The Big Picture
March closed with 166 single family home sales across Hawaii Island, down about 11% from the same month last year. That sounds like a headline until you remember that Hawaii Island runs from $300,000 lots in Puna to $30 million estates on the Kohala Coast. No other island in the chain carries that kind of price spread in a single MLS dataset. What moves the numbers here is rarely a market shift. It is often just which properties happened to close in a given month.
That context matters a lot right now. When we strip out the noise and look at what the West Side market actually did in March, the picture is not alarming. It is a stable, functioning market with some modest softening in specific segments. Sellers who priced correctly are still getting deals done. The island-wide list-to-sold ratio held at 92%, which is healthy. Transactions are taking longer than they did during the 2021 and 2022 frenzy, but they are closing.
Days on market for single family homes is running around 92 days island-wide. That is longer than most sellers want to hear, but it is not a distressed market number. It is a market where buyers have time to look, inventory has built up to give them real choices, and the days of waiving every contingency and overbidding just to get in are behind us for now.
The Numbers
We cross-reference three sources each month: Coldwell Banker Island Properties, Hawaii Information Service MLS data, and the Title Guaranty Hawaii residential report. They do not always land on the same figure, and that is not a data error. Each source uses slightly different geographic boundaries for areas like North Kona, different recording cutoffs, and different methods for calculating days on market. Where the sources diverge, we note it. Where they agree, you can feel good about the number. The figures below reflect HIS MLS data unless otherwise noted.
Single Family Homes — West Side, March 2026
| Area | Sales | Median Price | YoY Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| North Kona | 32 | $1,250,000 | Modestly lower |
| South Kohala | 20 | $1,435,000 | Up |
| South Kona | 8 | $622,500 | Modestly lower |
| Island-wide DOM | — | — | 92 days |
| List-to-sold ratio | — | — | 92.06% |
| Active listings | 975 | — | Up from last year |
Note: CB Island Properties reports a lower North Kona SFH median for March. The difference likely reflects a narrower geographic boundary in their dataset rather than a discrepancy in closed transactions.
Condominiums — West Side, March 2026
| Area | Sales | Median Price | YoY Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kailua-Kona | 27 | $640,000 | Down ~7% |
| South Kohala (resort) | 19 | $1,540,000 | Up significantly |
| Island-wide DOM | — | — | 78 days |
| Active listings | 368 | — | — |
The number that matters most in the condo segment is the Kailua-Kona median of $640,000, which is down about 7% from a year ago. That is a real but measured move. It reflects a market that gave back some of the pandemic-era gains without falling off a cliff. The South Kohala resort condo numbers, which include Mauna Lani and Waikoloa Beach Resort inventory, run at an entirely different price point and respond to a different buyer. We look at them separately.
What This Means for Buyers
If you have been watching the Kona market from the mainland and waiting for a better entry point, March data suggests that entry point has arrived in a quiet, undramatic way. Inventory is up. There are 975 active single family listings on Hawaii Island right now, and 368 condos. Two years ago those numbers were significantly thinner. You have more to choose from and more time to think without a competing offer breathing down your neck.
For condo buyers specifically, the Kailua-Kona market is more accessible than it was in 2023 and 2024. Keauhou, Ali'i Drive, and the mid-range condo corridors have all softened modestly. That is worth paying attention to if you have been priced out or simply waiting. If you are looking at anything with a leasehold title versus fee simple, make sure you understand what you are buying before you write an offer.
For single family buyers on the West Side, the picture is more nuanced. South Kohala remains strong. North Kona has softened from peak pricing, which means there is more room to negotiate on properties that have been sitting 60 days or longer. South Kona and the Captain Cook corridor continue to offer solid value relative to the rest of the West Side, and that has not changed much.
What This Means for Sellers
The 92% list-to-sold ratio is the number we point to when sellers ask us whether this is a reasonable time to list. It says the market is working. Properties priced correctly are selling. The ones sitting past the 90-day mark are almost always carrying a price tag that belongs to 2023 or 2024, not 2026.
Condo sellers need to have an honest conversation about where values are today. The market has softened about 7% in Kailua-Kona over the past year. That is not a catastrophe, but it does mean that pricing above the most recent comparable sale and waiting for a buyer to come around is a strategy that is not working right now. Price to the market and you will sell. Price to memory and you will sit.
Single family sellers on the West Side are in a somewhat better position. The softening is smaller in the SFH segment than in condos, and in South Kohala the market actually strengthened in March. If you are in the Kohala Coast corridor, Waikoloa Village, or Mauna Lani, your market looks different from Kailua-Kona. For sellers in North Kona and South Kona, realistic pricing and patience are the combination that is working right now.
One Thing Worth Watching
Mainland economic uncertainty is worth paying attention to, not because it directly drives Hawaii values, but because it affects buyer confidence. When recession conversations pick up and stock portfolios get choppy, second-home and investment purchase decisions tend to slow first. Hawaii has historically been more resilient than most mainland resort markets during corrections, but buyer psychology still matters. If you are a seller thinking about timing, we would rather see you priced right and under contract before any hesitation has a chance to settle in.
Let's Talk
Numbers tell part of the story. Your property and your situation tell the rest. If you want to know what your home is worth in this market, or whether now makes sense to buy on the West Side, call us at 808-854-5432 or reach out through the contact page.
Mark Davis, Esq. and Brenda Kuessner are the principals of Team Kuessner Davis at Coldwell Banker Island Properties, Kailua-Kona, Hawaii. Mark practiced as a transactional and litigation real estate attorney for 35 years before moving to the Big Island full time. Brenda has sold property on the Big Island for 35 years and holds the Certified Residential Specialist (CRS) designation, held by less than 5% of agents nationwide. This post is for general informational purposes and does not constitute investment, legal, or tax advice.
Data sources: Coldwell Banker Island Properties Hawaii Island Market Update March 2026; Hawaii Information Service MLS Sales Statistics March 2026; Title Guaranty Hawaii Residential Sales Report March 2026. Data is deemed reliable but not guaranteed and is subject to change.
