This Sunset Ridge home (MLS# 238548) in the Waikoloa area features both solar water heating and solar electricity.

3 bed/2 bath, newly listed solar-efficient home, central A/C, built in 2008, (MLS#238548)

The sellers receive a credit from the electric company in winter months, and have a bill of less than $50 per month in summer—even while running the A/C daily. Continue Reading »

The first week of 2011 brought snow to Mauna Kea, more than we’ve seen in years. The snow was down to the 10,000 foot level on this dormant volcano that is 13,796 ft. above sea level. Continue Reading »

We were showing property recently and came across this gem in Kona Acres, which is in the Kona Palisades area. This 3 bedroom home has sweeping coastline views, which the photo above does not do justice.

The property is 1.13 acres with lots of trees, including avocado and citrus. The house is older and could use some upgrades over time, but is in good shape and move-in condition. Continue Reading »

There is something to be said for owning the lowest priced property in a quality neighborhood. When the neighborhood prices go up, those lower priced properties tend to appreciate faster.

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This property is being offered at a super low price of $209,900

$209,900 for a condo in the Waikoloa Beach Resort? This is lower than the original sale price of $235,000 in 1987! If you’re looking for an entry level resort condo on Hawaii’s Big Island this is it. This 1 bedroom/1.5 bath condo at the Shores is on the third floor with great mountain and golf course views, and large wrap around lanai. Super low price as it’s a bank owned property.

One bedroom condos are hard to find in the Waikoloa Beach Resort, and tend to rent well as the rental price is attractive to couples who don’t need anything larger. The Shores has an on-site rental office with Resort Quest, or you can do it yourself on VRBO. At $209,900, this property has great potential for positive cash flow.

Call us at 808.430.0372 for more info about this, and other great resort deals.

We decided to give our feet some much needed R&R at beautiful Makaiwa Bay in the Big island’s Mauna Lani Resort. We have found that outside of the Captain Cook monument area, Makaiwa Bay has some of the best snorkeling on the island. There is and extensive reef in the bay with lots of fish.

And with a low surf and gentle wind we let our feet take us from Makaiwa Bay south around the point  into Anaehoomalu Bay at the Waikoloa Beach Resort (along with a lunch) using a pedal drive Hobie kayak.

It was a perfect Big Island day. Happy Feet!

“Today is the youngest you will ever be. Live like it.” (Jason Patrick Lester)

Contact us for more info on the Mauna Lani or Waikoloa Beach Resorts.

Diamond Head

For Big Islanders, Oahu is a great place for a weekend getaway, especially when you take advantage of Kama’aina hotel rates. We just recently returned from a weekend there where we caught Cirque du Soleil’s Alegria. What a fantastic show. While we were there the Hawaii International Film Festival was on on we were able to get tickets to The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet’s Nest, the third film in the trilogy based on the popular Stieg Larsson Books. Having seen the first two films we Continue Reading »

This private Waikoloa home was exactly what the buyers were looking for.

We helped the buyers find this beautiful home in Waikoloa Village with a great ocean view. The property has 3 bedrooms, 2 baths, and a three car garage along with huge wraparound covered lanais.

This is in the newer area of Sunset Ridge, in Waikoloa, and backs up to open space, so the yard is very private. Exactly what the buyers were looking for.

Available inventory is down in Waikoloa, so if you’ve got a particular home in mind, contact us and we’ll search for it.

Some banks suspending Hawaii foreclosures for the time being because overwhelmed bank officials have been signing off on foreclosures without ever reading the paperwork!

I’m always skimming financial news because it affects jobs, portfolios, consumer confidence and real estate prices…in other words, everyone and everything. Some recent news items caught my eye. The Dow closed over 11,000 the other day for the first time in 5 months. It has been a full 3 years since it’s high of just over 14,000 and at this point it is still 25% below that level. Markets have historically provided some of the best returns in November and December on average. As a result of the election, this year may turn out more political balance in Washington, which in turn produces the “gridlock” that markets tend to favor (less uncertainty). Since 1950, fourth quarter gains in the market average about 8% in mid term election years. Continue Reading »

We live in the Villages at Mauna Lani on the Big Island, and think it is one of the finest complexes on the Kohala Coast. The featured property (MLS# 231334) is one of the few, single level, detached homes in the Villages. This is the popular Ali’i floor plan with solid mahogany doors and trim, stone floors, upgraded carpet, Kohler fixtures, outdoor kitchen and sliding, pocketing doors.

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