What Harry Tells His Buyers

On the Big Island, Harry Pritikin R(PB) tells every buyer the same thing before they start looking at listings: the property is not just the structure. Two homes with similar square footage, similar prices, and similar photos can be completely different purchases once you look beneath the surface.

Harry walks buyers through the factors that don't show up in the listing description: lava zone classification, elevation and its effect on weather and accessibility, water source, road and easement access, agricultural zoning, permit history, land use restrictions, title issues, and the realities of insurance and financing for that specific property.

On the mainland, most of these questions have straightforward answers. On the Big Island, they vary dramatically from one parcel to the next — sometimes from one side of a road to the other. Understanding the property behind the listing is what separates a smart Big Island purchase from a costly mistake.

Lava zone classification is one of the most common questions Harry Pritikin R(PB) gets from mainland buyers — and for good reason. The Big Island has nine lava zones, ranging from Zone 1 (highest risk, near active rift zones) to Zone 9 (lowest risk). A property's lava zone can affect its insurability, its financing options, its resale market, and the comfort level of future buyers.

But Harry also teaches buyers that lava zone is one factor in a larger picture — not the only factor. A well-located, well-priced property in a moderate lava zone may be a better purchase than a poorly located property in a lower-risk zone. The questions Harry helps buyers ask: What is the lava zone? What does that mean for insurance and lender requirements? How has the area performed historically? What do comparable sales look like? And does the property still make sense once you understand all of it?

Harry has guided buyers through lava zone decisions for decades. He does not minimize the risks — and he does not exaggerate them either.

One of the first things Harry Pritikin R(PB) asks when reviewing a Big Island property is: what is the water source? Most mainland buyers assume the answer is county water — the same system they've used their whole lives. On the Big Island, the answer can be very different.

Some properties are on county water. Others rely on private water systems, rainwater catchment tanks, shared wells, or property-specific arrangements that come with their own maintenance, reliability, and lender considerations. Catchment water, for example, requires a tank, a filtration system, and regular maintenance — and some lenders treat catchment properties differently than county-water properties.

Harry helps buyers understand what water source a property uses, what that means for day-to-day living, what lenders may require, and what questions to ask before they make an offer. It is one of the most consistently overlooked issues for buyers coming from the mainland — and one of the most important ones to understand early.

Harry Pritikin R(PB) has been driving the roads of the Big Island since the 1970s. He has seen buyers purchase properties that looked perfectly located on a map — only to discover that the actual experience of living there was not what they expected.

Distance on the Big Island is not just about miles. It is about elevation changes, road conditions, weather patterns, lava flows that have altered routes, unpaved access roads, and the difference between a quick drive in good weather and a difficult one in rain or wind. A property listed as "15 minutes from Kona" can mean very different things depending on where you are going and how the road behaves.

Harry helps buyers understand what it actually feels like to live with a location — not just what the listing says. He asks buyers about their daily life: Do they need to commute? Do they want to be near town? Do they mind a winding road? Do they need reliable access in all weather? Those answers shape which properties make sense before anyone looks at a single listing.

Harry Pritikin R(PB) has been saying this to buyers for decades: do not fly to the Big Island and hope the right property is sitting there waiting for you. The Big Island is not a large market. Good properties move. And buyers who arrive without a clear sense of what they want, what areas fit them, and what the current inventory looks like are almost always disappointed — or worse, pressured into a decision they are not ready to make.

Harry's solution is preparation. His Daily UPdate gives buyers a way to watch the market before they arrive — new listings, price changes, back-on-market properties, and market movement across Kona, Waikoloa, Kohala Coast, Waimea, Hilo, and beyond. Buyers who follow the market for 60 to 90 days before they visit arrive with a real sense of what is available, what prices look like, and where they want to focus their time.

That preparation changes everything. Instead of spending three days getting oriented, buyers spend three days looking at the right properties with clear eyes.