Housing & Real Estate

Hawai‘i Community Lending will receive a $2.4-million loan from the US Department of Agriculture to finance 10 homes for eligible homebuyers on native lands.

In Hawaiʻi, more than forty thousand households earn $30,000 a year or less. For them, housing they can afford barely exists.

Now, in the aftermath of the Maui wildfires, realtor Debbie Arakaki is amping up her efforts to help thousands of families who lost their homes. Arakaki and a group of other long-time Maui residents collaborated to create the Maui Pono Foundation to provide immediate funds to neighbors in need.

The application will help unlock the production of at least 10,800 new housing units within the next six years. Over time and with additional infrastructure, the proposal aims to unlock up to 30,000 new units.  The grant application is not part of the Emergency Proclamation relating to affordable housing. 

With construction of the first phase on a path to be completed by the end of the year, Kaulana Mahina—the new workforce housing development in Wailuku—will soon be accepting applications for its lottery process.

The Nāʻiwa Homesteaders Program will host a two-day workshop for Molokaʻi’s Nā‘iwa Homesteaders Community on Thur., Sept. 28, and Fri., Sept. 29, 2023, starting at 5 p.m. HST. The workshop will take place at Kulana ʻŌiwi, the Office of Hawaiian Affairs / Department of Hawaiian Homelands Conference Room on Molokaʻi.

Starting Oct. 2, 2023 at 9 a.m. and running through Oct. 8, rental applications will be available for pickup in person at 400 Hāna Highway, Suite 3 in Kahului. The application deadline for the initial lottery is Oct. 29, 2023. A lottery for 195 residential workforce housing units will be held virtually on Nov. 20, 2023.

“It was always about affordable housing. We listened to the public and we clarified that the EP is about affordable housing and for helping families affected by the housing crisis,” Gov. Green said. “This new EP focuses on what we all agree will push forward new affordable housing projects.” The EP excludes the area affected by the Lahaina wildfires.

Hawaiian Community Assets extends a huge mahalo to the Office of Hawaiian Affairs for recognizing the organization with a $1.5 million grant to increase access to services, grants, loans, and housing opportunities for Native Hawaiians looking to rent or own homes.

Homeowners and renters whose primary residence was damaged or destroyed by the fires may apply for up to $3,000 in initial assistance per household. Applications are open through Dec. 31, 2023, and are available at https://www.hawaiirealtors.com/mauirelief/.

Funding has been secured for the third and final phase of the Hale O Piʻikea affordable, mixed-use rental housing community in Kīhei. The 223-unit development aims to provide quality, affordable housing options for individuals and families at or below 60% of the Area Median Income.

Destination Residences Wailea and Wailea Beach Villas has selected Brandon Sacks to fill the role of business development manager.

“Government needs to change its mentality from intentionally constraining the supply of housing to incentivizing it, and this new grant program will help us do that,” said US Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) who authored the legislation.

The Honolulu City Council is considering a bill that would penalize ‘monster home’ developers who falsify building plans.

An Environmental Impact Statement Preparation Notice has been filed for the proposed development of a new Central Maui Wastewater Reclamation Facility and onsite Soil Aquifer Treatment basin in Waikapū.

Median Sales Price decreased 19.6% to $1,007,000 for single family homes but increased 21.9% to $984,450 for condominium homes, according to the latest report released by the Realtors Association of Maui for June 2023.

The data collected will help the Hawaiʻi Housing Finance and Development Corporation and others in the affordable housing community to identify the greatest areas of needs. This will allow HHFDC to make more informed decisions about how to best maximize resources.

Hawaiian Community Assets has been awarded $903,168 to expand housing counseling and financial education support for its Kahua Waiwai Homebuyer Program.

This workshop, presented by Nā’iwa Agricultural Subdivision Alliance and the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands, will provide valuable insights and guidance for 58 individuals and their families interested in agricultural pursuits on their Hawaiian home lands.

American Savings Bank joined forces with Hawaiʻi Community Lending to make a $4.3 million investment in homeownership opportunities for eligible native Hawaiians residing on Hawaiian home lands.

The Department of Hawaiian Home Lands held a groundbreaking ceremony Wednesday, marking the start of a $17 million capital improvement project to install infrastructure for the planned Puʻunani subdivision in Waikapū. DHHL reports the funding is the first from the $600 million appropriated under Act 279 to serve beneficiaries on the DHHL waitlist.