Much like Mauna Loa, the Big Island real estate market has gone quiet in December. Compared to the same month last year, total sales are down -50% for single-family homes and -55% for condos island wide. Even with sales activity down, median prices are holding steady in part to a lack of inventory for sale. If you plan to buy or sell property on the Big Island, understanding the nuances of each market area is critical as demand and desirability factors can vary greatly from one market area to another. Brief Overview: Island of Hawaii Unit Sales Stats for December 2022 VS. December 2021 TOTAL SALES Single Family Homes – Total sales of 147 single family homes marks a decrease of 50% units in comparison to December 2021. Condos –38 total sold - down 55% from 2021 numbers. Land – 131 total sales of land offerings representing a decrease of 43% when compared against 2021 sales for December. NEW LISTINGS Single Family Homes – 156 new listings. Condos – 58 units in December 2022 Single Family Homes Specific Stats:...

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Aloha Neighbors and Friends, For over 30 years, Malama Kai Foundation has been fulfilling our marine resource stewardship mission by supporting the statewide Day-use Mooring Buoy (DMB) Program, implementing youth educational programs, providing education and outreach regarding current ocean and coral reef habitat issues, and supporting various community-based conservation programs and projects. We are known for our balanced, respectful approach to working with conservationists, marine resource users, policy-makers, and the general public. We have accomplished a lot together in 2022! We established two educational scholarship programs. The first, the Hawaii Youth Camp Scholarship Program, will support access by Hawaiʻi youth to outdoor education camps focused on marine and coastal environments. The second, the George A. Wilkins Memorial Scholarship, will provide financial support to college-level students who are Hawaiʻi residents and pursuing degrees with a focus on marine technologies, oceanography, marine science, or coastal...

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WE'VE GOT A LOT TO CELEBRATE In 2022 you helped us remove tens of thousands of pounds from the beach, educate thousands of students, and divert loads of food scraps and recyclables away from the incinerator. We brought back our cleanup festivals for the first time since COVID, reached thousands at our first ever Vans US Open of Surfing, laid the groundwork for transforming composting and waste management on the island, connected with millions of individuals through virtual campaigns, and brought on three very special new Staff and a few wonderful interns. In summary, we did a lot...and we couldn't have done it without you. Whether you volunteered in person, made a donation, subscribed to and read our newsletters, or followed along on social media, every way that you and everyone in this community has engaged with us has helped us accomplish everything detailed in this impact report. Mahalo for your support, and get ready for an even bigger and better year ahead. As a special thank you to our newsletter subscribers, you g...

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Aloha Friends, Family and clients, Lissette and I support a few organizations on the Big Island that primarily involve our island’s youth. I thought you might be interested in this seasonal time of giving, where we also remember the many gifts and blessings we’ve been fortunate enough to receive. Please read on for further details of each group's efforts and contact information for your reference. Aloha, Rick   The Island of Hawaii YMCA Family Visitation Center currently operates 2 locations for the FVC. One in Hilo at our YMCA site on 300 West Lanikaula Street and the other at the Waimea Preservation Center Cottage. We also use the YMCA Minoke Park, Waimea Outdoor Circle Park or the Wooden Park in Waimea for memorable visits that allow those venues. Intakes are now done online via Zoom or Google Meets by the Family Visitation Center Supervisor or Director.In the past we were able to fully staff the Waimea Center, however due to budget constraints we now go on an as needed basis. In order to maintain the FVC ...

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Aloha Friends, Family and clients, Lissette and I support a few organizations on the Big Island that primarily involve our island’s youth. I thought you might be interested in this seasonal time of giving, where we also remember the many gifts and blessings we’ve been fortunate enough to receive. Please read on for further details of each group's efforts and contact information for your reference. Aloha, Rick   Young Life is a Christian ministry with an active group in Waikoloa Village. Young Life and their Wild Life programs reach out to middle school, high school, and college students in all 50 of the United States and in more than 100 countries around the world. Hawaii Island efforts are headed by Lane Morikawa and the Waikoloa group leader is Julie Simmons. Young Life’s Website states, We go to kids, build bridges of authentic friendship, and introduce them to Jesus Christ. We accomplish our mission by… Praying for young people. Going where kids are and building personal relationships with...

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Project Hawaii is a 501 C3 that operates on the Big Island, Maui and Oahu. Every year, each child asks Santa for a special gift and we Secret Santas make sure they receive it. Our group only provides Secret Santas for Big Island children. If you’re interested in participating this year, let me know how many children, approximate ages, little girl or little boy or teen. If you would like to have someone else do the shopping, head over to their website at https://www.helpthehomelesskeiki.org/ or send a check to: Project Hawaii P.O. Box 1844 Kea'au, HI 96749-1844 While the time for Secret Santa has passed - Deadline was December 15th. Please keep the children in mind and donate to Project Hawaii or request to participate next year! Let me know if you’re interested in helping out. Mahalo nui loa, Mary Mary Spears www.maryspears.com PO Box 847 Kamuela, HI 96743 (808) 987-0357

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Aloha Friends, Family and clients, Lissette and I support a few organizations on the Big Island that primarily involve our island’s youth. I thought you might be interested in this seasonal time of giving, where we also remember the many gifts and blessings we’ve been fortunate enough to receive. Please read on for further details of each group's efforts and contact information for your reference. Aloha, Rick   Aloha and Happy December, Before we head into the heart of the holiday season, I wanted to ask for a moment of your time to consider making an end-of-calendar year gift to the Parker Fund. And if you've already given, mahalo nui loa! The Parker Fund makes all things "Parker" possible - it funds extracurriculars, classroom supplies, financial aid, campus beautification and safety, and so much more. It goes beyond what tuition can support and is the gift that gives right back to our school ʻohana. I hope you will reflect on the value Parker School to you and our island community and make an ann...

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While some may speculate the recent volcanic activity of Mauna Loa is influencing the Big Island's housing market, longer view trends are showing a sustained slowdown since the peak of last year's housing craze (02/2021) and the increase in rising mortgage interest rates (01/2022). Year-over-year, there were 96 less homes for sale (-29%) as sales activity returned to pre-pandemic ranges. Most notably, median days on market for single-family homes have been consistently going up from a recent low of 11 days in June to 37 days in November.  Brief Overview: Island of Hawaii Unit Sales Stats for November 2022 VS. November 2021 TOTAL SALES Single Family Homes – Total sales of 170 single family homes marks a decrease of 26% units in comparison to November 2021. Condos –30 total sold - down 59% from 2021 numbers. Land – 119 total sales of land offerings representing a decrease of 48% when compared against 2021 sales for November. NEW LISTINGS Single Family Homes – 177 new listings. Condos – 56 units in November 2022...

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Lissette and I went to dinner with friends at Merriman's restaurant in Waimea on Sunday evening. We had no idea, like anyone else, what was brewing inside the world's largest and most active volcano, Mauna Loa. We awoke to text messages from friends and family members across the globe asking if we were okay on Monday morning, with links to the Mauna Loa volcano news less than 50 miles from our front door. After laying dormant for almost 40 years, Mauna Loa erupted at 11:30 PM, Sunday HST. In the slideshow of photos above, you can see the view from our driveway toward Saddle Road, which subdivides the island east to west, at 5000' of altitude. Mauna Kea is on the left, and Mauna Loa is on the right with the orange glow. You can also see it during the day, evident by a smoke plume in the same direction. We have traveled the 200+ mile round trip to the Volcanoes National Park to see Kilauea Volcano lava for two decades. Still, we never expected to see lava from our driveway emanating from Mauna Loa. We should have suspected this ...

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As summer comes to an end the Big Island real estate market continues to cool as sales activity returns to pre-pandemic levels. Even though the total number of transactions were down 30% year over year, median sales price remained flat. With interest rates nearing 7%, buyers are not particularly motivated to purchase while sellers who locked in 2.75% - 3.5% mortgages or paid cash are even more unlikely to sell anytime soon. Brief Overview: Island of Hawaii Unit Sales Stats for October 2022 VS. October 2021 TOTAL SALES Single Family Homes – Total sales of 180 single family homes marks a decrease of 31% units in comparison to October 2021. Condos – 46 total sold is down 44% from previous 2021 numbers. Land – 179 total sales of land offerings representing a decrease of 24% when compared against 2021 sales for October NEW LISTINGS Single Family Homes – 201 new listings. Condos – 45 units in October 2022 Single Family Homes Specific Stats: Median Sales Price: $510,000 in October 2022. An increase of 6% over me...

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