Kauai Real Estate Update- Tensions are especially high this election season and this has impacted our Kauai real estate activity. So, my public service on this election day will be to include a short video of a sweet little spot by the Sheraton in Poipu. For a list of the properties that Sold, were Just Listed and those that went Under Contract las week on the island click here; Kauai Real Estate Update October 28 to November 3rd, 2025
Poipu Beach Real Estate Update- For complete list of all the fee simple real estate activity in Poipu since the beginning of the year click here; Poipu Beach Current Market Analysis
For the Kiahuna click here; Kiahuna Plantation Current Market Analysis
Hawaii Election Watch
Besides the obvious Presidential and our own State candidates to vote on we have two issues on our ballot to watch are polar opposites in their intensity. The first is "Shall the state constitution be amended to repeal the legislature’s authority to reserve marriage to opposite-sex couples?" Same-sex marriage was legalized here in 2013 but “section 23” was left in our constitution that allows it to essentially be repealed, the vote is to remove the legislature’s authority to do that or not.
The second question is “Shall the Constitution of the State of Hawaii be amended to make the appointment and confirmation process for district court judges the same as the appointment and confirmation process for supreme court justices and intermediate court of appeals and circuit court judges …” Essentially the vote is to combine the confirmation process for Hawaii’s Supreme, Imtermediate, Circuit and District Court Judges.
Southwest Adding Lihue To Vegas Red Eye Flight
Starting June 5, 2025 Southwest will start one of two new red eye flights to Las Vegas, one of them being from Lihue. I did a quick search on Southwest site and leave Lihue on June 12 and arriving back on June 19 the flight leaves at 8:40 p.m. and arrive in Vegas at 5:30 a.m. Prices were from $667 to $787.
The second flight is from Honolulu to Vegas and using the same dates that flight leaves at 8:55 p.m. and arrives in Vegas at 5:45 a.m. with prices starting at $592 to $722. Kauai residents love ( and I mean LOVE ) Vegas so our little island having a direct flight is big news.
Kauai Visitor Spending Falls In September But October Had Good News
During the month of September Kauai had a drop in the number in visitors to Kauai which impacted visitor spending.
Visitor spending in September was down 10.7% at $211.4 million compared to $236.7 in September of 2023. The number of visitors was down 14.1% at 100,262 compared to 116,660 in September of last year.
Staying on track. For the first 9 months of this year visitor spending is at $2.18 billion compared to $2.06 billion this same time the year before. We are expected to stay on this upward track and it looks like October numbers are helping that projection.
Lihue Passenger Count is up 5.25% for October 2024 compared to October 2023. There was a total of 65,485 domestic arrivals compared to 62,216 last year. These counts are only from domestic flights and while they include Kauai residents, they do not include the thousands that are arriving by inter-island flights.
Arrivals are down overall by 4.23% this year at 677,639 compared to 707,620 but, given that these numbers do not include inter-island arrivals it’s hard to really know.
What could be impacting these numbers is the cruise industry which is on the rise and has surpassed 2019 numbers. At the end of September the state had 106,000 visitors to the islands which is a 11.5% higher than 2019.
Kauai Real Estate Update
“Election Anxiety” is a real syndrome, not a new one, but it’s one that has been especially high this year. The American Psychological Association said that 77% of Americans reported that politics has been causing them a lot of stress. While under this stress the big decisions in life get put off or, not made at all which impacts our housing market. Despite that, home sales on Kauai continue to rise as do their Median Prices.
Despite the headwinds of rising association dues and ongoing 'Election Anxiety,' Kauai's condominium prices continue to show resilience, with many areas seeing upward trends. The 2025 insurance rates for Kauai condominium complexes have been released, and they all have one thing in common: increases. These rising costs, coupled with the anxiety surrounding the election, have certainly made their mark on Kauai’s condo market, but for the most part, prices are holding strong or even increasing.
Below is a graph of our market activity at the end of October comparing it to the same time the year before.
