Take photos, video, and get all communication in writing. They love to lie even to your face. They advertised a furnished condo as having tile floors and a walk in tile bathroom with a king bed. When we arrived they stuck us in a completely different room that did not match the photos with a full size bed, we had to complain multiple times over 10 days and then finally show up in there office before they fixed the situation. On top of that they shut our power off to our room when they found out our AC was leaking with no notice. When we went in person and told them we had proof and pictures of the listing to show they lied. the woman in the office tried to tell me the unit they showed pictures of was "unavailable" and tried to tell me the owner was just a maintenance guy even tho i had already done my research and knew that Joe Schneckenburger was a slumlord who's been through 3 lawsuits that he's lost for how he treats tenants. Only after i called her out to her face for both those lies did she finally call her broker and guess what. the original unit in the listing was now magically available and they moved us into it 1 hour later. Luckily the agent Grant was nice and didn't try to lie to us about anything he was even nodding his head in agreement with me as i argued with her about her blatant lies straight to my face. Maybe they have good intentions but when a tenant comes to you and explains all the consumer protection laws you broke and that we have a lawyer who advised us of the laws maybe don't try lying even more you weasels. I hope you have to live with the fact you're a liar the rest of your life. Unfortunately we never got her name as she hid in the back room until we were gone. And no i didn't cuss or raise hell i sternly expressed my frustration and when you lied i got louder to talk over your BS. Don't trust them get proof of everything! Edit: A resolution was found that we are happy with and we ended up getting the correct condo. The correct one is beautiful and is exactly what we hoped it was. I'm glad they did the right thing! read more

I want to thank First Island Realty for helping me get a belligerent tenant out of my condo. This person refused to pay his last month's rent and left the condo in bad shape. The unit was cleaned and painted with a new dishwasher and stove before the tenant moved in. He said he liked it very much and would have his family move in from New York. He had a management job at one of the hotels and had good credit. So, I agreed to let him rent the unit. However, as it turned out it was a mistake! He was the first tenant that I had in 15 years who did not know how to be a good tenant. He signed the lease that said all the rules of the condo would be followed including unwarranted noise at any time and TV noise would not be allowed after 10 PM. There are recordings of loud TV and telephones call that he made at inappropriate hours such as 4 a.m. when people were trying to sleep. The management had to respond to this noisy tenant after receiving many complaints not from one but from many other tenants. People who live in Hawaii have the "aloha" spirit and are friendly and considerate with their neighbors. When the nearest neighbor mentioned to the tenant that he and his wife were having trouble with the noise from his TV and telephone calls, instead of being polite, the aggressive tenant called the police saying he was being harassed. When management tried to reason with him, they received vulgar language and belligerent remarks from my tenant who acted like a child stating he was a "victim of harassment" and that he "didn't do anything wrong." I tried to patiently deal with him for months, to answer his complaints about one issue after another, including battles he was having with other tenants and the management, but it was to no avail. He took the victim role and immaturely fought with everyone. This is when I called First Island Realty for help. They were very responsive and professional. They fully investigated the situation and said that they tried numerous times to mediate the situation to no avail. The tenant reacted to First Island Reality as he did to everyone else, very rudely and belligerently insisting they were all against him. He made no effort to take responsibility for his disrupting other people's lives with his noisy way of life. Because of his total lack of cooperation, they had to get a court date and the tenant was sent a 5-day eviction notice. In his usual uncooperative manner, he did not respond. Furthermore, he refused to have the unit inspected or cleaned out and he left rotting food in the frig and other debris. He finally left to everyone's relief. Thank goodness the unit is clean again! It is well located with 2 bedrooms, 2 full baths, new solar panels, beautiful ocean, and sunset views. People are interested in it, as has always been the case, and it is open to viewing. We hope to find a friendly, quiet and polite tenant to rent the unit! See it for yourself and meet Laure and her staff at First Island Realty. They are warm, friendly, experienced, professionals, who are there to assist you and be responsive to any of your questions. Contact: Laure@firstislandrealty.com Mahalo, Sy Cohn, Owner read more

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more lies coming from laurie from first island realty. beware of this company and the lies they tell. laurie knew i left the place clean.... jist read her nasty comments aboyr me the tenant with words she uses and you let me know who is unprofessional. be afrid of her and this company. if you have my reviews, it has all been honest. i am just defending myself and to provide the review they deserve. good luck to the shady first island realty. Sy Cohn Review are also lies. If a neighbor threatens your baby to quite her, how should you react? Think about it Sy CoHn a licensed therapist? I do not play a victim but a reviewer to let people know what really goes on. As shown in the pictures when I moved out. It is lies from Sy and Laurie. We're they actually there? NO! A tenants has rights and the basics of a the shape the condo was given to me Waac horrible. I spend over 300 on fixtures and faucets in which I was only paid half for and no labor. Wow I must have been a horrible tenant. You can read both sides and make up your mind with the pictures to prove it. If you have a family with infants or children they will not rent it to you. Trust me. As for the tenant next door, across to this condo they are awesome! They are the ones that gave me a heads up about the issues previous tenants hAd dealt with. I left on my own accord because this is not a good place to live. They think they forced me out! I wish any person trying to rent from Sy Cohn in kona coffee villas the bEst of luck. First island realty good luck finding people that are quite. That neighbor is nuts. But at least you will have a complaint filed against him. Best of luck all, as I am signing off. Aloha! read more

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Luxurious Oceanfront Villa with private pool. We rented a house from First Island Realty for a family vacation in December 2022 and the house did have a great view with a private pool, but the rest of the house was in need of major maintenance and pest control. Right from the start one of the bedrooms AC did not work and was never fixed in the 12 days we were there. As our vacation went on, we spent one rainy day chasing major leaks from the ceiling, windows, sliding glass doors and can lights using every towel we could find in the house to mop everything up and then have to turn around to wash all those towels, so we had something to use for ourselves all while placing numerous phone calls to First Island Realty to finally get a maintenance man out a day and a half later. When the maintenance man was there, we also asked him about the multiple sliding glass doors that did not operate or close very well and after looking at them he recommended that we do not use them until they get fixed. (nice having an ocean front home where they recommend that you do not open the sliding glass doors so you can sit outside). We also pointed out the toilets that would continue to cycle throughout the day and night (finally had to shut them off at night to get sleep) along with an electrical switch that just made the light flicker when turned on and off. This house also converted half of the garage into a bedroom and when it rained it flooded the garage and watching the water flow under the area that was the bedroom instead out towards the driveway we then understood why that room had such a musty smell. The maintenance man just took notes and said he would let First Island Realty know of the repairs needed and that was the end of it no repairs done and no follow up from First Island Realty. My guess is the renters behind us will have the same issues and get the same results. First Island Realty does not care about the customer, and they clearly showed that with our stay. Matt B. read more

We have had the greatest experience with First Island Realty. From our first contact to our moving into an amazingly nice condo unit, they have all been awesome. Krista and Nik have taken great care of things and all promises and appointments kept!! We love our new place and working with First Island Realty has made it a terrific experience. Very professional and well run management company!! We are VERY happy customers!! read more

These folks mean business. I researched and contacted about a dozen other property management companies, First Island was the first to respond, even though it was well past business hours and on the weekend. The second indicator that First Island was going to win my business was speaking with Mark Trahan, he had just the right blend of personable and business, plus, he arrived at my condo on time when it came to inspecting the place and going over more of the specifics. Mark made such a great impression in person that I cancelled my other appointments with the other potential companies and signed on the spot. What happened next really blew my away, within just a week or so, First Island had my place up and running. They handled the replacement of the fridge, setup my wireless internet, purchased extra towels, decor, installed light kits in the ceiling fans (didn't even charge me labor) etc... in that short period of time and handled it hassle free from my end, which I like, they know what they're doing, and kept track of ALL receipts. The first folks to rent the place were in there within two weeks and I was floored that it began to get booked immediately. Price wise, these folks are competitive and when you factor in the attention to detail, it is actually quite the bargain. The owner interface they provide is intuitive and the payment system is very straightforward. I am so impress that I am already looking forward to having them manage my next investment property, in fact, I plan on using them for the purchase as well. Hats off to the team at First Island, Laure , Mark and Krista, I couldn't ask for a more responsive and dedicated pool of talent! read more

My wedding rings were STOLEN off the kitchen counter in our rental house in Kona. The company is trying to blame the victim, but they know they are wrong for not changing their locks often... (they hadn't been changed since APRIL, despite their efforts to say otherwise. (Their house manger, Mark, told me that exact month). On top of that, they were extremely negligent and impossible to deal with, until I called the police., of course. Watch your valuables if you rent through this place. read more

Such Aloha so compassionate and patience. Helping my family find a multigenerational property and sell my parents condo. Laure and Lori have helped us stay on top of the market. I can not thank them enough for all there efforts. read more

We stayed in one of their condos in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii. The condo was well kept and within walking distance of the downtown area. The management company answered all of our questions and provided assistance when asked. I would have given the review a 5 but you have to walk up two flights of stairs to get to the condo and with all the luggage we had had to make multiple trips. We didn't get out and look around the facilities where we stayed, so can't say anything about that. Kona is a really neat laid back island. But if you really want to see some beautiful sites, you will want to reserve some transportation. The Big Island has so much to offer. Spend the extra and rent a vehicle. We used the turo app and got a great deal on a car. The management company also had great information on places to see which is useful. We would stay here again if we ever make it back to Hawaii. read more

I came from Santa Barbara, California and I was so excited to be on the Big Island. I rented a condo from this company on a shorter notice than usual and it turned out to be better than I could ever imagine. Everything was spotless and the furniture was beautiful. The communication was spot on and very helpful and informative. This vacation was the best I have ever had to the Big Island and I look forward to renting with this company again! Thank you so much for a great vacation. read more

Aloha, This was our first trip to the Big Island. The property management staff was very professional, gave us all the information necessary prior to our arrival and our stay was absolutely fabulous. We took some of the excursions that they suggested, had a phenomenal time!!!! We had an ocean view from our lanai, and had dinner there, almost every night. We will definitely come back. Thanks guys :-) read more

I'm so glad that we had Laure help us find our perfect home on Big Island. Buying our first home was so scary and nerve wracking that we weren't sure we could do it, thankfully for Laure and her team at First Island Realty we made it possible! Laure's outgoing personality helped us come out of our shell and share with her what we wanted for our first home. Laure walked us through every step of the way, and explained anything that we were unsure of. Laure is very knowledgeable and really got to know us and our needs. We really appreciate the whole team and recommend to all my friends and family looking to buy their home in paradise. read more

My family and I rented a vacation condo from First Island Realty for use in February/March of 2017. We booked the condo based on photographs and the description provided by First Island Realty on multiple popular vacation rental websites. When we arrived, the condo turned out to have been fraudulently advertised. Almost all the furniture was different than in the pictures or was just missing completely. We brought our concerns to First Island Realty who own the condo. The office manager was very kind and helpful. Unfortunately, the principal broker was not. She did not care that she had misrepresented the property. After we brought the issues to her attention the photographs were taken down and the description was changed on one of the websites. Now despite us telling her about the other it has not changed over a month later. The owner stated what she was prepared to reimburse and was not open to any communication or negotiation. We were told by her staff that she did not care if negative reviews were left for her. She also emailed us and said never to contact her again. This business does not embody the Aloha Spirit. If I were you I would give your business to one of the many companies on the island who care about you and your happiness as opposed to a someone who is just looking to take your money. read more

Laure helped me buy my first home and was amazing throughout the whole process. She answered all my questions, walked me through everything step by step, and made for an easy and smooth transaction. I got a great deal and love my new home! read more

This group is amazing! Dedicated realtors and fantastic and conscientious management team. I highly recommend them for your purchase and short or long time rental needs! read more

Aloha! I just wanted to share my wonderful experience with First Island Realty. Their rental property fulfilled what I was looking for in a vacation rental! The customer services I received when I had question exceeded my expectations. Overall First island realty made my Hawaiian experience that much more pleasurable!! Thank you Laure! K.G read more

I am writing as a condo owner who uses this agency to manage my condo. I've been very pleased with the way this agency has extended their Aloha spirit to guests. Mark will meet guests at the condo, help them get registered, and see that they get settled in. I've known him to be dependable and responsive when a visitor has a question or problem or if any unforeseen circumstance arises. I want the people who rent my condo to have a wonderful visit and I trust First Island Realty to do all they can to make sure visitors have a pleasant experience. read more

If you're looking for Person to put you on a direct path to finding a place to stay that's right for you the I would 100% would recommend this Realtor Agency. Mark was amazing, he was quick, straight forward, and most importantly he did everything he could to make our experience perfect. He took so many extra steps to make us comfortable including finding ad's for utilities we were in search for and setting up our rental to perfection. After looking at so many places and dealing with shady management and having so many application go to waste it was amazing to find someone who actually cared and was reliable. read more