Posted by Kamalani Duerksen, RS on March 15th, 2010 |
Tags: Agents, Big Island, Kailua Kona
Earlier this week I had the supreme pleasure of going to lunch and conversing with some of the top Real Estate agents in the business today!
They’re so busy it was amazing we could all find time to get together at the well-known Kona Brewing Company, in the heart of Kailua-Kona. Their delicious strawberry spinach salad was a hit. Read entire post →
Posted by Ron Margolis, RA, ABR on March 15th, 2010 |
Tags: Big Island, Hawaii, Honolulu, Kauai, Maui, News, Oahu, Short Sales
Whether a property owner is seeking a loan modification, pursuing a short sale, or the property has already been foreclosed on, the determination of value is key to the success of each of those transactions.
Now a storm is brewing between appraisers and Broker Price Opinion (BPO) professionals vying for valuation work for short sales conducted through the Making Home Affordable Foreclosure Alternatives (HAFA) program.
Hawaii is a State where real estate agents are prohibited from receiving payment for BPO’s (so I am not sure why BPO’s are used). However, it is true that a BPO is less expensive than a professional appraisal and that may have something to do with the banks policies.
This short sale rim home (MLS# 227307) listed above had a compelling offer of $585,000 submitted. But, the banks BPO came in at 640,000 and the buyer walked away.
The Appraisal Institute—a trade group that represents appraisers—released a public letter it wrote to Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner on Tuesday, calling for an end of the practice of using BPOs for Making Home Affordable modifications and refinances, as well as amending the rules for the upcoming HAFA program to require appraisals to determine value for government-incentivized short sales. Seasoned short sale agents like myself are looking forward to the HAFA program to bring a new efficiency and streamlining to what has been a long drawn-out process of a short sale. Read entire post →
Posted by Katie Minkus, R(BIC) on March 14th, 2010 |
Tags: Big Island, Hawaii, Honolulu, Kauai, Lanai, Life, Maui, Molokai, Oahu
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:
The 2009 Well-Being Index score for the country (65.9) is unchanged from 2008.
For detailed information on this poll, Well-Being: Hawaii Tops Utah for Nation’s Best →
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.
Posted by Ken Molina, RS on March 11th, 2010 |
Tags: energy savings, Hawaii, Hawaii energy, Kauai, Maui, Oahu
CFL’s use approximately 1/4 the amount of energy needed to power an equivalent incandescent lamp.
CFL’s (compact fluorescent light) produce light differently than a normal light bulb (incandescent). If you had a lightbulb that was 100 watts, your replacement CFL would be approx. 25 watts.
That is where you will save money on your electric bill. The CFL lamp is more expensive than an incandescent to purchase, but is less expensive to use and maintain. It does have some heat as output but nothing near as much as an incandescent. CFL’s have become more popular with the availability of bulbs for different tasks; dimmable, 3 way, flood, spot and chandelier style. They are also more “easy on the eyes” with the availability of incandescent style light; cool white, brite white, daylight, etc.
There are even more energy efficient fluorescent tubes to replace the standard T12 (common ordinary tube lights). Those replacements are called T8 which emit 35% more light and are more energy efficient. (The T12 & T8 denote the diameter of the lamp T12 = 12/8 of an inch and T8 = 8/8 of an inch. Lamps are measured in terms of its diameter and I will leave it at that.) Read entire post →
Posted by Tracy Stice, R, Broker In Charge, ABR, CRB, CRS, GRI, GREEN on March 10th, 2010 |
Tags: Agents, Big Island, Hawaii, Honolulu, Kauai, Maui, News, Oahu
Senate Bill SB2602, HD1 (PDF), has passed through final committee review in the Hawaii State legislature and will go to Governor Lingle for her signature. In a previous conversation between Governor Lingle and the Hawaii Association of REALTORS (HAR), Governor Lingle indicated that she would support the bill. This is a proactive bill supported and lobbied for by HAR Government Affairs Committee with the support of the Hawaii Real Estate Commission. Read entire post →
Posted by Tracy Stice, R, Broker In Charge, ABR, CRB, CRS, GRI, GREEN on March 8th, 2010 |
Tags: Big Island, Hawaii, Honolulu, Kauai, Lanai, Maui, Molokai, News, Oahu
From your farmer, the president.
My fish pond is suffering, the taro is wilting and tangerines are not getting picked. It has been a busy, but very fast first two months. My term officially started Jan. 1 and I actually got 4 days off before we had our first executive board meeting. Since then, I have traveled to Hilo, Lihue, Palm Springs, Washington DC, and to Honolulu 8 times. Additional, I opened a new real estate office on Maui as BIC. In my spare time, my son Jeremy and I closed 6 escrows and took 8 new listings. Now you know why my chickens don’t get fed unless my wife Laura or my daughters Chloe and Brianna do it. Read entire post →
Posted by Kevin Spaise, RS on March 5th, 2010 |
Tags: Hawaii, Hoolei, Kihei, Maui, Sales Stats, Short Sales, South Kihei, Wailea, Wailea Point
I always look at market statistics with a skeptical eye, and as a potential buyer so should you.
South Maui’s upper end surged in February. One of the 14 closings was a 3-bedroom at Wailea Point, at $2.9M.
For example, last year about this time, in the depths of our market correction, a front page story on the Maui News trumpeted a blockbuster month of condo sales. Technically, the story was accurate. But buried beneath the headline was the caveat: of the 109 closings in January 2009, 65 of them were new project sales units, Kaanapali’s Honua Kai. The real picture was a bit more bleak, with 44 resales sold for the month.
Fast forward to 2010, and we show a 30% year to date drop in condo sales for January. But the real picture is a 39% increase when you filter out the Honua Kai sales for both years. Read entire post →
Posted by Ken Molina, RS on March 4th, 2010 |
Tags: Big Island, Energy Efficiency, Green, Hawaii, Honolulu, Kauai, Lanai, Legislation, Maui, Molokai, News, Oahu, obama
Assuming he can get the Congressional Motley Crew to go along, Obama’s “Homestar” program would offer a rebate of $1,000 or more to people who purchase energy saving equipment.
The details are not spelled out yet but there have been several proposals. Read entire post →
Posted by Heidi White, R(S) on March 3rd, 2010 |
Tags: Big Island, Deals, For Sale, Hawaii, Kona, Luxury, REO
Here is our bargain Kona luxury home for the 1st week of March.
With a $1.5 M mortgage when built in 2006 this home (MLS# 231439) is now listed now as a Bank Owned REO at $855,000.
“Ke Alohi Kai” is one of the Premier Oceanfront Gated Developments in the Heart of Kailua-Kona and the “PINEAPPLE HALE” stands out as a Jewel!
PRICE: $855,000 ($-44,900)
ASSESSED VALUE: $1,181,100
Posted by Erik Hinshaw, R(S) on March 3rd, 2010 |
Tags: Big Island, Deals, Fixer Upper, For Sale, Hawaii, Kailua Kona, Luxury
Looking for a bargain Kailua-Kona luxury home you can put your own touches on, Look no further.
Priced at $750,000 this elegant home Keauhou home needs some freshening up. With some light cosmetic work this home could be stunning again. The views, the location and the layout are superb.
PRICE: $750,000 (- $149,000)
ASSESSED VALUE: $1,190,300
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