About Hawi's Puakea Ranch

The start of a real estate purchase in my neighborhoods near Hawi often begins like this. You are a visitor to the Big Island staying at one of the luxury resorts of the Kohala Coast, and eventually drive the 30 minutes to North Kohala. Wow! You fall in love with the old Hawai'i charm of Hawi and Kapa'au, or the beautiful scenery and history you encounter on a zipline or ATV excursion.

Captivating sunset lights up the sky below Puakea Ranch estate home for sale (MLS 235911) for $2,000,000

Heading out of town from Hawi back down the coast, you pull over by the side of the road to watch the sunset, parked in front of the gates of Puakea Bay Ranch or the Ranch at Puakea on the ocean side of the road, or next to the horses and cattle grazing on the Puakea Ranch side of the road.

At any of these fine communities you might pick up one of my flyers for a lot or home for sale...or see my sign by the road...but when you open your cell phone to dial my number...OOOPS. Zero bars. This bend of the road between Hawi and Mahukona has great sunset and Maui views, and--unless you are down on the oceanfront--absolutely no cell phone coverage.

A persistent buyer who snapped a photo of my sign and called me when they got reception just down the road gave me an idea. Why not provide more than just my contact information...with just a simple QR code!

Standard sign comes down; custom sign with QR code in lower right hand corner gets installed at Puakea Ranch!

Across the street at Ranch at Puakea, the developer's big sign at the entrance now has a flyer box on one side, and this cool sign on the other:

Flyers tend to get lost or tossed by the time vacation ends. That smart phone goes home. So before you head for Hawai'i, pack sunscreen and closed toed shoes for your eco-adventure, and download a QR code reader for your phone! See you at sunset at Puakea, around the corner from Hawi...

A hui hou,

Beth

Hey --- Here's part 2 of the home auction drama--- As I watched the on-line "auction action" with 7 minutes until bid-closing, my clients Peggy & Leo were right in there slugging with a bid of $430,000. Just to be safe, I gave Peggy a call in those last few moments to be sure she knew about the 10% "buyer's premium" that the auction house adds to the winning bid---- So if her $430,000 bid was the winner, she'd be on the hook for $430k + $43k = $473,000. Peggy said, "What?!? I never saw that on the auction site." Sure enough, in a little gray link at the bottom of the auction site "Terms & Conditions", there was the 10% hook. We both knew that $473,000 was more that she wanted to pay Peggy: "Wow, thanks, Forrest---I'm outa here." So---- did I lose a sale? Or save a client from an unexpected tangle? >>> I'd much rather have Peggy & Leo buy something they know they want at a great price. PS: We hear that the final "winning" bid was $436,500 (plus 10%)---but the bank rejected the auction result as too low a price... Now a new auction company is about to run the race again... More to come Best to you all --- Forrest Hawaii's Green Realtor "You have a friend in the business..." Forrest Arnold R(B) Certified EcoBroker Tel. 808-987-2365 email: forrest@HawaiiGreenRealty.com

Although much of the activity in North Kohala (Hawi - Kapaau) in the past month was in the lower end of the market, the two residential sales were at the upper end. Interestingly enough, each of these properties sold for $50,000 above their last listed price!

The Puakea Bay Ranch property had a significant price reduction that prompted multiple offers, and sold for $1,650,000 to a family whose children will bring life and sparkle to what has primarily been a community for well-heeled retirees and part-time residents. With the only active listing there being the oceanfront estate for $13,750,000, it is likely that lot listings will get more attention in coming months.

The only Puakea Bay Ranch active listing is this oceanfront estate for $13,750,000 (MLS 232548 )

The Hawi Historic Home had actually been withdrawn from the market. However, I got a call from prospective buyers who remembered having drooled over the virtual tour before they sold their home on Oahu and began searching for Big Island property. They wondered if the owners would still be willing to part with the home. The call came on Monday, the saw the property on Wednesday, made an offer on Thursday and we opened escrow on Friday. This property sold for $800,000.

Two larger plantation manager homes are still on the market in Hawi. I am partial to the layout of this 4,000 sq ft 5-bedroom home on 1-1/3 acres midway between Hawi and Kapaau:

Plantation Manager Historic Home for Sale for $1,550,000 (MLS 233193)

A hui hou,

Beth