Closing & Clean Up

Our condo criteria

For several years, my morning routine included a skim through Redfin, monitoring available properties on Maui and the Big Island. We wanted something we could make our own; a fixer upper didn’t scare us (even though maybe it should’ve given our lack of experience with this kind of thing). As New Yorkers, we were also looking for something walkable to town, and knew an ocean view would sweeten the deal for prospective renters.

Making our (winning) offer

For those eyeing the same dream of home ownership on the Big Island: We had a friction-free experience working with Joseph Lambert of Redfin.

The morning of December 30 during my daily Redfin perusing, I stumble upon a listing in Kailua Village, a centrally located condo complex in downtown Kona. The listing is sparse, but it checks all the boxes: highly desirable location, walkable to the best bars and restaurants, ready for (and in need of) substantial upgrades, and ocean view.

I message Joe immediately. We schedule the walkthrough for later that day. Knowing thanks to past experiences that we need to move fast, within a few hours we submit an aggressive offer set to expire at midnight the next day. And so, at 11:45pm ET on December 31, 2022, we receive a text from Joseph. We got the condo!

Island bound for closing

A few days into 2023, we’re notified that our closing date is set for January 30. On January 27, we find ourselves on a Hawaiian Airlines flight, en route for Kailua Kona to celebrate the closing of our condo and my return to Hawai’i. (I lived on the Big Island as a kid, and am thrilled to be returning, 30 years later.)

First things first: Let’s buy a bed. (And some lanai furniture.)

Within an hour of landing, we set out on our first order of business: Find a bed, the key piece of furniture that would allow us to stay in our new abode. We decide that the comfort a king sized bed would bring our guests was worth the extra expense, and quickly head to Bedmart and secure a king bed and foundation for delivery that Tuesday.

As we are running additional errands (mostly stocking up on the necessary cleaning supplies for Day Zero), I wander into Plantation Interiors. After touring the store and chatting with the owner Dana (both about her furniture and the challenges of small business ownership), I fall in love with the woodworking and decided to pick up a table and chairs for our lanai.

That night, we celebrate our new adventure with sunset mai tais and live music at Huggos On The Rocks.

It’s closing day: Time to pick up the keys!

First thing Monday morning, we hop in the car for a short drive up to Waikoloa to meet our agent and … get the keys! After a quick refuel at Island Lava Java, we race back to Kona to commence with our first order of business: a thorough deep cleaning, and applying a bright white coat of paint to the thirsty walls.

Removing the ceiling fans and (bizarre) pendant light

As we survey our immediate to do list, we decide we could use some help with a few items on the list:

• Taking down the 1980s era ceiling fans (noting that one of the blades on the living room fan was missing)
• Removing the odd, rusted pendant light in the kitchen (which was, I might add, hanging so low that it nearly resulted in an ER visit for poor Brian after whacking his head with it)

Aware of our limitations, we reach out to Brian of Shaka Home Improvement to help us. In addition to these items, he helps us repair a broken window slat.

We also enlist Brian’s help in replacing the beast of an air conditioner, which he estimates to be around 25-30 years old. (Hilariously, I had Googled the serial number prior to our trip and determined it to be a new unit … but in actuality, it was so old that the model number has been recycled.)

We spend a good amount of the rest of the time cleaning … to be honest, it feels like it’s been a minute (months, years maybe?) since the condo received a thorough deep clean.

A hui hoi, Kona …

What a productive week! In early February, we depart the Big Island, satisfied with the progress made.

Next up: Read about our return to the Pono Condo in “One Step Forward, Two Steps Back,” post popcorn ceiling removal and kitchen/bathroom demo.