Holualoa Real Estate – Architect Lucky Bennett's Personal Home Back on the Market

Architect Lucky Bennett’s homes go a long way in defining Kona style. Since the 60’s, he has been designing and building many of the Kona Coast’s most iconic and livable homes. His own home (MLS# 215277) was put on the market a while back and was in escrow. It just fell out and is back on the market.

In the last few years, I have received more inquiries about this house than any other. There is something about it that appeals to a large variety of folks. I love the property. It’s hard to describe as it’s so idiosyncratic. It’s more of a work study of an artist than one consistent vision. It rambles down the hillside, with each section a reflection of a different decade in this architect’s life.

The main section is clearly grounded in his classic 70’s California reclaimed redwood and brick meets the tropics with open walls. It’s all about the views and linking the indoors to the outdoors; all common stuff now, but groundbreaking when he first built it.

Also, the man liked to entertain. The home is built for enjoying it with friends. The kitchen opens to the brick patio with the pool, koi ponds, and hot tub all overlooking the mac nut orchard and Kona Coastline below. Sunsets from the patio are amazing.

All of this is set on over 7 acres of mac nut orchard and gardens in Holualoa on the slopes above Keauhou Bay. Surrounded by coffee farms, it has a very rural flavor, yet it is only minutes from the art colony town of Holualoa, and 15 minutes from the shopping, movies, restaurants, and beaches of Keauhou and Kailua Kona.

The price of $595,000 for this estate may seem ridiculously low. This is a leasehold. You are purchasing the right to lease the land, not the land itself. This is common in the Kona Coffee Belt, which this estate is smack in the center of. Currently, it is all but impossible to get financing for a leasehold, so it would need to be a cash offer.

The current lease is about to expire. A new 35 year lease will be offered, but any buyer will need to bring the farm portion of the property up to standard. Leasehold sounds more complicated than it is and I am happy to explain the pros and cons should you be interested.

Lucky Bennett designed several homes currently on the market. They are mixed in my gallery of architecturally distinctive homes on the Kona Coast. Take a look and see if you can guess which one are Lucky’s.