Katie Minkus, R(BIC)

Living her best Hawaii life is what it's all about for Katie, Broker-in-Charge of the Hawaii Life Big Island Team, who often ecourages her agents to go "play outside... surf, enjoy the weather, watch the sunset. Go remind yourself why you love living and working in Hawaii!" Naturally, this down-to-earth and positive attitude translates beautifully into connection and care for her clients on a professional level - but being "professional in the mainland sense of the word," Katie says, "holds a completely different set of values than this relationship-based island culture." Understanding the different influences that make up the fabric of Hawaii and the impact of a true "melting pot" on general society doesn't necessarily take Katie's Master's of Psychology to figure out, but understanding how being **known is critical to one's professional success in Hawaii, definitely requires Katie's breadth of transactional experience (**She went LGHS, UCLA and Santa Clara University and she stays Puako). Katie's passion for technology and being on the "bleeding edge" led her to sell her own Brokerage and join Hawaii Life Real Estate Services. Katie has been on the Kona Board of Realtors Board of Directors for 2 years and is currently serving as Secretary for the organization. Follow Katie on Twitter & Active Rain and Facebook, Trulia, LinkedIn, Chase Nation. Katie is also a Zillow Allstar

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Gallup Poll: Hawaii has Highest Level of Well-Being

Posted by Katie Minkus, R(BIC) on March 14th, 2010 | Tags: ,

Hawaii had the highest well-being index in the nation in 2009,  with a record-breaking score of 70.2.

Hawaii is Good for your Health!

The Gallup Well-Being Index is calculated on a scale of 0 to 100, where a score of 100 would represent ideal well-being, across six sub-indexes: life evaluation, emotional health, work environment, physical health, healthy behaviors, and access to basic necessities.  The 2009 Well-Being Index score for the country is 65.9, unchanged from 2008. Click here to see more detailed information on this poll.

The Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index measures the daily pulse of U.S. well-being and provides best-in-class solutions for a healthier world. To learn more, please visit well-beingindex.com.

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Not yet advertised, 20% Price Reduction! Hamakua Sustainable Living

Posted by Katie Minkus, R(BIC) on March 13th, 2010 | Tags: , ,

Authorized for release by the Listing Agent, Beverly Molfino with MacArthur And Company: Not yet on the MLS!

29 Acres of Sustainable living

ASKING PRICE: $1,850,000 ($-350,000)
NEW PRICE: $1,200,000 (-$300,000; “As Is”; Close in 30 days) More »

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T is for Honu. Puako, Big Island

Posted by Katie Minkus, R(BIC) on February 19th, 2010 | Tags: , , , ,

Honu - Green Sea Turtles - are often found in Puako Beach

One of the most amazing things about Puako Beach on the Big Island’s Kohala Coast, is that on nearly every beach, you can see green sea turtles live, up close and personal.*

Or not see them, as the case may be. Often while sitting on “my’ beach (btw – no beaches in Hawaii are private. All beaches are public.) in Puako, I watch people wander down the shoreline and nearly step on turtles before they actually see them!  No wonder why – the honu love to sleep in the sun and as they do so, they transform from looking like a wet dark lava rock, to the dried color of sand. Amazing.

In Hawaii, we call turtles “honu.” One of my friends was reading a “mainland” alphabet book to her toddler, and on the page for “T” was a picture of a turtle. We said, “t is for…” and he confidently answered, “honu!”

Do you want to see honu as part of your daily routine? Consider Puako Beach real estate. For a week, a month, or a lifetime. It’s never too late to live your best Hawaii Life. More »

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Kohala Coast Real Estate 2010 Sales (Where Are They?)

Posted by Katie Minkus, R(BIC) on February 13th, 2010 | Tags: , ,

Where have all the closings gone? Six weeks into 2010, and only two parcels of land have sold in Kohala Ranch – with one lot and five homes in escrow in all the kohala coast neighborhoods – where are the “high season” sales? Here closing, closing, closing…

What makes a house "eco?"

Yesterday I had the supreme pleasure of showing a gorgeous Puakea Bay estate. The weather cooperated and we giggled about how this house is actually more “eco-friendly” than the short sale down the way touting itself as an eco-built property. A 4,700+sqft spec home sitting fallow seems to me a waste of a lot of natural – and non-natural – resources.

Then it was on to Kohala Ranch to see Pueo Place. With a beautiful sunny day, whales jumping and slapping their tales the entire drive and views all the way down the coast… this estate home showed to perfection. What a joy to sit on the covered lanai having an intelligent discussion about whether to “buy or build” and the state of the market along the Kohala Coast.

Hawaii Life Clients are smart! Friday close to sunset, 72 degrees, light trade winds blowing, discussing a favorite topic – real estate…Dave and Lillia (not their real names, they know who they are) next time we’ll include pupus and cocktails! Pau hana, indeed!

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New Properties For Sale in Puako Beach

Posted by Katie Minkus, R(BIC) on February 9th, 2010 | Tags: , , , ,

Puako Beach real estate has recently added two exciting properties to the current offerings – one on each side of the street, mauka, and makai (toward the mountain and toward the ocean, respectively).

No…. Puako has not had an aquatic event such that this property is actually it’s own island within the community, but the King house at #120 Puako Beach Drive has been released to market asking $4.65M. Recently “spiffed” up with gorgeous redone hardwood floors (hardwood everywhere inside, spectacular) this oceanfront home has been a successful vacation rental in the past. More »

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2009 Wrap Up for Kohala Coast Neighborhoods

Posted by Katie Minkus, R(BIC) on January 26th, 2010 | Tags: , , ,

MLS# 228041 asking $899,000

“But what about Kohala Waterfront, Kohala by the Sea and Kohala Estates?” was the cry from sellers, buyers and realtors alike, after posting my last blog touting Kohala Ranch 2009 stats.

Kohala Waterfront real estate was very slow in 2009, with only one lot selling for $599,999 in late October (bought by a family who lives in my hometown of Los Gatos, CA) and an oceanfront home that finally sold in March for $2.7M after being on the market nearly continually since June of 2005, with an original asking price of $5.95M.

Only one home sold in Kohala Estates in all of 2009 – a small “starter” home on 3 acres, financed by the seller sold for $450k in October. In contrast, Kohala By The Sea real estate saw five homes and two bare lots sell in 2009. From a low of $860,000 for a 2200sqft home that sold in July – to a high of $1,180,000 for a 2800 sqft gorgeous custom home sold by Jan Nores, R(S) of Hawaii Life in October – prices were fairly consistent across the board.

Currently, the best value in all the Kohala neighborhoods to purchase might just be this lovely 2500 sqft house with pool listed for $899,000, in Kohala-by-the-Sea.

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Kohala Ranch – 2009 improves over 2008!

Posted by Katie Minkus, R(BIC) on January 17th, 2010 | Tags: , , ,

Upon first glance at last year’s residential sales in Kohala Ranch real estate, things look a little, well… messy. Prices all over the place, no “sense” to be made of price versus time of year, a “mixed plate” at best. But when compared to 2008 residential sales in the Ranch, it’s tempting to say what a difference 365 days make!

Jan Nores, R(S), sold this luxury Meadows estate for $1,500,000 in December 2009

Only four homes sold in Kohala Ranch in 2008, with a steady downward pricing trend, and no sales at all between a house in the Heathers that sold for $1,175,000 July 7th, 2008 with a conventional bank loan until a house in the Meadows sold for $639,000 with seller financing on February 18th, 2009. Gulp. Perhaps in greater detail, a story for the history books about how the worldwide economic crisis of 2008 affected Big Island real estate.

2009 saw 9 houses sell in Kohala Ranch, only 3 of which were purchased with conventional financing (a mortgage loan). The final sale of 2009 was a gorgeous home in the Meadows that was listed by Hawaii Life’s Jan Nores, R,(S), and sold for $1,500,000 with seller financing.  Currently, there are 23 residences for sale in Kohala Ranch, from a lot with plans and a contractor including the building of the house for a low, low price: $745,000 to a Heather’s estate listed for $2.9M and a Summit “Epic” estate also listed for $2.9M. Love the summit, but looking for something a little more “hidden?” in the $1,795,000 range?.

Or perhaps you want to see the sun set over the ocean 365 days this year for $1,399,00?

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Luxury Auction at Hualalai and Kukio Next Monday!

Posted by Katie Minkus, R(BIC) on January 14th, 2010 | Tags: , , ,

Next Monday, January 18th, will see the second-ever auction of Luxury property at the Hualalai Four Seasons Resort – and the first-ever auction of Luxury Property at Kukio, Hualalai’s ultra-high-end private club neighbor. Five properties will be auctioned off, four of them with no reserve price. Bidders, rev your engines!

I previewed these homes last week and can attest – they are stunning luxury estates, completely furnished with all the bells and whistles. Not to mention the right zip code. (Okay, they have the same zip code as Kailua-Kona, but certainly my mainland readers “catch my drift.”) Concierge Auctions, who is running the show, certainly has their act together – they’ve emailed me three times and called me once to remind me to register my clients. Not to mention the nearly 100 page full color brochure they produced, complete with floorplans and inventory lists down to the silverware, for each property. And did I mention one of the homes has celebrity appeal as it belongs to Cher? Gotta love Hualalai real estate, it’s definitely “entertaining!”

Cher designed this Luxury Hualalai home

When Hualalai held their first auction last August, it apparently ignited a firestorm of sales at the Resort, and now Kukio is in on the action and hoping for similar results. It will be fascinating to see how this affects our local luxury market during what’s traditionally our busiest selling season. Whispers at the Broker’s Open of auction homes going for $3.5 million would certainly re-set the luxury price point. Who will be the lucky winners and what will they pay to own these gorgeous estates? Their own slice of Kukio real estate heaven…

To download a registration form, click here: January 18th Auction Registration Terms and Conditions. I’m already registered to attend the event and would be happy to represent you as a buyer if you are interested in bidding, but cannot attend. Please email: katie@hawaiilife.com, or call me: 808.895.4327.

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Lance Armstrong Loves the Big Island!

Posted by Katie Minkus, R(BIC) on January 7th, 2010 | Tags: , , ,

Photo taken by Dolphin Journeys

Okay, so the title of this blog may be a slight exaggeration because in reality, I don’t know Lance Armstrong personally (although my brother, who is a semi-professional cyclist, wishes I did). However, given the video he posted Tuesday, I’m guessing that he’s a true fan – at least of the Big Island’s Kohala Coast: Lance Armstrong rides the Kohala Coast

This isn’t Lance’s first visit to Hawaii’s Big Island, and hopefully it won’t be his last! Is it possible he could fall in love with a property like Pueo Place in Kohala Ranch (as did another well-known sports figure earlier this year), and become another famous owner of Big Island real estate? Or perhaps Lance is a beach kind of guy and would dig a piece of Puako real estate?

My favorite part of the clip is his Polish photographer talking about how far away from Poland is Hawaii – both in looks and feeling. Given that the temperature in Poland right now is hovering between 17-30 degrees, I can imagine how blissful it must be for him to be basking in perfect 72-degree weather with slight trade winds. Oh, and of course, don’t forget about their seeing the “whale show” on the Kohala Coast. The whales have been jumping like crazy this past week! Are they saying, “Aloha, Lance?”

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Pelosi at the Four Seasons Hualalai? It’s the Economy, Silly.

Posted by Katie Minkus, R(BIC) on January 2nd, 2010 | Tags: , ,

Apparently there has been much to-do in the news about all the “celebrity” government dignitaries visiting Hawaii this winter season. Of course, President Obama has been vacationing on Kailua’s gorgeous beaches for the holidays, and Oahu is rejoicing in the “Obama bump” economy. As proof of this phenomenon, I received a President Obama bobble head for my car for Christmas this year. (Yes, he’s wearing an aloha shirt, lei, slippahs and giving the double shaka.)

President Obama bobblehead

President Obama bobblehead

Last week, Nancy Pelosi made a run for the Big Island’s Four Seasons Hualalai Resort. Besides the obvious, “who can blame her, it’s one of the best hotels in the world?” Everyone seems to have forgotten that Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the House, is originally from the California Bay Area, and during “festivus” the Four Seasons is FULL of people from California. She’s networking with her constituents!! And why not mix business with pleasure? “It’s one of the best hotels in the world!” (Do you think the Speaker knows there’s a no-reserve auction on five luxury homes in Kukio and Hualalai on January 18th?)

No reserve price for this estate, previously asking $8.45M

No reserve price for this estate, previously asking $8.45M

All the fuss over the Speaker’s visit and who is paying for it and how she got here…such obvious political posturing from partisan players (ahhhh… alliteration – thanks, UCLA). What I see is simple local economics: the more high-profile people that visit the Big Island, the more other people are drawn to visit here too. The more people who visit the Big Island, the more who love it and the more who come back to visit every year. (We love our “snowbirds!”) We are an island community, one whose economy depends very heavily on both tourism and government. It’s natural for us to embrace visiting dignitaries, they bring us hope, infuse the economy with money, and make us feel that we’re not quite as separate as 5,000 miles, and a lot of big, beautiful blue ocean might suggest.

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