Buying Real Estate in Kailua-Kona, HI - Helpful Tips
Relocating to a new state, town or even neighborhood can be a fun, new adventure and it's always a learning experience. Just think of all the things that you know about the area that you currently live in, that you didn't know when you when you arrived. After fourteen years living in Kona on the Big Island of Hawaii and working in Real Estate, I have learned a few things. I'll share a few of them now, and if you want to learn more, before you buy your next house, condo or land in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii, give me a call. I love to help buyers find great properties.
We love the Ocean views!
One cool thing about Kailua-Kona is that the town is built on the slopes of 8,200 foot Mt. Hualalai so there are many properties with spectacular ocean views. Just about every buyer wants these two things, an ocean view, and privacy. Ocean views can add substantially to a homes value. So, when a home is built, more often than not, the homeowner clears all of the trees on the ocean side of the home to open up the views, then plants a row of trees on the uphill side of the home so the neighbor above isn't looking down onto their property, to maximize privacy. Unfortunately, the uphill neighbor just lost the ocean view that he thought was unblocable. It happens all the time and is the source of many neighbor disputes in Kona. Many new developments have covenants protecting view planes in their Bylaws to address this problem but others do not.
It's getting hot down here.
It's been said that most first time buyers in Kona want to be close to the ocean but their second home purchase is higher up Mauka (hillside). Kona has beautiful weather year round but it does get warm in the Summer. On a typical Summer day, it may be 85 degrees at the beach and just a mile up the hill it's 82 degrees with cool breezes blowing. Three degrees may not sound like much but with the breeze and less humidity, it makes a very noticeable difference. Drive another mile up the hill and it's 78 degrees with a light misting of rain. Kona is full of micro climates. It may be perfect everywhere when you visit in Winter but if you plan to live here year round, you should find the climate that suits you best.
Got water?
If you are buying a lot or home up above town at a nice cool elevation, it may not have water. There can be a number of reasons for this. Hawaii Island is basically one big rock with a thin layer of dirt on top. Dig down more than six inches in many places and it is solid volcanic rock. Digging water lines is a very expensive job that involves heavy equipment that can slowly chip out a trench. Anyone that has spent time in Kona has heard the tink, tink, thinking of a new construction project. For this and other reasons, many areas are on catchment tanks where rain water is captured from the roof and funneled into the tank. Water trucks are also used to fill the tanks when rainfall is insufficient.
How about electricity?
For some of the same reasons mentioned above, there are many homes that are "off grid" in Kona, most commonly at the higher elevations. Hawaiian Electric Company power lines run up to about 1500 feet elevation in most areas above town. If the house or land that you are looking at is at a higher elevation, it may not have electricity. Installing power poles and running new lines can get very expensive. Fortunately, solar panels work very well in our sunny climate and most people that have gone this route say they would never go back. I think that not having to pay a huge electric bill every month adds to the appeal. Hawaii has the most expensive electricity in the country.
If you are planning to move to Kailua-Kona, Hawaii and found these tips to be helpful and want to know more about living in paradise, contact me, Rich Bosselmann R(S) (808) 345-5085 , Konaconnection@gmail.com.
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