Quick Answer: You can buy a Kona-Kohala Coast home without relocating first. Tour by live video and 3D walkthrough, hire independent local inspectors, verify wiring instructions by phone, confirm second-home loan rules, and sign with a remote online notary or a mobile notary. Before writing an offer, verify rental registration status, lava hazard zone, and fee simple or leasehold tenure.
Key Takeaways
- Remote purchases are routine, but they depend on verification at every step, not assumptions.
- Real estate fraud losses reported to the FBI reached $275.1 million in 2025 [3]. Confirm wiring instructions by phone, every time.
- A second-home loan has specific occupancy and control rules, including limits on management agreements [2].
- Vacation rental eligibility, lava hazard zone, and land tenure should be confirmed before you are under contract.
How do I evaluate a property I cannot visit?
Start with a live, agent-guided video tour rather than a pre-recorded one, so you can direct the camera: the view from the lanai at different times of day, the condition of exterior wood and metal, water pressure, and how the home sits relative to neighboring structures. Pair it with a 3D walkthrough and scaled floor plans when available.
Ask your agent for what video cannot show: road and trade-wind noise, the walk to the beach or clubhouse, and recent activity in the building or subdivision. Request the association documents, recent meeting minutes, and any planned special assessments early, since these often take time to obtain and can shape your offer price and contingency timeline.
When my buyers were on a video walk-through, they could hear the kids yelling Marco Polo from the pool, and that was enough for them to realize the unit was too close to the pool for them.
How do inspections, escrow, and title work from a distance?
Hire your own licensed inspector and, for older or oceanfront homes, consider specialty inspections such as roof, termite, and pool or spa. Ask the inspector for a recorded walkthrough in addition to the written report.
Your escrow officer holds funds and documents and coordinates closing; your title company examines the record and issues title insurance. Read the preliminary title report closely, ideally with your agent on a call. It will show easements, covenants, and, critically, whether the property is fee simple or leasehold.
The Hawaiʻi Team works with affiliated companies that buyers may use: Dan Polimino is a partner in Moxie Mortgage and First Hawaii Title. You are free to choose any lender or title company.
How do I protect my funds from wire fraud?
Wire fraud is one of the most serious avoidable risks in a remote transaction. The FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center recorded 12,368 real estate fraud complaints and $275.1 million in losses in 2025, up from about $173 million in 2024 [3].
Practical precautions:
- Confirm wiring instructions by calling a number you already have for your escrow officer, never a number in an email.
- Treat any change in instructions as suspect. Legitimate escrow companies rarely change them mid-transaction.
- Send a small test amount if your escrow officer permits it, and confirm receipt by phone before sending the balance.
- Use secure portals where offered, and avoid sending financial details by email.
How do financing and remote closing work?
If you plan to finance, know the second-home rules early. Under Fannie Mae guidelines, a second home must be a one-unit dwelling, occupied by the borrower for some portion of the year, suitable for year-round occupancy, and under the borrower’s exclusive control [2]. It cannot be rental property or a timeshare, and it cannot be subject to an agreement that gives a management firm control over occupancy [2]. If a lender identifies rental income, the loan can still qualify as a second home when that income is not used to qualify and all other requirements are met [2]. If you intend to rent the home, discuss loan classification with your lender before you write an offer.
For signing, Hawaiʻi permits remote online notarization. Administrative rules allow a commissioned remote online notary located in the State to notarize for remotely located individuals using recorded audio-video technology and multi-factor identity proofing [4]. Not every lender or document will accept a remote notarization, so ask your escrow officer early whether you will sign remotely or with a mobile notary near you.
What should I verify before I make an offer?
Vacation rental eligibility. Hawaiʻi County’s Ordinance 25-50 requires each transient vacation rental, a rental of under 180 consecutive days, to be registered before it operates, and registration lapses 90 days after a change in ownership unless the new owner registers [5]. Bill 147, which would rewrite the county’s rental rules, is pending before the full County Council [6]. Ask the seller for registration records, and confirm zoning and any permits independently.
Lava hazard zone. The U.S. Geological Survey maps the Island of Hawaiʻi into nine lava-flow hazard zones, with Zone 1 the most hazardous and Zone 9, covering Kohala, the least [1]. USGS notes the zones are relative and the map is not intended to assess individual properties [1]. Confirm the zone and its effect on insurance availability and cost with your agent and insurer before your inspection contingency expires.
Fee simple or leasehold. In fee simple, you own the land and improvements. In leasehold, you own the improvements and lease the land for a set term. Confirm tenure in the title report and, for leasehold, review the remaining term and lease rent with an attorney.
This is general information, not legal or tax advice; confirm with a Hawaiʻi attorney or CPA.
Bottom Line
Buying from the mainland works well when every step is verified: the property by live video and independent inspection, the funds by phone, the loan by occupancy rules, and the rental, lava, and tenure questions before you commit. To plan a remote purchase on the Kona-Kohala Coast, book a private consultation at calendly.com/team-thehawaiiteam or call 808-913-0899.
FAQ
Can I close on a Hawaiʻi home without flying in? Often, yes. Hawaiʻi rules permit remote online notarization by a commissioned notary located in the State [4]. Confirm with your escrow officer and lender that they will accept it for your documents.
Can I rent out a home I finance as a second home? Fannie Mae guidelines say a second home cannot be rental property or subject to a management agreement that controls occupancy, though identified rental income does not disqualify the loan if it is not used to qualify and other requirements are met [2]. Discuss your plans with your lender.
How do I know if a home can be used as a vacation rental? Ask for its Ordinance 25-50 registration records and confirm zoning and permits independently. Registration lapses 90 days after a sale unless the new owner registers [5].
What is a lava zone? USGS divides the Island of Hawaiʻi into nine relative lava-flow hazard zones; Zone 1 is the most hazardous and Zone 9 the least [1].
By Dan Polimino, REALTOR® Broker, The Hawaiʻi Team | KW Big Island
The Hawaiʻi Team – Daniel Polimino, REALTOR® Broker, RB-22894 | KW Big Island, RB-23793 | 73-5619 Kauhola St. Ste 208, Kailua-Kona, HI 96740 | 808-913-0899 | thehawaiiteam.com
Affiliated business disclosure: Dan Polimino is a partner in Moxie Mortgage and First Hawaii Title. The Hawaiʻi Team is affiliated with Big Island Stays and The Hawaiʻi Team Renovation Company. Use of any affiliated company is optional.
Sources
- U.S. Geological Survey, Hawaiian Volcano Observatory. “Frequently Asked Questions and Answers about Lava-Flow Hazards.” https://www.usgs.gov/observatories/hawaiian-volcano-observatory/lava-flow-hazards (accessed Oct 21, 2026)
- Fannie Mae. Selling Guide B2-1.1-01, “Occupancy Types.” https://selling-guide.fanniemae.com/sel/b2-1.1-01/occupancy-types (accessed Oct 21, 2026)
- American Land Title Association. “Latest FBI Cybercrime Report Shows Real Estate Fraud Losses Rising, Reinforcing Need for Strong Consumer Safeguards.” Apr. 10, 2026 (citing the FBI IC3 2025 Internet Crime Report). https://www.alta.org/news-and-publications/press-release/Latest-FBI-Cybercrime-Report-Shows-Real-Estate-Fraud-Losses-Rising-Reinforcing-Need-for-Strong-Consumer-Safeguards (accessed Oct 21, 2026)
- Hawaiʻi Department of the Attorney General. Hawaiʻi Administrative Rules Chapter 5-11, Notaries Public (Subchapter 7, Remote Online Notarization). https://ag.hawaii.gov/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/HAR-Ch-5-11.pdf (accessed Oct 21, 2026)
- County of Hawaiʻi. Ordinance No. 25-50 (Bill 47, Draft 3). https://www.hawaiicounty.gov/home/showpublisheddocument/309318/638869623608800000 (accessed Oct 21, 2026)
- Adams, G.I. “Bill 147 returns, gets negative recommendation from council committee.” West Hawaii Today, Oct. 7, 2026. https://www.westhawaiitoday.com/2026/10/07/hawaii-news/bill-147-returns-gets-negative-recommendation-from-council-committee/ (accessed Oct 21, 2026)
