How to live big with less

GREAT HOMES FOR LESS THAN $500,000

By Lisa Scontras

Like many sheltering- at-home residents, you might find yourself ready to attack overstuffed closets, overflowing drawers and filing cabinets jammed with years of forgotten papers. You may wonder, “Do I really need all this stuff?”

With a bit of pandemic soul-searching, you might even be inspired to reevaluate your lifestyle and opt for a more uncluttered, minimalistic, belt-tightening existence by turning adversity into advantage and making 2020 the year of the great purge.

Maybe you’re at that empty- nest, start-to-downsize-anyway age. Perhaps you’ve been putting off the task of sorting decades of accumulating stuff — bygone toys, inherited white elephants, or orphaned bargains from the last Zooper sale.

But once you graduate from going through junk drawers, and realize a lot of this stuff is just weighing you down, you might really get the bug to pare down everything — live bigger with less. And ultimately, you might consider downsizing (or, better yet, right-sizing) your home.

If you think downsizing might become part of your new plan for 2020, here are four single-family homes with price tags under $500,000.

For more information on these properties (and others in this price range), visit hicentral.com and search current Oahu listings by MLS number (or by neighborhood).

$435,000
87-1980 Pakeke St., #P
Coldwell Banker Pacific Properties
MLS: 202005250

Built in 2006, this three-bedroom, two-bath home in Maili in the community of Sea Country has an upgraded kitchen with stainless steel appliances, engineered wood floors and a lush backyard area with awning. The Sea Country clubhouse and swimming pool is nearby — a great place to chill, swim or sunbathe. Includes an owned, 10-panel photovoltaic system.

$465,000
91-069 Fort Weaver Road #3P
Coldwell Banker Pacific Properties
MLS: 202001749

Love the beach? This two-bedroom, one-bath cottage is steps from the ocean, with beach access via a private entrance for residents. Walk to the beach every day to swim, fish, kayak, or to walk and relax. House features a new roof (from 2013) and a solar water heater. Oh, and best of all, it’s near golf courses.

$349,000
1744 Kamohoalii St., #2
Lifestyle Homes of Hawaii
MLS: 202001560

This beautifully remodeled two-bedroom, one-bath upper Kalihi home has a new roof, new electric, new plumbing, new interior finishes, freshly painted walls, stainless steel appliances and granite countertops. The seller is willing to hold a second mortgage with rates and terms to be negotiated.

$439,900
824 Lopez Lane, #A
Hawaii Life
MLS: 202003366

Minutes to downtown, bus stops and shopping, this three-bedroom, one-bath home in Kapalama has a workout/lap pool that’s great for swimming against the current. The home’s plumbing and electric were updated in 2018, along with exterior paint. The photovoltaic system is owned. And, there’s lots of storage.

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