Kailua Real Estate | Coconut Grove Neighborhood - 2012 Sold Homes

Photo Courtesy of HICentral MLS.

Sales in the Coconut Grove neighborhood of Kailua were brisk in 2012, as were in most other areas of Kailua.  There were 44 sales and the average sales price in Coconut Grove Kailua in 2012 was $647,030, making it one of the more affordable areas to purchase a home in Kailua. Average Days on the Market (DOM) was 57 and the percentage of sale to list price was 99% for Coconut Grove. Coconut Grove is popular with both first-time homebuyers and investors. 

Coconut Grove homes sold in 2012 ranged from tear-down termite shacks, which were rebuilt by their new owners, to multi-family properties, to cute remodeled homes, like the one pictured to the right and sold by Home Shoppe Hawaii. 

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Koa Wood Bowls - A Gift of Hawaii's Treasure

Looking for a perfectly beautiful Valentine’s gift or other gift for someone who has everything? Try the Hawaiian gift of a Koa Umeke (Koa Wood Bowl) or Koa calabash. These gorgeous pieces are often displayed in luxury Hawaii homes.

The Hawaiian culture places great significance in bowl making.  Technique and craftsmanship for making bowls was kept secret and passed down quietly and mysteriously.  The functionality of the bowl is important, along with the care in in the craftsmanship. The shape and design must be perfect.  The attention to the umeke shape reflects the Hawaiian culture of sharing and attention to hospitality.

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Kailua Real Estate | Enchanted Lake Neighborhood - 2012 Sold Homes

Enchanted Lake neighborhood had a big year in sales, with 46 transactions in 2012. The average sale price in Enchanted Lake rose to $814,439. The list to sale price percentage averaged out to 100%, so that tells you there were many full price and over asking sales. The average Days on Market (DOM) was 64, so property moved relatively quickly. This is a popular neighborhood, as it is one of the more affordable areas of Kailua.

Enchanted Lake homes sold in 2012 ranged from cute remodeled homes on small lots to more expansive lakefront homes like the one below, sold by Home Shoppe Hawaii. Enchanted Lake includes canalfront, lakefront and golf course homes in Kailua.

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Kailua Real Estate | Bluestone Condominiums - 2012 Sold Homes

Bluestone is the only gated community of townhomes in Kailua, Oahu, and Bluestone condominiums in Kailua have the largest interior space of any development. They also are perched on a hilltop overlooking the Mid Pac County Club golf course and ocean, making them very popular. There were a total of 7 sales in Bluestone for 2012. Bluestone sale prices varied, based on location in the sprawling complex and size of the unit, and sold between $635,000 and $825,000 in 2012. The average price was $747,285 with a sale to list price of 98% and an average of 38 Days on the Market.

Image courtesy of HICentral MLS. Bluestone are buildings on hillside at top right of photo.

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IN ESCROW - Stunning Penthouse Meridian East Kailua Condominium

My clients, with Home Shoppe Hawaii, are now purchasing this beautiful unit of 1300 Sq Ft interior and its wonderful, huge 377 Sq Ft open lanai. 

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Kailua Condos | Windward Passage Ocean View Condominiums in Kailua

 

Windward Passage is Kailua’s tallest building, constructed in 1979 with 18 floors. This residential Kailua condominium complex was planned to be 25 floors but met with opposition from local Kailua residents who prevailed.

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Alfred Shaheen Vintage Hawaiian Shirt Exhibit: Extended

Updated on Tue, February 5, 2013 by By Yvonne Ahearn (B), Realtor-Broker

Bishop Museum

Yesterday, I visited the Bishop Museum in Honolulu and its Alfred Shaheen Hawaiian Fashion Exhibit. It was wonderful to see the fine display of vintage Hawaiian shirts, vintage aloha wear, and collectible aloha shirts. There are only two more days, today and tomorrow, for this fabulous collection of aloha shirts and vintage Hawaiian clothing.

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Hawaiian Interior Design | Philpotts Interiors

Philpotts Interiors is perhaps the most prolific interior design house in the Hawaiian Islands and one of the Top 200 Interior Design Industry Giants in the United States, as named by Interior Design Magazine.  The firm was started in the 1960’s by Marion Philpotts McGrath and she was later joined by Marion Philpotts Miller and Jonathan Staub, who founded the design company, Your Space, Inc., in San Francisco. Other designers at Philpotts Interiors include Lowell Tom, Holly Boling Ruiz, Kristie Kiggins, Anne Tanaka, Lynn Ariola, and Dawn Ching.

Tropical Spaces design by Hawaii Interior Designer Philpotts Interiors

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Kailua Real Estate | Beachside Luxury Home on Kai Nani - Steps to Kailua Beach

The best thing today at Broker’s Open in Kailua: An enormous price reduction in the Kailua beach home for sale located at 27 Kai Nani Place in Kailua. This Kailua beach home, which was substantially rebuilt in 2007, is literally steps (one house) from Kailua Beach on one of the best and most private streets in the Beachside Neighborhood in Kailua.

This Kailua luxury home was originally listed in October of 2011 at $4,250,000.  It was relisted in 2012 at $3,690, 000 and now has just had a price reduction to $3,250,000. The owners purchased this beautiful piece of Kailua real estate at a low point in the Kailua real estate market, in 2009, for $2,650,000. Since these owners purchased, the already lovely home underwent an interior design project with Philpotts and Associates, and the owners added a Bali-style outdoor bathroom, as a major improvement.

Photo Courtesy of Elite Pacific. 

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Oahu Property Management | Setting Monthly Rent for Oahu Rental Properties PART 2

How to Set the Monthly Rent for your Oahu Rental Property
Part 2 — VIEW PROPERTY 

In my previous blog post – I outlined some challenges we face when deciding on a market rent rate for an Oahu rental properties, and provided my formula for determining market rents on Oahu:

A.  View Property

B.  Research Rentals

C.  Research Market Variables

D.  Set Rent

               The first step is to view property – not just YOUR property, but other Oahu rental properties as well!  If you can see others in person, that would be helpful, but pictures and phone calls will suffice.

               To ensure that you are comparing Oahu rental properties of similar status, size, and quality, you should pay attention to at least the following factors:

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Oahu Property Management | Setting Monthly Rent for Oahu Rental Properties PART 1

How can I determine how much to charge for monthly rent on my Oahu rental property? 

What is the fair market rent for my Oahu rental property? 

I am collecting $X per month in rent … is this fair rent for my Oahu rental property?

I get asked these questions all the time.  I often wonder if there is a secret formula out there that I am not aware of and so every so often, I Google® it.  The truth is, every property manager and owner manager sets the rent for their rental properties differently.  Some use comps, others add market conditions, and first-time Oahu investment owners often take into consideration their monthly mortgage/tax/insurance payment.  Add to this, the fact that in Hawaii, we don’t have good rental statistics from which to compare monthly rents (that is, statistics on Oahu investment properties that are rented rather than on offer for rent).   In fact, the only way Oahu property managers can determine what rental properties are actually rented for is to use their currently rented inventory as a gauge and to search our MLS for “rented” properties. 

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Hawaii Loa Ridge Homes in Honolulu | 253 Puuikena Dr - Back on Market

Back on the Market! This gorgeous ocean view luxury home in Honolulu’s Hawaii Loa Ridge Gated Community Neighborhood is listed once again, this time at a dramatically reduced price! This Hawaii Loa Ridge home was previously on the market in 2011, starting at $12,500,000. It was reduced twice and ended a year and 1/2 later, in late 2012, at $8,500,000.

This Honolulu luxury ocean view home now is more attractively priced at $7,980,000. It features over 10,000 sq foot interior with 6 bedrooms, 7 full baths and 2 half baths. There are plenty of indoor-outdoor living spaces, a gourmet kitchen, an inifnity pool and fabulous views from almost every room. Land square footage is 26,446, and it is in the acclaimed Aina Haina elementary school district.

Click the photo and browse the slideshow below.

Qualified, unrepresented Buyers, please contact Yvonne Jaramillo Ahearn at 808-721-8088 for more information or to schedule a showing.

Kailua Real Estate | Beachside Neighborhood - 2012 Sold Homes

The activity in Kailua’s desirable Beachside Neighborhood demonstrates that 2012 was a busy year for real esate transactions near famed Kailua Beach. This neighborhood has homes priced at the upper end of the Kailua market, with homes ranging from $1,000,000 and up to about $30 million. All Beachside properties are within a few homes’ walk to Kailua Beach. The Beachside Kailua area fronts Kailua Beach (ocean or makai side of Kalaheo Ave ) and runs from Kalapawai Market back to the Kawainui Marsh canal outlet (at Pinky’s Bar & Grill). Beachside is the area where President Obama stays when he vacations in Kailua. 

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Kailua Real Estate | Aikahi Park Neighborhood - 2012 Sold Homes

Aikahi Park neighborhood is popular with retired military and young families who want to be in the Aikahi School district, among others. Prices generally range from about $750,000 up to $1,200,000. Aikahi Park Kailua homes seemed to be in high demand in 2012 given that there were 9 sales and an average of only 43 days on market.

Photo courtesy of HICentral MLS.

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Just Sold! - Mokuleia Beach Colony, North Shore Oahu Real Estate

I recently had the pleasure of closing a transaction for the sale of a Oahu North Shore condo unit in Mokuileia Beach Colony. I was not that familiar with this complex until entering into this transaction, but what a gem this North Shore Oahu condomoniums development is! 

  

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Honolulu Real Estate Home Improvement Cost vs. Value Report 2011-12

You may be wondering whether to improve your Oahu real estate before you sell.  Or you might be wondering what the return on your investment will be if you do a bath or kitchen remodel, or other improvements to your Oahu real estate.  Either way, you will probably be doing well.  Oahu is one of the few places where most improvements to your Oahu property will give you a great return on your investment. In fact, Oahu has probabaly the highest return for home improvements of any U.S. metropolitan area. 

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NEW Kailua Real Estate | Immaculate, Well-Designed Kaimalino Home

Today, at broker’s open, we saw a great new remodeled Kailua home for sale in Kaimalino, Kailua. And it’s no wonder that it had already had 4 offers and was in escrow. Great care had been taken with the interior decoration and remodel of this home. It features a remodeled kitchen and enlarged bedrooms. The backyard featured a pool, great landscape and views, and no neighbors behind, due to the conservation land/Marine Corps Base. Listed at $1,595,000. Take a look:

Hawaii Loa Ridge Honolulu Real Estate | Wordless Wednesday

BIA Hawaii Home Improvement Show at Blaisdell, January 25-27, 2013

If you are purchasing or already own Oahu real estate, chances are you may need to do some home improvements projects in the near future.  The Building Industry Association of Hawaii (BIA-Hawaii) Home Building & Remodeling Show 2013 might be a great place to look for ideas and inspiration, as well as to locate some great contractors for your Oahu real estate project. The Oahu home improvement show will be held at the Blaisdell Center Exhibition Hall in Honolulu. The show starts Friday, January 25 from 5-9pm and goes through Saturday (10am to 9pm) and Sunday, January 27 (10am to 4pm).  Admission is $6.00 for one day, $8.00 for a 3-day pass, and $2.00 for Seniors, on Sunday. Kids 10 and under are FREE.  Coupons for $2.00 off a one day pass are in Hawaii Home & Remodeling Magazine. See you there!

Niihau Shell Lei - Hawaiian Luxury at its Best

Nai’a Ulumaimalu WatsonI was recently asked about Niihau shell leis. These are Hawaii’s own luxury jewelry. Hawaii’s most prized shells are from the island of Ni’ihau (nee - ee - how) and they are used to make Niihau shell leis and other fine jewelry. Niihau shells are tiny shells, and they come in colors ranging from whites and creams, to pinks, corals and greens.  The shells of Niihau has a certain unmistakable luster and they are harder and more durable than shells from other places. 

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