Lihue is a great place to settle down or come for vacation

Situated between the east side and south shore areas of Kauai sits Lihue, the second largest town on the island of Kauai and the designated county seat of Kauai County.  Most of the 5,600+ population is made up of government officials and their families. Additionally, Lihue is home to Kauai’s main airport, Lihue Airport as well as Nawiliwili Harbor, the island’s main harbor where many large ships including major cruise ships and cargo ships come into port. 

Because of the large number of resorts in and around Lihue, the beaches are absolutely beautiful. The town has the largest commercial industry including major retailers, the best hotels, shopping centers and historic museums.  Tourism is a huge business for this area. Retailers like Macy’s, K-Mart, and Famous Footwear have stores in Lihue at the Kukui Grove Shopping Center. Culturally, Lihue has several art galleries and museums that reflect the history of the area and the island. Furthermore, there are historical areas around Lihue like Alekoko and Kilohana that boast the island’s past and legends of long ago.

Lihue Real estate prices vary greatly. On a positive note for sellers and buyers, Lihue is seeing solid increases in home value and sales prices of residential real estate.  In fact, the median sales price of $300,000 for 2011 is a 12% increase over last year.  That speaks volumes when looking at buying in the area for investment purposes. Add to that the fact that the average number of days on the market in the Lihue area is only 179 days.  Since it is a hugely popular resort area, there are many opportunities to own real estate for investment purposes. Condo resorts, like the Kauai Beach Resort, offer everything from small hotel-room style units to larger three-bedroom units for short-term vacation rentals.  In fact, it is easy to invest in a small studio/hotel room unit for around $40,000.  Small one-bedroom units can be found at resorts like Banyan Harbor priced in the upper $100s. Other resorts such as Kamamalu (a brand new resort) and Wailua Resort offer nice two bedroom condos starting as low as the mid $200s with larger condo units being in the low $400s. 

While Lihue is a popular resort area, there are still many single-family homes available for sale. Buyers can find nice two-bedroom, more updated homes starting in the lower $300s. Larger luxury homes in prime locations start in the low $700s and top the $3 million mark. In between the two ends of the spectrum, buyers can find nice updated homes to fit many budgets.

But, let us not forget foreclosures and short sales. There are a good number of both on the island along with homes in the process of going into foreclosure. If buyers are willing to put a little TLC into some of the properties in this arena, they can get a good deal on a condo or single family home.

Lihue is a great place to settle down or come for vacation. Because of its easy access into the area, it is a popular area and has a life of its own. Both investors and full time residents consistently have Lihue on their short list of areas to live on Kauai and in Hawaii, for that matter.