LUVA Real Estate Blog

 With the new year and new decade, we are looking forward to another year of steady growth on Oahu! The LUVA Real Estate team on Oahu has remained busy over the holiday season, Broker Kimi Correa stating that “buyers are active, there are multiple choices for them so they have the convenience of taking some time in the decision making process before jumping in and making an offer on a property.” Also, with the Blue Water Navy Act kicking in this month, she feels it will help push some VA buyers further along the home buying process who have been holding off on making purchases.” Read more about the impacts that the Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Act will have on VA loans here. 

December 2019 Sales Statistics 
The single-family home market on

LUVA Real Estate has seen a recent flurry of activity as potential buyers show intense interest in homes that are coming onto the market now that the high season for West Hawaii real estate is in full swing. The amount of interest versus the amount of homes for sale has had an impact on the housing market.

According to data from the Hawaii Information Service from December 2019, the North Kona residential market shows inventory is substantially down from a year ago. With limited supply and strong demand, December saw an elevated median price of both single-family homes and condos, but by less than 3% for both.

The median sales price of single family homes has remained stable in the $635,000 price range for almost two years and is now $780,000,

We are a group of adventurers, dog lovers, surfers, activists, Netflix bingers, paddlers, caffeine addicts, parents, partners…the list could go on and on! One thing that we all have in common is, of course, our love for Real Estate. Every agent’s perspective and experience makes our LUVA Real Estate team who we are and we want to share with you our stories with our Agent Spotlight.

Lance has been a full time Realtor in Kona since 2004 and joined LUVA as one of the very first agents in 2012. Kimi Nagatoshi joined the firm three years later in 2015. Lance & Kimi are well known throughout both the realtor and local Big Island community. From their involvement in West Hawaii Association of Realtors, the Big Island Chocolate Festival, and the Big Island

LUVA Real Estate agents are busily sending their friends and family on the mainland greetings of “Mele Kalikimaka” and “Hauʻoli makahiki hou”. In response, many of them receive varying responses such as, “Oh, you are so lucky to live in Hawaii!” and “Another day of snow today, how’s the beach?” and a few, “Can I get anymore jealous of you?”

Yes, it IS hard to feel sorry for our friends and family who are dealing with winter, the lack of an ocean view, no swaying palm trees in the gentle air, the sight of humpback whales spouting in the distance. So, here are five reasons 2020 may be your year to finally join us and buy a home in West Hawaii.

1. Your winter clothes are getting older and instead of replacing them, just throw them out. Forever! Yes,

Are you considering making a move to West Hawaii with school age children? LUVA Real Estate knows that choosing the right school is as much as a priority as neighborhood location and other important aspects when deciding when and how to move a family to West Hawaii. Luckily, for an island, we have some great choices for schools, including public, charter and private.

Public Schools in West Hawaiʻi

The public junior and senior high schools in the West Hawai’i district are Kealekehehe and Konawaeana. If you live south of Walua Road (which is basically a mile south of Kona), and west of Nani Kailua Road, your kids will be attending Konawena Junior High or Senior High, located in South Kona, south of the Kona Community Hospital. If you live north of

Homeowners Association (HOA) fees are generally looked upon as a financial headache when purchasing a condo or homes within certain neighborhoods in West Hawaii. However, residents and tenants forget that when the pool stays clean, the landscaping stays vibrant and someone is providing security for them, that those fees are paid for by HOA dues. In light of a few comments LUVA Real Estate has heard from would be homebuyers on the mainland wondering why West Hawaii has “expensive” HOA fees, let’s cover a few of the basics.

Here are the expenses that are included in most condo/neighborhood HOA fees:

Flood, fire, liability and natural disaster Insurance

• Landscape Maintenance
• Pool Maintenance
• Roof and Exterior Repair/Replacement

As we head into what promises to be a busy home buying season, LUVA Real Estate wishes you all a very happy holiday! We are working extra hard right now with sellers who are motivated to get their homes off the market before the busy season starts at the end of this month and into January. Take a look at our available listings and prepare offers now if you are in the market.

November Sales Statistics

North Kona According to the just released sales statistics from the Hawaii Information Services, the single family home market in North Kona has had an uptick in number of sales and sales volume, the median price has actually decreased year over year from $719,500 t0 $627,500, but year to date in 2019, the median price rose .85% from $643,525 in

Mele Kalikimaka! If you are here on-island right now, you know that the temperature AND the humidity have dropped in the past few weeks, giving us a nice feeling of the change in seasons. If you are planning a visit, there are a variety of things to do before Christmas including the LUVA Sip and Paint event, the annual holiday parade, the Kailua village stroll for shopping for gifts and an art stroll in Holualoa Music and Light Festival where Santa will be waiting to take photos with your family and friends. LUVA Real Estate sends you wishes for the season to be bright with West Hawaii’s Aloha spirit and warm days!

WHAT: HILTON WAIKOLOA VILLAGE'S 'OHANA CHRISTMAS CRAFT FESTIVAL

WHEN: November 30-December 1, 2019 from 9am to 5pm (Sat) and 9am to 4pm

When the community asks for help, LUVA responds!

Recently, the Hawaii Island Food Bank put out an urgent call for food donations in Kona as their pantry is “dreadfully low” as reported in this article in West Hawaii Today. https://www.westhawaiitoday.com/2019/11/20/hawaii-news/with-supplies-dreadfully-low-food-basket-asking-for-donations-heading-into-thanksgiving/

In response, LUVA Realtors have created TWO events to help feed the hungry AND support LUVA’s charitable efforts with the Surf for Special Needs and One Drop Foundation to help bring clean water to thousands of people.

Fall Food Drive

We are asking the community for donations to help put food on the table for the holidays for our local residents who are struggling with food

What if we told you that home sales had climbed a whopping 41% from last October? Well, it’s true, but we also were still in the grips of a lagging market due to the volcanic activity that ended in early August 2018. Next month, we should be seeing more realistic year over year pricing, but for this month, LUVA Real Estate will provide you with numbers from 2017, too.

Overall, what we are seeing is a continued lack of inventory under 1.6 million for single family homes. Homes priced lower than $550,000 in the North Kona area are going off the market within days of being listed. Well priced condominiums are also being quickly scooped up and it would appear sellers may be holding their homes until the winter market begins in mid December.

For single