Just 1 day after my previous post on Diamond Head Luxury homes, 3239 Noela St., which was asking $12.6 Million went into escrow! It was also over an acre & sold for $9 million back in 2000.  It would also have to be one of the trophy properties in Diamond Head at the end of a culdesac & also the highest priced listing in Diamond Head- as of now.... 3239 Noela St. 09/08/2008

Get Down and Boogie Oogie Oogie Board! World famous Waikiki has many outdoor attractions to indulge in from surfing to shopping, sunbathing to snorkeling. One of Honolulu's premier boogie boarding breaks is located in Waikiki, at the Kuhio Beach Park pier just before Kapiolani Park.   The Pier at Kuhio Beach Park, Waikiki Although, Oahu has some famous boogie boarding breaks like Sandy's, Makapu'u, and Pipeline to name few, these breaks can be very dangerous especially to tourists who are unfamiliar with the powerful rip tides and wave action that can pound Oahu's shoreline.   A view of Waikiki from the Pier The surf break at the pier at Kuhio Beach Park breaks slightly offshore to the left and right of the pier with a wide based pyramidal wave. Sandy's and Pipeline break on shore with ... 09/07/2008

ING DIRECT is opening a Café in Waikiki soon. Have you heard about ingdirect.com?  It's an online banking and lending business that offers "not your ordinary mortgage".  They do residential loans and refinancing, without loan origination fees or points. NO fees NO minimums NO catches Their business model consists of a coffee shop atmosphere, where consumers can sit and have a cup of coffee while doing their banking.  ING DIRECT is headquartered in Wilmington, Delaware with innovative ING DIRECT Cafés in multiple locations across the U.S. where you can experience what Electric Orange is all about!  They have Cafés for their stores.... LA, Chicago, New York, St. Cloud. I talked with a customer service rep today who told me they are opening a Cafe in Waikiki this month.  I think this will... 09/03/2008

Yeah, who wants to talk about the dirt and the scum of the earth? I do! I do! Ah...our beautiful Hawaiian paradise and THE environmentally aware residents who keep it that way. Opala (oh pah la) means garbage in Hawaiian. So, of course we take care of our opala. The City & County of Honolulu's Department of Environmental Services, Refuse Division manages the collection, disposal and recycling operations take care of our 'solid waste' with a waste management system. We may have a great trash man and system but it's up to each individual to KNOW how to dispose or recyle the garbage they create in a responsible manner. Do you all know when your trash pick up days are? Do you know when the bulky item pickup comes to your area to pick up unwanted couches, appliances and so forth? Do you kno... 09/03/2008

   With Jazz on Wednesday nights and a live local band every Friday night this is the added pleasures of dining at Tsukiji's Fish Market & Restaurant. We went a little early on Saturday to stand in line (we were first) and by time the doors opened 15 minutes later the line was snaking around the side of another restaurant! Known for it's lunch and dinner buffet Tsukiji's Fish Market & Restaurant is huge! My husband, Gary, didn't even sit down....just headed off to the sushi bar! I headed down to the Yakitori Bar and then down to the tempura and udon section. Loaded with plates piled highwe sat down with my clients for an hour and a half of .....eating and great conversation. (okay...we were cutting up and laughing out loud.....my mom surely would have called me boisterous lol) And afte... 09/02/2008

September 2nd, 2008 categories: Rants & Riffs The current Federal capital gains tax rate reaches a maximum of 15%. Add this to the State of Hawaii’s capital gain rate and the combined rate becomes 22.25%. Tax professionals have told me that this is a 70-year low! George Bush lowered it from the 28% Federal rate (a total of 35.25% combined) under Bill Clinton. I know what you are thinking, “Why is Keahi going here?” Here is the answer. A funny thing happened to me this week as I watched coverage of the Democratic Convention. As I watched George Bush get blamed for everything from acne to global warming, I decided to start looking into the policies of each presidential candidate to determine, in my own way, how Obama and McCain might affect Honolulu real estate and our country. You may fi... 09/02/2008

There's no question the market is "slower" than it has been.  However one segment that has recently picked up steam over the past week is high end real estate in Diamond Head.  On Thursday, August 28th, 3063 Diamond Head Road sold for $9.5 Million Cash! Just two days prior, 3944 Noela Place, which is asking $8.2 million went into escrow.  On top of that 3692 Diamond Head Circle closed for $9.7 Million on July 28th... Keep in mind, these are all "Trophy" properties, however only the Diamond Head Road sale had a sliver of the property that went down to the water.  As a whole, these are all non-oceanfront... Amazing! In my opinion, some better ones are still on market! I've been in all 3 of the homes mentioned.  If you're looking for your own "Trophy" property, you know who to call :) 3063... 09/01/2008

August 29th, 2008 categories: Rants & Riffs Sir John Templeton died on July 8, 2008. For the uninitiated, he was arguably one of the greatest stock investors of all time. According to the New York Times, “The flagship Templeton Growth Fund reported a 14.5 percent average annual return from 1954 to 1992; a $10,000 investment, with dividends reinvested, would have grown to $2 million.” Let’s assume he know something about risk. CLICK HERE TO READ THE ENTIRE ARTICLE. 08/29/2008

August 29th, 2008 categories: Rants & Riffs I am always looking for good news and yesterday’s report on durable goods orders was great to hear. A Honolulu Advertiser Article states the following.   CLICK HERE TO READ THE ENTIRE POST. 08/29/2008

August 28th, 2008 categories: Honolulu Real Estate 101, Rants & Riffs I was surprised to read that the LA Times has done away with its Sunday Real Estate Section! I have heard that the Times has been bleeding red ink, but this was shocking. A recent Blog post by LA Realtors, Merrie Kung & Noelle Hettlinger, summarizes the shift away from newspapers in the marketing of real estate.   CLICK HERE TO READ THE ENTIRE POST. 08/28/2008

The Brooking Institution recently released the report, Shrinking the Carbon Footprint of Metropolitan America, ranking the carbon footprints of the nation's 100 largest metropolitan areas based on total metric tons of carbon emissions per capita in 2005.  And...Honolulu topped the list for the smallest footprint!  Factors contributing to Honolulu's #1 spot are high-density living, a well-used public transportation system, and the favorable weather.  According to the September issue of Sierra, residents of metropolitan areas have smaller carbon footprints than the average American.  Areas that ranked on the bottom of the Brookings list generally depend on cars for transportation and coal for energy.This is one more reason to move to healthy Hawaii!  Contact me for my extensive Relocation... 08/25/2008

                    Leeward Community College is located at 96-045 Ala Ike - Pearl City, HI 96782 in Honolulu County on the island of Oahu. Hawaii is so diverse in culture so you can expect the same on college campuses too. With a caring faculty and affordability Leeward Community College has given high quality education since 1968.   Leeward Community College sits on 49 acres with over 6,000 students regularly enrolled every semeter to make it the largest community college in the state of Hawaii. With liberal arts and career and technical educational programs offered on campus, at off-campus locations in the community, and through distance education courses it is no wonder that students flock from the Central Oahu area to attend the college. (Both my son and daughter are starting up a... 08/23/2008

August 21st, 2008 categories: Honolulu Real Estate 101, Rants & Riffs Find your courage. If you are a long-term investor, now may be one of the best times to buy real estate. A recent Wall Street Journal article talked about an investment bank in San Diego that sees opportunity amidst the town’s slow real estate market.   CLICK HERE TO READ THE ENTIRE POST. 08/21/2008

Last Wednesday we met our clients at Kahala - Title Guaranty Escrow to sign documents for the Honolulu Condo we had listed. I entered the listing into our MLS on July 6th and by that evening I already had an offer in hand. By Tuesday morning we were in contract and opened escrow. IN CONTRACT IN TWO DAYS! Can't beat that! On August 1st, I closed the listing in Mililani that had a few bumps along the way but in the end it all worked out. (torn down unpermitted back storage and all) From contract to keys it closed in 38 days!  Mililani Single Family Home (4 bdrm/2 bath) SOLD AT $520,000! On August 14th I closed a sale with another agent in my office for a Hawaii Home Buyer that relocated here from Germany. We opened escrow after two days of showings and closed within 50 days.  Mililani Si... 08/21/2008

August 20th, 2008 categories: Honolulu Real Estate 101 Hip-hip-hooray! The Honolulu Board of Realtors has finally adopted a lockbox system that is consistent with the technological age in which we find ourselves.   CLICK HERE TO READ THE ENTIRE POST. 08/20/2008

Tips for Staging a Studio: defining a small space  When it comes to staging a studio defining a livable area within a limited space can be a challenge. Empty studios often seem smaller and hard to define, leaving potential buyers with an unsettling feeling that there just isn't enough room. Occupied studios can feel cramped and cluttered. Maximizing functional square footage should be a priority. Defining basic living areas that are typically found in larger homes is essential to show buyers how the studio space can function for them.    Aside from being cluttered and disheveled this studio lacks clear definition making it difficult for buyers to picture themselves living in the space.Maximize Functionality. There are four basic living areas in most homes: living, eating, working, sleep... 08/16/2008

Those of us who live in Honolulu have always known this is a healthy place to live - the air is clean, water good, life expectancy longer.  The latest issue of AARP confirms the benefits, placing Honolulu #2 in the list of Healthiest Hometowns in the country. The weather makes outdoor exercise easy, and the scenery of beautiful Hawaii adds motivation (ever seen the sunset over Diamond Head?).  In fact, AARP said "residents of Honolulu spend more time exercising than people in almost any other city surveyed."   Any where you go on the island, you'll find folks walking, jogging, swimming, surfing, biking, or just enjoying the many parks along the water.  Oahu has a wide range of recreational facilities from Haunauma Bay to North Shore.  Honolulu County is committed to preserving the beaut... 08/16/2008

I've always tried to live a healthier way of life, both for my family and for the environment.  Unfortunately, the novelty of making my son's organic baby food wore off after 3 months. It was time consuming and tideous and he would usually end up screaming by the time this working mother could get food grinder out.   I retreated to purchasing organic baby food from the grocery store because I wanted the best for him.  The  environmental issues we are faced with have never been more significant and making changes can be overwhelming.  Remember everything you put in a drain, whether it be in the tub, the toilet or the sink ends up one day in the ocean and ultimately in our drinking water.  We have to reduce the amount of toxins we are putting in our water.     My first venture began with ... 08/15/2008

Downtown Honolulu has many architectural styles indicative of the many cultural influences that have helped shape  modern Hawaii. Honolulu, during the early part of the 20th century, had adopted many of the architectural styles that were en vogue on the mainland in the sunny Pacific Southwest. One such style trend is Spanish Colonial Revival. Influenced by both California and the Philippines this tropic friendly design features stucco siding, ceramic tile roofs, and old world details. Many public buildings built in the late 20's and 30's here in Honolulu were constructed in this Mediterranean influenced design style. Here are some of my favorite examples.  This is the Old Bethal St. Police department or Gibson Building with its large ornate lintal moldings and coffered bronze doorway.  ... 08/15/2008

  The Watermark Condominium is Waikiki's newest 37 story Luxury Building.                   This building features the following ammenities making it one of the best on island:   Library and media room featuring mahogany-bladed ceiling fans, cabinets and bookshelves of rich tropical woods overlooking the gardens and pool.  · Private gardens, walking/jogging paths · Pool, whirlpool and fitness center · Outdoor barbecue and picnic area · Private library/media room with pool view · Wireless Internet access in common areas  · Guest parking       08/14/2008