Investing in Kauai, HI

[Justin Sheley]

Looking to connect with other short term rental owners in Kauai and also anyone looking to invest there.

My wife and I have absolutely fallen in love with the North Shore of Kauai and will most likely be moving there at some point. We purchased a 1 bed 1 bath condo for $675k at the Sealodge last September, and just spent a month on the island rehabbing our unit. I've learned a couple key lessons during that time period and I'm very curious to hear from others if you have the same take aways as us.

- Labor is extremely hard to come by on the island. We planned to do most the work ourselves but wanted to hire out a few small tasks to local handymen or contractors. We found that most people we spoke to did not want the work due to it being too small in nature. We ended up doing the work ourselves since I have experience with rehabs, and we ended up saving a good amount his way. However, my lesson is that there is great opportunity on the island for anyone performing handyman services or working in the trades.

- The logistics of furnishing an Airbnb can be very challenging. Shipping time and delays make it hard to make a perfect plan for when items will arrive, and in the condo setting it was challenging on where to even send the items if we wanted to ship them ahead of time. Luckily we were able to connect with a friend who lives on island and ship alot of the rehab and decor items to his house ahead of time, so once we arrived on island we could begin the work without delays.

- Along the same lines, supply on the island is very limited. We learned not to just assume you are going to be able to grab a fridge, microwave, washer/dryer, ect... because odds are you may not be able to find it, and even if you do find what your looking for the options are going to be very limited. If you want a custom look to your home (faucets, lights, hardware, ect...) you're going to have to order those ahead of time.

- There are obviously many amazing homes and units being ran as short term rentals in Kauai, but our overall impression is that owners seem to be coasting a bit on the desirability of the island and not putting much effort into updating or staging. The majority of the units we have stayed in and toured are outdated and lack design. I believe this is partially due to the complacency I mentioned, but also the cost of rehabbing and the difficulties around planning a re-design probably discourage most owners from looking to improve.

- Cash flow can be achieved, but you need to set yourself apart to outperform the market. My impression of investors on the island is that, like me, most have invested there to blend their personal love for the island with an investment. Better cashflow can be achieved elsewhere, but if you want a slice of heaven and want to offset your costs or be profitable, that is possible too.

- Our love for Kauai only grew during our time there, the people and culture of Kauai make it an incredible place to raise a family. We see so much potential and opportunity on the island and hope to have a positive impact on respecting the island and also improving the housing and guest experience there.

I'd love to hear what other owners on the island think of their investments there. Our condo was averaging 85k in gross revenue a year when we purchased it. We are on pace to exceed that this year, and with the improvements made, it looks like its going to be realistic to cross over the 120k in gross revenue in 2026. We are currently looking to purchase another condo on the island as we speak, and also want to partner with a small number of owners to serve as co-hosts.