As Covid-19 hit the world, Big Island real estate saw a curious growth of interest. Today, a year into this pandemic that continues to fundamentally change people’s lives across the globe, Hawaii’s property market is performing strongly, in ways that are now more readily understood.
For one, Big Island real estate offers the promise of one-of-a-kind outdoor adventures and the abundance of wildlife. Only Hawaii can offer the enjoyment and combination of natural beauty and lifestyle. The island most certainly teems with options for communing with nature, from beach strolls and day hikes, to golf and watersports. Residents can wake up to glorious views of the ocean, palm trees, and clear blue sky, and breathe in fresh sea breeze all year round, feeling like they’re on vacation all the time. Following lockdowns and quarantines, these are perks that many home buyers have come to appreciate more fully.
Life in the Big Island also appears to respond to the new aspirations of American families. With anxieties growing over the quick spread of the disease – and of its mutating variants – in bigger cities, property buyers are now more keen on moving to less populated locations, and, in the case of Hawaii, an island that is not so easily accessed, and where border closures can be quickly implemented. The trend only piles on the already strong interest in the island pre-Covid among the Silicon Valley elites, Hollywood celebrities, and business magnates. With more opportunities to work remotely, Big Island real estate experts have also been seeing buyers with retirement on the horizon be able to move and expedite their plans.
In addition, Big Island, along with the rest of Hawaii, is home to big houses that have become the gold standard for residences in the aftermath of Covid. As the economy amid the pandemic expects people to work, study, live, eat, and find recreation from within the confines of their homes, buyers are looking for properties that can fit their lifestyle requirements.
This means larger houses with big rooms and high ceilings that can be turned into remote offices and classrooms for the children, and which provide more allowances for “new” pressing needs such as a home gym, a studio for the creatives, a theater, or a reading nook. The way homes are built also lend themselves well to open concept floor plans, which allow for effortless integration with the surroundings, through such features as large pocket doors, natural lighting, huge lanais, and private gardens.
In Big Island, residents enjoy serenity amid extraordinary beauty. They can watch coconut trees sway in the breeze, and look for whales and dolphins from their ocean view villa. They can gaze out their windows for stunning sunsets 365 days a year, then sit under the most unforgettable stargazing experiences in the evenings, while the scent of tropical flowers such as plumeria and night-blooming jasmine waft in the air. Then, they can whip up sumptuous dishes from their outdoor gourmet cooking area, and host their smaller gatherings and barbecues, as opposed to dining out or going to parties in establishments during life before the pandemic. Many properties in the cities and suburbs are too small to be appointed with amenities like terraces, balconies, patios, front yards, outdoor pools, and backyards. Meanwhile, in most Hawaii homes, especially those in the luxury real estate market, these are quite common features.
