Jason Wong’s Hawaii Real Estate Blog

Thinking about packing up and moving to paradise? A life in Hawaii is beautiful, but it comes with a unique set of rules. For many years, I’ve seen too many people move to the islands with dreams of sunsets, only to leave six months later with an empty bank account. Before you make the leap,…

Have you noticed the shift in how we utilize commercial real estate? It’s no longer just about standard retail or office space—the future of urban land use is vertical. Welcome back to the channel! I’m Jason Wong, Principal Broker at Island Dragonfly. Today, we are diving deep into a massive industry shift that is changing…

Are national headlines making you second-guess commercial real estate? While mainland markets panic-sell, Hawaii is playing by a completely different set of rules. Welcome to the 2026 Hawaii Commercial Real Estate Market Update. I am Jason Wong, President and Principal Broker at Island Dragonfly. Sitting here in the middle of the Pacific, the rules of…

Did you know the State of Hawaii can legally seize your property if it sits abandoned or if property taxes go unpaid? If you are a foreign investor, U.S. expat, or absentee owner of Hawaii real estate, “finders keepers” is a very real threat. In this video, I break down Hawaii Revised Statutes Chapter 531…

Is it possible for a house to fix its own cracks? Living in Hawaii offers an unparalleled lifestyle, but our beautiful island environment—with its corrosive salt air, intense humidity, and heavy rains—eats traditional concrete for breakfast. Maintaining a luxury property here requires resilience, both in strategy and in the very materials used to build your…

Did you buy your Hawaii luxury property through an offshore LLC to protect your privacy? It might have felt like a brilliant move at the time, but when it’s time to sell, that offshore entity could cost you nearly half of your hard-earned equity. If you own Hawaii real estate personally or through a standard…

Everyone dreams of sunset Mai Tais and surfing before work, but what does it actually cost to live in paradise? In this video, we break down the brutal financial reality of making $100,000 a year in Hawaii. From the nation’s highest electricity rates and imported grocery costs to the reality of the Oahu housing market,…

Thinking of buying your dream home in paradise? A beautiful ocean view can sometimes hide a financial nightmare. In this video, we uncover the 7 biggest home inspection failures unique to the Hawaii real estate market that can drain your bank account and turn your tropical dream into a stressful liability. From hidden termite damage…

Every week, a new expert screams that the national housing market is crashing. If you live on the mainland, you might be worried. But here in Hawaii? We don’t run. We surf. Welcome back to the channel. I’m Jason Wong, Principal Broker at Island Dragonfly. In today’s video, we are diving into the data to…

Are you preparing to sell your Honolulu property, or perhaps managing a remote investment portfolio in Hawaii? A silent, invisible issue right inside your home could be draining your wallet daily and threatening your final sale price. In this video, we uncover a simple $3 maintenance hack that takes less than ten minutes to implement…