If you are in the Visitor Destination Area (VDA) in Poipu, chances are you will be surrounded by vacationers and transients. Only 10% of homeowners in Poipu live permanently on Kauai. It’s easy to see why people love to visit Poipu. Blue skies, sandy beaches, marine life viewing, quaint shopping, and let’s not forget *abundant sunshine*. If you live in a part of the world that doesn’t get to enjoy “endless summer,” then when you do take a break in the bleak winter months, getting some sunshine is high on your priority list. Kauai is a stunningly beautiful island, no matter which region you are in, but what makes it lush and beautiful and green is — rain. Don’t get me wrong, rain is refreshing and renewing and a normal part of life, but when you are on vacation escaping the cold, you want sunshine. Well, Poipu delivers most of the time, and vacationers flock here.
Turtles resting on Poipu Beach are a daily occurrence. There is a flourishing population of marine life to admire in Poipu.
A Great Place to Vacation or Live
It is easy to understand why people are drawn to Poipu, and even easier to understand why it makes a fantastic location for a vacation, hence the 90% rate of vacation and second homes in Poipu.
But what if your dream is living like you are on vacation every day? Maybe you have retired, or maybe you find yourself independently wealthy. Great! Poipu is also an excellent choice. It is a relatively flat area which makes it extremely walkable and bikeable. There are many condos here — when everything is taken care of for you, you get to relax and spend your free time swimming, snorkeling, hiking and experiencing everything great Kauai has to offer. There aren’t a ton of single-family residences, and the ones that you can find here typically have a $1 million+ price tag.
If you want to have it all in Poipu, check out this oceanfront Hawaii Life listing:
Affordable Luxury Condos in Poipu
But, if you want to spend under $1,000,000, there are limited options. Simply put, there is just not a huge supply of housing and inventory to choose from. This is a small island. Condos are a popular choice for affordability and ease of maintenance.
A newer entrant to the market, Pili Mai, is a luxury condo development in Poipu that is an excellent choice for a permanent or second residence. In fact, 11% of owners live here full time, which is slightly higher than average for the VDA. It is a condo development that lives more like a home. Condos feature spacious and modern design with flexible floor plans, and a unique feature that is a rarity in condos — a garage. Condos also comes with air-conditioning, which you will find to be a plus very quickly if you are living here during the hotter summer months. With close proximity to The Shops at Kukui’ula, fantastic restaurants, Poipu’s best beaches, and a quick trip to “town” (Lihue) for your major shopping amenities like Costco, Home Depot, and Safeway, it offers convenience and a really great, low-key quality of life that Poipu is famous for. If you want to keep your car in the garage, it is easy to get around town, get everything you need close by, then relax in the resort-quality pool and recreation area. The HOA dues are even astoundingly low compared to other condo developments for one simple reason — it is a little further from the beach and flood and hurricane zones, so insurance is lower. And if you want to live right on the ocean and pay the premium, I understand. There is nothing like waking up to the sound of the ocean resonating throughout your home, or spending your evenings relaxing on the lanai watching whales and dolphins frolic in the tranquil blue waters. But, for the value-conscious investor, you also realize these beaches are easily accessible and even the land resorts are poised on are open to the public. One mile from the beach is really not that far and makes for a great morning or evening walk.
Pili Mai Selling Fast
It is no surprise that this great opportunity is selling out. Current opportunities are limited to mostly future phases. Of course, like any other condo in Poipu, there will be resales down the line, and new listings will continue to come up. But the thing is, with every new phase of development, the prices have gone up by 2-5%. Though it started as a project in the “high $500,000s,” current listings average approximately $747,000. At the date of this publication, there are 8 active listings, including one that just came back on the market TODAY, which is the lowest priced in Pili Mai, at $639,000. If you take that one out of the mix, the average price of active listings is approximately $763,000. This lowest priced listing in Pili Mai won’t last long. What I love about this unit is how spacious it feels for a 2 bedroom, and the views from the lanai, looking at Mt. Ha’upu are spectacular, and it feels very private for a condo. Please contact me for more information about Pili Mai.
This popular, ground level Mahina 2 bedroom floor plan is the last available until December 2018. HOA dues are currently $510/month.
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