A Kohala Girl Looks at Kona Real Estate

With the Kona market heating up, I found it worthwhile to take a look….

Usually if a prospective buyer is interested in somewhere other than my Kohala Coast and North Kohala areas of focus, I just refer them to one of my trusted Hawaii Life colleagues. Occasionally I’ve been working with buyers for a couple of years and we have too much history together for me to say no, and I end up begging their patience as we traverse the neighborhoods of Kailua-Kona. I still rely on the expertise of my teammates for help, as in my most recent set of showings, where Heidi White opened one of her stellar Ali’i Drive oceanfront listings, and Erik Hinshaw offered his short list of must-see properties in my client’s target price range.

You see, I can’t possibly stay on top of the inventory in Kona like I can in my home territory, and I can be as vulnerable as my clients to a listing that seems great on-line, but is a dog in “person” as well as to overlooking an awesome property because the agent has posted unflattering photos.

Erik’s observation was dead on: The $800K-$900K market is just now starting to heat up in Kona. I think this price point here compares to about $1.1—$1.2 million up your way, he wrote. Heat up? In the time it took us to digest the properties we’d seen in a single morning before lunch, their favorite already had an offer on it!

My Kona favorite? This is a home that could appeal to a Kohala girl’s taste—a home with a lot of character and artistic finishes on about an acre at a just-right elevation above Kailua town, with two bedrooms in the main part of the house and a couple of separate guest rooms on the lower level, all for $998,000 (MLS# 231484):

Best buy above Kailua with Peggy Chesnut interior, landscaping, and ocean view

Just to prove that Kohala does have good options in the under $900,000 range, I reminded Erik of a very different house just above Hawi town with a similar sensibility, an almost new home of Nudura construction, with two bedrooms, separate office and exercise rooms, and an unpermitted artist studio cottage on exactly one acre of ocean and Maui views, listed for $879,000:

Almost-new home above Hawi has pond, sculpture, gardens and an artist studio (MLS# 233243)

Moving up to the $1.1—$1.2 million range in Hawi-area property, how about an immaculately maintained 3,000 sq. ft. home on over 3 acres in a neighborho0d ideal for trail riding and farming? You don’t have a Holualoa or Waimea elevation and climate to contend with on Beers Rd., tucked into the better known Maliu Ridge subdivision:

Horses in your backyard on Beers Rd above Hawi in North Kohala $1,195,000 (MLS# 231604)

After we finished our showings, I made quick stops at OfficeMax and Costco, and in an easy hour’s drive was turning that corner into home in Kohala. I understand the appeal of Kona, and am glad it’s only an hour away!

A hui hou,

Beth Thoma Robinson, R(B)
Direct: 808.443.4588 
Email: beth@hawaiilife.com