Do you know how many times I have had people approach me and thank me for writing my "How to Move to Kona" book that I published in 2014? Dozens of times!
I have also caught my share of heat for writing it and "encouraging people to move to the island" which over the past 6 years has been a sea change for the character of Kona. I tell people, that it was a heck of a lot more than just my book who encouraged the mad rush here after the pandemic and drove up housing prices.
But you may be surprised to know, especially if you read my book, that I had a guiding hand, if you will, that kept encouraging me forward to find a publisher and editor quickly, get the chapter list created and the book out the door within 7 months of first putting pen to paper.
I kept getting this feeling of, "Hurry! They need to get here." I kept thinking to myself, "WHAT!? Is something going to happen!? Is there going to be a major eruption?" I felt impending change coming and it wasn't going to be a good thing for people trying to move here.
Who knew it would end up being a world wide pandemic and an unfortunate prolonged lowering of interest rates mixed with people deciding to work from home in Hawaii. Thatʻs what really closed the door on so many peopleʻs aspirations to buy a home or an affordable rental on the island.
My Realtor friends who had seen the various ups and downs of Konaʻs real estate market said, "Give them three years and they will leave. They will be called back to their jobs or they will realize island life isn't for them." So here we are in 2026. Did that happen? Meh.
SOME people DID leave to go back to jobs. But some of my neighbors who had high paying high tech jobs, lost those jobs, and are still looking, have found other ways to make money so they don;t have to sell their homes and leave. The level of what they are willing to do to stay is admirable. Those are the kinds of people I wrote that book for. The ones that don't just give up when it gets hard here.
Which leads me to the "Called to Hawaii" concept I tried to write ANOTHER book about, but by the time I was gathering stories and considering publishing that book, the climate had changed and my editor basically said, "Read the room." Too many people coming from the West Coast was diluting the Aloha. "Entitlement" was the key word as the over tourism boom of 2019 took the Aloha Spirit and slammed it around like The Hulk. Residents were angry and then the pandemic hit and locals got their island back.
Amid the financial turmoil and people losing their jobs and leaving the island, thousands of minnows were born on the reef around West Hawaii. One of my favorite experiences during that time was to swim in the schools of hundreds of them next to Magic Sands. The Yellow tang were so prevalent in Kahaluʻu Bay, residents remembered why Kona was called The Gold Coast decades ago. Algae started growing on the lava shelf near the beach that visitors had wiped clean from years of stepping on. And when the algae grew, the sea turtles feasted at high tide for the first time in recent memory in Kahaluʻu Bay.
Then the doors opened to the public again.
A few folks who sensed the special energy of the island and who had been planning their escape from the "continent" to Hawaii Island spent 10-14 days in quarantine in order to get here in early fall of 2020 and the housing prices were still at the bottom of the hockey stick. But each month the prices rose as more people were getting out of their close quarters and finding space on a very big island.
By 2021, the rush was on and the gates were open. It got to the point that Eric and I put out a video that encouraged people NOT to move to Hawaii in 2022 as the frustration of locals losing out on housing had reached a fever pitch.
Then the mortgage rates started rising to curb inflation and kept rising, effectively putting a financial gate on those who needed a home under $700k to afford a mortgage. The "catastrophe" that I had been told was coming, didnʻt come as a tsunami or eruption. It came by way of supply and demand and the Fed.
So, here we are in 2026. We have over 160 single family homes on the market and the words "Motivated Seller" are on the ads. We have a condo market with 177 active languishing homes. So, were my friends who track the upward and downward swing of real estate correct? Almost. The problem now is buyers are holding back waiting for a deal. Or lower interest rates, which aren't coming back to 2020 levels, ever.
SO, back to writing the "How to move AWAY from Kona" book idea. When people suggested that, I knew they were being sarcastic with a bit of kick to go with it. But now, as I am helping people sell their homes, they are needing handy men, painters, plumbers, cleaners and moving companies. I have so many friends and acquaintances that have appreciated the work I refer to them. They can feed their kids, pay for their housing and live another day enjoying our island.
So, instead of writing a book, I am creating a referral experience called the Home Team, powered by 365Hawaii. These home service professionals in my group are amazing people, many having grown up on the island and have kids growing up here, too. To connect them with my clients feels like a win-win as they help my sellers get their homes ready to sell and fix the items in a home inspection report. And the flip side, is they also help my new buyers who need new fans installed or split A/C put in.
The high tide of people moving here has subsided. Prices of homes have not gone down very much, but if more buyers keep holding out, the prices will eventually have to play the inevitable game of supply and demand.
As tourism has cooled off, along with the demand for homes, Aloha has a chance to peer out behind a plumeria tree. I was sign waving on the high way this past week for a really great candidate. People were honking with smiles on their faces, they were waving and cheering and it was so good to experience positivity again.
I recently met a young woman who is starting a new womenʻs group in Kona and she said she read my book back in 2018. She said it gave her inspiration to come home again..for you see, her parents grew up here and she was waiting for the right time to come back.
Knowing that book was like a tendril of hope to others who just wanted to come home..well, I need to go get a tissue. I hope you enjoyed the read.
