The current mortgage and financial turmoil may be keeping you awake at night, but Hawaiian Realtors now have another worry. Noisy frogs are being blamed for a drop in home prices on The Big Island. Yes, you heard that right, frogs. A very loud species has overrun the island and the sound of its chirps can reach 70 to 100 decibels, something akin to a roaring lawnmower.
A recent news note in the Wall Street Journal reports that University of Hawaii economists estimate that the frog has damaged home prices to the tune of $22.5 million on the Big Island. Concerns are that when the inter-island Superferry begins operations in 2009, the frogs will migrate to other islands causing substantial noise problems and perhaps stimulating home price reductions.
Don’t worry if you hear that Hawaiian Realtors are kissing frogs. They are probably trying to silence them by turning them into princes.
