Posted by Pattie Freeman, R on August 26th, 2010 |
Tags: Foreclosures, Hawaii, News
I recently read an article in the Los Angeles Times entitled “Professional Investors Move into Flipping Foreclosed Homes.” It indicated that investment groups have been going to the courthouse steps to purchase foreclosed properties, consisting primarily of private equity funds and groups of wealthy individuals.
The investment groups then refurbish the homes and quickly try to flip them for a profit. This appears to be a risky way of purchasing properties as often times the buyers/investors do not know what condition the property is in, and often times, as the homeowner is still living in the home, the buyer is forced to pay the original homeowner to leave—a dynamic known as “cash for keys.” Read entire post →
Posted by Glenn Forman, RA on August 17th, 2010 |
Tags: News
How great is to to be really wealthy? Definitely, the right team to be on. The wealthy are winning. Not again, but still winning. Read entire post →
Posted by Glenn Forman, RA on August 12th, 2010 |
Tags: Kauai, News
So many major stars have been on Kauai this year, I was afraid I was gona trip over one.
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, Read entire post →
Posted by Ken Molina, RS on July 30th, 2010 |
Tags: Big Island, First Time Buyers, Hawaii, Honolulu, Kauai, Lanai, Maui, Molokai, News, Oahu
Wow, I don’t mean to be heavy or anything, but have you ever asked yourself questions like, “Where is the Real Estate market?” and “Will I ever fit in?”
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. Read entire post →
Posted by Rustin Singleton, RS on July 22nd, 2010 |
Tags: Hawaii, Maui, News
At the Realtors Association of Maui’s general membership meeting on Friday our Local economist Paul Brewbaker spoke. This is not the first time he has said these things. Here are some of the highlights of Paul’s talk:
- Mr. Brewbaker specifically said, ”If Maui real estate prices haven’t already hit rock bottom, they’re not going to get much lower.”
- We were cautioned to not wait too long to buy if you’re hoping to find bargains. He told us a few weeks ago that our recession was over even if our jobless recovery hasn’t started yet.
- He went on to say that there has been an uptick in housing prices in California and that foretells an uptick here.
- Building permits are running at 1/5 of past years and this will create pressure on supply that will drive prices up.
- The Federal Reserve has vowed to keep interest rates low also.
Read the Maui News article here →
Read entire post →
7 Puako Beach Drive, come around 4-ish and help us celebrate!
When I agreed to open the “office” for Hawaii Life Real Estate Services in February, 2009, I understood our best retail space to be our company website, where we receive 40,000-60,000 unique visitors every month. Being born and raised in Los Gatos in the heart of the Silicon Valley, the concept of working virtually didn’t phase me in the least. After all, isn’t that what technology is for? To afford us the opportunity to work where we want to work? After six years of commuting to an office in wet, rainy Waimea town, where I had to wear closed-toed shoes to keep warm (in Hawaii! Who knew?), I was more than ready and eager to work from home in a bikini and pareo, across the street from the ocean in beloved neighborhood of Puako Beach.
18 months, $45.6M sold and 90 satisfied clients and customers later, I’m thrilled to announce the Grand Opening of our first physical Big Island office—located at 7 Puako Beach Drive, next to the General Store. We’ve completed an entire remodel Read entire post →
Posted by Lori Owens, RS on July 19th, 2010 |
Tags: Big Island, Hawaii, Life, News
The August 2010 issue of Islands Magazine has rated our beloved Big Island the Best Island to Live On. Criteria considered for making the top 20 Best Islands to Live On was real estate values, ease of immigration, expat community, quality of island life and more.
Magnificent Kona sunsets on Islands Magazine’s best island to live on
For all us who already live, work and play on the Big Island know why we think it’s the #1 Island to live on, but for those who are just learning here are a few amazing and maybe surprising facts about the Big Island. Read entire post →
Posted by Ilona Coffey, RS on July 12th, 2010 |
Tags: Hawaii, Kauai, Life, News
Yes, it’s true, it seems enough people have experienced the magic of our island to have voted Kauai the #2 Best Island in the World, second only to the Galapagos.
Waterfalls and Rainbows are part of everyday on Kauai
I’ve always known what a special place Kauai is, and it’s not just the Real Estate news that makes it special.
Living and working on Kauai is unlike anything I’ve ever known, and while it’s not for everyone, for those that choose to spend more than a week vacation here, there is magic! Read entire post →
Posted by Emma Miyaki, RA on July 3rd, 2010 |
Tags: Beaches, Life, News, Oahu, Waikiki
Waikiki Beach as we know it will soon be growing (literally).
It turns out the Big Island isn’t the only island that is growing in size
It was recently announced in the Star-Adversiter that Waikiki Beach will soon be getting more sand. What does this mean? The state will own more real estate! Since all the shoreline property in Hawaii belongs to the state, why not add more? Not a bad idea… So, who will pay for this? Read entire post →
Posted by Lori Owens, RS on June 24th, 2010 |
Tags: Hawaii, Life, News
The new iPhone 4 offers many exciting new features, but has enough hitches to make me want to stick with what is now the “older” model.
Last Tuesday (6/15), Apple Inc. received over 600,000 orders for the new iPhone 4. Apple said in a statement on Wednesday (6/16), “It was the largest number of pre-orders Apple has ever taken in a single day and was far higher than we anticipated, resulting in many order and approval system malfunctions.” An AT&T spokesman told the New York Times, “demand was 10 times what was experienced a year ago when pre-ordering opened for the iPhone3Gs.”
I remember just last September when I was so excited about pre-ordering and receiving at that time the latest version the iPhone 3GS. It was easy to pre-order; there were no system malfunctions or difficulties ordering. Is this a sign of the times, with technology consistently changing, and us wanting to be there on the forefront? Read entire post →
