Kung Hee Fat Choy! Happy Chinese New Year-Hawaiian Style! part I. Celebrating the Chinese influence on Hawaiian culture! There are few places in the world that have embraced the Chinese Culture quite like Hawaii. In this three part blog series I will cover how the Chinese have become an integral part of Hawaii's history and culture and the many contributions Chinese Hawaiians have made to our island paradise. Kung Hee Fat Choy or Chinese New Year is an eagerly anticipated event here in Hawaii and is marked by a number of activities centered in the China Town area of Honolulu. One such event is the New Year's Parade which attracts thousands of locals and tourists alike to the historic and festive down town. To say that China Town is a mob scene during the Parade is an understatement as ... 02/06/2009

Honolulu Hawaii Homes for Sale Honolulu-Hawaii-Hotels-Rentals I am often asked “Where is the best place to stay in Hawaii?” In Honolulu, there are dozens of hotels; the vast majority of them are located in Waikiki. Your budget will determine your choices. Whether you are coming here for a long-term or short-term rental, will determine another set of Hawaii homes, hotels, or rooms to choose from. If you are coming here for the first time, you’ll want to get a feel for the cost of living. Rentals for the Downtown area: 1 Bedrooms start at $1600, 2 BRs are $2000 and up. Near the University of Hawaii, they are about 1/4 less. Add utilities costs to those (roughly $200 for cable, internet, electricity). Parking varies considerably. Email me if you need a list of rentals. I don’t charge or ma... 02/06/2009

 Hawaii-Kai-Homes     Hawaii Kai Homes are located among some of the best places to hike, live and visit in Hawaii. There are many distinct neighborhoods including Anchorage, Hahaione-Lower, Hahaione-Upper, Kalama Valley, Kamehame Ridge, Kamilo Nui, Kamiloiki, Kealaula Kai, Koko Head Terrace, Koko Kai, Laulima, Luna Kai, Mariners Cove, Mariners Ridge, Mariners Valley, Napali Haweo, Napua Point, Paiko Lagoon, Portlock, Queens Gate, Spinnaker Isle, Triangle, and West Marina. Anchorage is the area past the post office on Hawaii Kai Drive. It has the beautiful and spacious Leolani home development. One of the “Lost” cast lived there recently. There is also Lalea Kai, Kaluanui and the entrance to Mariner’s Ridge. Hahaione Lower has the elementary school and several condominium complexes, inc... 02/05/2009

February 5th, 2009 categories: Military If you are in the military and your Permanent Change of Station (PCS) is one of Oahu’s seven active military bases, then you may want to read the following 16 things to know. CLICK HERE TO READ THE ENTIRE POST. 02/05/2009

I always want to show off the gorgeous properties that sell in Hawaii Kai.  Imagining folks reading this with snow up to the window sill in Illinois or ice on the wires in Kentucky, these places must look like true Paradise (and we think they are). Here's the highest sale in January:  $1,000,000 even, in the Triangle Neighborhood (request a neighborhood report from my web page), a 3 bedroom/2 bath home on more than .25 acres, built in 1966 and remodeled in 2008, with an open lanai and 1,696 sq ft inside. Here's the highest sale of a condo in January:  $655,000 in the Moana Kai complex (get your report on the condo page of my web site), a 3 bedroom/2.5 bath home of 1524 sq ft built in 2005 with a 2-car garage.  (photos not of actual unit) There are great buying opportunities here - conta... 02/04/2009

February 4th, 2009 categories: Honolulu Real Estate 101, Military PCS stands for Permanent Change of Station. There are seven active military installations on Oahu: Naval Base Pearl Harbor; Hickam Airforce Base; Kaneohe Marine Corp Air Station; Fort Shafter Army Base; Schofield Barracks Army Base; Naval Communications Center in Wahaiwa and Lualualei Naval radio station. Most military families PCS orders are for a term of 3 years.  The honorable people that serve provide a terrific buyer pool for Oahu real estate.  The ongoing long-term military presence in Hawaii is one of the main reasons I am very bullish on our real estate values.  Here is why. CLICK HERE TO READ THE ENTIRE POST. 02/04/2009

The Great Aloha Run will be held February 16th, in Honolulu.  The Hawaiian name for this race is "Ke kukini me ke aloha pau‘ole", which means "the race with compassionate love".  The race is another example of the Aloha Spirit, the spirit of the people of Hawaii. The word aloha represents the vision of the Great Aloha Run: A - Aloha Spirit: the spirit of giving and sharingL - Lima Kokua" (helping hands): the spirit of cooperation and working togetherO - "‘Ohana" (sense of family): bringing families and communities togetherH - Health: Hawaii is the health stateA - Alliance, military and civilian communities working together in friendship. The Great Aloha Run (GAR) is an 8.15 mile foot race.  The race begins at the Aloha Tower and ends at the Aloah Stadium.  Everyone of any age can partic... 02/04/2009

February 3rd, 2009 categories: Buying Honolulu Real Estate, Honolulu Real Estate 101 A real estate agent in Minneapolis, Kari Lundin, posted a blog concerning a question from her clients regarding using FHA financing to purchase a duplex with a friend. CLICK HERE TO READ THE ENTIRE POST. 02/03/2009

February 2nd, 2009 categories: Honolulu Real Estate 101 I am reading a book about Warren Buffett’s life called “The Snowball”.  I haven’t counted the pages, but I am on page 300 and not yet through a third of the book.  It was a Christmas gift from my mother-in-law and, at first blush, I thought it might be a boring book.  Nothing could be further from the truth; Mr. Buffett has led a focused and very interesting life.  His initial focus on finding companies that were statistically very, very good buys served to make him a very large fortune.  In his thirties, he shows his genius by his willingness to invest in companies that may not have the quantitative numbers to justify investment, but they had something that was immeasurable (qualitative) that brought current and future value to th... 02/02/2009

January 30th, 2009 categories: Honolulu Real Estate 101, Rants & Riffs Surfing around the blogosphere yesterday, I ran across a post that Google has discontinued a project to take advantage of newspapers and other print media. CLICK HERE TO READ THE ENTIRE POST. 01/30/2009

January 29th, 2009 categories: Buying Honolulu Real Estate, Honolulu House For Sale Located on the slopes of the Koolau Mountains just above fashionable Kaimuki town. Offering terrific views of Diamond Head, Honolulu city lights and the ocean from the living room and master bedroom.  A 3 bedroom with 2 full baths and completely separate 1 bedroom 1 bath, makes it perfect for those with an extended family or the need for a home office. CLICK HERE TO READ THE ENTIRE POST. 01/29/2009

January 28th, 2009 categories: Honolulu Real Estate 101 There are many buzzwords in the Honolulu real estate market, REO, short sales, foreclosures and pre-foreclosures. It seems these words put dollars in many buyers’ eyes, as they think properties experiencing these problems can be purchased at really low prices.  Here are a few random thoughts. CLICK HERE TO READ THE ENTIRE POST. 01/28/2009

January 27th, 2009 categories: Honolulu Real Estate 101, Rants & Riffs I read an excellent article at Forbes.com that leads me to believe that a turn in the National economy and, therefore, the Honolulu real estate market may be closer than we think. “U.S., according to the Census Bureau. In December, the latest data available, home builders started houses at a 550,000 annual rate. In other words, at the current pace of housing starts, it would take 236 years to replace all the homes in the U.S. CLICK HERE TO READ THE ENTIRE POST 01/27/2009

Join us this Saturday at the Hawaii Kai Towne Center, 11 AM - 1 PM, to celebrate the Year of the Ox.  Festivities feature fireworks (of course), a kung fu demonstration, and a lion dance from the Wah Ngai Lion Dance Assn. The lion dance is a Chinese tradition performed to chase away evil spirits and bring luck and happiness. Giving the lion a red li see or "lucky money" envelope with a donation represents the wish for good fortune and wealth in the coming year, and serves as a form of appreciation to the lion for its blessing. The Wah Ngai Lion Dance Association is a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting Chinese culture through the arts of lion dancing, kung fu, and other athletic activities. They regularly perform traditional and freestyle lion dances throughout Hawaii, and hav... 01/23/2009

January 23rd, 2009 categories: Honolulu Vintage Homes Those of you that have read my blog for a while know that I like Honolulu’s homes that have a vintage character.  Whenever I am on the road and find a home that I like, I snap a picture and post it here.  Too many times I see these beauties being torn down to make way for new “Mcmansions”. CLICK HERE TO READ THE ENTIRE POST. 01/23/2009

The famous Ilikai might be closing up in February 2009.  Before we laugh, remember that Aloha Airlines warned us about shutting down in 2008 and we shrugged it off.  A month later, Aloha closed up, just as they had warned. Why would the Ilikai close down?  It's difficult to get a clear picture of the complete situation from the media.  Some of the key factors are: - Brian Anderson, a developer on the Big Island has title to approximately 203 hotel/condo units plus commercial space at the Ilikai.  - Mr. Anderson's Anekona companies owe iStar FM Loans LLC about $75 million.  iStar is initiating foreclosure proceedings.  Anekona companies also owe the Ilikai Apartment Building Association approximately $1 million for delinquent electricity and maintenance fees. - The residential properties... 01/22/2009

January 22nd, 2009 categories: Honolulu Real Estate 101, Rants & Riffs With the recent approval of their master plan, General Growth Properties has taken another step toward revitalizing Honolulu’s Kakaako area.  The Honolulu Star Bulletin reported the following. CLICK HERE TO READ THE ENTIRE POST. 01/22/2009

Sailing Aboard the Historic Hōkūleʻa, Hawai'i's 'Bright Star'...    In celebration of my 100th post I thought I would share one of my latest adventures this past Tuesday, aboard Hawaii's most famous vessel, the Hōkūleʻa . Polynesian navigators, using only celestial navigation and environmental observations managed to navigate and colonize the great breadth of the pacific ocean a millenium before Westerners discovered longitude and could accurately travel the world's oceans. In the long process of proving these skills to those Westerners who doubted such know how existed, the Hokule'a was lovingly created.         Incredulous to the idea that Polynesians were superior sailors and navigators, many Westerners believed that Polynesian expansion throughout the Pacific was dumb luck and that ... 01/21/2009

Chaminade   University  has been recognized as a College of Distinction by Student Horizons, Inc. The recognition by this highly esteemed organization allows Chaminade University to be listed in the reknown college guide, Colleges of Distinction. Only 200 colleges in the nation have received this high honor. Colleges chosen for inclusion in the college guide must meet all four of the Colleges of Distinction criteria, undergo an application process and must be nationally recognized by the educational community. The colleges must also be valued by employers and graduate schools for outstanding preparation of its students. Chaminade University  proudly demonstrates the characteristics of Colleges of Distinction. The University provides innovative curriculum and offers special programs to i... 01/21/2009

As the Trump Inernational Hotel and Residences get nearer to their August-September completion the project located near the Billion Dollar Beachwalk renovation gains more and more popularity.  Anyone that has visted this Waikiki landmark knows that with bars and restraunts like the Yardhouse, Roys, Senor Frogs and soon to be built Hardrock Cafe and late night and early morning eatery Eggs And Things.....this is the prime Waikiki location.  Steps from Fort Derussy and the Army Historical Museum as well as one of the most insanely beautiful beaches on the planet.  Surfing, sailing, Kayaking dinner cruises, luaus, nightclubs...they are all just moments away from this 5 star Luxury Residence.  Email me for product availability and ammenities.  I specialize in luxury condominiums and beachfr... 01/20/2009