Hawaii real estate blog

During summer the surf action is mostly on the south shore of Oahu.  We've had some great swells so far.  Overhead sets, light winds and lots of fun! Roy Vierra of RV's Surf Shop gave me a call and talked about the surf he's been catching at Ala Moana Bowls and Old Man's, including some overhead...

I read an article in the newspaper a few months back about mistakes people make on job interviews.  It struck me that many of these mistakes might also apply to realtors when meeting with homeowners for listings presentations.  Here are some mistakes (modified for real estate). - Don't Prepare - ...

On June 30th 2009, Iolani School announced that it purchase a large parcel of leasehold land owned by Lum Yip Kee Ltd. and Lum Chang Tai Inc.  The price - $23 million dollars. The highlighted area below shows the property purchased by Iolani School.  Map courtesy of Google Maps. The land consists...

This year's liveable city ratings have been published by Monocle Magazine.  Honolulu ranks first in the United States!  Many Hawaii residents have known it for a long time, it's still nice to hear it from another source though! The top city worldwide was Zurich, Switzerland.  Honolulu is 11th wor...

I received an interesting e-mail yesterday regarding a listing at Waialae Iki.  Check it out below.  Note - I deleted some of the contact info, just in case the scammers used the phone and e-mail address of an innocent person: ________________________________________________________________ Welco...

Today, June 11th is a state holiday in Hawaii.  It's Kamehameha Day, celebrating the king who united the Hawaiian Islands under one rule back in 1795.   Since it's a state holiday, most state offices are closed.  Many private businesses also observe the day. Telltale signs for Hawaii residents: -...

This week I had two customers inquiring about condo hotel (condotel) units for sale.  Both customers are investors, hoping to take advantage of lower prices in Hawaii's weak real estate market. We looked at several condotel buildings and the buyers decided on the Ala Moana Hotel Condo.  This is o...

Punaluu Beach house in Hawaii Who wants a home on a sandy beach in Hawaii? Any takers?  How about 3/4 acres of land, is that okay too? Now comes the more difficult question - the price!  How much are you willing to pay or how much can you afford? We have the lowest priced sandy beach frontage ho...

Oahu Property Tax Foreclosure Auction On May 5, 2009 the City and County of Honolulu held its first tax lien auction in two years.  Two properties were advertised.  One parcel had a upset price of $20,023.87 and another had an $8,169.45 upset price. You know how people get excited about buying fo...

This is based on a true story which happened recently. Seller fixed up his condo very nicely.  Seller puts the property on the market and gets an offer, which is accepted. Buyer decides to conduct his own home inspection.  He has some experience in the construction business and decides the unit i...