We all have that one friend who likes to brag—whether it’s about how much money they make, how big their home is, or how impressive their achievements are.The Ironman race in Kona can feel a bit like that friend. Every year, the event proudly claims to inject millions into the local economy. However, data paints a different picture, and a closer look at the numbers suggests those claims may be somewhat overstated. Overview of Visitor Data (Past 10 Years)Below is an analysis of visitor data from the Hawaii Department of Business, Economic Development & Tourism, covering visitor days, arrivals, and expenditures over the past decade. Seasonal Trends Expenditures: Higher visitor spending occurs during winter months (e.g., December, January, February). December 2018: $228 million in visitor ... 10/26/2024

Aloha, Lance Owens (RS) with LUVA Real Estate, along with our partners at KCM, bringing you the latest in real estate news and events.For many of us, visiting the same vacation spot every year has become a summer tradition that is fun, relaxing, and restful. If this sounds like you, now is the time to consider your plans and determine whether buying a vacation home this year makes more sense than renting one again. According to Forbes, "if the idea of vacationing at the same place every year makes you feel instantly relaxed, buying a vacation home might be a wise move."To help you decide if making a move like this is right for you, let's explore why you may want to consider purchasing a vacation home today.Benefits of Owning Your Vacation Home: No worries about finding a place to stay: ... 05/23/2023

Everywhere you look, people are talking about a potential recession. And if you’re planning to buy or sell a house, this may leave you wondering if your plans are still a wise move. To help ease your mind, experts are saying that if we do officially enter a recession, it’ll be mild and short. As the Federal Reserve explained in their March meeting: “. . . the staff’s projection at the time of the March meeting included a mild recession starting later this year, with a recovery over the subsequent two years.” While a recession may be on the horizon, it won’t be one for the housing market record books like the crash in 2008. What we have to remember is that a recession doesn’t always lead to a housing crisis.To prove it, let’s look at the historical data of what happened in real estate du... 05/02/2023

Aloha and welcome to the latest in real estate news and trends. I'm Lance Owens (RS) of LUVA Real Estate, and I'm excited to share insights from our partners at KCM. We're dedicated to keeping you informed about the ever-changing real estate market so that you can make informed decisions. Let's dive into the latest updates. (the chart above is local numbers)The current state of the housing market is uncertain and constantly evolving. As we head into the spring months, you may have questions about what to expect in terms of inventory, pricing, and mortgage rates. Here’s what industry experts have to say:According to Selma Hepp, Chief Economist at CoreLogic, competition among buyers is increasing, and housing supply typically grows during the spring. This is also a time when many people a... 04/25/2023

Casa De Emdeko has that charming, old Hawaii feel - oceanfront complex located in Kailua Kona, on the Big Island of Hawaii. Welcome to another complex in our series of Condos' on the Big Island of Hawaii that make for a great second home/vacation rental. This complex features two beautiful swimming pools, one of which is a saltwater pool situated right next to the ocean, offering guests a truly unique swimming experience. Ocean Front pool Casa De Emdeko One of the best things about Casa De Emdeko is that they allow short-term vacation rentals, making it the perfect place for those looking for a comfortable and convenient home away from home on their Hawaiian vacation, and for guests when you are renting it out. The complex features a couple of different units, one-bedroom, and two-bedro... 04/03/2023

A Slice of Paradise in Kona, Hawaii Aloha, Lance Owens (RS) with LUVA Real Estate bringing you the latest in real estate information. Welcome to our series of articles on different areas of West Hawaii, today we chose "Kanaloa at Kona" Located on the stunning west coast of Hawaii's Big Island, Kanaloa at Kona Condos is a premier residential community that boasts of a tropical haven for those seeking a peaceful yet luxurious lifestyle. This gated community spans over 16 acres and offers 166 spacious units that are surrounded by lush landscaping, shimmering ponds, and panoramic ocean views. The units range in size from one to three bedrooms, each with their own unique features and amenities. Units offer private lanais, perfect for taking in the gorgeous Hawaiian sunsets, while others hav... 03/02/2023

Aloha, Lance Owens (RS) with LUVA Real Estate bringing you the latest in real estate news and trends. Some days you just wake up screaming (lol) at all the misinformation about the housing market, the news, the internet, the paper, instagram...... so I did a DEEP DIVE into the effect that "double the interest rates" from a year ago, is having on the housing market.Take a look at my vlog - because its not what you think!Aloha and Mahalo, reach out if you have any real estate needs on the Big Island 10/04/2022

 If you’re thinking about selling your house, you may have heard about the housing market slowing down in recent months.Aloha, Lance Owens (RS) with LUVA Real Estate and our partners at KCM here, and while it’s still a sellers’ market, the peak frenzy the market saw over the past two years has cooled some. If you’re asking yourself if you’ve missed your chance to sell your house and make a move, the good news is you haven’t – motivated buyers are still out there. But you do need to price your house right for today’s market. Here’s why. As Lawrence Yun, Chief Economist at the National Association of Realtors (NAR), says: “Homes priced right are selling very quickly, but homes priced too high are deterring prospective buyers.” It’s true buyer demand has slowed over the past few months as... 08/23/2022

Is It Enough To Offer Asking Price in Today’s Housing Market? West Hawaii and National Numbers.  Lance Owens Lance Owens Your 2022 go to real estate expert for the Big Island of Hawaii -37 years in Hawaii, the last 22 in Kona. Local Expertise you can count on. Published Apr 27, 2022 + Follow Aloha, Lance Owens (RS) with LUVA Real Estate and our Partners at KCM bringing you the latest in real estate news and trends. If you’re planning to buy a home this season, you’re probably thinking about what you’ll need to do to get your offer accepted. (Read my article on How to Win ) In previous years, it was common for buyers to try and determine how much less than the asking price they could offer to still get the home. The buyer and seller would then negotiate and typically agree on a revised p... 04/27/2022

Things You Need to Know Before Buying Land in Kona, HawaiiIf you're in the market to buy your own piece of paradise in Kona, Hawaii, you should know a few things first and this is a good place to start. Zoning laws, climate zones, building restrictions, use restrictions, cultural considerations, access to utilities, you name it! Every state, county and neighborhood across the country is different and you need to know the things that may affect your use and enjoyment after you purchase land in Kona, Hawaii.Now, the easiest way to handle this is to, of course, call me. I will answer your questions, find out what you are looking for and help you find a great property in Kona. I have been selling real estate in Kona for over 20 years and I can honestly say experience is not expensive, it's ... 01/21/2022

If you've decided to make the big move to Kona, Hawaii, congratulations, it's a great place to live. Now, it's time to figure out some of the logistics. Hopefully, I can help.Pets? If you have a dog or cat, you can bring them home from the airport shortly after you arrive. That's a big change from the 30 day quarantine on Oahu that was required when I moved to Kona. You do however, need to follow a strict protocol on the rabies antibody test timeline. Here is a link to the State of Hawaii Animal Industry Division . They have everything you need, including applications, forms and check lists.Transferring your out of state drivers license for a Hawaii license, is a good idea. Having a Hawaii drivers license can get you Kamaiiana rates on hotel stays, golf and other fun stuff. At the Count... 11/23/2021

Hawaii Island has three active volcanos. While the risk of having a lava flow inundate any individual property on the island is low, the hazard is not the same in all areas. The USGS geologists and volcanologists put together a series of Lava-Flow Hazard Maps over the years, most recently in 1992. This map has 9 hazard zones with lava zone 1 being the most hazardous and 9 considered to have the least hazard of lava flow inundation. In developing these maps, they took into consideration topography and rift zones around the active and dormant volcanos on the island.Lava-flow hazard zones are intended by the USGS to be used by the public to determine general lava hazards over an extended period of time. However, mortgage lenders and insurance companies use these maps to set premiums, rates... 11/22/2021

  Cottages on Alii Drive - New Housing Development on Alii DriveThere is a new housing development getting ready to break ground in Kailua-Kona. Cottages on Alii Drive will consist of 58 single family homes and a neighborhood park on a 10 acre parcel. Soon there will be more information about floor plans but at first glance, it looks like there will be both single story and two story homes with lot sizes ranging from 5,000 to 13,000 square feet, with most in the 5,000 range. The developer is Stanford Carr, he has built quite a few, well received condominium and single family developments in West Hawaii and on Oahu. The location for these plantation and craftsman style homes is fronting Alii Drive, across the street from the ocean and about a mile south of historic Kailua Village. Hawaii... 11/16/2021

8 Things to Know Before Buying a Vacation Rental Condo in Kailua-Kona, HIKailua-Kona has become a very popular place for second home/ vacation rental condo purchases. The weather is perfect year round so there really isn't an off season. The right condo will have very high occupancy rates all year. Buyers should know a few things before starting their search. 1. On the Big island, condominiums rented for less than a 30 day period need to have an STVR (short term vacation rental) permit. The application can be found at the Hawaii County Planning Department web site .2. The condo has to have the proper zoning and CC&R's that do not restrict rentals for a period of less than 30 days.3. Location matters. The condo will have higher occupancy rates if it's in a location that offers ocean view... 09/30/2021

Aloha, Lance Owens (RS) here with LUVA Real Estate bringing you our monthly sales report. Talk about some crazy numbers, let's start with......"Absorption Rate": The term absorption rate refers to a metric used in the real estate market to evaluate the rate at which available homes are sold in a specific market during a given time period. It is calculated by dividing the number of homes sold in the allotted time period by the total number of available homesWith that said, it is generally understood that anything under 15% is a buyers market, anything above 20% is a sellers market. Lets roll back a few years, and we are going to skip 2020. Back in 2018 our absorption rate was 14%, so it slightly favored buyers, FF to 2019 and it hovered around 20%, so it was slightly leaning towards bein... 07/08/2021

Aloha, Lance Owens (RS) bringing you the latest in Real Estate News, and I can tell you first hand, ITS NOT HAPPENING! In our local market (West Hawaii), SFH sales were up 63% over last October, but more important than that, 36% of them sold for cash (see below about walking away from equity) but lets go ahead and take a look at what the "Experts" are also saying: There seems to be some concern that the 2020 economic downturn will lead to another foreclosure crisis like the one we experienced after the housing crash a little over a decade ago. However, there’s one major difference this time: a robust forbearance program.During the housing crash of 2006-2008, many felt homeowners should be forced to pay their mortgages despite the economic hardships they were experiencing. There was no e... 11/18/2020

I keep hearing from buyers on the fence….. “Its 2005 all over again” or “this bubble is ready to BURST !"  even better "I'm waiting for the rush of foreclosures in 2021 …  Aloha, Lance Owens (RS) with LUVA Real Estate bringing you the latest in real estate news and I wanted to point out a few differences. Those of you that have been following my blog over my 16 year career know that I have been a full time Realtor here in Kailua-Kona Hawaii since 2004, the 2018 President of West Hawaii Realtor Association of Realtors , I currently serve on the Hawaii State Board of Realtors, and the 2020/21 RPAC Trustee for WHAR, so when I reference what happened in 05,06,07….. this is not something I read on the Internet, found in a book, or heard at the water cooler. I lived it, I worked it, and I ca... 09/18/2020

West Hawaii SFH sales show an increase of 41% over October 2018. Here is a surprise though, Condo sales are off by <11%> . WoW, that surprised me. Hold on, let me go look at 2017 numbers.......Im back, when comparing to 2017 numbers, we are down 2% , the reason I go back to 2017 is that 2018 had an "event" that brought property sales to screeching standstill, so I typically go back to 2017 for the second half of 2019 . Note though, with our "2108 event" dropping the number of sales, it had little effect on prices, so let's look at median priceHomes: up almost 13% month over month, year to date (YTD) is up 1.29%, when it comes to median price I prefer to use YTD which is $649,000Condos: Also up almost 13% for month over month, YTD is up just over 6%, so condo prices are holding strong, e... 11/05/2019

 Kukio - Ultra Exclusive Residential CommunityHere is a list of currently active luxury homes and land available to purchase in Kukio , Hawaii - Big IslandCurrently Active Homes For Sale in Kukio, HILocated on the North Kona Coast, overlooking beautiful Kukio and Kua Bays, is the resort residential community of Kukio. Unique among all of the luxury Big Island resorts, Kukio amenities, including the private oceanfront Beach Club and two golf courses are for the exclusive use of its members and their guests.The Beach Club on Kukio Bay features a swimming pool, beach bar, private dining, open air and indoor spa, fitness center and grassy areas for events. This low density, ultra luxury resort exudes Hawaiian barefoot luxury at its finest. The recreation management team offers members local... 11/01/2019

Buying a Vacation Home or Condominium in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii The vacation rental/ second home market in Kona Hawaii has really grown over the past decade. But recently, the rules have changed. The County of Hawaii is now requiring all vacation rental owners to register for a STVR Use Permit. Short term vacation rentals (30 days or less) are no longer allowed in residential neighborhoods unless the home is grandfathered in with a non conforming use permit. An exception to this rule in residential neighborhoods exists if the property is hosted by the owner or caretaker. So, a property with a home and a guest house, with a host living in one of the living spaces, would be exempt and allowed to rent for any length of time that the owner chooses, as long as the CC&R's, if any, allow it. Most... 09/20/2019