Puna in NY Times again

[punagirl]

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/06/realestate/greathomes/06havens.html?_r=2&oref=slogin&oref=slogin


Prepare for a momentary price spike again.

Atlanta/Pahoa

[John S. Rabi]

Didn't I tell you so?! But of course I am biased!

Aloha,
John S. Rabi, ABR,CM,CRB,FHS,PB
http://www.JohnRabi.com
Typically Tropical Properties

[JerryCarr]

Aloha, Punagirl. Interesting article, though the author somehow missed the fact that there is now a non-stop daily flight from Hilo to Oakland. (Unfortunately, it gets to Oakland too late in the afternoon to make connections to the East Coast or even Texas.)

The snapshot of the real estate market here seems fairly accurate, which it should since the piece was in the real estate section. They don't mention catchment water, SSSP's, or the lack of postal and other government services, all of which sometimes put off urban real estate shoppers in Puna.

Perhaps our realtor posters can let us know if they get any feelers from NY Times readers. It might produce a little bump in the market, who knows?

BTW, we hear that you are still getting frost in the Atlanta area. When Bear and I lived in West Cobb, we used to wait until Good Friday to set out tender plants. Might not have worked this year.

Cheers,
Jerry

[jdirgo]

LOL, what's so funny to me is that just about everyone in that article is someone I know. Puna may be growing, but its still a small place, relatively speaking.

John Dirgo, RA, ABR, e-PRO
Island Trust Properties, LLC
808-987-9243 cell
http://www.hawaiirealproperty.com

[punagirl]

Hey Jerry - I really wanted to meet you on my last trip since I always notice your Atlanta references. West Cobb? I grew up in Powder Springs. Proud graduate of McEachern HS (dad went there too). The husband & I live in town in a neighborhood called Kirkwood which is part of the Little Five Points/ Inman / Candler area.

The weather is crazy this year. Monday it was nearly 80 degrees and it is going to frost tonight!! I am really worried about our hosta which are shooting up all over. A lot of stuff is budding and all 4 cherry trees are beautiful. I would hate for the frost to get any of it.

Atlanta/Pahoa

[JerryCarr]

Hey Punagirl! I was visiting family in Texas when you were last here. Bear was supposed to email my regrets, but may have sent it to David. We hope to see you on your next visit.

We lived in the Austell-Lithia Springs area for 18 years before moving here. We still have friends in the old neighborhood, but don't know when we might be back to visit Atlanta since both our families are elsewhere. Let's hope your hostas make it though the frost.

Cheers,
Jerry

[Carey]

Punagirl, the hosta should be OK (the outer leaves may get frost bitten...) We had a ton of hosta varieties back in the Chicago area & they would often get frost...good old dependable Chicago weather...we could get frost into June some years, snow fall in mid May....
If you don't want the outer leaves discolored, just kick some loose leaves, mulch or even place some sheets, or newspapers over the plants tonight. if youu can throw some old tarps or sheets over the cherry, that may preserve the blooms.




Edited by - carey on 04/06/2007 13:41:15

[punagirl]

Jerry - David did forward the regrets. We will have to meet up next time I am there. If you come back to Atlanta for a visit be sure to let me know and we will get together for a drink.

Carey - no frost this morning. Hostas looking good. They usually take a little damage this time of year as they are popping up while we are still having lots of spring storms. We just cut the leaves off and they come right back. My hostas are one of the few things I will miss when we move. We have over 125 varieties and we are members of the local hosta society. Actually, we are the only members under age 65! When we bought out house it was surrounded by trees so we learned about hosta and went for it. I'll have to post some pics when they are in full.

I saw a few for sale at the nursery in HPP one year. The salesperson knew nothing about them other than they were "some new plant". They were not looking too good. I know they would never do much more than be a pot plant down at our Seaview lot. They might do OK up around Volcano but you would need to put them in the fridge for a few months each year for a false winter. I have pondered bringing afew of our more expensive varieties just to experiment.

Atlanta/Pahoa

[radioguy]

The NYT has about 1.2 million subscribers. The article will cause another small influx of investors. If one half of one percent of the subscribers invest in Puna, that will be 6000 people. All my out of state real estate was purchased after reading about a small "undiscovered" place. If you want the value of your real estate in Puna to rise, send this article to everyone you know.

[punagirl]

There was an article about Puna last year but I dn't remember the author.

As far as property values rising, I don't plan to sell. I bought my lot in Seaview, long before the surge, for $12,000. I am pretty close to the front (ocean). There are only about 5 buildable lots in front of me plus the park and only one home. I have only seen one ot closer than mine go on the market and it was $125,000. I think the averageis $50-85K in here. Sure one of the John's could tell us. So if I decided to sell I feel I have more than made an investment.

The two acres I sold in HOVE about 6 months before the boom, damn, I hate thinking about that!

Atlanta/Pahoa