Bringing Toto to Hawaii

Thinking about purchasing your dream home on Kauai or taking an extended vacation and exploring Kauai’s natural beauty? Does this sound appealing, but you can’t bear the thought of leaving your beloved dog or cat behind?

Not to worry… let me help make this a stress free experience for you and your family. All you need to do is make some advanced preparations to ensure your pet will qualify for direct release from the airport animal holding facility and into your loving arms.

The reason the rules are so strict is because Hawaii is rabies free, and the state is protecting its residents and pets from serious health problems associated with the spread of this disease. All dogs and cats, regardless of age, must comply. The law is strictly enforced and all conditions must be met.

Your veterinarian will be your partner in preparing your pet for entry to Hawaii by following these guidelines (as outlined by the State of Hawaii):

1) First off you will need proof that your pet has been vaccinated for rabies twice in his lifetime, and that these vaccines were more than 30 days apart. Your pet’s first qualifying rabies vaccine most likely occurred when it was a puppy or a kitten; to complete the entry requirement, the second or most recent vaccine must be made at least 90 days prior to entry to Hawaii.

2) You will need to get your dog or cat an electronic microchip implanted and then scanned by a vet to verify. This must be done prior to the OIE-FAVN Rabies Blood Test.

3) A dated sample of your pet’s blood (taken via the OIE-FAVN Rabies Blood Test) must sent to the Kansas State University 120 days prior to travelling for rabies testing. This test is valid for 36 months.

4) You must provide proof that your vet has applied a product that kills ticks and fleas no more than 14 days prior to arrival.

5) Obtain a health certificate from your pet’s vet stating your pet is in good health, dated no more than 14 days prior to travelling.

Note: All documents must be originals completed by your pet’s vet with a complete history of qualifying vaccinations submitted to the Animal Quarantine Station at least 10-days prior to your arrival, along with all entry fees. If your pet is being transferred directly to Kauai or other outer island airport, the documentation must be submitted 30 days prior to your arrival. Send the documentation registered mail or 2nd day courier with a signature required for your protection.

In addition, some airlines may not be participating in the Kauai or other outer island dog and cat entry program. Check with your airline well in advance about participation on Kauai; a special reservation must be made for outer islands and an additional fee will be applied. Honolulu International Airport Animal Quarantine Holding Facility is open between the hours of 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. daily, including weekends and holidays. If your pet is not transported to the holding facility by 4:30 he will not be released that day and be held overnight. The airline will directly transport your pet to the holding facility. Please check their hours as they may change.

Give yourself plenty of time. You will need to get started at the very least 4 months (120 days) prior to entry to Hawaii. If the waiting periods as outlined above are not met, your pet will be quarantined until the time periods are fulfilled. In addition to the anxiety this will cause you and your family, you will also be charged kennel fees while your pet is quarantined. There are no exceptions.

All these rules may change so I strongly urge you to visit the State of Hawaii quarantine website. This site will contain all the forms necessary for your pet’s successful entry to Hawaii. Additionally, there is a FAQ page and a checklist you can printout and provide to your pet’s vet to aid in this process.

While waiting for the time period requirements, it would be a good time to get your pet ready for the trip by purchasing a travel kennel. To condition your pet for the long trip ahead, let your pet sleep and eat inside the kennel a few hours each day so he can get accustomed to it. The proper type of kennel for airline flights should be ventilated on all four sides. Please buy a sturdy kennel with metal grate doors that is approved by the airline. These kennels are easily available at any pet store. Your dog or cat should be able to stand up and turn around in the kennel. There should be four inches of head room when your pet is standing in the kennel. Check with your airline to make sure of the requirements as they may differ from one airline to another.

Each airline offers a special area designed for live animals. It is pressurized and temperature controlled. Don’t worry, the area is dark and your pet most likely will be sleeping the entire trip. Pets are transported in temperature controlled vehicles from the cargo facility to the plane and back. They are transferred immediately from the van to the plane and from the plane to the van so it is only a matter of minutes that they are actually outside. Animals are the last ones on the plane and the first ones off at each destination. Drugging your pet is not allowed by the airlines, and the animal inspector will not let your pet board the flight if this is suspected.

As a pet lover that has successfully transported 3 dogs and 1 cat 5000 miles from JFK airport, I can tell you first hand that it all happens so quick, but as long as you are prepared and have all your documents in order, you will have an easy and stress free experience.

Our new listing, with a bank-approved price of $354,000, is a two bed/two and a half bath home with vaulted cedar ceilings and a location to die for. Perched right up against the mountains, the lot is over a half an acre, and is zoned R-4, four homes to an acre, with the potential for building a second home. You need to always check with the County of Kauai.

If you are looking fo a friendly neighborhood, this is one of the finest you will discover.

Vaulted cedar ceilings, lanai on all sides, completely cute

Ti, aloe and ferns adorn you French door entryway

View Kauai Deals in my Kauai Foreclosure Gallery →

Here’s a great property and an example of newly “affordable housing” on Kauai: 4304 Anini Vista Drive (MLS# 236531), formerly listed at $9,800,000, now selling to the highest bidder, regardless of price.

High-end vacation homes may soon become “affordable housing” for the wealthy. Is there demand? Should the quantity (size) of the house be not only about the quality of aesthetics and materials, but also about the quality of life and well-being?

When a home is in tune with your lifestyle, anticipating and serving your expected and unrecognized needs, you may find you need a lot less house than you thought. Great homes, the ones we love, are the work of designers capable of translating the joy of living into logical plans, creating environments that satisfy. Part of the “magic” is that a home, though smaller, may actually feel much bigger.

Not only can I can help you find the right “affordable housing” for you on Kauai, I can help you transform a home or even design your dream home on the right property. Taking dreams, finding the right property, or designing the right home can transform your life. In addition to the fun I have in real estate making people’s dreams come true, I also have fun to designing dream homes!

If you are called to live on Kaua’i, you are one of the chosen few.  Come!  Let’s celebrate the good life on Kauai. Contact me for more information.

Stars like Jennifer Aniston, George Clooney, Adam Sander, Penelope Cruz & Johnny Depp. I was secretly hoping Johnny Depp would be tooling around Kauai & somehow just happen to drop in at my house. Yeah, like that’s gona happen, but you gotta have dreams!  Hey brah!  You never know what can happen on Kauai & often does!

Kauai is a hot spot with many movie productions & TV shows filming this year. This behind the scenes article, KAUA’IWOOD from Midweek about the film industry & Kauai’s Film Commissioner (“Da Commish”), Art Umezu,  is fascinating. Some highlight quotes from the Midweek article,

“Kaua`i has long been used as a stand-in for other tropical locales around the world: ‘We can pass for Asia, Africa, Australia or even other Hawaiian islands.’

And since the 1950s, every decade has brought diverse genres and beloved stories to the island’s landscape: In ’58 South Pacific, in ’61 Blue Hawaii, in ’76 King Kong, in ’87 Throw Momma from the Train, in ’97 The Lost World: Jurassic Park, in 2007 Tropic Thunder, and to begin this decade, in 2010 Pirates of The Caribbean: On Stranger Tides.”

“As film commish, Umezu most often works with location managers — helping to identify the perfect stream, waterfall or bay for a scene. His office maintains files filled with hundreds of photos that can be accessed by productions scouting Kaua`i for potential locations, and he often makes suggestions based on his knowledge not only of the Island, but of the needs and limitations of a film crew.  According to Da Commish, the title of his biopic would be: Take This Job and Love It!  Fade out.”

“After the star-studded cast of Tropic Thunder shot for 10 months on Island, Umezu says there has been abuzz in the industry about Kaua`i’s beauty, accessibility, and chameleon adaptability.”

Hollywood has figured out how SWEET Kauai is! It’s only a matter of time before everyone else figures out how SWEET life on Kauai is too. For those of you who live here, you already have.

I have sold allot of house and cottages. The reason I have sold so many is that the numbers work. Once you start adding up your mortgage, taxes, utilities, and other expenses, the added rental income makes a huge difference.

Let’s look at a simple math equation. If you pay $600k for a property and you put $200k down you will be borrowing 400k. At 6% interest your payment would be around $2,400 per month. If you have a cottage your rental income might be around $1,000 per month depending on the cottage and the area. Now your out of pocket for your mortgage becomes $1,400 per month instead of $2,400 per month. I like these numbers much better.

Clients who thought they couldn’t afford a home in Hawaii have been surprised when they add up the numbers for a house and cottage.

Liljestrand House above Honolulu

Most everyone who appreciates architecture knows Frank Lloyd Wright’s work, and in Hawaii, we had another great man who left his mark on our beautiful islands.

Vladimir Ossipoff has been called “the master of Hawaii Modern architecture,”  ”the dean of residential architects in Hawaii,” and “the premier postwar designer of kama’aina-style residences in Honolulu.” Perhaps the most famous of which is the Liljestrand House pictured here.

Ossipoff’s Liljestrand House with views of Honolulu.

Today, on Kauai, you can purchase a home designed by Ossipoff  that is currently listed as an REO for just over $400K (MLS# 235840).  It sits on the rim overlooking the Wailua River Valley on Kauai’s fabulous East Side. The views are incredible from this simple home that need just a bit of TLC.

My husband and I looked at this home a few years ago and thought it was an amazing opportunity at just under $1M. Now I think it’s time to revisit that thought process. What an opportunity to own an Ossipoff  home, on Kauai, overlooking the beautiful Hawaiian lands all the way to Mount Waialeale, the wetest spot in the world. The site on which this simple home was built is very similar to the one picture above at the Lijestrand House.

The view from the Ossipoff Kauai Home

Entrance to the Ossipoff Kauai Home

The Honolulu Academy of Arts has a site dedicated to Hawaii Modern Architecture exclusively featuring Vladimir Ossipoff

Currently, in order to use a Mac to access H.I.S. you’ve had to use a virtual machine with either Parallels or Boot Camp.

If you have Snow Leopard, you can now bypass virtual machine using Safari.

Step 1: In Safari, go to preferences >> advanced >> check the show develop menu in menu bar.

Step 2: In the menu bar choose develop >> scroll to user agent >> select the browser version Internet Explorer 7.0. (Safari will pretend it is a browser on a PC).

Step 3: Close Safari or Refresh, and you can now open the H.I.S. Multiple Listing Service. Log in, and now you have access using your Mac.

1. REO (Real Estate Owned) – These properties have already been foreclosed on by the lien holder, assigned to an asset management company, and relisted with an REO agent.
2. Short Sales – these properties may or may not be in foreclosure but the proceeds of the sale will be less than what is owed to the lienholder and thus require lienholder approval.

Two of the best North Shore values that just listed are in Princeville proper, where an owner can have a legitimate vacation rental. Princeville is sanctioned by the county of Kauai for this purpose since it lies within the VDA (visitor destination area).

8th hole of Prince Course from Villas on the Prince

Villas on the Prince – Unit 30

This 3 bedroom, 3 bath townhome (MLS# 237228) looks out at the Hanalei mountains and overlooks the world renowned Prince Golf Course. This is a short sale with Bank of America and is listed at $579,000. Remember, the pricing requires lienholder approval so it may sell for more than this in the end. The unit is in clean shape and is unfurnished.

5141 Kapiolani Loop

This single family home ( MLS# 237229) is probably the best value for a home under $600,000 in Princeville. It features 5 bedrooms, including two upstairs with spacious lanai and pretty mountain views. The practical laminate flooring is easy to maintain in Kauai and there is a great garden and backyard that can keep you busy if you nurture it. Priced at only $549,000, this home must be sold within two weeks.

5141 Kapiolani Loop – in the heart of Princeville

Beautiful tiled counters – white cabinets – gas range

Laminate Floors, skylights – bright and joyful home

Let me know if you need a list of the best-valued distressed properties in any area of Kauai. I track the entire island’s foreclosure properties.

View Kauai Deals in my Kauai Foreclosure Gallery →

These two questions are actually related…at least they were for me. When I was in my early 20’s, a real estate career was never on my mind. I, however, always felt that I wanted to live a comfortable life but I didn’t quite know how to get there. I suppose the phrase, “the universe will provide,” proved accurate for me. Everyone has their own meaning of “provide,” so ours may not be the same, but here are a few thoughts about both questions.

First, let’s talk about the real estate market and where it is. Well, it depends on who you talk to. I would first like to mention that sometimes I write a blog and then let it “season” for a while. I change things, add things, and sometime don’t even publish it. I have been working on this one for a couple of weeks and I’m glad that I waited because there was a recent article in The Maui News that proved my point.  It said, “Through midyear, Maui residential real estate sales activity have zoomed upward, although prices have not.” For the first 6 months of 2010, 422 single family homes have sold, up 42.6% from 2009 (296 sold in ‘09) and 666 condominium units have sold, up 63.6% (407 sold in ‘09). Single family prices have actually edged up 2% since ‘09, however, condominium prices have dropped 11%.

I have always maintained that single family homes are a better investment in terms of the amount of value lost and the time they take to rebound when the market is in decline. Many people flock to buy condos in an appreciating market because it is the only affordable alternative, however, condo values fall the fastest and furthest. Now this theory pertains if you are viewing your “home” as an investment. If you are viewing your home as shelter, then you should purchase what you can afford with the notion that the real estate market is cyclical. It goes up, it goes down and it is only bad for you if you have to sell in a down market. In general, over the past, real estate has always proved to be an appreciating asset in the long run.

Now, listen to this fact. Interest rates are at it’s lowest in decades (e.g., First Hawaiian Bank offers 15-year simple interest mortgages at 3.6%); this to me signals that we are in bottom territory… or have we passed the bottom? That is another good question as it is never answered in the present because we only realize the bottom when it has past. So predicting the bottom will never happen. I have experienced 3 real estate cycle adjustments and never has anyone said “We have hit bottom today.” We see it in the rear view mirror like someone rear ending you. The smart, savvy and lucky people benefit from not having the mindset of waiting till the bottom comes! Property values may decrease another 5% but it has already decreased 30% so you’d still ahead of the game.

Now comes the real question: Is buying really for me? It may not. You may be better off renting. Everyone’s situation is different. That takes a lot of soul searching. Home ownership is a responsibility. You are married to your home…period. You have to budget for maintenance issues. There will be maintenance issues. For some, owning a condo is easier and less of a financial risk. For others, a condo is nothing more than living in an apartment building. Again, it is what you are comfortable with.

Home ownership can be very rewarding emotionally (if you can comfortably afford it) and financially (if your timing is good and you don’t expect your home to perform as a constantly appreciating asset.) Investing is stocks is not my thing. I know nothing about it so I try to stay away (I’m comfortable with index funds though). I most definitely stay away from the race track (unless it’s a wiener dog race). Real estate is what I know so investing in it is a no brainer for me. I actually should spend more time in Vegas because my luck and timing are pretty good. What are you more comfortable investing in? Find it and stick with it.

Here is where I interject about the Maui News article. Economist Paul Brewbaker said in a meeting with Maui real estate agents, “If Maui real estate prices haven’t hit rock bottom, they’re not going to get much lower. It’s not worth looking for that last five dollars.” He also goes on, “The uptick in housing prices in California foretells an uptick here, since, Maui is the western edge of Orange County.” Thanks Paul, for proving me right!

It’s time for you to do a bit of soul searching. Is it time to take the plunge? Is it time to add to your investment inventory? Is it time to treat yourself to the special place in Hawaii that you’ve been dreaming about for so long? Timing could never be better. Contact me to discuss, or if you know you’re to take the plunge.

Aloha!

Lovely enclosed lanai.

Haena is a world unto itself. Out towards the end of the road, it defines for many the essence of Kauai’s North Shore—tropical countryside, endless empty beaches such as Tunnels (considered one of the most beautiful in the world), and the gateway to the Na Pali Coast and Kalalau Valley. For devotees—whether they be rich and famous or humble and hardworking—there is no alternative to Haena living.

House is set amongst park-like surroundings.

This short sale property (MLS# 236828) is by far the best-priced property in Haena. Located one lot off the beach, it is priced well-under County assessed value. Beach access is a one minute walk away.

A one-minute stroll brings you here…

The house, on over a quarter acre, has 3 bedrooms and 2 full baths. It also features a large exercise/utility room downstairs. Skylights and windows flood the house with natural light. You may simply never want to leave home.

Contact me for more information or a showing.