Buying This Luxury Property Helps Homeless Families in Hawai‘i

An unconventional partnership of real estate and philanthropy.

Left to right: Peter Fong, Malia Zannoni, Susan Fried, Andrea Zannoni at the Royal Hawaiian Hotel.

Photo: Courtesy of Hawai‘i’s Forgotten Families Foundation

Last weekend, an event at the Royal Hawaiian Hotel announced a surprising partnership between the Alari Group and Hawai‘i’s Forgotten Families to launch a new nonprofit in Hawai‘i: Hawai‘i’s Forgotten Families Foundation. The organization’s mission is to house every homeless child with working parents through making home ownership possible, ensuring families that earn at least minimum wage are able to purchase their own home without the help of gifts or grants.

Images: Courtesy of the Alari Group

A home, located at 4079 Kulamanu St., near Doris Duke’s estate, will be on the market for only three months. It won’t be listed on the multiple listing service. Normally, a commission paid by the seller is split between the buyer’s and seller’s agents. However, in this instance, the entire commission will be paid to the buyer’s broker, and an additional $200,000 will go to Hawai‘i’s Forgotten Families Foundation when the property sells. When it was previously listed on the MLS, renderings showed a beautifully designed home with five bedrooms and six bathrooms, a guest house and nearly 5,000 square feet of living area.

The Alari Group, made up of four companies, works in major renovations and tear-downs/new builds. The home renovation is well underway, with less than six months to go until it’s ready—and the buyer will be able to customize it. The sale price has not yet been announced.