The Hawaii Team Real Estate Blog

October 2026 Restaurant & Activity

Featured Restaurant: Kona Coffee & Tea Kona Coffee & Tea is a family-owned and operated café in Kailua-Kona, offering a true farm-to-cup experience. The company oversees every step of its 100% Kona Coffee production, from growing and harvesting to processing...

September 2026 Market Statistic Summaries

Kona-Kohala Coast · Resort Market September 2026 showed selective but meaningful activity across the Kona-Kohala Coast resort communities. Kohanaiki delivered a swift, full-price luxury condo closing, while Mauna Kea recorded a premium transaction after an extended...

Why Do Kohanaiki Homes Sell So Fast on the Kona-Kohala Coast?

Quick Answer: Kohanaiki homes sell faster than properties in neighboring Kona-Kohala Coast resorts primarily due to being the newest luxury community, offering contemporary designs, turnkey finishes, and an unmatched private club lifestyle. While other luxury listings...

Should I Sell My Kohanaiki Luxury Home Now or Wait Out the Market on the Kona-Kohala Coast?

Quick Answer: Luxury buyers on the Kona-Kohala Coast are not retreating, but they are becoming much more selective by analyzing the total cost of ownership—including staggering club dues and holding fees. While premier communities like Kohanaiki, Hualālai, and Kūkiʻo...

Why Are Kona-Kohala Coast Buyers Overpaying for Fixed-Rate Mortgages Instead of Using ARMs?

Quick Answer: High interest rates are depressing the traditional financing market while cash buyers dominate over 50% of transactions on the Big Island. However, opting for a 3-year adjustable-rate mortgage (ARM) instead of a fixed loan can save luxury buyers a...

Why Did My Luxury Home on the Kohala Coast Expire on the Market and How Do I Sell It?

Quick Answer: Ultra-luxury estates priced at $40M+ on the Kona-Kohala Coast often fail to sell because traditional pricing models and generic comparables do not apply to unique architectural assets. Success at this tier requires targeting a hyper-exclusive buyer pool...

Kūkiʻo vs. Maniniʻōwali: What Is the Real Price Difference for a Luxury Second Home on the Kona-Kohala Coast?

Quick Answer: Kūkiʻo features larger, multi-generational legacy estates catering to ultra-high-net-worth buyers with higher entry price points, while Maniniʻōwali offers a newer enclave with modern, contemporary architecture, slightly smaller footprints, and a more...

Can I Rent Out My Luxury Second Home in Kūkiʻo on the Kona-Kohala Coast?

Quick Answer: No, Kūkiʻo strictly prohibits short-term vacation rentals to preserve privacy and exclusivity along the Kona-Kohala Coast. Long-term rentals are also heavily restricted, allowing only rare member-to-member construction leases under specific association...

What Does It Really Cost to Maintain a $20M Second Home in Kūkiʻo on the Kona-Kohala Coast?

Quick Answer: Owning a $20 million luxury vacation home in Kūkiʻo along the Kona-Kohala Coast incurs annual carrying and maintenance costs ranging from 2% to 4% of the home's value. This translates to roughly $400,000 to $800,000 per year, covering property taxes,...

Is a $500K+ Club Fee Worth It for a Kūkiʻo Second Home on the Kona-Kohala Coast?

Quick Answer: Investing in a Kūkiʻo club membership requires navigating a strict vetting process alongside six-figure initiation fees and steep annual dues. However, for ultra-high-net-worth buyers securing a multi-million-dollar second home or luxury vacation rental...

Do You Need an Invitation to Buy a Multi-Million Dollar Estate in Kūkiʻo on the Kona-Kohala Coast?

Quick Answer: No, you do not need a formal invitation to purchase real estate in Kūkiʻo, though entry is restricted by ultra-luxury pricing starting between $20M and $25M and scaling past $125M. While anyone with the capital can buy, every buyer is invited to apply...

What Do I Need to Know Before Buying a Luxury Second Home in Kūkiʻo Resort?

Quick Answer: Kūkiʻo is Hawaii's most exclusive, ultra-private residential club on the Kona-Kohala Coast, catering primarily to tech founders, CEOs, and billionaires seeking absolute discretion. Compared to high-energy alternatives like Hualālai Resort, Kūkiʻo offers...

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ZayaPlays

This is the first transaction Missy and I have worked on together. I found her to be very professional, compassionate as well as thorough! Her clients bought a new place (perfect for them) before selling their current home. This loan was more complicated than most and she did an amazing job!! Lots of support for her clients and proactive when we needed something for the loan process. It was a pleasure working with her!

Sharry Monroe

Dan Polimino was selected as my realtor after his interview revealed his extensive marketing plan. Dan is an ethical professional with a team that is talented, skillful, and responsive. Manny's installations, repairs, and attention to detail were exceptional. Dan and Manny were immediately responsive to questions and concerns. Dan is skillful in negotiation and dealing with difficult situations. He provided suggestions when appropriate and timely. I was kept up-to-date on the status of our listings. Dan and The Hawaii Team were a joy to work with providing a smooth transition in the sale of the properties.

Mike Koch

Dan was great to work with. Very knowledgeable with detailed answers for every question we had. A true professional.

Karen Anderson

The KW Big Island team are the most professional and efficient real estate team we have ever worked with, in Hawaii and beyond. From the first meeting, through staging, prepping the house for sale, hosting open houses, handling offers, and completing all the paperwork, they were fast, responsive and professional. They sold our house in three days by knowing the market, using data to price it correctly, and doing excellent marketing. We fully recommend hiring them!

Michael Robertson

Dan and his team helped us sell a Condo in Kailua-Kona and purchase a townhouse as well. The experience was nothing short of exceptional. He provided excellent guidance throughout the process, helped us navigate the hiccups smoothly and counseled us on a situation that prevented us from making a costly mistake. The team that he brought together for repairs, staging, closing, etc. was top notch. We would definitely partner with him again and can not recommend him strong enough.

Rod Watai

Working with Dan Polimino and The Hawaii Team was an absolute pleasure from start to finish. Dan is professional, knowledgeable, and genuinely committed to delivering outstanding results. His communication was seamless, and his local expertise made all the difference. Highly recommend! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Sharon Sakai

Love this team of professionals who are committed to excellence!

It was a great experience working with Dan and The Hawaii Team on our purchase. Dan is very knowledgeable about everything Big Island During our search, he organized visits to homes that not only met our criteria but also showed us homes that helped build our vision of what is possible as well. He had kept all the details for these homes ready which coupled with the visits, helped narrow down the list to the home on which we made an offer (and won among the multiple offers received!) He also has access to all types of contractors for everything that possibly would be required - from inspectors, gardner, repairs, pool & roof specialist etc. that enabled us to have a comprehensive information that was desired by us in making the purchase decision as well as during the contract execution He also guided us on the local rules and regulations esp. as they pertain to the short term vacation rentals which was of immense value. All questions and issues that cropped up along the way were handled expediently and comprehensively. And then upon close, seamless transition to property management was also orchestrated by him and his team. Thank you Dan and team for everything and we look forward to a long association and working together again in the future.

Gary Bailey

Dan and his entire team were an extreme pleaseure to work with. When we had our first meeting with Dan, We knew within the first 10 minutes he was our person to represent one of our biggest transations of our lives and he delivered in every way imaginable. The photos , write up and brochure was meticulously done. His wide reach of clientele and local knowlege of the Hawaii market was instumental in the sale of our home. Dan and his team took on many tasks that were beyond the scope of work we hired him to do and they were happy to do it. I would consider Dan a friend now from our time working together and would recommend him and his team to anyone.

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