Maybe it’s a condo in Honolulu, a home on the Big Island, or a getaway on Maui or Kauai. Every island has its own feel, its own market, and its own way of doing things. We help you understand what’s out there, what it really costs to own, and which places fit the life you’re picturing. Browse our island guides below, or reach out when you’re ready to start looking.
With Maui phasing out thousands of vacation rental condos, a lot of buyers are asking the obvious next question: if Maui’s closing the door, is Kauai the new place to own a Hawaii vacation rental? The short answer is no, at least not in the way people hope. Kauai shut…
Oahu’s condo market heads into 2027 as the buyer-friendlier half of the island’s real estate. Single-family prices keep setting records, while condo prices have barely moved, inventory is up, and roughly half of what’s for sale is priced under $500,000. That sounds like an easy call, but Oahu condos come…
Yes, Canadians can buy property in Hawaii. There’s no citizenship or residency requirement, no foreign buyer ban, and no special permit. You can own a condo, a house, or land the same way an American can. What’s different is everything around the purchase: how you pay for it, what you…
2027 is the year Maui’s short-term rental rules stop being a debate and start being a deadline. Nothing shuts off in 2027. But it’s the last full year a West Maui owner of a Minatoya-list condo can make a calm decision before the final guest nights in 2028, and it’s…
The list price is only part of what a Maui condo costs. Monthly association dues, insurance passed through those dues, special assessments, and property tax can add up to more than the mortgage. Since the 2023 fires, insurance has driven most of the change. What dues typically run Association dues…
On Kauai, a condo can rent to visitors if it sits inside a Visitor Destination Area (VDA), or if it holds a grandfathered nonconforming use permit. Outside those, any rental shorter than 180 days is illegal. That one fact decides most of what a Kauai vacation rental condo is worth….
Yes, but only in certain buildings, and fewer than most buyers expect. On Oahu, rentals under 30 days are legal mainly in resort-zoned areas or in units that hold a nonconforming use certificate. Everywhere else, you’re looking at monthly or longer tenants. The rules in plain terms Honolulu’s current rules…
A lot of Kohala Coast purchases start with a holiday trip. Buyers spend Christmas at Mauna Lani or Hualalai, fall for the coast, and start looking. If that’s you, the weeks between now and the new year are a good time to see homes, and a workable time to close…
The last quarter is one of the better times to buy on Oahu if you’re ready. There are fewer buyers, and the homes still listed often belong to sellers who want to be done before January. For military families with orders in hand, it can also be a calmer time…
If you want to own a Kauai home by December 31, you need an accepted offer by mid-November with a loan, or early December if you’re paying cash. After that, holidays and island logistics start eating your days. Work backward from December 31 A financed purchase in Hawaii usually takes…
Maui Bill 9 & Bill 88: Minatoya List Phase-Out Guide + Condo Status Lookup (August 2026) Maui Vacation Rental Zoning · Updated August 19, 2026 Bill 9, Bill 88 & the Minatoya Phase-Out: Where Every Maui Condo Stands Roughly 7,000 apartment-zoned vacation rental units are being phased out — and…
Hurricane Lala Never Made Landfall. Here’s Why That Still Matters for Your Closing. Lala’s eyewall brushed the southern tip of Hawaiʻi Island on Saturday evening, but the eye passed South Point without ever coming ashore. By Sunday morning the storm had weakened from a hurricane to a tropical storm, with…
What It Costs to Sell a Home in Hawaii (2026 Listing Fees) Hawaii home seller’s guide · 2026 What does it cost to sell your Hawaii home? The listing fee is the biggest check you’ll write at closing — and since the 2024 NAR settlement, you also decide whether to…
What It Costs to Have an Agent Buy You a Home in Hawaii (2026) Hawaii home buyer’s guide · 2026 What does it cost to have an agent buy you a Hawaii home? Since the 2024 NAR settlement, buyers sign their own agreement and their agent’s fee is negotiated up…
Hawaii’s short-term rental rules have never been a single set of laws — they’re four separate county frameworks that increasingly have little in common, layered over a rising state tax. If you own, operate, or are thinking about buying a vacation rental anywhere in the islands, here’s where things actually…
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