Kauai Real Estate Update- For a complete update on what Sold, was Just Listed and what went Under Contract last week on the island of Kauai click here; Kauai Real Estate Update November 24 to 30th, 2025.
Poipu Beach Real Estate Update- Sold | Poipu Palms Unit 101 $1,345,000 (FS)
I represented the Buyers in their purchase of a lovely two-bedroom two-bath Poipu Palms unit with lovely ocean views. If you’ve not heard of this complex, it’s because there are only 12 units and they don’t come up for sale that often. The list price was $1.4 Million and congratulations to the buyers!
For a complete list of all fee simple real estate activity in Poipu since the beginning of this year click here; Poipu Beach Current Market Analysis
For the Kiahuna Plantation click here; Kiahuna Plantation Current Market Analysis
Why Does Maui Have The Highest Conforming Loan Limit?
Short answer is, we don’t know but it’s now at $1.3 Million compared to the rest of the state which is at $1.25 Million. For 2026 the feds raised the conforming loan limits up by 7.4% for Maui which is the highest in the nation. Loan limits rose for the rest of the state by 3.25%.
The Feds set the increase for the rest of the country at $832,750 with the exception of Hawaii, Alaska, Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands which is at $1,249,125. Our state is in an area where the housing prices are 115% of the local median home value exceeds the conforming amounts.
Buyers on Kauai, Oahu and Hawaii Island can buy a primary residence up to $1.56 Million with 20% down.
Mortgage Rate Drop In Anticipation Of Rate Reduction
Mortgage rates don’t drop when the Feds cut the rate, in fact they sometimes can go up depending on comments made by the Fed Chairman. By the time the rates are announced this is old news to the mortgage industry.
Good news is this last week mortgage rates have dropped in anticipation of a possible rate reduction announcement after the Feds meet on December 9-10. I heard from a source that there is an 85% chance that there will be a rate reduction which is why we’re seeing the movement we’re seeing now.
Kauai’s New Police Chief Has San Diego Ties
Our new Kauai Police Chief Rudy Tai is originally from Oahu but has been with the San Diego Police Department for the last 35 years. A total of 42 people had applied to the position which had been vacant for almost six months.
The new leader was picked with extra care given the lack of morale with the Kauai Police Department. Jonathan Frye, the vice president of the State of Hawaii Organization of Police Officers stated; “He has quite the task ahead of him. There’s a lot that he’s going to have to try to overcome after what happened under Todd Raybuck and the wounds that are there are still going to need healing. I think he’s up to the challenge and he’s going to do the best he can to do right by KPD.”
$44 Million Sale: Department of Hawaiian Home Lands Buys Courtyard at Waipouli
This story started in 2024 when the 300 renters at the Courtyards at Waipouli were given eviction notices. The complex is located at 401 Papaloa Road which is just north of Coco Palms in Kapaa. The 82 residential unit complex had been for sale since mid 2023 and the sale to the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands (DHHL) closed on October 31, 2025 for $44 Million.
The DHHL will be doing a “rent to own” program for Native Hawaiians where qualified residents have the option to buy their units after living there for 11 years. The $44 Million came from several government funds including the Native American Housing Assistance and Self Determination Act. There was also another $4.2 Million raised for refurbishing the units.
New Southwest Flight HNL from Ontario California
A new daily nonstop flight from Ontario International and Honolulu will start in June of 2026. The flight will leave in the morning from California and the return flight in the evening. The aircraft will be a Boeing 737 Max 8.
Additionally Southwest will start to offer assigned seating on January 27, 2026.
New Roundabout In Kilauea Just About Completed
If you’ve driven to the North Shore you might have encountered the road work for the roundabout at the road leading to the Kilauea Light House. The project started in January of this year at the cost of $12 Million Dollars. The main objective was to reduce speeding and lessen traffic related deaths. They also worked on the drainage in that area as well.
The final striping is now being done so road closure delays until December 12th, there will be alternate routes available to get through the area.
Kauai Real Estate Sales Year-To-Date 2025 vs 2024
The uptick in Kauai Real Estate activity in the month of October was not fake news as we can see by the November data. Last October buyers started scooping up properties and those escrows started closing in November, we’ll see more of the October rush in December’s numbers.
Below is the first 11 months of Kauai real estate sales compared to the same time in 2024.
