakers are considering whether homeowners should have to tell buyers that their property is in a sea level rise exposure area — or SLR-XA as planners call it.

The state Climate Commission and top climate experts have all recommendedmandatory disclosure.

Department of Land and Natural Resources Chair Suzanne Case told a Senate panel last month that it is critical for buyers to understand the hazards and risks they are assuming in purchasing oceanfront property, “in the spirit of transparency and disclosure and to support informed decision-making by buyers and government agencies.”

But the Hawaii Association of Realtors, representing 9,500 members, wants disclosure to remain voluntary.

Civil Beat | Full Article

Gallup | Hawaii Tops U.S. in Wellbeing for Record 7th Time

2/28/2019

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

Hawaii edges out Wyoming and Alaska for top honors
West Virginians report lowest wellbeing for the 10th straight year
Hawaii and Colorado only states in top 10 every year since 2008

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Hawaii residents reported the highest wellbeing in the U.S. in 2018, reaching the top spot for the seventh time since Gallup began tracking wellbeing in 2008. Hawaii and Colorado have ranked among the top 10 states in wellbeing for the 11th consecutive year, the only two states to do so. West Virginia residents reported the lowest wellbeing for the 10th straight year.

Gallup | Full Article

Big Island: The Vog is Gone - For the First Time in Decades

1/4/2019

Kilauea didn’t just stop spewing lava. It ceased emissions that have been constant since 1983.

Honolulu Civil Beat
By Jason Armstrong

KAILUA-KONA, Hawaii Island – Kona is enjoying life in high-definition.
From pristine sunrises breaking over Hualalai’s summit to green flashes beyond Kailua Bay, the Gold Coast’s intense beauty is now shining through air so rarified it’s not been seen in decades.

“I think we’re experiencing some of the clearest visibility, some of the best air quality that any of us have ever seen,” said Wendy Laros, a 27-year West Hawaii resident and executive director of the Kona-Kohala Chamber of Commerce.
She sees lots of benefits from the change.
“We definitely believe this will enhance the experience for our visitors and for those who live here,” Laros said, noting chamber staff are no longer fielding numerous calls daily from people asking about the effects of volcanic haze known as “vog.”
That’s because for the first time since Kilauea volcano started erupting in 1983, leeward areas are no longer being polluted with unrelenting vog plumes that prevailing trade winds funneled around the Big Island’s southern tip, then north along the Kona Coast and beyond, stretching as far as Oahu.

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Things To Do on the Big Island - "LoveBigIsland.com"

11/21/2017

Visit this great website, LoveBigIsland.com for great ideas on 'Things To Do' on the Big Island of Hawaii

North Hawaii Dining

11/20/2017

Looking for a place to grab a bite to eat in North Hawaii? From casual take out to fine dining, from Honokaa to Hawi, there's plenty to choose from.

Honokaa

Waimea

Kohala Coast

Hawaii News and Events

8/1/2015

Want to know what's happening on the Big Island? Check out some of our local news media and events calendars.

Entertainment

7/31/2015

Indoors and out, North Hawaii offers residents plenty to do. Explore the lush Waipio Valley, bask on the beaches of South Kohala, or relax and catch a movie in Honokaa's historic theater.