Cheap Hawaii land for sale

[Wingo99]

I know this isn't timeshare related, but there's a lot of knowledge here and I'm curious.

I have been looking at cheap land for sale on Hawaii, an area called Captain Cook, and most of it is on the eastern and south western sides of the big island. It looks quite undeveloped, but there are roads and some electric lines closeby. Lots of 2-3 acres are less than I find in MN, and taxes are super cheap. I searched online and there are a few opinions that don't seem to match up. Never been to the big island, only oahu, so I'm clueless.

So, what's wrong with it and why is it so cheap?

 

[isisdave]

It's steep, and solid lava. Our Hawaiian members will check in soon.

 

[4TimeAway]

Not HI based, someone will add.

My understnading is there are Lava Risk Flow Zones (based on models) also some lands can be leased vs. fee simple.

 

[SmithOp]

No water supply, you have to haul it in or use a rain catch system. There was a show about folks living out there on the lava, maybe on HGTV, I watched a few episodes. A guy I worked with retired and lives out there.

 

[TheHolleys87]

@ScoopKona lives near there - he’ll know.

 

[ScoopKona]

I live in Captain Cook.

1) It is a looooonnnnngggg town (for Hawaii). In general, the further south you go in Captain Cook, the more wild and difficult things become. Nobody is going to poach your parcel. May as well just post the address. Then I can easily say "go" or "no-go."
2) The only reason property taxes are low is because there's (likely) no development. So assessed value is low. As assessed value rises, taxes will, too.
3) There's roads. Good. There's electric. Also good. How about water? That's another part of "the further south you go" problem.
4) I have an established property which checks off all the county's boxes. It took YEARS for planning to approve two new buildings. Once those are built, we can move into one of them and knock down this old farmhouse for replacement. That will probably also be tied up in planning for years.
5) And here's the $50,000 question: is it leasehold or fee simple? Leasehold means someone will knock on your door in 10 years and you have to renegotiate with the big royal land trust to keep your property. Otherwise they just take it.

And, finally, most newcomers don't last. Living here is much different than vacationing here.

 

[easyrider]

I know this isn't timeshare related, but there's a lot of knowledge here and I'm curious.

I have been looking at cheap land for sale on Hawaii, an area called Captain Cook, and most of it is on the eastern and south western sides of the big island. It looks quite undeveloped, but there are roads and some electric lines closeby. Lots of 2-3 acres are less than I find in MN, and taxes are super cheap. I searched online and there are a few opinions that don't seem to match up. Never been to the big island, only oahu, so I'm clueless.

So, what's wrong with it and why is it so cheap?

You should see it for yourself then you will know. The Hilo area is about as inexpensive as it gets for a Hawaiian town on Big Island with amenities. The not talked about problems with Big Island include coqui frog noise, dove noise and roosters. It's a noisy place especially when the windows are open. People get use to it. Big Island is infested with tiger mosquitos that can bite through a t-shirt. Every year cases of rat lung worm is reported on Big Island from people that were infected by eating local produce. On a rural lot you would be dealing with these pests but the worst pest may be wild pigs which tear through gardens, lawns and occasionally people. Mongoose are another pest that can get into the crawl space or kill small pets and they sometimes carry diseases like rabies and other serious diseases. Bot flies are sometimes a problem on Big Island and can be spread by wild pigs.

I thought it was interesting that Big Island is think of bringing in another pest to fight a pest. They want to bring in flies to eat dead pigs. What could go wrong ?

Bill

Hawaii island considers new ways to control feral pig population | Honolulu Star-Advertiser

As the population of feral pigs on the Big Island continues to grow, county officials and residents are considering a wider range of solutions.

www.staradvertiser.com

 

[Wingo99]

I don't have any particular parcel picked out, and I have no plans on moving there, I am years away from retirement and still have kids in school. I was looking at it as an investment, and a why not at those prices. Land is never a bad investment so they say, but at these prices for Hawaii seemed absurdly low.
I appreciate the comments on it being a leased parcel or not, a good thing to consider. I did see some were HOA attached, and that I want no part of.
I live in rural MN, mosquitos that bite through clothing is a fact of life here. Now rat lung worm, , that's new.
Feral pigs is not a thing we deal with in MN, but I hear it's a possibility at some point. If I can hunt them though, endless free pork?

 

[Luanne]

Years ago we were considering retiring on the Big Island. We particularly liked an area outside of Hilo. Good thing we didn't buy, that area was pretty much wiped out by one of the volcano flows.

 

[slip]

There are lots of videos on YouTube on the subject. This one is from last year and covers a lot of the issues and questions. There are a lot of things to consider but yes it's possible.

Most of the listings are Fee simple and not leasehold out there but make sure to verify. Many lots have unpermitted homes on them so those sell really cheap. Also, You will have to pay cash in certain lava zones.

 

[zentraveler]

I was looking at it as an investment, and a why not at those prices. Land is never a bad investment so they say, but at these prices for Hawaii seemed absurdly low.

My husband's mother was a nurse the LA county schools in the '50s and 60's (and maybe longer) and at some point some company marketed 3 acre plots in HOVE [Hawaiian Ocean View Ranchos (HOVR) is a subdivision on the Big Island of Hawaii that's located between the ocean, the town of Ocean View, and the subdivision of Hawaiian Ocean View Estates (HOVE)]
for $10K as an investment and she bought it with her sister. This is the "nice" ocean side of HOVE and the lot is very nice corner lot on the uphill part with some water view. But desolate, dry, no piped in water, no greenery (almost no rain there), and an utterly uninspiring place to spend any more time than to get some coffee and check to make sure no one had squatted on the property.

There was a period 30+ years ago when it was worth ~ $70 briefly when a Japanese firm was going to make a fancy resort of the whole property. We thought about it as a place to put a simple house and have a place to go on the island but after a serious visit to scope it out, it was just so incredibly unappealing. The main part of HOVE is very poor and for a long time has been drug ridden, and seems to have most of its residents living on social security, if that (not that there is anything wrong with that). Or dealing.

We thought of keeping it all these 40+ years as an investment when things looked up there, but finally sold it this spring for $32K, when it was clear that things were unlikely - ever - to look up there.

All this to say, cheap land is not always a good investment (I hate to think of what that $10K would have done in the market over these decades with even conservative investing) so spend some time learning before you plop down money and @ScoopKona has weighed in with even closer information.

 

[Wingo99]

My husband's mother was a nurse the LA county schools in the '50s and 60's (and maybe longer) and at some point some company marketed 3 acre plots in HOVE [Hawaiian Ocean View Ranchos (HOVR) is a subdivision on the Big Island of Hawaii that's located between the ocean, the town of Ocean View, and the subdivision of Hawaiian Ocean View Estates (HOVE)]
for $10K as an investment and she bought it with her sister. This is the "nice" ocean side of HOVE and the lot is very nice corner lot on the uphill part with some water view. But desolate, dry, no piped in water, no greenery (almost no rain there), and an utterly uninspiring place to spend any more time than to get some coffee and check to make sure no one had squatted on the property.

There was a period 30+ years ago when it was worth ~ $70 briefly when a Japanese firm was going to make a fancy resort of the whole property. We thought about it as a place to put a simple house and have a place to go on the island but after a serious visit to scope it out, it was just so incredibly unappealing. The main part of HOVE is very poor and for a long time has been drug ridden, and seems to have most of its residents living on social security, if that (not that there is anything wrong with that). Or dealing.

We thought of keeping it all these 40+ years as an investment when things looked up there, but finally sold it this spring for $32K, when it was clear that things were unlikely - ever - to look up there.

All this to say, cheap land is not always a good investment (I hate to think of what that $10K would have done in the market over these decades with even conservative investing) so spend some time learning before you plop down money and @ScoopKona has weighed in with even closer information.

Thank you. I had no intentions to start throwing cash at realtors there, this is part of the research. I know a few on this forum either live or know a lot about Hawaii, way more than me or anyone I know. I appreciate the responses.

 

[zentraveler]

Thank you. I had no intentions to start throwing cash at realtors there, this is part of the research. I know a few on this forum either live or know a lot about Hawaii, way more than me or anyone I know. I appreciate the responses.

Not intended to insult youWingo99 and good for you for doing research ahead of time. If you hang around here, which I recommend doing and joining TUG, you will see how many people find us after they have thrown tens of thousands of dollars at slick, often dishonest, sales people. And sadly for some people after their rescission period. Good luck thinking this through. It is an appealing idea.

 

[Wingo99]

Not intended to insult youWingo99 and good for you for doing research ahead of time. If you hang around here, which I recommend doing and joining TUG, you will see how many people find us after they have thrown tens of thousands of dollars at slick, often dishonest, sales people. And sadly for some people after their rescission period. Good luck thinking this through. It is an appealing idea.

Been there done that, that's why I joined a few years ago . Fell for the slick presentation and with TUG rescinded the deal.

And I wasn't insulted, not even close.

 

[ScoopKona]

Feral pigs is not a thing we deal with in MN, but I hear it's a possibility at some point. If I can hunt them though, endless free pork?

Ever driven past a big hog farm?

That's that the meat smells like if you don't process it right. And even if you DO process it right, that's what the meat can smell like. I let a bunch of local hunters whack pigs on my farm. (This happens constantly.) I reserve rights to the wild turkey and pheasants, though.

 

[Wingo99]

Ever driven past a big hog farm?

That's that the meat smells like if you don't process it right. And even if you DO process it right, that's what the meat can smell like. I let a bunch of local hunters whack pigs on my farm. (This happens constantly.) I reserve rights to the wild turkey and pheasants, though.

I grew up and live on a farm, the odors aren't foreign to me. Wild boar meat though, suppose I haven't had the pleasure

 

[ScoopKona]

I grew up and live on a farm, the odors aren't foreign to me. Wild boar meat though, suppose I haven't had the pleasure

Google "feral pig anal glands" if you're on an empty stomach.

 

[easyrider]

So, what's wrong with it and why is it so cheap?

Some of these areas are considered poor and in a cash economy. A big part of the cash economy is marijuana. It's probably the highest value crop in Hawaii.

In the past, some people really like the rural lots on Big Island to grow pot. The Puna area was, and probably still is the perfect place. Before 2015, it was a lot of outdoor grown Puna bud that was semi-famous Big Island bud. In 2015 pot became medicinally legal in Hawaii so many legal pot growers have taken interest in the tropical temperate zones where weed can be grown outdoors. Now that it's medicinally legal, some growers are now commercial sized operations that are required to grow indoors. Kimbo Kush is the now semi-famous legal pot grown on Big Island.

Bill

 

[easyrider]

I grew up and live on a farm, the odors aren't foreign to me. Wild boar meat though, suppose I haven't had the pleasure

You probably wouldn't like rural Big Island. It's kind of clickish. Stick with the Kona area.

Bill

 

[ScoopKona]

The best thing about where I live is that my neighbors are the best. Seriously, the best. Need a bulldozer? An excavator? 20 dudes with chain saws? All I need do is make a phone call.

"All for one and one for all" is here in a way that it simply isn't anywhere else. I don't have any glass in my windows (just screen) and there aren't any locks on any of the doors. The keys to my truck are in the ignition. And that's usually where they stay unless I drive up to Haolewood.

I could live anywhere I please. And I've traveled all over the world. I picked Captain Cook because it's my favorite place on the planet. This place isn't for everyone. Mindless consumerism is almost impossible here, for instance. (Unless you're a gazillionaire.) So a lot of people move here and then move back in less than a year.

 

[slip]

The best thing about where I live is that my neighbors are the best. Seriously, the best. Need a bulldozer? An excavator? 20 dudes with chain saws? All I need do is make a phone call.

"All for one and one for all" is here in a way that it simply isn't anywhere else. I don't have any glass in my windows (just screen) and there aren't any locks on any of the doors. The keys to my truck are in the ignition. And that's usually where they stay unless I drive up to Haolewood.

I could live anywhere I please. And I've traveled all over the world. I picked Captain Cook because it's my favorite place on the planet. This place isn't for everyone. Mindless consumerism is almost impossible here, for instance. (Unless you're a gazillionaire.) So a lot of people move here and then move back in less than a year.

And where is Haolewood?

 

[easyrider]

And where is Haolewood?

West Side. The cheap land is in the Puna District on the East Side and Kau District on the South Side. Captain Cook is considered West Side.

Bill

 

[geist1223]

I like looking at Houses for Sale in Hawaii and use REDFIN. I have noticed that the least expensive Homes are on the Hilo Side of Hawaii.

 

[callwill]

I don't have any particular parcel picked out, and I have no plans on moving there, I am years away from retirement and still have kids in school. I was looking at it as an investment, and a why not at those prices. Land is never a bad investment so they say, but at these prices for Hawaii seemed absurdly low.
I appreciate the comments on it being a leased parcel or not, a good thing to consider. I did see some were HOA attached, and that I want no part of.
I live in rural MN, mosquitos that bite through clothing is a fact of life here. Now rat lung worm, , that's new.
Feral pigs is not a thing we deal with in MN, but I hear it's a possibility at some point. If I can hunt them though, endless free pork?

Probably dont want to eat feral pig from what ive read.

 

[easyrider]

I like looking at Houses for Sale in Hawaii and use REDFIN. I have noticed that the least expensive Homes are on the Hilo Side of Hawaii.

Yup. Besides costs, the benefit of Hilo is you can get a regular mortgage loan for a house.

If you look for land only, the best prices are where you can't get a regular mortgage loan usually because of being in the lava zones 1 & 2. Hilo is in lava zone 3. Kona is in lava zone 4. The best areas, lava zone 8 & 9, are from Waimea to Hawi.

Bill