Median home prices approaching astronomical

Talk about a hot seller’s market. Oahu single-family home prices are at a record high, with median cost at $795,000. Not only that, demand is so strong that houses are being snatched up in record time — averaging just 12 days — and bidding wars above asking price are occurring for 1 in every 3 single-family homes for sale.

Now the down side — and it’s a dire one, indeed. Availability of stock gets tighter and tighter, and affordability grows ever more elusive. Experts are saying that today’s single-family home median of nearly $800,000 could reach a whopping $1 million by 2020. Good luck, keiki o ka aina.

Counting marine life has important goals

A search for whales, dolphins and seabirds across our archipelago is marking the first comprehensive survey since expansion of the Papaha­naumokuakea Marine National Monument in August. Here’s hoping the voyage, launched last week on a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration vessel, yields a healthy inventory and supports the case for keeping intact the world’s largest marine protected area. Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke is weighing whether Papaha­naumokuakea and some two dozen other monuments should be reduced in size.