Kauai Real Estate Market Update-Busy week for properties going under contract last week and we had some good closings as well, one $8.4 Million dollar Kukui’ula home that never made it to the market. A lot of properties have come off the market as well, the reason for that I go into more below. For a complete list of what Sold, was Just Listed and what went Under Contract last week click on this link:Kauai Real Estate Update September 21 to 27, 2026
Poipu Beach Real Estate Update- Our Lifeguards have been working 7 days a week to clean Poipu Beach up and their results are incredible. Poipu had boulders, debris, park benches and tree’s strewn everywhere. It was unsafe and just sad.But from September 8th to the 27th it’s a changed landscape and I did a video on it.
Realtors have also been dealing with the fallout as well but this last week was good, not easy but good. I represented the Buyers on getting their offer accepted on a Prince Kuhio ocean view unit that is listed at $695,000. To see that information as well as a year to date market update click here:Poipu Beach Fee Simple Real Estate Market Update
For the Kiahuna Plantation click here:Kiahuna Plantation Current Market Analysis
How Has Hurricane Lowell Impacted The Kauai Real Estate Market?
The headwinds Kauai sellers are facing right now include inaccurate negative news about the damage done to Kauai by Hurricane Lowell. Some oceanfront properties did sustain significant damage. They are largely in their own real estate market, but what happens there will have some impact on the rest of the market.
At the same time, some sellers who were anchored to unrealistic listing prices have gotten more realistic—or pulled their properties off the market. Buyers are not seeing the fire-sale “deals” they may have expected. What they are seeing are sellers who are more realistic about today’s market.
The normal headwinds are still in play. Midterm elections tend to slow things down, and so do Thanksgiving, Christmas and the New Year holidays. That part of our market is normal. Mortgage rates have also gone up, which will negatively impact the market.
But there is activity. Last week, 14 properties went under contract.
In the deals I’m seeing and hearing about, buyers are getting more pushback from sellers than they may have expected. At the same time, sellers are negotiating more than they might have just a couple of weeks ago. That tells me there is movement on both sides.
People have short memories, and things will turn around. Buyers have an opportunity right now to negotiate a realistic price. For sellers, correct pricing was important before but now it's become even more important.
What Is Open On Kauai
The Kauai County officials and, for the most part, the community have been sharing the message that they and many parts of Kauai are open. Several business owners have referenced the Maui fires and not wanting to go down that path, but rather to share the truth which is: many parts of the island are just fine and are open for business.
To help promote this a tourism industry nonprofit set up a great website to promote the businesses that are open and when others can be expected to open. This is a wonderful resource to share and here is the website: What's Open On Kauai?
County Building Division Open
A fire at the County Building right after Hurricane Lowell was the last thing we needed but the good news is the Building Division is now open to the public and processing permit applications as of Monday morning.
If your property has storm related damage you might have question such as what you need a permit for, properties that are near the shore what can and can’t be done, if you’d like an inspection of your home etc. The County put together a great site which answers some questions and give you contact information for repairing storm damage. You can access it by clicking on this link:https://www.kauai.gov/County-Press-Releases/Building-Division-open-processing-permits-storm-repair-guidance-updated-for-flood-zones
If you love trees, all trees no matter what, then you may want to skip this part of the blog.
The dramatic and shocking damage done by Hurricane Lowell that was shown on the news was mostly caused by ocean surge, this did not impact the majority of the population or businesses. However the damage done was by the wind which knocked down thousands of trees on Kauai impacted everyone by taking out power lines, stopping cable/internet, cell coverage and blocking the roads.
The main culprit were the Albizia trees and you absolutely have seen these trees all over Kauai but might not have known their name.Kauai locals call them the “weed tree” and think of them as such; a weed, a menace and we’re all pretty much over them. These trees are not native to the islands and are the fastest growing tree in the world. It can grow 15 feet a year and can reach up to 150 feet tall. The have a nice look to them and have lovely canopies which can also spread to 150 feet wide.But they are weak trees and even with no storms or wind the branches can just let go and when they do it’s not good wherever they land.
Not a new problem. Kauai County Council member Fern Holland is hoping to keep this long-standing problem in the County and Public eye. This is not just a County problem but one that property owners have when their neighbors don’t manage the trees on their property and those trees come crashing down on their home.
Mass removal and putting the electric underground is something all the islands have been talking about for a while.With the latest storms it’s back in the spotlight and some people want to keep it there until something is done.
