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The Market Right Now (4/24)

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Home interior

The photo is of a listing I had several years ago, when interest rates were low and the market was red hot. There was far more inventory, but property was selling very quickly.

At the moment, inventory is extremely low. If you take a glance at what’s on the market at the moment, you can see that while there are a number of luxury properties available, there is almost nothing under $1 million, and there is very little in the town of Waimea.

Waimea is a perfect example of the problem so many places are facing: our housing stock does not meet the needs of the population. In our case, the available properties tend to be too expensive and many are located in resort areas and used as second homes and vacation rentals. The unmet demand for housing in Waimea itself has driven prices up and kept them so high as to make home ownership unattainable for most residents.

Unfortunately, this has led to many locals giving up and moving to the mainland, where they have some chance of homeownership. But that’s a very tough decision for them to make – to give up family, friends, and this place that they love.

Since there is less profit to be made building a simple and affordable house (if it is even possible with the materials costs these days), we are unlikely to see a shift toward construction of affordable housing without some serious government subsidies. The Governor is talking the talk, but he relies upon the legislature to appropriate the funds, and the legislature doesn’t seem to be able to accomplish much.

The Kingdom of Hawaii was Overthrown by Force

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On this July 4th, it is worth keeping in mind that Hawaii’s inclusion in the United States was the result of an unlawful overthrow of a legitimate government. The Kingdom of Hawaii was overthrown by force.

The history of that era is readily available. It was greed and racism, dressed up as sanctimonious good intentions, that led to the overthrow.

The overthrow led to the destruction of a different but successful and sustainable system of governance, and hastened the plunder of Hawaii’s abundant resources.

Obviously, this is not a wrong that can be righted by the return to the earlier government. The harm cannot be entirely undone.

But it is worth keeping in mind on this day when Americans celebrate their independence from England that Hawaiians have been far less fortunate.

Moving to Waimea? Here are 5 Things to Know Before You Do.

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Living on the Big Island is unlike living anywhere else. Here are 5 things you should learn before deciding to move to Waimea, or anywhere else on the Big Island.

List of Items to Consider
List of Items to Consider Before Deciding To Move To The Big Island

So here they are. Not all apply to everyone, but they should all be considered for further research.

  • Learn what’s going on in the County and State governments that might change the area you’re thinking about. Subscribe to one of the local papers’ free email of headlines. West Hawaii Today and The Hilo Tribune are the two main papers on the Island. Civil Beat covers the State, and does an excellent job of reporting on the major issues we face. You can get a free email of headlines from any or all of them.
  • If you’re moving to the Waimea area, subscribe to the Waimea Community Association’s newsletter. If you have any interest in the history and culture of the town, I highly recommend the Paniolo Preservation Society’s newsletter, as well.
  • Health care is scarce around here. Primary care physicians are hard to find, and specialists usually come from Oahu, or require you to travel there to be seen. Some surgeons will see patients here, but require you to fly to Oahu for surgery. Investigate carefully, especially if you have any health issues that require frequent care!
  • Be very careful to look past the “headlines” when it comes to schools. I wrote about this in an earlier blog. Since then, my daughter, who graduated from Parker in 2016 and headed for Dartmouth, has come back home. I’ve had a chance to ask her what she thinks about the preparation she got at Parker. She says the academics at Dartmouth were no problem, although there were subjects that were completely new to her while many of the other students had taken AP classes in those subjects at their high schools. There just isn’t as much breadth of coverage at a smaller school. What really threw her, though, was the “culture”. She was not at all prepared for the cut throat social scene she found there. If your kid is set on an Ivy League school, at the very least, get them as much supplemental tutoring and course work as you can afford. It may mean you rarely see them, since much of the supplemental work will be at camps on the mainland, but they will be much more comfortable once they get to college.
  • Finally, if at all possible, figure out a way to stay in the areas you are interested in. Rentals are difficult to find, and usually require a lease term of at least 6 months. Vacation Rentals in residential areas are becoming sparse, as a result of the recent County ordinance, but bed and breakfasts are still allowed at this time. There are huge differences, even in Waimea, between the dry side and the wet side, and within different subdivisions. But perhaps Waikoloa would be a better fit, or Kona? Take the time, and spend the money, to figure it out before you buy.

These 5 things you should learn before deciding to move to Waimea are just a start, of course. Please feel free to reach out with questions. I’ll do my best to help!

Moving to Hawaii With Your Dog? Know the Risks About the Harmful Bufos Pest

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Kate, who needed to go out
This the dog that demanded to go out last night

Many newcomers are unaware that bufos are dangerous pests in Hawaii. I was talking with a friend from Colorado today. I told her I had to get up many times last night because I had a dog that needed to go out. (The dog is fine, I’m very tired.)

She was surprised I couldn’t just let the dog out. In the wetter parts of Hawaii, we have a poisonous toad we call a bufo. Once dogs learn about them, they leave them alone. But you can lose a dog if it gets too much of the toxin in its system before it figures out not to bite them. https://ufwildlife.ifas.ufl.edu/frogs/canetoad.shtml

Bufos tend to hide in dark, moist places during the day, but come out at night. That’s why I always have my dogs on leash, and always have a headlight pointing right in front of the dog, if one needs to go out at night.

Of course it is possible that your pet will discover a bufo even during the day. They are very common in the wetter parts of Hawaii, day or night. But they tend to stay still unless disturbed during the day, so dogs don’t find them particularly interesting.

My vet told me years ago that the toads produce a neurotoxin from glands close to their skin. He said that if I saw a dog frothing at the mouth, I should immediately rinse its gums with as much running water as I possibly could.

Of course, you also want to get your dog to a vet, or a vet to your dog, asap. Since getting a vet to see a dog very quickly in the middle of the night is difficult, and rinsing out a dog’s mouth with jets of water is almost as difficult, I err on the side of caution! This is definitely an inconvenience, and counts as one of the disadvantages of living here. http://yrh.ewp.mybluehost.me/2019/08/06/the-pros-and-cons-of-living-on-the-big-island/

Buffos are common in many places in the US, as well as around the world. https://allthatsinteresting.com/bufo-toad

Life in Waimea while in Coronavirus Quarantine

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Slumping Cypress has potential as agility course!

Life in Waimea while in Coronavirus Quarantine is not too bad! I am not the only person who has commented on how happy many people seem.

People are making it to the beaches, in a social distancing sort of manner, and reporting that the beaches are empty and glorious. I haven’t heard from anyone who has gone hiking lately, but I’m sure the trails, too, are empty.

We can’t gather in groups, which is a shame, but this respite from the usual overcrowding by tourists is really very enjoyable.

Businesses are hurting, that’s for sure. I don’t usually go out for meals, so the shutting down of the restaurants is not something I’ve really noticed. I have noticed that the parking lots are far less full.

I’m mostly staying home, trying to train my dogs to use a slumped cypress tree as an agility course. It is far more beautiful that a typical agility field, and they are slowly getting the hang of it.

I’m working more with my horses, who certainly need a great deal of work.

I’m harvesting and processing tea, and stripping the seeds off the plants.

I am also spending more time sitting down, though, and that is beginning to take it’s toll. I’m running, but I haven’t done pilates, yoga, or water aerobics now for a week, and I’m getting stiff.

I could certainly do pilates or yoga on my own (and will do a modified water aerobics workout when I get to the beach) but I need some motivation. So I just signed up for a zoom yoga session through Waimea Yoga, https://waimeayoga.com/and also signed up for a pilates session with Maria Sevilla, https://www.sevillabodyworks.com/ I’m still working on how to get into the ocean.

We have had a little bit of hoarding-today was the first day I was able to find anti-bacterial wipes in the store-but surely the hoarders will run out of room to store their hoarded goods, the ships and barges will catch up with deliveries, and all will be well.

Is the Big Island a good place to be in the midst of a pandemic? Probably better than some places, because we have a small and dispersed population. But we also have severely limited medical services, and, when people hoard, it takes longer to replenish necessities here than it would in a more connected community. The advantages and disadvantages are amplified now, https:// http://yrh.ewp.mybluehost.me/2019/08/06/the-pros-and-cons-of-living-on-the-big-island/

Life in Waimea while in Coronavirus Quarantine is good but risky. If the virus spreads even moderately here, our resources will be overwhelmed and we will lose people we should not lose.