Cute starter home in Kahaluu

Just because you live on the state’s most populated island, doesn’t mean you have to live in the thick of it. As mentioned in previous blogs, available homes in Kaneohe tend to be harder to find because people rarely move. Kahaluu, which is just north of Kaneohe, is a small town in itself, with a mixture of low-density single-family homes andlarge, owner-occupied agriculture parcels, public services, some commercial/retail and small tracts of light industrial uses that support the community.

This new listing is rare not just because it’s available, but because it’s also a pretty good price for location and size, as well. According to realtor Mathew Ngo of Century 21 All Islands, it’s currently the lowest price for a detached single-family home in the Kaalaea area of Kahaluu—the average sold price since January 2011 is $968,000.

The property is just one house away from the Kaneohe Bay shoreline on a quiet cul-de-sac. The residence has three bedrooms and 1.5 baths in 976 square feet of living area, which seems larger due to the way it’s laid out. Fortunately, there’s lots of storage space, and the home features a solar attic fan/vent to keep the home cool.

The lot, which has a small backyard and a large parking area in front, is 2,567 square feet. (Click here for details.)

“The home offers low homeownership costs versus townhouse or condos with HOA/maintenance fees. More importantly, it will cost less to own this instead of a home connected to the public sewer line, which is subject to and dictated by the increasing sewer fee (scheduled to increase 68 percent over six years),” says Ngo. “The owners recently installed a septic system in 2009, which has an annual maintenance cost of approximately $150-200 for pumping and cleaning the tank. They said, ‘Since we have the special aerobic septic system, it greatly extends the pumping frequency requirements.’”

The home will be open this Sunday, March 18, from 2 to 5 p.m. so you can see it for yourself.

Money talk: $475,000 fee simple
Contact: Mathew Ngo, Century 21 All Islands, 808-222-7183, mathew@mathewngo.com