Big Island Homes: More for Your Money

While appreciating 21.7 percent over May, 2004, Big Island homes still remain the most affordable among all Hawaiian Islands housing. Here, buyers commonly get more land or residential space for their money, as single-family homes under $400,000 are in ample supply.

Local real estate expert Gary Davis commented:

"The Big Island has literally been discovered in the last few years. We're getting lots of people who were looking to buy something in Hawaii and found that prices in Maui or Kauai were too expensive."

Big Island houses are even selling for less than condos on the Island. In May, 2005, the median price of a house was $371,000, up from $304,761 in May, 2004. The median condo price was $414,250 in May, 2005, as compared to $280,000 12 months earlier. Condo prices were ramped-up mainly due to a large influx of second-home and investment buyers.

The Big Island's single-family home inventory has increased steadily as both luxury and moderately priced home projects have been completed.

2:52:22 PM    

Hawaii Job Totals Set New Record

A record 594,700 people were employed in Hawaii in April, 2005, according to the latest figures. This represented an increase of about 15,000 workers over April, 2004.

Nearly 6,800 jobs have been added during the first four months of 2005. Over the last five years, Hawaii has added approximately 46,000 jobs. These numbers do not include active duty military personnel or farm laborers.

As Hawaii's economy has rapidly expanded, large numbers of jobs have been created, especially in construction, retailing and tourism.

According to the U.S. Department of Labor, government supplies 119,000 jobs as the state's largest employer. It is closely followed by the tourism industry, which accounts for another 106,000 jobs.

12:55:32 AM