You can't swing a dead cat in Hawaii without hitting a ukulele player. Oh, where did that expression come from anyway, it's such a horrible thing to say. But I use it because it's amusing, not because I would ever throw a dead cat much less want to watch somebody else do it. The point is the ukulele is a popular instrument, and almost everywhere I go in Hawaii, I hear a musician playing this instrument.Fat, skinny; old, young; male, female; doesn't matter. Every ukulele is different. Tones and pitch varies. You can pay $100 or $10,000 or more. Go ahead, you can read more and see more photographs in my personal blog today at this link: Just Ukes Offers Wide Variety of Ukuleles in Kona. 12/26/2016

Now, if you ask my husband, he will say the drive down from the Mauna Kea Summit was the most terrifying, but that's because he wasn't driving. He was putting his foot on the imaginery brake and reminding me about approaching curves. He also brought up the time I drove down the mountainside in Colorado in my 1974 CJ5 Jeep and asked me please not to repeat that episode.On the other hand, I would say that driving up was more frightening, if it's scary, and it sorta was. But that's part of the excitement of driving up to the snowy Summit, you know, it's the whole package. You can see all of the fabulous photographs and read more about my adventure in my personal blog today at this link: Road to Mauna Kea Summit Opens Before Christmas. 12/24/2016

Part of the fun of being on vacation in Hawaii is sampling different restaurants. Last year I spent 3 weeks at the Marriott Waikola and even with walking over to the Kings Shops, I still did not have enough variety. That is not a problem in Kailua-Kona. Lots of tourists stay in this area, although I never have until we bought a house here, so this is a new experience.I also picked out gifts for my team members at my one of my favorite Hawaiian stores, Na Hoku, down by Ali'i Drive. Jackie Rey's is off Kuakini, not far from there. Oh, and I managed to take a new listing in Elk Grove yesterday. More about that tomorrow. For now, you can read more about our latest dinner adventure and see all the photographs in my personal blog today at this link: Hanging Out at Jackie Rey's Ohana Grill in ... 12/22/2016

We woke up yesterday morning fully intending to take advantage of the break in the rain at our vacation house in Hawaii and drive up to the Mauna Kea Summit. I rented a jeep specifically for this purpose. However, due to all of the unusual amount of rain on Big Island this month, which turns to snow on the mountain, the road was closed. Never fear. There are plenty of interesting things to do in Kona. Even my husband, who was resistant to the idea, enjoyed our visit to the seahorse farm. Plus, I got to hold a seahorse! I have a photo of that experience. You can read more and see all the photographs in my personal blog today at this link: Seahorse Farm in Kona Lets Visitors Hold a Seahorse. 12/21/2016

All of our previous trips to Big Island have been to resorts. We've stayed at Four Seasons, The Fairmont, Hapuna Prince and Marriott Waiklola, and a great B and B on the Hilo side in Honomu. As such, most of our dining experiences have been at or near resorts. Now that we have our own vacation house, it's either go grocery shopping, which for some reason my husband does not seem interested in, or go out for dinner.It's at least a half hour up the coast to the resorts and we are only a mile from Ali'i Drive and some of the other dining spots in Kona. The service is more casual, the food more basic, thus far, but I am keeping an open mind. With a place like Huggos Restaurant, it's more about the location than the food or service, I suspect.You can read more in my personal blog today and s... 12/20/2016

When I tell people that Rocket J. Squirrel is in this Hawaiian orchid oil painting and that once you see him, you can't unsee him, I am informed they do not see it. So my husband, who happens to be the person who first spotted Rocky, came up with this nifty little caption to show you. This is very similar to the cattleya that was once hanging on my wall until the tenants carted it away. Not only do I tremendously love orchids, they are my favorite flower, but there is a lot of emotional pull in this artist's work. I tracked down this former Volcano resident myself in the States. You can read more about this and see all of his artwork selections in my personal blog today at this link: Which is Your Favorite Hawaiian Orchid Oil Painting? 12/19/2016

Strand woven bamboo is not a type of bamboo that I have been familiar with. I have the lighter natural bamboo in my bedrooms in California, the type of bamboo with knuckles. It's soft. Shows impact from high heels, so I can only wear flat shoes or else tiptoe around, LOL. However, when it came to choosing flooring for the bedrooms in our house in Hawaii, bamboo was not first on the list. I was leaning toward engineered hardwood.But then I stopped to consider that termites love hardwood and I pay for pest control spraying every 3 months.Strand woven bamboo is very durable. Termites don't like the glue, and it is a grass, not a hardwood. It can be refinished, too, which I did not know. It comes with a 50-year warranty. It looks like hardwood. Many colors. Relatively affordable, between $4... 12/18/2016

This photo is of Alex, my painter in Kona, who just finished repairing and painting all of the ceilings in our vacation house in Hawaii. Amazingly, the big 6.7 earthquake of 2006 caused little damage to the walls in the house. Most of the damage and cracks occurred in the ceilings and cement slabs. But then this home was built in 1990, so it fared better than some of the older structures in town.We have several small earthquakes every day. According to Kailua-Kona Earthquake tracker, precisely 100 earthquakes over the past 30 days. Plate tectonics and hot spot, you know. I thought about insurance and called my agent on Oahu. The State Farm office could not answer my questions about rates for earthquake insurance and whether I needed flood insurance. Actually, I think flood insurance is ... 12/17/2016

I could show you the big pile of plastic that hangs from every wall and covers every flat surface in my house in Hawaii but that's not nearly as attractive as this cute little saffron finch. They are all over my front yard, and I think they have built a nest in my neighbor's tree. As I look around at the chaos in this house, it makes me think about tax deductions. If a person were renting her house and wanted to fall within the two-week usage rule for tax purposes -- I  am asking for a friend -- and this person had to live in chaos to finish home improvements on behalf of the rental, I wonder if that would be considered just supervising an improvement project because it's not really a vacation. Perhaps the only vacation would be the 9 days following after everything was finished, and ma... 12/15/2016

Above is a photo I shot a few days ago before the SuperMoon in Hawaii, just as the sun settled into the sky in Kailua-Kona. That ubiquitous "they" say you are either a sunset person or a sunrise person. I like both, actually, but if I had to choose just one, let's just say I'm glad my back yard faces West, and I get this view from my kitchen. Which is pretty much where I've been relegated to work in Hawaii (in the kitchen), as the home improvement projects go on and I continue to balance my real estate clients in Sacramento with the demands of finishing up projects. You can read more in my personal blog today and see the photo of a sandpiper at this link: Clients Win by Listening to Their Sacramento Agent. 12/13/2016

Because at some point my tenants (who are living elsewhere while I am here) will either buy a new house or go back to Canada, I have to find us a gardener. Fortunately, the HOA tends to the front yard, but my side and back yard don't take care of themselves. Everything grows like crazy.I had a guy come over yesterday to give me a bid. He asked how much I wanted to pay. Well, I dunno, the guy next door hired a gardener for $40 a month, I pointed out. He said, "I'll do it for $60." What? What? You can read more in my personal blog today and see the photographs of my garden at this link: Poinsettias and Pineapple Love Tropical Gardens in Hawaii. 12/12/2016

I am not a person who enjoys getting a manicure, much less in Hawaii, but I do appreciate pretty nails. Which means wherever I travel, I need to find nail salons. I've been to so many all over the world that I've become an expert at picking out a salon among the hundreds offered in any given location.You can read reviews online like, oh, say, Yelp, but you need to know how to decipher those reviews. You know, did somebody post a nasty review, like saying the salon cuts your cuticles so they bleed -- which probably means they once dated the owner and got dumped or they were trying to text in the middle of the manicure. There are lots of idiots and spiteful people. You can read more in my personal blog today at this link: Hot Nails Salon is the Place for a Manicure in Kailua-Kona. 12/11/2016

My neighbors at our house in Hawaii and friends in California all seem to hold the same view of contractors in Hawaii, and that view is typically unfavorable. They've been warning me to expect "Hawaii time" and lax attitudes, and that has not been my experience. In fact, I believe you can say the same thing about contractors in general. It is not specific to Hawaii.You know the joke, right? What 3 things do you want in a contractor? A good price, good work and punctuality, pick any two. Like with any business, Sacramento real estate included, there are great professionals and losers. The trick is not to hire the losers. You can read more and see all of the photographs in my personal blog today at this link: Take a Peek at My Hawaii Home Improvement Projects. 12/10/2016

For years, I have taken my laptop with me during my wor-cations. OK, I did not take it to Cuba but that was one destination where I had to buy internet minutes, about $10 for an hour, and the WiFi did not always work, so I used my cellphone instead. And only for 2 hours during the 2 weeks we were there. It was a terrible connection, and you had to stand in one spot at the hotel.Plus I figured I was more likely to have my laptop confiscated than to actually use it, so I left it at home. But a laptop is essential for my wor-cations. I can't type on an iPad. Breaking my laptop would result in the Apocalypse. You can read more in my personal blog today at this link: What Happens When You Drop a Laptop? 12/08/2016

My Hawaii house was built in 1991 and because of that has had much stuff replaced. I'm doing even more improvements as we speak. My husband would just unpack and not change a thing. But houses don't speak to him like they do to me. I develop likes and dislikes easily of certain home features, and my kitchen faucet was a big dislike from the moment I laid eyes on it last week. My old faucet is pictured here. Look at how it hangs its sorry face into the sink and does not latch onto its connection. It's discolored. Past its prime.It's gotta go. Besides, wait until you see what I replaced it with. I recommend this type of kitchen faucet to my clients, too. It's the one thing you can do to a kitchen without spending a lot of money that really makes an impression afterward. You can see all th... 12/07/2016

One of the perks at my house in Hawaii is the fact I get to use my tenant's Netflix. Although, I have probably changed their profile in such a way that they will be offered shows they deem highly offensive. They do some kind of missionary work, converting people to Christianity. I've been watching their Amazon stream, too, and binge-watched a bunch of episodes of Good Girls Revolt. It's certainly no Mad Men quality, and there are many things that annoy me about the show,  but it's still entertaining. A thing that stands out from that show is that 20-year-olds should not play 20-year-olds because they aren't old enough yet. You can read more about my adventures in Hawaii in my personal blog at this link: Two Syllables I Thought I Would Never Say is Costco. 12/04/2016

My poor fingers are scraped up and a little painful this morning from pulling apart those Alaskan king crab legs last night. When a waiter serves crab at a luxury resort in Hawaii, the legs are already sliced and the prickly parts sanded down. Sometimes, they serve crab legs cut in half so all the diner needs to do is deftly slip the crab out of its shell with a fish fork.But I am definitely roughing it here in Hawaii. For starters, I had to go grocery shopping yesterday, an activity I almost never engage in back in Sacramento. Well, I suspected this trip would be somewhat different than previous December vacations. You can read more in my personal blog today at this link: December in Hawaii Means Fending for Oneself. 12/02/2016

Kamani Trees is one of the best kept secrets in Kona for Homes under $450,000! Ocean views, underground utilities, sidewalks, street lights and trash pick up, low association fees and reasonable CC&Rs. Centrally located above Alii Drive, between Keauhou and Kailua Village area, Kahakai Elementary School is nearby (3,4, & 5th graders can walk to school). Shopping, dining, movies, beaches, surfing, kayaking, diving, swimming, fishing, boat harbor, entertainment, all within a few miles in either directionNow lets talk about one of the nicest remodeled homes in the subdivision, almost everything that was upgraded in this home is either oversized, overdone, overbuilt, over quality, just like you would do it if you were going to keep for years to come. All the windows and sliding glass doors ... 08/14/2016

Closing out our 2nd sale in Malulani Gardens Subdivision this year, February 2016. Malualani Gardens is a gated community in the center of Kailua Kona, HI 96740, Malulani Gardens is one of the few gated communities that allow vacation rental  and are still affordable (low $500s) . If you need an agent to represent you in a sale or purchase, you need us. With our 2 recent closings we have a great understanding of some the of challenges in Malulani Gardens , from the private water system, possible upcoming assessments and the recent flooding issues - Call Lance Owens (RS) or Kimi Nagatoshi (RS) and we will help you navigate through  the process We even have copies of the private water system review by the president of Malulani Gardens.  Malulani Gardens, Kailua Kona, Hawaii 96740  02/28/2016

Posted on February 22, 2016 - 06:39 AM by Lance Owens   Actual Prices as of today, West Hawaii   Monday February 22nd, 2016  For Buyers, For Sellers, Pricing​ Today, many real estate conversations center on housing prices and where they may be headed. That is why we like the Home Price Expectation Survey. First I wanted to show how Median Prices, Kailua Kona  have risen since 2012 - Today Homes: $398,000 - $643,500 Condos: $189,500 - $266,000 Land: $199.000 - $330,000  Every quarter, Pulsenomics surveys a nationwide panel of over one hundred economists, real estate experts and investment & market strategists about where they believe prices are headed over the next five years. They then average the projections of all 100+ experts into a single number. The results of their latest survey: ... 02/22/2016