Looking at Pahoa (Hilo, Kurtistown: 2015, house, transfer)

[whtviper1]

Originally Posted by smarino

We finally had to give the dog away to someone else because no one would rent to us w/ him. I'm surprised we didn't have to do the same w/ her son!

One consistent message on this forum - if you have pets, you might not find a suitable place to live - or may have to overpay or live in a less desirable area - or, what happened in your case, give your pet away. I don't see that ever changing in Hawaii.

[McFrostyJ]

Originally Posted by smarino

I'm sorry, but I disagree w/ the pet thing. Hawaii is anti pet. Period. I lived in Hilo and Kea'au many, many years and almost never, ever saw someone w/ their pet in the car w/ them, or strolling downtown w/ one. It just does not happen.

Out of all my many trips to Hawaii, I have never seen a lack of pets. It seems like dogs are everywhere! Even in Waikiki I see people every morning out walking their dogs. My favorite was this girl who would walk her HUGE Great Dane that probably out weighed her by about 100lbs!

[Dreaming of Hawaii]

Originally Posted by smarino

I'm sorry, but I disagree w/ the pet thing. Hawaii is anti pet. Period. I lived in Hilo and Kea'au many, many years and almost never, ever saw someone w/ their pet in the car w/ them, or strolling downtown w/ one. It just does not happen.

Well, it does happen out here in Ka'u. Seems like every pick-up truck has at least one dog in the back. And in downtown Na'alehu I see a lot of people strolling with dogs.

I think that one difference is that a lot of the dogs are not really "pets" but are hunting dogs. So, no, they would not be strolling in downtown Hilo with their hunting dogs.

[KaraBenNemsi]

"...how you can get a 1/2 acre lot for under $5,000 in Hawaii?? "

Good news: Look at all those lots in Puna being auctioned off by the county for tax delinquencies.

Bad news: Get in line for failing to make a living in Puna.

[cagary]

Originally Posted by KaraBenNemsi

"...how you can get a 1/2 acre lot for under $5,000 in Hawaii?? "

Good news: Look at all those lots in Puna being auctioned off by the county for tax delinquencies.

Bad news: Get in line for failing to make a living in Puna.

How much more do the properties usually go for over what the County is asking? Around $2,500 for 3 acres is a pretty good deal in Fern Forest.

[oregonwoodsmoke]

The year to reclaim is enough to make me reluctant to buy.

You'd have to be able to ignore it for that year before you invested any time, money, or effort into cleaning it up.

I wonder why the tax liens in Kohala are so large.

[KaraBenNemsi]

Originally Posted by cagary

How much more do the properties usually go for over what the County is asking? Around $2,500 for 3 acres is a pretty good deal in Fern Forest.

Depends on the property. Some don't even sell for the tax lien on it. Some go way beyond. If for instance your immediate neighbor lot comes up for auction, you'd will be willing to pay more than somebody else.

A few years back a Kealakekua beach front 1/2 acre came up for auction with a 10k lien, broken title, conservation zone, hi-tide danger. Meaning it was not good for anything but for a tent on the weekend. But it was gated, utilities close by, very pretty, no real neighbor parcels, and accessible by car. There was a bidding war and it went for 200k+.

[pjgroff1]

Originally Posted by terracore

1/2 acre for under $5k is actually pretty expensive on the big island. You can get a full acre in HOVE for 5k. There are still some 3 acre lots in Fern Forest for 12k... you might be able to get them down to 10K. And at least in FF there will be some vegetation.

BUT you need to see them first. There are some beautiful lots in Nanawale at great prices. But buying a 5K lot that needs 8K worth of albizia removal may not be a bargain in the long run. These trees are dangerous- not like you can go buy a chainsaw and do it yourself.

Chinese albizia (Albizia chinensis) is considered an invasive species in Hawaii and on many other Pacific Islands.[7] The tree grows very rapidly and can quickly colonize disturbed areas in wet environments. It tends to shed large branches, damaging power lines, houses, and other infrastructure in Hawaii.
Why can't one purchase a chain saw and do it yourself?? Are the trees that tall, that big? Is "Roundup" or other types of herbicide allowed in Hawai'i? Other then what I said, what makes these trees so dangerous? I think that being specific about a plant in Hawai'i is really necessary, if you are giving advice and living in Hawai'i

[terracore]

Originally Posted by pjgroff1

Chinese albizia (Albizia chinensis) is considered an invasive species in Hawaii and on many other Pacific Islands.[7] The tree grows very rapidly and can quickly colonize disturbed areas in wet environments. It tends to shed large branches, damaging power lines, houses, and other infrastructure in Hawaii.
Why can't one purchase a chain saw and do it yourself?? Are the trees that tall, that big? Is "Roundup" or other types of herbicide allowed in Hawai'i? Other then what I said, what makes these trees so dangerous? I think that being specific about a plant in Hawai'i is really necessary, if you are giving advice and living in Hawai'i

I suppose that if you were experienced at taking trees down you could do it with a professional chain saw. I have a "normal" home-owner sized chain saw and I don't think the bar is long enough to take down a full size albezia. Not to mention that the trees can be taller than the lots are wide, (heck the trees can be wider than the lots are wide) so you'd have to be careful falling it or part of the tree will be in somebody else's lot. When I've seen them taken down they use big chains and bulldozers to do it, I don't think I ever even saw them with a saw. But it is a temporary solution because they grow back. We had a few on our lot and we opted to use Milestone to kill the trees and they are falling down in pieces (they aren't near anything that can be damaged by this). More on this technique:
Injection Methods for Controlling Albizia - YouTube

The albezia leaves are actually an excellent livestock feed. Very high in protein. We have permission from many of our neighbors to go onto their lots and prune the ones that are small enough that we can reach the branches. If the trees weren't so large and dangerous they would be useful.

[OpenD]

The branches are heavy and weak, meaning they are what are called "widow-makers," unexpectedly dropping branches that can damage anything underneath. During storms they take out a lot of power lines, which is why the proposal has been raised to require their removal. The big ones require a cherry picker and a two-man crew to safely take down, which is why they can cost up to $2,000 to remove.

The brittle wood has low caloric value, so its not even very useful as fuel, although it is prized for fine papermaking, and a paper mill was once proposed for Puna.

The reason it was introduced was to stabilize the soil when the sugar plantations closed, because it can root in very shallow soil, but it has turned into an invasive pest that self-seeds as prolifically as dandelions do.