Read This Before You Fall in Love With a Lot
Buying raw land in Puna is nothing like buying a house, and it's nothing like buying land on the mainland. It's cheaper than both — sometimes shockingly so — and the reasons why are exactly the things you need to understand before you write an offer. Here's the honest version we give every buyer at the office.
Lava Zones (The Thing Everyone Asks First)
The USGS divides the island into lava hazard zones 1 through 9. Most of Hawaiian Acres and Orchidland sits in zone 3, which is insurable through standard carriers at normal-ish rates. Parts of lower Puna are zones 1 and 2 — cheaper land, harder insurance, and you saw the news from Leilani Estates in 2018. We tell you the zone on every listing, first conversation, no exceptions.
Off-Grid Basics
Water: Catchment
There's no county water in the Acres. Everyone collects rainwater off their roof into a tank — and at 100+ inches of rain a year here, that's not a hardship, it's a design choice. A typical setup (10,000-gallon tank, filtration, UV) runs $8–12k installed. County spigots in Kurtistown and Kea'au cover you while you build.
Power: Solar
Most of the subdivision has no HELCO lines. A modest off-grid solar system runs $15–25k; extension of utility lines costs whatever HELCO quotes and is usually worse. Factor it into your build budget from day one and it's fine; discover it after closing and you'll be mad at whoever sold you the lot. That's why we bring it up first.
Roads
Subdivision roads are community-maintained through voluntary (Hawaiian Acres) or mandatory (Orchidland) road fees. Main roads get graded; side roads vary from "fine" to "adventure." We drive you on the actual road to your actual lot in a normal car, so you know exactly what you're getting.
Zoning & What You Can Build
Almost everything here is zoned Agricultural (Ag-1, Ag-3 — the number is minimum acres per dwelling). You can build a main home, farm structures, and in many cases an ohana (secondary dwelling). Orchards, nurseries, beekeeping, market farms: all standard. What you can't do is subdivide an Ag-3 lot into three house lots — the zoning is the zoning.
The Buying Process, Step by Step
- Tell us budget and picture. Deep jungle or near pavement? Build next year or someday? This narrows 40 lots to 4.
- Walk the lots. Saturdays, boots on. Off-island buyers get video walks — us, on the lot, in the rain if it's raining.
- Offer & escrow. Standard Hawaii purchase contract through local escrow (we use Title Guaranty in Hilo). Earnest money is typically $1,000–2,500.
- Due diligence (14–21 days). Title search, TMK verification, association standing, and our written access/terrain notes. No formal "inspection" — the walk was the inspection.
- Close. Cash deals: 30–45 days. Owner-financed: same, with the note and mortgage recorded at closing. You get a deed either way — details on financing here.
The single best piece of advice we give: buy the road, not just the lot. A perfect lot on a terrible road will cost you more in truck repairs and patience than the price difference on a better road. This is why we make you ride out there with us.