The Ulu Team

Journal

What we’re seeing, written down.

Market notes and plain-language guides from the people working these files. No hot takes, no urgency, and no advice we would not give a friend.

A home with a lawn and private dock on the Hawaiʻi Kai marina at dusk

NeighborhoodsMay 21, 20268 min

Hawaiʻi Kai: marina-front vs. hillside, and how to choose

Marina-front, hillside, and golf-course homes are three different markets in one ZIP code. How to tell which one fits you.

A condo lobby of glass and concrete opening onto tropical planting

BuyingMay 14, 20268 min

Honolulu condo vs. house: which matches your lifestyle?

Price, upkeep, taxes, and daily life all pull in different directions. A straight comparison so you choose the one that fits how you actually live.

A living room opening onto a covered lānai and tropical yard

SellingMay 7, 20269 min

A guide to selling an inherited home in Kāneʻohe

Title and authority first, then probate or trust, repairs, timelines, and closing. How an inherited home on this side of the island actually gets sold.

A Kakaʻako high-rise above its pool deck at sunset

NeighborhoodsApril 16, 20269 min

Kakaʻako condos: amenities, fees, and lifestyle tradeoffs

Kakaʻako is not one condo market. Amenities, fees, parking, and future neighborhood change, submarket by submarket.

Resort towers above a man-made lagoon at sunset, beach chairs in the foreground

OwningMarch 20, 20264 min

Oʻahu short-term rental laws: the 90-day rule and Bill 64

The 90-day minimum, the HILSTRA injunction, and what Bill 64 changed about registration, fees, and enforcement in Honolulu County.

A single-story West Oʻahu home with a pool facing the ocean at dusk

NeighborhoodsJanuary 1, 20268 min

Kapolei vs. ʻEwa Beach: which fits your move?

Housing, commute, amenities, and the coast — how the two West Oʻahu options actually differ once you are living in them.

An agent handing house keys to a couple
Image by DC Studio on Freepik

BuyingDecember 22, 20255 min

What no one tells you before buying your first home

The costs and steps most first-time buyers do not see coming, and how to plan for them before you start touring.

Two people reviewing figures together on a tablet
Image by Katemangostar on Freepik

SellingDecember 22, 20255 min

How to know when you’re truly ready to sell

The personal, financial, and market signals that say the timing is right — and the ones that say wait.

The front entry of a home, door open onto the walkway and yard

BuyingDecember 18, 20257 min

Oʻahu buyer closing costs in Mililani: what to expect

Buyer closing costs here usually land between 2% and 5% of the price. Line-item examples, who customarily pays what, and how to shrink your cash to close.

A modern home entry at dusk with a mountain ridge behind it

BuyingDecember 4, 20258 min

What is a CPR in Hawaiʻi real estate?

Condominium Property Regimes are common on Oʻahu and rare almost everywhere else. What you actually own, what you share, how lenders treat one, and the red flags.

An open living room looking out to Diamond Head and the ocean

BuyingNovember 21, 20257 min

Leasehold vs. fee simple on Oʻahu, explained

If a Honolulu price looks too good for the building, the reason is often the land. How financing, cost, and resale change when you own the home but lease the ground.

A single-family home behind a palm-lined lawn

MilitaryFebruary 9, 20253 min

VA loans and financing options for military buyers

What the VA loan actually does, who qualifies, how the process runs, and the other financing options worth comparing it against.

Questions

Reading is fine. Asking is faster.

If something here applies to your situation, ask us about it directly.