Kauai home sales fall, prices rise as inventory tightens

Kaua‘i’s housing market is tightening into a paradox that hits both buyers and sellers: 109 single-family homes sold through April, down from 136 a year earlier, while the median price still held above $1.1 million. That means about one in five fewer sales, but not much relief for local buyers trying to get into the market.

In April alone, single-family sales totaled 32, down 6% from a year earlier, and the median sale price reached $1,135,000, up 2%. New single-family listings fell 41% year over year, a sharp drop that helps explain why inventory feels so tight from Koloa and Kawaihau to Hanalei, Lihue and Waimea. The same monthly report counted 20 condo sales, down 29%.

High mortgage rates are helping keep many owners on the sidelines because they would give up older, lower-rate loans if they listed now. The result is a freeze that is familiar to anyone shopping on island: fewer homes to choose from, more competition for the ones that do come up, and prices that do not fall much even when sales slow.

The slowdown also showed up in how long homes lingered on the market. Redfin said Kaua‘i County homes sold in March 2026 had a median price of about $1.05 million, up 6.1% from a year earlier, while homes took an average of 125 days to sell, up from 107 days in March 2025. March sales totaled 35, down from 42 a year earlier.

The broader trend still points to a market that is cooling from last year’s pace, not collapsing. A Kaua‘i seller-focused note said the island closed 2025 with a median single-family sale price of $1.2 million, down 11.2% from $1.351 million in 2024, but still far above the $610,000 median in 2015. Active listings rose 13.3% to 196 homes in 2025, and average days on market fell 11.2% to 79 days, suggesting a reset in pricing rather than a crash.

A separate Kaua‘i market summary said the island remained relatively steady in April and warned that rising mortgage rates, broader geopolitical uncertainty, weather patterns and tourism fluctuations could shape the market into the summer. The Kaua‘i Board of REALTORS®, which says it represents a little over 500 REALTOR® members, publishes the monthly market updates that track the shift.