Jason Wong’s Hawaii Real Estate Blog

Inherited a home in Hawaii but live overseas? Don’t lose 22% of your sale price. Here is the exact legal roadmap to selling Hawaii real estate as a foreign executor. If you are an executor or heir living in Canada, Asia, or Europe, selling Grandma’s Waikiki condo isn’t as simple as hopping on a Zoom…

Hawaii real estate is no longer just about ocean views, square footage, and curb appeal. Today’s most thoughtful homeowners, buyers, and investors are looking deeper — at resilience, sustainability, water independence, and how a property performs in real island conditions. In this video, I explore Rainwater Harvesting 2.0 — a smarter, more modern approach to…

Are you securing your slice of paradise? When you own a luxury property in Hawaii, peace of mind is the ultimate amenity. In this video, Jason Wong—Founder and Principal Broker of Island Dragonfly LLC—breaks down the future of perimeter security for high-net-worth estates across Oahu, Maui, and beyond. From virtual 3D fences using LiDAR technology…

The “Three Little Pigs” got it wrong. The pig who built with wood wouldn’t have lost his house — if he’d used Cross-Laminated Timber (CLT). I’m Jason Wong, Principal Broker at Island Dragonfly LLC and a top producer since 2004. In this video, I break down the engineered wood that’s quietly reshaping how we build…

Thinking about buying a property in Hawaii? Before you sign anything,you need to understand the difference between LEASEHOLD and FEE SIMPLE— it could be the most expensive mistake of your real estate life. In this video, Jason Wong (Principal Broker, RB-22819) breaks downwhat every buyer needs to know about leasehold properties in Hawaii— including the…

Buying Hawaii real estate as a foreign buyer is possible, but the timeline must be organized early: banking, funds transfer, lender communication, document review, offer strategy, escrow, inspection, and closing all need to move in the right order. In this video, Jason Wong explains a practical 90-day timeline for overseas and international buyers who want…

If you are a foreign national selling commercial real estate in Hawaii, you are walking into a financial bloodbath if you aren’t prepared. FIRPTA and HARPTA withholding will obliterate your cash flow at closing, taking a massive 22.25% of your SALES PRICE (not your profit). Add in Section 1250 depreciation recapture, and your entire ROI…

What if your office view looked like this? Work-from-home isn’t a phase — it’s the new normal. And in 2025–2026, the data is clear: hybrid and remote work have stabilized as the dominant employment model across nearly every industry. Employers are moving past “return to office” mandates and instead requiring dedicated, functional home offices with…

If you own real estate in Hawaii, your ownership structure matters just as much as the property itself. In this video, I break down a topic many Hawaii homeowners, investors, and overseas property owners overlook until it is too late: trust ownership and why it can matter when it comes to probate, privacy, and protecting…

Have you ever wondered why some investors panic at the slightest market dip, while others seem to glide right through it? Living and working in Hawaii, the ocean teaches us everything we need to know about navigating luxury and commercial real estate. The coral reef isn’t checking the S&P 500 or doom-scrolling about interest rates.…