Moana Kai townhome sold before listed

Wednesday, January 27th, 2010 at 12:46pm. 1132 Views, 0 Comments.

I had a buyer looking for a Moana Kai townhome for months.  It was frustrating waiting for the right unit to come up for sale, so I sent a letter to everyone in the complex to see if anyone would sell their unit.

Just 2 days later, I received a call from the seller of a beautiful 1550, 2story unit with 2 car garage - the exact model my buyers had been hoping for.

It's beautifully upgraded with granite counters, wood floors, custom lighting and fixtures, and more. 

Sometimes you can't just sit around and wait. The seller happened to be thinking about selling her home on the day that she opened my letter, and called me right away. She called it fate, I told her it was God's will :) 

We did put it in the MLS but it was already sold before anyone could…

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In escrow - Mariner's Valley, Hawaii Kai

Wednesday, January 27th, 2010 at 12:40pm. 933 Views, 1 Comments.

As of 2 days ao, I have this nice little Hawaii Kai home in escrow for a client of mine. Listed for $769k, about 1350 sqsft with a nearly finished attic that is large enough for an entire family to use as an office or play area. 

There are so few homes available for sale right now, that any nice listing will get snapped up in just a few days or weeks. 

This nice home has a brand new kitchen, new vinyl windows, new floors, and more. It also has a great view of Mariner's valley from the kitchen and a huge lanai.

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Fed will finally stop printing after $1.25 Trillion - Mortgage rates may jump

Wednesday, January 27th, 2010 at 12:16pm. 911 Views, 0 Comments.

There is an upcoming economic event that I am now tracking very closely.  In a couple of months the government will stop propping up the mortgage-backed securities market.  The exact aftermath of this move will depend on how the numbers on unemployment and foreclosures play out over the coming months.

An article in the Washington Post explains that "Keeping the mortgage rates at historic lows, which required a commitment of more than $1 trillion, was viewed within the administration as a central plank of the economic strategy last year, senior officials said. Though the policy did not attract as much attention as rescue efforts to bail out banks, it helped revitalize home buying in some parts of the country and put money in the pockets of millions of…

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FHA loans will no longer allow 6% seller closing costs credits to buyer

Thursday, January 21st, 2010 at 12:56pm. 1243 Views, 5 Comments.

Well,  HUD is at it again.  It will go into effect sometime in the summer, but FHA loans will be limited to 3% seller concessions instead of the 6% currently allowed.    This won't mean much for higher priced homes but it will cause people buying lower priced homes, which tend to be the people that need the help the most, to have to come up with more money.    Basically this is another case of the government hurting people by trying to help them. 

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This Hawaii Kai house looks good

Wednesday, January 20th, 2010 at 1:11pm. 786 Views, 0 Comments.

Today at 1pm I'll be viewing this house

in Koko Head Terrace for $797,000.  Fully remodeled by the owner, who is a contractor, it has a great new kitchen and open layout, especially for a house built in 1969. 

Old houses are the norm in Hawaii Kai, but when they're nicely redone like this one, they can be almost as good as new.  

It has a nice view of the valley and of course it has the most important thing - location.  

 Check out the new kitchen below, it's completely new with recessed lights, stainless appliances, corian counters, and more.  I hope it looks as good in person!

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Obama's $10 million Hawaii vacation home

Friday, January 15th, 2010 at 2:14pm. 4945 Views, 8 Comments.

 How does the leader of the free world relax and get away from the mayhem of D.C.? 

Bush had his Texas ranch, Clinton preferred high style in Martha's Vineyard, but Obama prefers Hawaii.

For the past 2 years, the First Family has spent their Christmas holiday at this custom built 5000 square foot home on Kailua Beach in Hawaii. Originally listed for sale at over $11 million in 2006, the Kailua beach front home is now listed for $8.9 million, making it one of the more expensive homes for sale in Hawaii.

Located on the windward side of Oahu, the white sands of Kailua have been voted one of America's Top beaches.  And since it's just a few miles from the President's childhood home and the security of Kaneohe…

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SOLD! Nicest Ocean Pointe house I have ever seen

Thursday, January 14th, 2010 at 3:25pm. 1244 Views, 0 Comments.

This morning I just closed on this beautiful house in Ocean Pointe.  The owner was into it for $900k, of which about $200k was just the upgrades! 

My lucky buyer paid only $672k for it. What a bargain! Just a couple miles from the ocean and in a great neighborhood.

It had been upgraded beyond any home I've seen in Ocean Pointe, with large tile floors, plantation shutters throughout, built in closets and office components all over the house, stainless steele appliances, and more. 

 Best of all - there is no more traffic in Ewa Beach, so it's a wonderful place to live now. Congratulations to my buyers! 

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Hawaii school info

Thursday, January 14th, 2010 at 3:08pm. 504 Views, 0 Comments.

Here is a great website to learn about Hawaii schools both public and private. You can search by location, grade, and just about anything you can think of.  Schools are always a big concern in Hawaii, the only state in the Union to have a State run Department of Education rather than by local municipalities. There are good reasons for this, but there are also big drawbacks. 

 Anyway here is the Hawaii schools site. 

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$1.35 million for a 4000sqft penthouse at the Commodore

Friday, January 8th, 2010 at 6:47pm. 957 Views, 0 Comments.

Today I showed one of my clients a beautiful penthouse at the Commodore for $1.35mil. With almost 4000sqft, this condo is larger than the average home, but for about the same price.  It was in beautiful condition with granite everywhere, remodeled bathrooms, and this amazing view.  That's the Hawaii Kai marina and the ocean just beyond. 

For about this price you get half the square footage in town, so if you're looking for a HUGE condo, this might be the best deal on Oahu! 

It is turn key and beautiful!

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Another Allure Waikiki condo in escrow, prices reduced 30%

Thursday, January 7th, 2010 at 8:19pm. 2977 Views, 1 Comments.

I had another client sign a contract at the Allure in Waikiki today, where condo prices are reduced between 15-30%. They are still the best deal in town for Waikiki Condos. The building is on track to close in April and is one of Oahu's few new buildings this year.

They are about 48% sold right now, with about 20 of them being sold in the last 2 months. The sales agent said they have been selling 3-4 units per week. 

For under $1mil you can get a nice mountain or ocean view condo with 2 bedrooms and about 1100sqft. 

For about $700k you can get a 1200sqft 2 bedroom with a city view of Waikiki and Honolulu.  

For $1.5mil, you can buy a beautiful penthouse around 1380sqft with an ocean view overlooking Waikiki. All these prices reflect a 30% reduction…

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