Welcome to the new “Affordable Paradise” info blog! This blog is in response to the many questions I’ve received and to the reviews of my book, Affordable Paradise, in which there are comments about the costs being up-to-date.

So now we have this platform for updates on the book and of course, an invitation to questions and discussion. The First and Second Editions, published several years ago, are now out-of-date on real estate values.

The Third Edition, published in 2005, was right on at first, but then Hawaii experienced an unprecedented rush of new people who for some curious reason found it necessary to all relocate to the Islands at once. Real estate values skyrocketed. House and land prices doubled and in some cases, tripled, over a period of a year. The Third Edition of Affordable Paradise was hot off the press just as this price escalation began, and soon the prices in that book were obsolete, too. But things change, and one of these things was that the demand for Hawaii properties dwindled as fast as it escalated, and now it’s a buyer’s market once more. In addition, the prices in the Third Edition are pretty much right in line again.

You can get a feel for what happened (if you’re into that sort of thing) by checking out the postings and their dates on the “Updates” page of the “Affordable Paradise” Web site. As things changed through that volatile period, I kept updating the situation and I left the old updates in place for those who might be interested in how-and-when.

So now let's hear from you folks who are thinking about moving to Hawaii! Contrary to many very vocal opinions, Hawaii is still an affordable paradise, and it has been my intention from the beginning to show folks how to make that work.

Welcome aboard, and Aloha!