‘It’s still very much a seller’s market’: Median home sales price jumps 40% in South Hilo, Puna (Honokaa: real estate, living)

[terracore]

It’s still very much a seller’s market’: Median home sales price jumps 40% in South Hilo, Puna

..."C. J. Kimberly, owner of C. J. Kimberly Realtors, said new parcels that go on the market invariably get multiple offers that eventually go above the seller’s asking price, and leave the market within weeks. According to MLS data, homes sold on the Big Island were only on the market for a median time of 14 days.

Gauthier said that, as has been the case for much of the pandemic, the rise of remote working is a major cause for the robust market.

“What’s kept East Hawaii tamped down in the past is that there aren’t as many jobs over here,” Gauthier said. “But now that good-paying jobs are going online and people can work anywhere, people are moving here from all over.”...

https://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com...uth-hilo-puna/

[jlandmark]

If you count the creepy cabins Eden Roc, Puna has some of the cheapest real estate around. All joking aside, there are still some pretty nice houses for under $250K. With all of these remote workers moving to Puna, do you believe Puna is gentrifying? I would like to see Puna become safer before I move there, but if it became too gentrified, it would lose it's charm. I wonder if people from the other islands are flocking to Puna, because they can get a home for half the price.

[terracore]

Originally Posted by jlandmark

If you count the creepy cabins Eden Roc, Puna has some of the cheapest real estate around. All joking aside, there are still some pretty nice houses for under $250K. With all of these remote workers moving to Puna, do you believe Puna is gentrifying? I would like to see Puna become safer before I move there, but if it became too gentrified, it would lose it's charm. I wonder if people from the other islands are flocking to Puna, because they can get a home for half the price.

Yes, it's becoming slowly gentrified and yes, people are moving here from Oahu, but I wouldn't say they are "flocking here". Maybe from the other islands too but personally have only met people recently moved from Oahu.

[whtviper1]

Originally Posted by terracore

Median home sales price jumps 40% in South Hilo, Puna

The median is up at least 40% on Oahu - and Oahu is losing population.

The median is up nearly 50% in Las Vegas.

Austin has more than doubled.

Salt Lake City even more than doubled.

San Diego has more than doubled.

Even Chicago is up 30%

This is not unique to Hawaii.

[hotzcatz]

House prices in Puna are the last to go up and the first to fall in any housing market.

[Kawamura]

How many of those Puna homes are permitted and when and how far are they going to crack down on those is what I would ask. I understand they've really gotten tougher lately on the issue. I have a friend who lives close to Volcano who's experiencing problems with the county and her home is far nicer (well built and in code electrical) than most of the rattletraps you think of in the non permitted cat...

[jlandmark]

If the county starts cracking down on unpermitted housing, how is the population in Puna that lives in those houses (which seems like a lot) going to afford to live there?

[Arktikos]

Originally Posted by terracore

..

“What’s kept East Hawaii tamped down in the past is that there aren’t as many jobs over here,” Gauthier said. “But now that good-paying jobs are going online and people can work anywhere, people are moving here from all over.”....

Such as? Please enlighten me. Besides software, tech stuff I'm not aware of all these great paying, remote jobs.

We need more of the not so great paying in person positions filled here in AK. Cashiers, food service, garbage men, substitute teachers and more are all short of workers.

Worker shortages weren't noticed by me in Puna this winter. During a stopover in Honokaa, however, they did seem to be seriously lacking in options for lunch dining compared to past years. The couple places open didn't actually seem interested in having guests either. Perhaps a remant of Covid fears, in addition to a lack of labor? We didn't stick around to find out.

[KohalaTransplant]

Originally Posted by Arktikos

Such as? Please enlighten me. Besides software, tech stuff I'm not aware of all these great paying, remote jobs.

We need more of the not so great paying in person positions filled here in AK. Cashiers, food service, garbage men, substitute teachers and more are all short of workers.

Worker shortages weren't noticed by me in Puna this winter. During a stopover in Honokaa, however, they did seem to be seriously lacking in options for lunch dining compared to past years. The couple places open didn't actually seem interested in having guests either. Perhaps a remant of Covid fears, in addition to a lack of labor? We didn't stick around to find out.

They are not short of workers. They are short of workers willing to work for what they are offering.

[Grassyknoll]

Originally Posted by Arktikos

Such as? Please enlighten me. Besides software, tech stuff I'm not aware of all these great paying, remote jobs.

We need more of the not so great paying in person positions filled here in AK. Cashiers, food service, garbage men, substitute teachers and more are all short of workers.

Worker shortages weren't noticed by me in Puna this winter. During a stopover in Honokaa, however, they did seem to be seriously lacking in options for lunch dining compared to past years. The couple places open didn't actually seem interested in having guests either. Perhaps a remant of Covid fears, in addition to a lack of labor? We didn't stick around to find out.

I have a small commercial nursery open on weekends. I always ask new customers how long they have lived here in Hawai'i. Nearly half of our customers lately have recently moved here. I don't inquire what they do for a living, but there are a LOT of folks moving to the South Kona area. I am guessing a fair amount are folks with the ability to work remotely.