Aloha, I’m late with the blog this week because I had the pleasure of spending the weekend up in one of the Kokee Lodge cabins, where there is NO internet or phone service. That’s the first time I can remember in a long time that I have simply been unable to send and receive. We actually took time to enjoy a fire in the cabin stove every night, read books and hike by day. I’ll go into the Alaka’i Swamp Trail hike (and the spectacular view at the end) another time. Here is your update: NEW LISTINGS 251364 CND A 4 4-5-4-5-18-38 FS $349,000 Puamana #11A 1,312 #11A 2/2.00 251037 CND A 6 4-5-4-12-10-11 FS $369,000 Emmalani Court #224 1,192 #224 2/2.00 CONTINGENT SALES 246392 CND C 85 4-5-3-6-22-40 FS $1,375,000 Kaiulani Of Princeville #40 2,430 #40 3/3.01 251048 CND C 13 4-5-4-5-3-7 FS $134,... 01/17/2012

    Are you looking for a great buy on a bank-owned (REO) Property in Princeville? I just listed this first floor end condominium and offers are already coming in. This condomnium offers views out to a tree-lined path to Anini Beach and beyond to the Prince Golf Course. 1058 square feet with one bedroom and 2 baths. This is a great floor plan that gives you lots of flexibility. Start with a large entry. Then on one side you have a kitchen, dining and living area and bathroom. On the other side is a bedroom/sitting area with a full bathroom. You can live in the entire condo, or live in one side and rent the other. Or rent out each side separately. Two lanais. Tiled floors throughout. Bathrooms have been remodelled. The condominium needs work. Offered for $134,900. Princeville Paniolo is... 01/11/2012

Aloha, Welcome to the first blog post of 2012. Judging from the number of units that went into escrow, it looks like were off to a good start. Short sales and foreclosures across the Island continue to generate interest amoung buyers while sellers are finding price reductions are the secret to success. Some of these properties are selling for half than what they did at the height of the market and others are even more heavily discounted. I was amazed to see a house on Kapaka (Princeville Ag) that last sold last week for $1.2M cash. This house caught my attention as it’s next to one of the pastures where my horse is kept not to mention the Bali Hai, Hanalei Bay and mountain views it possesses. With 4 bedrooms, 3.5 baths and 3525 sqft. under roof sitting on 4.29 acres, this is a magnifice... 01/08/2012

Aloha, Hau’ole Makahiki Hou as we say here in the Islands. The first day of the year got off to a somewhat slow start as the electricity went off around 3:30 AM and was still off at 10:30 AM when I went out for a walk. I called KIUC (electric company) because my walking partner, who lives in a condo around the corner, was up and running after experiencing a brief blackout in the early morning hours. KIUC told me the outage was just on our end of the road, only on the one side. As I walked out, I saw the KIUC truck parked, presumably with the crew hard at work somewhere in the immediate area. Electricity was finally restored an hour or so later but by then I was out of the house for the day. Now on to your update: NEW LISTINGS 250434 CND A 4 4-5-3-6-22-68 FS $718,000 Kaiulani Of Princevi... 01/01/2012

 Hau'oli Makahiki Hou.  I hope that everyone is off to a great new year. Here are the full year condo sales statistics for Hanalei District - the North Shore of Kauai. The condo sales statistics show us that were 71 condo sales in 2011- up slightly from 2010.  The median sales price was down about 10% from 2010.    Fourteen (14)  of the condos sold were shorts sales and seventeen (17) were bank-owned (REO) sales. Of the REO sales, four (4) were at Nihilani of Princeville and four (4) were at Princeville Mauna Kai.  So, the condo sales statistics show us that nearly 50% of the sales were bank-owned or short sales.     The least expensive condo that sold in 2011 was Pali Ke Kua #238 that sold for $40,000. It was a bank-owned (REO) leasehold condo of  993 square feet with 2 bedroom/2bathro... 01/01/2012

Aloha, And Mele Kalikimaka to you. I hope you are enjoying a wonderful holiday filled with lots of love, friends and family. Since it’s Christmas, I’m going to get right to the update: NEW LISTINGS 248842 CND A 4 4-5-4-6-1-36 FS $570,000 Villas Of Kamalii #36 1,825 #36 3/3.00 250690 CND A 3 4-5-4-5-52-3 FS $3,425,000 Orchid Point #C 2,386 #C 7/7.02 WITHDRAWN 245604 CND W 213 4-5-4-5-3-7 FS $134,900 Princeville Paniolo #107 1,058 #107 1/2.00 249236 CND W 49 4-5-4-5-30-2 FS $348,000 Princeville Mauna Kai #F2 1,280 #F2 2/2.00 241849 CND W 306 4-5-4-5-39-178 FS $599,000 Cliffs At Princeville #8204 1,864 #8204 4/3.01 PRICE CHANGES 227553 CND A 803 4-5-3-6-22-59 FS $799,000- Kaiulani Of Princeville #59 1,892 #59 2/2.01 245756 CND A 201 4-5-4-5-24-37 FS $499,000- Nihilani At Princeville Resort... 12/25/2011

Aloha, Here we are, one week to Christmas. It’s pretty clear from the traffic jams encountered throughout the day, every day, that most people have not yet completed their preparations. Are you experiencing the same where you live? We went into Lihue from Princeville last night for a 6:30 dinner / Christmas party and ended up stuck in traffic. Really! It’s Saturday night at 6:15. Who would think you’d have a traffic jam on the weekend during non commute hours? We’ve had little spurts of activity here and there, but overall I think most people in “holiday prep” mode. In general, in terms of visitors, the last few weeks have been pretty sparse, which is normal. When I can find a parking place at my condo complex in the evening that is by unit, I know the guest count is down. That’ll end n... 12/18/2011

Aloha, We’ve had some crazy weather this past week, going from bright and sunny to pouring rain in the blink of an eye. This weekend, the weather seems to be coming from the Kona side, and as of last night, areas of Oahu were under flash flood watches and/or warnings. I hope it settled down today since the Honolulu Marathon is today, Sunday. Here on Kauai it’s pretty windy with whitecaps and periods of driving rain. Here’s your update for this week just past: NEW LISTINGS 250243 CND A 4 4-5-4-5-7-30 FS $489,000 Princeville Sealodge #D1 746 #D1 2/2.00 250482 CND A 6 4-5-4-6-1-2 FS $699,000 Villas Of Kamalii #2 1,766 #2 3/3.00 BACK ON THE MARKET 232853 CND A 638 4-5-4-15-21-8 FS $190,000 Sandpiper Village I #108 1,042 #108 2/2.00 249056 CND A 54 4-5-4-5-23-5 FS $399,000 Plantation At Prin... 12/11/2011

Aloha, We had quite a bit of activity this week – not all of it good as several condos fell out of escrow while an equal number found buyers. Throw in three sales, one new listing and one price change, which is unusual, and that pretty much wraps it up. For the month just past, there were a total of 77 sales which is an 11% increase over Nov 10 which stands at 69. Year to date we are at 701 compared to 646 this time last year. Condo sales remained the same with 21 selling both in Nov 10 and Nov 11. Here is your update for this week: NEW LISTINGS 250484 CND A 1 4-5-4-5-17-13 FS $268,888 Alii Kai Ii Hanalei #9E 1,037 #9E 2/2.00 BACK ON THE MARKET 246456 CND A 160 4-5-4-5-17-42 FS $289,000 Alii Kai Ii Hanalei #13B 1,020 #13B 2/2.00 249888 CND A 25 4-5-4-5-24-58 FS $465,000 Nihilani At Prin... 12/04/2011

Aloha, Hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving and is still enjoying the 4 day weekend. There were no new escrows this past week (I think everyone was focusing on food and family) or sales, but there are several new condo listings. Here is your update for the week just past: NEW LISTINGS250177 CNDA 5 4-5-3-11-1-39 FS $705,000 Villas On The Prince #39 1,732 3/3.00250122 CNDA 5 4-5-4-5-39-43 FS $215,000 Cliffs At Princeville #2203 917 1/2.00250180 CNDA 5 4-5-4-6-1-58 FS $595,000 Villas Of Kamalii #58 1,761 3/3.00250290 CNDC 2 4-5-4-6-1-25 FS $599,000 Villas Of Kamalii #25 1,825 3/3.00 CONTINGENT SALES246456 CND C 153 4-5-4-5-17-42 FS $289,000 Alii Kai Ii Hanalei #13B 1,020 2/2.00250290 CND C 2 4-5-4-6-1-25 FS $599,000 Villas Of Kamalii #25 1,825 3/3.00 EXPIRED224267 CND X 914 4-5-4-12-... 11/27/2011

Aloha, It was another good week with several units going quickly into escrow and one closing. All three of the condos that went into escrow were either short sales or foreclosures although the one unit that sold was actually a regular sale. There’s really some competative pricing throughout the various complexes as well as throughout the Island. You just have to know where to look and how to recognize a “good buy.” Here is your Princeville condo update for this week: NEW LISTINGS 249929 CND A 6 4-5-4-5-18-66 FS $349,000 Puamana #18C 1,532 #18C 2/2.00 250027 CND A 3 4-5-4-12-10-25 FS $349,000 Emmalani Court #413 952 #413 1/2.00 249960 CND A 2 4-5-4-11-3-60 FS $925,000 Hanalei Bay Resort #J34 1,324 #7307-8 2/2.00 BACK ON THE MARKET 240854 CND A 314 4-5-3-6-22-72 FS $899,000 Kaiulani Of Pr... 11/20/2011

Aloha, This was a busy week in terms of Princeville condos. For a change we had 5 go into escrow this week and one went directly under contract. Good job! As of today, there have been 23 sales compared to 65 in Oct 10. Of these sales, 17 were condos in Nov 10 compared to 7 so far this year. Suprisingly, there was no activity in Princeville homes: no new listings, no price changes, nothing, nada! This will be a somewhat shorter update this week because of that. Here is your condo update: NEW LISTINGS 248810 CND A 1 4-5-3-11-1-4 FS $795,000 Villas On The Prince #4 1,732 #4 3/3.00 249878 CND A 4 4-5-4-5-23-34 FS $399,000 Plantation At Princeville #912 1,153 #912 2/2.00 249888 CND A 4 4-5-4-5-24-58 FS $465,000 Nihilani At Princeville Resort #20A 1,874 #20A 3/2.01 249841 CND A 6 4-5-4-12-5-3... 11/13/2011

Aloha, We started out with a nice sunny week which ended in a major thundestorm Saturday with flash flood warnings from Moloa’a to Haena. The Hanalei bridge was closed Saturday but is open again as of Sunday. In the middle of the storm I decided to run up to the Princeville center. As I was driving along Ka Haku, I saw a flash of light, heard an explosive crashing sound and my car shook. I looked in my rear view mirror and saw a puff of smoke coming off the road about 50 feet behind my car. Sure scared the h— out of me! I think I was almost hit by lightening. I went up to the center where I heard more loud thunder. The storm was definitely right over Princeville. Whew! Not really interested in testing the theory that you’re safe in a car during a thunderstorm because your tires provide ... 11/06/2011

  Good Morning, This is Your Wake-up Call Getting a wake-up call when traveling  on business is often essential. Getting one on vacation is not always on the agenda. But here on Kauai one doesn’t have a choice. Kauai is riddled with chickens, everywhere. Along the road, in the parks, in fields, in parking lots at the shopping centers, and at our hotel along the ocean. The roosters, it seems, take their job very seriously. Whether it’s competition because there are so many, or just because, they start VERY early in the morning and tend to make it their duty to crow off and on all day and into the night. Seeing chickens everywhere reminded me of all the cats you see in Italy, and all the goats on St. Martin. Part of the local charm. Hmm, there seem to be lots of places serving chicken, an... 11/03/2011

Aloha, This is my favorite time of the year – we have beautiful sunny days but the winds take on a nice cooling feel as we head into winter. What a great time to be on Island. More and more we’re experiencing refreshing trades, plus, the arrival of the whales in on the horizon. If you’ve never been to Kauai in the “fall” you might give it a try. It’s not quite as busy as during the summer either. As far as real estate goes, fall is usually our slowest time. We only have one new condo listing, two contingent offers and one sale. So far this month there were 54 sales compared to 59 for last October. Year to date we are ahead with 614 sales compared to 577 for last year at this time. We’ll see what the end of the month brings. Now on to your weekly update: NEW LISTINGS 246392 CND A 6 4-5-3... 10/30/2011

Aloha, Just returned from a four day vacation on the Big Island celebrating my birthday and our anniversary. We had a great time touring the whole Island – stayed at a B&B in Waimea, one in Hilo and then two nights up in Volcano. What diversity that Island has. In the past, I’ve always focused on Kona but this time we looked at everything else. Even went horsebackriding in Waipio Valley. It seems while we were traveling everyone else was pretty quiet when it comes to real estate, as there was minimal activity last week. Take a look for yourself: NEW LISTINGS 249128 CND A 4 4-5-4-5-39-55 FS $299,000 Cliffs At Princeville #2305 1,137 #2305 1/2.00 249056 CND A 6 4-5-4-5-23-5 FS $399,000 Plantation At Princeville #211 1,153 #211 2/2.00 BACK ON THE MARKET 243597 CND A 115 4-5-4-5-24-20 FS $3... 10/24/2011

Aloha, This past week we decided to hike the Powerline trail which we last did in 11/09. This 13 miles trail runs from the end of Kapaka Road in Princeville to the Aboretum in Kapaa, which is located at the top of Kuamoo Road. It is named “powerline” not because of how strenuous the hike is, as some blogs/website incorrectly state, but rather because it follows and provides access to the powerline towers. Last time we started at the Princeville end, which is actually the most scenic direction as you’ll see some great vistas as you head towards Kapaa. This time we started in Kapaa and headed north. The trail starts out in pretty good condition in Kapaa but becomes severaly overgrown and difficult at the Princeville end. You have to watch for sinkholes and deep ruts that are hidden by the... 10/16/2011

Aloha, Finally went paddleboarding this weekend, thanks to some great friends with a couple of extra boards. I learned immediately that if you stand up and are not in the right position on the board, you cannot just walk back to “center.” I ended up in the water in the blink of an eye. Once that lesson was learned, I stood up the second time standing in a much better position (one that didn’t require any adjustment) and had a great time paddling up the Kalihiwai river then hiking to the falls. As for real estate, this is the first time since I’ve been doing this update (which is quite a few years now) that there have been NO price changes in condos for the whole week! We did, however have three units go into escrow and three close, who of which were ROE’s and the third which was a short... 10/09/2011

Aloha, We closed out September with a total of 54 sales, 5 more than Sep 2010. Of those sales, 27 were homes, 20 condos, and 7 were land. Last September there were also 20 condo sales, although this year the majority of the sales were in the Hanalei zone (10) with 3 in the Kawaihau zone, 4 in Lihue, and 3 in Koloa. Last September the majority of the sales were in the Lihue zone (9) with 4 in the Hanalei zone, 4 in Kawaihau and 3 in Koloa. It’s been yet another fabulous week on the Garden Island — blue skies, good trades, bright sunshine. Wow, I should finish this up and get outside and enjoy! Having sais that – on to this weeks update – NEW LISTINGS 248654 CND A 6 4-5-4-12-10-20 FS $399,000 Emmalani Court #323 952 #323 1/2.00 248930 CND A 1 4-5-4-6-1-33 FS $575,000 Villas Of Kamalii #33... 10/02/2011

Aloha, It’s been another outstanding week – the kind that makes visitors want to be able to call this beautiful Island home – and as you’ll see, several buyers did take the plunge and find their dream property. So far September is looking good, with 43 sales to date, 21 of which were homes and 16 which were condos. Last September had 49 sales, with 20 condos sold and 16 houses. Here is your update for this week just past: NEW LISTINGS 244839 CND A 6 4-5-4-5-39-96 FS $349,000 Cliffs At Princeville #4202 917 #4202 1/2.00 248026 CND A 5 4-5-4-11-3-29 FS $725,000 Hanalei Bay Resort #H23 1,324 #H23 2/2.00 BACK ON THE MARKET 245468 CND A 126 4-5-4-11-3-15 FS $1,175,000 Hanalei Bay Resort #C25 1,705 #4204/5/6 3/3.00 CONTINGENT SALES 246173 CND C 103 4-5-4-15-21-47 FS $213,893 Sandpiper Village... 09/25/2011