Waikiki

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Halfway between downtown Honolulu and Waikiki is “Ala Moana”…

White Sandy Beach at Ala Moana Beach Park

Many residents are enjoying their lifestyle to the fullest by being able to WALK EVERYWHERE. Leave your car at home! resort hotels, The Yacht Harbor, sandy beaches and parks, shopping centers, restaurants (many of which have “Happy Hour” specials), cafes and of course keeping fit at a luxury condominium recreation center….swimming, tennis, whirlpool, bar-b-que, etc. Read entire post →

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Waikiki Beach as we know it will soon be growing (literally).

Waikiki Beach

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 →

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Ever have a dream of owning a 2 bed / 2 bath condo in Waikiki? Near the beach, Kapiolani Park, the Honolulu Zoo, restaurants and more? Look no further….

Makee Ailana

For those of you that don’t know, Makee Ailana (formerly known as the Scandia) is located 2 blocks from Queen’s Beach in Waikiki and right across the street from the Honolulu Zoo. I’ve got a listing there (MLS# 1001616) priced at $445,000. Read entire post →

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View of ocean from condo in Waikiki

Sweeping ocean views from condo (MLS# 2911972) just down the street from Waikiki’s newest hotel/condo development

There was a recent article in the Pacific Business News announcing that Kyo-Ya, the owner of Waikiki’s Sheraton Princess Kaiulani Hotel, will be redeveloping that property and constructing a new hotel altogether. This will be the first “new construction” in Waikiki in 30 years. What is exciting is that, in addition to the hotel and “condo-hotel” units, there will be 61 fee simple residential condominiums to hit the market in 2014. This will be a great project to look forward to! Stay tuned….

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RealtyTrac’s latest numbers are out for February of 2010

As foreclosures continue to rise on Oahu, there will be more and more REO’s or lender owned properties coming back on market. Once properties are listed as an REO, they are typically priced well and sell fast.

Oahu REO Galleries

Oahu single family home REOs →
Oahu Condo REOs →

Top 5 zip codes for Oahu Foreclosures

Ewa Beach and Kapolei have consistently been at the top, as they were in January and in 2009. Read entire post →

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David enjoying ride

Hawaii Reporter recently announced there’s a New Phone System for Recorded Weather and Surf Updates on Oahu. This will be much more convenient as several phone numbers were required for the old system. The new 808-973-4380 number can also accommodate multiple callers!

I’ve saved this number to auto-dial on my phone. It’s perfect for all those living their Hawaii Life. Whether you’re looking to paddle from Hawaii Kai to Waikiki, Surf the North Shore or hike in Manoa, you can know what the weather, wind and surf will be from one phone number!

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Ewa Beach Led Oahu in 2009 Foreclosures

The front page of yesterday’s Star Bulletin had an article titled “On Shaky Ground” talking about how Ewa Beach led Oahu in 2009 with the most foreclosures with 636 in 2009. Believe it or not, Waikiki was 2nd with 538 and Kapolei was 3rd with 364.

What was incredible about the article is it said although that one out of every 22 homes in the Ewa Beach zip code was in distress last year! Those weren’t all foreclosures. Those include short sales, owners behind on their payments, etc. What does this mean? More REO or lender owned properties will be coming on the market in Ewa Beach. Keep an eye out for some bargains. Even though prices have come down, inventory is starting to disappear as well according to the article. So, get yourself a good buyer’s agent and get ready for some bargains.

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The family at the 'Pink Palace'

The family at the 'Pink Palace'

My six year old daughter was thrilled to stay at the ‘Pink Palace’, the Royal Hawaiian Hotel on Waikiki, and by the way, so were we!!  After having tea & enjoying the gardens with her mother two years ago, she has been begging to stay, so what a great surprise!

So, finally, here she was, living the life of a Princess, though she told me to stop calling her ‘Your Royal Highness’.  The Royal Hawaiian Hotel is a delightful palace, more like your residence than a hotel, with beautiful architecture, furnishings & wonderful staff . My nine year old son was more than thrilled when checking in, as he was spoken to by his name. He said ‘This is the life!  It’s like in the movies.” We definitely recommend the Ocean Royal Beach Tower & sumptuous Royal Beach Club with its breath-taking views of the beach, sparkling ocean & iconic Diamond Head. Newly renovated, the hotel is beautiful, spic & span with luxury from top to bottom. The beds are oh-so-comfy with soft, feel good high-thread count sheets, snuggly down pillows & the best pull-up-around you comforters.  In addition to the relaxing “Pink Palace’ pool, there is the extravaganze pool, the Helumoa Playground, with water slide, waterways & two whirlpools the children (and adults) will want to enjoy. Lounge chairs in the pool were our favorites, particularly for lunch with just right mai tais. Waikiki is a also great place for paddle boarding & maybe some surfing.  Barney, one of Waikiki’s famous Beach Boys was as friendly as you could ever wish.  In the mornings, we woke to yummy & I mean yummy continental breakfasts with soft, flaky chocolate croissants, tasty baguettes, fruit & fresh coffee. How good was everything?  We changed our flights so we could stay another night. Frankly, we don’t care if we ever stay at a different hotel on Waikiki ever again. Read entire post →

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Welcome to the Ilikai...

Welcome to the Ilikai...

The Ilikai is one of Oahu’s most iconic hotels on Ala Moana Blvd. Jack Lord helped put the Ilikai on the map in the opening scene of Hawaii Five-O. What a lot of people don’t know is the Ilikai was supposed to originally be built in Marina Del Ray, CA. My Mom’s stepfather, Guy Harrison was a real estate developer in Southern California & was here in Hawaii on a trip when he happened to drive by the current site in Waikiki and asked the cab driver pull over because he was amazed at the beauty and location. He ultimately secured an option on the land, moved my Mom, Grandmother and family out from California and brought in Chin Ho as the money partner and developed what is known today as the Ilikai in 1964. What has been so unique about the Ilikai over the years is its mixed use of Hotel and individually owned condos.

Fast forward 42 years: local devloper Brian Anderson bought 343 of the 1009 rooms in 2006. He had grand ambitions for the place. Unfortunately, they never came to light and the past few years the association has sued Anderson, he went delinquent on maintenance fees on the units he owned and earlier this year, the lender foreclosed on Anderson. Due to all the litigation that’s been taking place, lenders have not been lending on the Ilikai. Therefore, those that are looking to sell need cash buyers. This has created some awesome opportunities for those with the cash!  Here’s some statistics I ran over the past 5 years:

Year Average Sales Price Median Sales Price Number of Sales
2005 $415,788 $400,000 45
2006 $494,343 $480,000 32
2007 $452,531 $445,000 24
2008 $354,866 $360,000 15
2009 $279,507 $280,000 35

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Waikiki Shore Condo

Waikiki Shore Condo

Following up on a series of Where to Find Oceanfront Condos on Oahu, we work our way clockwise on Oahu from Diamond Head to Waikiki. Believe it or not, there is only 1 true oceanfront condo building in Waikiki, which is the Waikiki Shore. When you think about it, the reason why is all the prime real estate in Waikiki is taken up by the hotels.  Waikiki Shore is adjacent to the newly renovated Outrigger Reef and fronts a beautiful white sandy beach. One of the great things about the building is the maintenance fees are relatively low because the commercial spaces on the bottom floors offset some of the operating costs of the association. In addition, the 2 most recent sales sold at $1,062 and $1,598/square foot and active listings average $1,580/square foot. This is a great price for prime oceanfront property, given the new Trump Waikiki isn’t even on the ocean & is selling for $2,000/square foot… If you’re looking for an oceanfront condo in Waikiki within walking distance of great shops, restaurants and the only 5 star hotel on Oahu, this is it! Here’s a gallery I’ve put together of available listings. Enjoy!

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