Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Here's a tip, look closer to S. Hilo TMK districts, but outside of Paradise Park. There's a few, and some just stand out more than others. Spend hours on Google Street view. I swear by it. You can even look at the ground with it! That can allow you to check out the road surface, the utilities in place, drainage. I mean you don't even need to go visit anymore. If you're looking for investment, you can't go wrong there. I say outside of Paradise Park, mostly because of the lack of infrastructure.
Seems like there is a lot of economic interest in the areas with good access, outside of Hilo, but Paradise Park, being older I would imagine, is "set in their ways" with what seems like very ramshackle buildings on many lots. Seems to be lots of crime there also, but I am not on the BI yet. I hope to start some projects soon, and this forum, as always, has been an invaluable resource.
I totally understand the allure of living off in the jungle, in some shack, with not a care in the world, but I have a family, and so do millions of others Americans who are looking for a piece of paradise
I just want my investment to be safe, Puna seems like a tough place for that, but even around Pahoa, prices have been on the rise. I'm not so much worried about the sexual predators anymore, we will be building and selling. I still can't afford what I "want" on the BI. Meanwhile we are on the lookout. BI real estate is close to record highs right now, with Hilo leading the charge. It's what drew my attention there in the first place.
An unpermitted cabin in the jungle will need to be torn down to be financed IMO. I've seen those unpermitted "houses" in Volcano for $200k, and I can't tell if they will sell at that price, but no mortgage underwriter in their right mind would approve a loan on those. So then the question is, why would someone buy that house for $200k when they can buy on the Hamakua coast, and build a nicer, brand new package home? Think of all the effort those people put into building those unpermitted houses! I've talked with the county, you're not "grandfathered" in, and they are just starting to crack down on it all. Who knows what they will do. I sure don't and neither do you.
As for insurance... There will also need to be some way to insure the property, unless you are buying with cash, and then you can just do what you want. There are some policies which may have looser underwriting, but I haven't gotten that far yet. I understand people aren't on the island to sell their homes, but this is what's going to happen: gentrification. Google it. It is inevitable, and has been the trend in many places in this country. So when that happens, and you have no income, but need to pay county tax, how are you going to do that? You're going to sell and move elsewhere. It's a sad reality in real estate. Usually this can be great for those with jobs and legal structures on good lots, but that doesn't seem to be the case in Puna.
When infrastructure catches up, ie: schools, roads, services, police force, then that will be the cue for developers to come in and blow the place up. It happens all over the place, as I'm sure it's happened on the BI in the past. Pahoa may not be the Pahoa you all know in a decade or so. Good luck with your searches, and if you're just looking for a retreat out in Puna, then it seems like a perfect place. I'm looking for something different.
.. I've seen those unpermitted "houses" in Volcano for $200k, and I can't tell if they will sell at that price, but no mortgage underwriter in their right mind would approve a loan on those. So then the question is, why would someone buy that house for $200k when they can buy on the Hamakua coast, and build a nicer, brand new package home?
One reason is that they couldn't buy a lot and build a house on Hamakua for anything near that price.
Location, owner financing? There could be other reasons too. Tearing down a perfectly serviceable house would be foolish and wasteful, IMO.
Sorry, I can't wish you good luck in your land speculation endeavor because I find this practice unsavory.
How often do you hear these gunshots? I liked the looks of Eden Roc after watching some youtube videos. Lots seem a little small for target practice though...
Also, I've got another question for you: What is that structure @ the T @ Ohia and Ahi?
It's been a couple of years since I had the luxury of living there, so I can give you my last recollections. The year before we rented our place out, you'd hear gun shots at night fairly often, a couple of times a week. By the next year, it had died down an awful lot and you might not hear a single shot in two weeks. New year's eve of course is another kettle of fish. I haven't witnessed or heard of any unsafe discharge of firearms in the neighborhood. Often people hunting pigs will sit up on the deck or up on a platform in a tree and wait for the pigs to show up - possible for bait under the tree - and pick them off. This means every shot is backstopped by the ground underneath them and in AG zoned lots, my understanding is that this is a legal discharge of a firearm (other than possibly the night time part). Roosters are more of a concern if uninterrupted sleep is a priority.
For myself, I can't wait until I can retire and move back. Hopefully two years or less left on my sentence.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
