Just wondering how much it would cost to buy/build a home on BI or cheaper area of Maui? (Hilo: for sale)

[RoyalBeagle]

I've lived on mainland now for too long. I miss the islands and with the recession, which is dreadful I know, I'm sure there are property owners wanting to sell their land/home.

I just wondering the bottom line would be on a house, 2 bd/2 ba, nice safe neighborhood but not classy, expensive neighborhood.
I know the BI well and also Maui. We lived near Kula area at one point, that was heaven, but I know Maui is expensive and traffic is worse than BI!~
Where cud I go to investigate this?

[hothulamaui]

the land itself for the most part is more expensive on maui than BI with the exception of the kona area would be my guess. there are others from BI that are in real estate who post here they can tell you for sure. try the puna area of BI. checking the local MLS you may find something already built for sale cheaper and less bother than you can build. good luck

[Balad1]

The biggest factor on where to relocate to is employment. Do you need to work and if so in what field.

[hotzcatz]

Yup, Balad1 nailed it. One of the main reasons Puna is affordable is lack of employment in the area. If you can bring a job or pension over from the mainland, then it works well. If you have to find a job to pay for a house, then it gets a lot more difficult.

[cynmkolohe]

Just pulled some numbers from the MLS to see how things would compare for you for a 2 bedroom home in a few Big Island areas...

Puna - 107 active listings, median price currently $189,000
South Hilo - 16 listings, median price $329,250
North Kona - 41 listings, median price $360,000

Keep in mind that I pulled only 2 bedroom listings...just to give you a pt of reference! The high prices are over $1mil and the low prices are often for unpermitted cabins, so the median should give you some idea of where things fall for an "average" home in one of these areas.

[RoyalBeagle]

how's the Kamuela area doing as far as prices for houses being sold, or rented cynmkolohe.
Hmm..we used to work for a company that was connected with real estate, wonder if they're still in business. they had a local newspaper too.

[mdand3boys]

With the huge number of homes in foreclosure on the Big Island right now, make an offer. If it works, you stole a house. If not, try again. $189k as a median price sure sounds high. There are hundreds available for a whole lot less that are permitted, many are even new, never lived in. Yes, you will be surprised.

[cynmkolohe]

Originally Posted by RoyalBeagle

how's the Kamuela area doing as far as prices for houses being sold, or rented cynmkolohe.

Waimea is an interesting area in this market. Sellers have held more to their price expectations, but we are slowly seeing that shift a bit.

My company has recently partnered with the DR Horton project in Luala'i for their "grand re-opening," so we are carefully watching activity in one of the newer subdivisions. They are really taking it slow, dipping toes in the water, so to speak, to see how new construction is going to fare as we see things starting to pick up around the island.

For a while now, the buzz has been that this is a great time to rent in Waimea. If you check some of the property management sites for the area, you will see a higher inventory with more homes sitting for longer periods of time, much like the rest of the island.

The big question (again, as with the entire Big Island) is jobs... Waimea is a small community, so it's even more challenging here than Kona and Hilo, unless you come with a job lined up or bring yours with you. (Or are in the happy position of not needing to work on-island.)