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Nick Kawakami

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Articles

Pricing Released for Ulana at Ward Village

October 4, 2021 By Nick Kawakami

Prices starting from $271,000 for studio

Located to the very west of Ward Villages (left side of the image above), Ulana is the latest reserved building for the project.

Cutting right to the chase, here are is the expected pricing for the units at Ulana Ward Village:

  • 123 STUDIOS/1 PKG (289 SF): $271,000 – $355,400
  • 164 1 BED/1 BATH/1 PKG (527 – 530 SF): $400,500-$556,000
  • 287 2 BED/1 or 2 BATH/2PKG (676 – 755 SF ): $504,000- $650,000
  • 123 3 BED/2 BATH/2 PKG (854 – 995 SF): $550,000-$717,000

Who qualifies to buy at unit at Ulana Ward Village?

100% of these units will be sold under the HCDA Reserved Housing Program, meaning all units will be sold under market pricing to those who qualify under their criteria.

Eligibility

  • U.S Citizen or permanent resident alien
  • Resident of the State of Hawaii
  • At least 18 years of age
  • Buyer (and spouse) do not have majority interest in a principal residence within the last three years
  • Will be an owner occupant during regulated period
  • Has never purchased reserved housing (exceptions available)
  • All household members must qualify under the area median income (AMI) limits, along with asset verification

What does reserved housing mean?

In an effort to create affordable homes for our locals, the Hawaii Community Development Authority assigns requirements for developers to mix in affordably-priced homes when they are building a project. “Reserved” housing refers to housing that falls under the terms outlined by the HCDA and varies from project to project.

Restrictions

  • For Ulana at Ward Village, the HCDA will require qualified buyers to be owner-occupants so no investor purchases allowed.
  • Buyers will also be held to a mix of 2, 5 and 10 year buyback terms, meaning if you sell the property before your buyback term expires, the HCDA will have the first-right to buy the property (in the hopes of selling to a new qualified reserved buyer).
  • Buyers will also have to share any equity earned with the HCDA, meaning no matter when you sell your property, the HCDA will get a portion of your profit when you sell.

Is buying a reserved unit a good idea?

The offer here is simple: qualified buyers will have the chance to live in Ward Villages, a very prime and sought-after neighborhood, for under-market prices. Of course there are trade-offs for the reduced pricing, like buyback and shared equity, so you have to decide if those tradeoffs are worth it to you.

What should I do if I’m interested in buying a reserved unit at Ulana?

Obviously, I’m going to say “contact me” if you’re interested but I know you’d rather have a concrete first step to get the ball rolling. So, if you’re just interested in testing the waters, I’d highly recommend you get your financial affairs in order first. Make sure you have your past two to three years of W-2s and tax returns ready, and make sure you are qualified under their eligibility requirements above.

If you’d like to take it a step further, email me at (nick@marcushawaii.com) and I can set you up with a Buyer Zoom presentation. I can also represent you and look out for your best interest if you decide to move forward with a purchase, since Ulana is allowing buyer representation. If you have already registered with the Ulana Sales Staff without a buyer’s agent, just let the Sales Team Member know that you are working with me and they will loop me in. I’d highly recommend you get a buyer’s representative, since the Sales Team represents the developer.

Filed Under: Real Estate

What’s Available at Koa Ridge?

September 29, 2021 By Nick Kawakami

September 2021 Update

Malina at Koa Ridge Plan 2B1 - Building A Slate

Just a quick update on the inventory still available at Koa Ridge. Thanks goes out to our good friend, Ken Ching, for the update!

  • Malina (Income-Restricted Townhomes):
    • Now taking applications for Phase III. 1 bedroom/1 bath from $380,000, 2 bedrooms/2 baths from $495,000 and 3 bedrooms/2 baths from $580,000. Application deadline for the lottery is October 13, 2021 at 5:00 pm.
  • Nanea (Single-family Condominium Homes)
    • SOLD OUT
  • Luana (Paired Homes aka Duplexes):
    • SOLD OUT

As for upcoming releases, there is expected to be market-priced townhomes coming later this year, with smaller single-family condominium homes expected in early 2022.

For more information on Koa Ridge, give me a call or text me. Koa Ridge is allowing Buyers to have representation, so I can help facilitate your purchase of these brand-new units!

-Nick

Filed Under: Real Estate

April 2021 Real Estate Market Recap & Opinion

April 16, 2021 By Nick Kawakami

Welcome to 2021!

After a brief break from newsletter-ing at the start of the year, I’m back! I’ve been busy helping my clients buy and sell their homes in this crazy market and I’m excited to share some statistics and my observations. Hope you are all doing well and ready to dive back into Hawaii Real Estate news!

[Read more…] about April 2021 Real Estate Market Recap & Opinion

Filed Under: Real Estate Tagged With: market report, market stats

November 2020 Real Estate Market Stats & Opinion

December 21, 2020 By Nick Kawakami

It’s the most wonderful time of the year!

If you’re already sick of Christmas music, you may also be sick of hearing the same real estate news from me. November 2020 followed the same trends we’ve seen over the past several months with no indications of slowing down or changing course. Limited inventory spurred on higher home prices while maintaining condo prices, which is what we have been seeing for a while now. No need to be a Grinch about it though, let’s take a closer look at the details, shall we?

[Read more…] about November 2020 Real Estate Market Stats & Opinion

Filed Under: Real Estate Tagged With: market report, market stats

September 2020 Real Estate Market Stats & Opinion

November 2, 2020 By Nick Kawakami

This year is already/finally reaching its end

Welp. We made it to the 4th quarter of 2020! Whatever your circumstances are, congratulations for making it this far. As we head into the holidays, let’s take a look at the current real estate market on Oʻahu…

[Read more…] about September 2020 Real Estate Market Stats & Opinion

Filed Under: Real Estate Tagged With: market report, market stats

Brokerages of the Future Will Resemble Marketing Companies

September 18, 2020 By Nick Kawakami

TL;DR for all my family/friends/clients and anyone else who’s not involved in the real estate industry: future real estate agents will be much more marketing-savvy, and brokerages of the future will need to be set up to provide much more marketing support. I myself, am making a commitment to building a marketing team that will help me long into the future.

[Read more…] about Brokerages of the Future Will Resemble Marketing Companies

Filed Under: Real Estate, Thoughts Tagged With: above the stream, future, marketing, opinion

August 2020 Real Estate Market Stats & Opinion

September 7, 2020 By Nick Kawakami

Mixed bag of news as pandemic hits its summer stride

Hi Everyone, happy September…wait, what? It’s September? Now that time seems to be flying by again, does that mean I’m getting used to the pandemic life? Of course, being under another stay-at-home order is no fun, but hopefully you’re being safe and healthy as we navigate these quickly-changing times! Here’s a brief breakdown of the current real estate market on O‘ahu, and some other tidbits from me…

[Read more…] about August 2020 Real Estate Market Stats & Opinion

Filed Under: Real Estate Tagged With: market report, market stats

Koa Ridge Proposed Floorplans Released

June 9, 2020 By Nick Kawakami

For decades, this planned project has seen enough road blocks to make this announcement that much sweeter! Koa Ridge, the planned development above Waipio Costco and along H-2 freeway, has just released proposed floorplans for their initial phase! It’s a big step for the Castle & Cooke developers, and is a sign that a sales release is coming soon.

The smallest plan calls for 3-4 bedrooms w/ 2-baths, starting around 1,300 square feet.

What Are Rumors and What Are Facts?

We live in Hawaii, so your Aunty heard from her cousin that they faked the moon landing. Or, your nephew’s sister-in-law told you that Governor Ige is a robot. In our tight community, it is hard to tell facts from fiction, so let’s start with what we actually know about Koa Ridge and what we’ve heard in rumors.

Quick disclaimer, the following “facts” are known to be true as of writing. Castle & Cooke reserves the right to make changes without notice.

FACT: Floorplans will vary between 3-bedroom and 6-bedroom configurations. There are six floorplans released (A-F) for the first phase of development with different layouts and configurations.

RUMOR: Pricing will start in the $800,000s. Prices are rumored to start in this range for their smaller unit, but won’t be confirmed until they do their public release soon.

FACT: Koa Ridge will be a self-contained development. There’s planning for schools, parks, commercial spaces, and even a medical center.

RUMOR: Sales will start this week! Most likely, sales will start sometime this summer, but it’s hard to imagine that it would be as early as next week.

The largest plan could be as big as 6-bedrooms with over 2,200 square feet of living space!

How to Prepare for the Sales Process in Koa Ridge

There are two big steps that you can take to prepare yourself now. First would be to contact your favorite real estate agent and let them know that you are interested in this development. Koa Ridge will be allowing Buyers have representation for their own agents, and projects like this typically release information to the real estate community first. If you don’t have an agent beforehand, you can always contact me and I’d be happy to keep you updated!

Important Note: If you contact the Koa Ridge sales team directly, you may be giving up your right for representation from your real estate agent. This rule has not been confirmed by Castle & Cooke yet, but other developments have had this caveat in place.

The second step is to get yourself financially ready for a quick sales process. When you contact your real estate agent, discuss your current financial situation and have them advise you on how to get in the best position once sales are announced. This could mean paying off debt or getting advice from a lender, but specific action steps will vary depending on your personal situation.

Important Note: Developments like Koa Ridge might require buyers to use certain “Project Lenders” that are pre-approved to do mortgages for Buyers. If you work with an unappoved lender before these Project Lenders are announced, you may have to restart the loan process from scratch.

Where Can I Get More Information?

For now, public information is scarce. The best way to stay informed is to have a licensed real estate agent representing you and updating you. I understand that being one myself makes me a little bias in these recommendations, but it’s the plan of action that makes the most sense. You as a buyer do not pay your agent for this purchase (Castle & Cooke will pay them directly), and we will have the most current information and be able to position you in the best way possible.

Even if it’s not me, reach out to your favorite real estate agent today and let them know. These processes tend to move fast, so preparing as much in advance will be your best advantage!

Filed Under: Real Estate Tagged With: castle & cooke, development, koa ridge, new development

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All information contained in this website is not guaranteed, and any questions should be directed to your trusted real estate agent (hopefully me!). All media is property of Above The Stream LLC, and all opinions are my own. All listings are properties of the owners, and requests for removal can be made using the contact page. Thank you for visiting!

Nick Kawakami, Realtor Associate
RS-76713, Marcus Realty
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Copyright © 2025 · Nick Kawakami, VP, Marcus Realty
Licensed in the State of Hawaii, RS-76713

All information contained in this website is not guaranteed, and any questions should be directed to your trusted real estate agent (hopefully me!).
All media is property of Above The Stream LLC, and all opinions are my own.
All listings are properties of the owners, and requests for removal can be made using the contact page.