Centex, the developer of the Beach Villas at Ko Olina has suspended sales of their remaining 125 +/- units in preparation of having a Final Sale event on June 6th and June 7th, 2009. I received this email from their Sales Executive yesterday: Huge news!! The beautiful Beach Villas at Ko Olina will be priced to sell out in June at a one time sales event! The goal is to sell every single remaining Villa during our sales event, so prices are going to be substantially discounted in order to make that happen. The sales event will be held on June 6 and 7th at the JW Marriott Ihilani Resort and Spa. This is a huge opportunity! Please call me as soon as possible for specific details on discounts, incentives, and how you can secure yourself a place on our reservation list. We are now accepting "... 02/01/2009

I recently spent a few days looking at homes with customers in Kapolei Knolls.  Homes at Kapolei Knolls were developed by D.R. Horton.  This is a newer neighborhood by Hawaii standards, many of the homes for sale are just a few years old.  Homes here average about 2,000 square feet interior with about 5,800 square foot lots.  Kapolei Knolls is a great place for large families that desire modern homes. Another interesting factor is the pricing.  Many of the homes in Kapolei Knolls for sale now are listed for substantially less than what the owners paid for them.  It's not uncommon to see owners losing $150,000-$200,000 on homes they bought a couple of years ago. Bargain hunters and investors want to buy low and sell high - here's an opportunity to take advantage of the down market and lo... 01/21/2009

2008 has now come to a close and the numbers are in. The big picture on Oahu shows declines in nearly every category, but they vary in degree by area and by classification, ie, single family versus condominium. To truly understand the current market and how it effects your individual property or an area you are considering, individual research is required. For the broad overview, sales single family units for the year declined by -24.4% from 3,627 units in 2007 to  2,741 units in 2008 for a decline of 886 units island wide on Oahu. Median sale price declined from $643,500 to $624,000 for a -3% decline. Average sale prices performed better but also declined from $794,183 to $792,520 for a very small decline of -.2%. In the condominium market, declines of unit sales were greater while the... 01/04/2009

The Power of Homeselling Negotiations In my previous post I’ve mentioned one of the most important pieces of advice on how to buy a perfect house. The advice was “Negotiate!” And yes, the art of negotiation will serve you the best helper in whatever you do: buying a house or selling it. Recognizing that being a good negotiator does not come naturally to most people - it must be worked at - is the first step in becoming one. And, moreover, you must always remember that your opponent can turn out to be a better negotiator. This preachy story, I want to tell, was narrated by Jaron Summers – a novelist and a bittersweet tales writer. So make yourself comfortable and enjoy. “One of the many reasons I am so successful with my life is that I have studied how the masters of negotiations achiev... 12/09/2008

   "Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you have imagined."      Henry David Thoreau   I'm about to celebrate my second anniversary of living in Ko Olina. When I'm asked why I moved here, the best answer I've come up with is "sheer desire". It's hard to describe with words, but it has been a move that has brought the quote above to life for me.                             The Beach Villas at Ko Olina were being built when we moved here. Now they are 100% complete and the Developer's vision of creating a unique residential beachfront paradise have been achieved beyond belief. Built on the 2nd of the 4 signature lagoons of Ko Olina, the Beach Villas provide an opportunity to own a year round luxury residence or 2nd home that waits for you until you can come and r... 12/07/2008

November 2008 Oahu Real Estate Statistics As we come to the close of another month, we find the news continues to be half empty or half full, depending on your perspective. While demand for housing was the lowest in ten years, the inventory of both single family homes and condominiums also went down. This resulted in a drop of the "monthly inventory remaining" from  9.8 months to 8.6 months in single family homes and from 8.7 months to 8.4 months in condominiums. From a "trend" point of view, this is a trend in the right direction. The number of units sold on Oahu were 170 single family homes and 201 condominiums for decreases of 30.6% and 47% respectively as compared to a year ago. With such dramatic decreases in the number of sales, the marketplace continues to show tremendous resilie... 12/04/2008

  There are currently 263 Kapolei Homes for sale compared to 290 last month, the average price of these homes has gone down approx $8500. So Far 6 Homes have sold and we are trending for a smaller number of transacted properties compared to last month. In Hawaii The average temperature is between 78 to 85, with August being the hottest month and December being the coldest month at mid 60 degrees. The rain season goes from September through February, although an unexpected down pour for two minutes can turn the day around at the beach. Snow does not fall in the State of Hawaii except for the peaks on Mauna Loa and Mauna Kea, both located on the island of Hawaii (Big Island). I specialize in representing my clients in the purchases and sales of single-family residences and income properti... 11/20/2008

Beach Villas at Ko'Olina by Centex Destination Properties. Oahu Luxury New Construction. Location: Kapolei area, the island of Oahu, Hawaii. Don't miss this special event in June! Huge Final Sales Event! Beach Villas at Ko'Olina by Centex Destination Properties will be ON SALE. Every single remaining Villa during the sales event must be sold. Which means the units will be dramatically discounted. Plus incentives- complete furniture packages (worth between $65,000 - $76,000) & one free year of HOA dues and of course a covered parking stall is included too. This is a value of close to $100K, PLUS the discounts in price. In addition, Del Osman Realty offers a special incentive to our clients when you use us as your buyer's agent. The first beachfront resort condominium on the Hawaiian Isla... 09/08/2008

My view of being a REALTOR has always been that the easy part of the job was finding a house my clients liked. The real task was to find the best way for them to buy the house they selected. Many of those details were within the role of the REALTOR and many were placed into the care of others. I used the word "care" purposely, because 9 out of 10 times I have been involved in the selection of the lender and the "lender experience" is often the way the entire transaction is viewed by the home buyer. I work with lenders I know personally, lenders who I meet through the transaction and lenders who have been recommended to me. There are some that I am able to vouch for personally from other transactions and some are a yet to be determined quantity. What I don't have is a lender who will "co... 07/22/2008

Market Stats through first 6 months of 2008 The first 6 months of statistics for Oahu, HI are now available through the link below. There is truly a wealth of information in them and probably something for everybody whether you are a buyer, investor, seller or homeowner wondering about a move. The most significant stats in my opinion is the reduction of units sold which is compounded by the increasing numbers of units available for sale. We will normally refer to this as the "Monthly Inventory" and as the numbers of months required to sell the existing inventory increases, it becomes more and more of a buyers market. The number is reached by dividing the listing inventory by the number of units sold, or in Oahu's Single family for instance: 2,080 (currently listed homes) / 252 ( homes c... 07/04/2008

As numbers for another month become available, there is good information for Buyers and Sellers to take note of. The numbers of unit sales is down considerably but prices are remaining fairly stable. For sellers, this means that homes are selling and for those that are priced well, days on market and list price to sale price ratios are favorable. Pricing and market exposure are more important than ever and the best of the best listings are selling but coming in 2nd or 3rd on a buyers choice is not good enough. The good news is that if you have a home to sell, the market is there and if you want to sell you probably can. As always, professional advice, a solid marketing plan and competitive pricing based on the competition in your area will dictate your success. For buyers, the reduction... 06/07/2008

Ko Olina is sometimes overlooked as a place to not only vacation, but to live year round. There are currently 5 different neighborhoods sprinkled throughout the resort and each of them have a different look and feel to them. Settings, architecture, amenities and price range all create different choices depending on what a person is looking for. What they all share in common is being located in the beautiful Ko Olina resort and all 5 communities will allow you to be members of the Ocean Club with access to the pools, tennis courts, gym and to receive discounts within the area. Located within 3 miles of Kapolei, Ko Olina offers convenient access to shopping but the relaxed atmosphere of living within walking distance to 4 gorgeous lagoons and miles of walking trails. As you drive in, you... 06/02/2008

As the pages of the calendar fall to the floor, what seemed a distant event begins to appear closer. From the first time I heard the rumor, it was easy to believe and easy to imagine. Disney was going to build a hotel in Ko Olina. The Disney family is a pretty good family to have moving into our neighborhood! Not only for the investment and jobs that will be brought, but for the quality of the corporation and the people who are part of it.        Ihilani Hotel - Marriott                              Disney site         Beach Villas                 Marriott Beach                                                                                                                          Club timesharesI had the pleasure of working with a large company move when the Santa Fe Railroad moved the... 05/29/2008

Roadways and developments here are driving me crazy!!! One way up Makakilo hill and one out... how frustrating can this be? Kapolei town is no better with additional traffice lights.... what do you think? 03/21/2008

 Tenative agreements have been reached for a 12 acre Solar farm to be built on 12 acres of James Campbell Co. land next to the Campbell Industrial Park. The energy production farm is to be built by a subsidiary of Hoku Scientific Inc., a Kapolei Company. Hoku Solar's 12-acre solar farm would rank among the U.S.'s largest.Courtesy of the James Campbell Co. I hope this becomes a harbringer of the future! If we have one resource with unlimited supply in Kapolei, it is sunshine. According to reports, the farm would be capable of generating 1.5 megawatts of photovoltaic power. It is estimated that over the 25 year life of the system, it would produce enough electricity for approximately 6,700 homes for one year. Hoku Solar would be responsible for designing, engineering, financing, procuring... 01/22/2008

On 642 acres on the West side of the island of Oahu, Ko Olina Resort & Marina is the one of the elite of the family resort communities. The entrance into the Ko Olina Community depicts the very essence of the community with a waterfall just crying out 'Aloha'! to all that pass through. From single family homes to luxury condos and townhouses this community has everything at your fingertips for family, luxury living. Relocating to Hawaii? Just visiting? This is it! Situated along the coast for ocean and marina views, Ko Olina Resorts & Marina Community also has the Ko Olina Golf Course for all you golfers out there. You just can't imagine the possibilities for this type of community living until you see it!  Following are some wonderful attractions as well as the complexes located in thi... 01/16/2008

I'm a child of the 60's and have always felt fortunate to have spent my formative years in Southern California. I remember going to Newport, Huntington and Laguna beach as a child in the early 60's and as a teen in the late 60's. When I go back there now, they have changed so much. The Leeward coast of Oahu from Kapolei to the end of 93 north of Makaha reminds me so much of the Pacific Coast Highway way back then. For me, it is like going back in time to a simpler time and place. Beautiful coastlines, sprawling beaches that are uncrowded in the busiest of times and almost deserted most times, it is a special place for me. The community along the highway is a wonderfully diverse blend of native, local and tourist and Aloha can be found waiting for you behind every door. Surfers share the... 12/29/2007

This is one of those articles that you read in December and think to yourself, "hmmm... bummer" and forget until it happens. Then, in June you lament daily when it happens and mark the calendar with a big red circle on the day it will be over. Apparently, the interstate that connects Ewa (pronounced eva) Beach and Kapolei is going to be completely closed on June 9th, 2008 for about 6 months. This will effect about 100,000 cars a day, rerouting them on a bypass while and old bridge is removed and a new one built to allow the construction of the new North-South road, which is planned on being completed in 2009. Drivers on the three lanes heading in each direction will be diverted to three newly built lanes along each side of the freeway for 4,500 feet and then get back on the freeway. Sou... 12/20/2007

I could just kick myself for not learning more about blogging earlier. I actually prefer the term journaling, but I suppose that goes to my age. In any event, it would have been a perfect way for me to have saved the thrill that we all felt as we arrived here in Oahu, suitcases in hand. I still remember the fragrance of the air as we left the airport. Our boat broker met us there and we each had lays, but the scent was more than the lay. If I could put that scent in a bottle, I'd name it Paradise. What an adventure it has been. There is something invigorating about embarking on a adventure that is unlike anything you've ever done before. I had alway envied Bilbo and his chance to take a quest. I like adventure when used as noun. I was even the same age as Bilbo as he had set off for the... 12/19/2007

It's 81 degrees outside and there is the most pleasant wind blowing through the doors and windows. I am overcome with  gratitude for this new life I've been given. In another month our family will be having our first anniversary since our move from Kansas and it has gone by in the proverbial "wink of an eye". For those of you who are thinking of moving here from the Mainland, don't let the details overwhelm you. It may be a move like none you've had before but so will be the destination. You may find yourself conversing with oceanic shipping companies, looking at the "stuff" you've collected and wondering what to bring. A big one for us was wondering how we would ever manage to stay in touch with our friends and family and more importantly, see them. You may find, like we did, that the ... 12/18/2007