Jake Shimabukuro in Concert at the Westin Hapuna Beach!
Don’t miss Hawai’i Island’s event of the season! Ukelele superstar Jake Shimabukuro, one of the most exceptional and innovative ukelele players of our time, returns for HPAF’s Annual Scholarship Fundraiser. All proceeds from this fundraiser will assist aspiring young artists from Hawai’i Island, as well as those worldwide, to study and perform during HPAF’s 2019 Summer Festival.
Date: 1/13/2019 (Sunday)
Address: Hapuna Beach Westin, 62-100 Kaunaoa Drive, Waimea, HI 96743
Kamuela Hongwanji Mission Fundraising Golf Tournament is happening on Saturday, June 16, 2018 at Hapuna Golf Course. Please join in for a day on the greens, awesome prizes, amazing auction items and ono lunch!
The Kona Choral Society will perform under the baton of world-famous choral conductor Dr. Joseph Flummerfelt.
You won’t want to miss the 100-voice Kona Choral Society and 30-member Orchestra perform under the baton of world-famous choral conductor Dr. Joseph Flummerfelt!
Leonard Bernstein called Flummerfelt the “world’s best choral conductor.” The Grammy award winning maestro was named Musical America’s 2004 conductor of the year. Flummerfelt holds honorary doctorates from five universities.
Kona Choral Society’s Artistic Director, Susan McCreary Duprey, studied conducting under him at Westminster Choir College and sang under his baton in the Westminster Choir for four years. Duprey considers Flummerfelt her mentor and the best teacher she has ever had.
Don’t miss this extraordinary opportunity to witness a true musical master in action!
Date: 5/19/2018 (Saturday)
Address: Hale Hoaloha at the Mauna Lani Bay Hotel and Bungalows, 68-1400 Mauna Lani Drive, Kohala Coast, Hawaii 96743
The most unique experiences in fandom happen at HawaiiCon. Go on an adventure tour with your favorite celebrity or join them at their table during a pool side lu’au by the beach.
Passes to convention required to participate in all add-ons including tours, workshops, and photo-ops.
HawaiiCon 2017
Date: 9/14/2017 – 9/17/2017
Address: Mauna Lani Bay Hotel & Bungalows, 68-1400 Mauna Lani Drive Kohala Coast, HI 96743
Aloha. It is starting off to be another beautiful week in Hawaii with the return of the cool stirrings of the Tradewinds.   Clear skies, fresh air…..Hawaii!
The time has never been better to be a buyer for Puako property. While much of the Island’s most desirable areas have limited inventory, there has never been more properties for sale in Puako in my entire career (selling here since 1989).  By clicking on this market report covering sales over the last 3-months (wait…what sales?!?) you can see that there are 17 homes* and lots for sale with three properties in escrow
The last quarter of 2015 and early first quarter of 2016 saw fourteen properties come to market. All but four are still on the market. Two of the three in escrow were listed then, all priced at the lower end of the price range.  (Two of the three are our Elite Pacific Properties listings) Two sold although one that sold was actually on the market nearly two years priced 17% higher, then given a “rest” from Multiple Listing Service, a refreshing practice to make it appear as a new listing. Understand the buyer had looked at it earlier and made the offer soon after the price was reduced. The best Puako value, Puako #80, was listed only a few weeks ago and in escrow within days because of its location, charm and excellent pricing.  Word on the streets is it was purchased by one of its regular vacation rental guests. The other oceanfront home in escrow has been in escrow for months but is another example of a well-priced, well located property considered to be a good value given its extra-large, deep set lot with a classic beach house.  The lot next door to this home, another great value is still for sale, click here to see. Although there have not been any sales over the last 3-months, there was total of 8-sales between August of 2015 and March of this year. You can see what sold by clicking here for that report.
At least three of the oceanfront properties on the market have been trying to sell for literally years. We can suspect that this is mostly due to their prices. I have shown them to several clients who felt their perception of value was not equal to the sellers perception of value.  Limited inventory in the past gave sellers the luxury of pricing to meet their needs.  Add to that that sellers are not always educated as to how the differences between homes affects their values. Puako is a community without CC&Rs which is very attractive to most of those who call Puako home. This leads to a mixed basket of homes; from rustic beach cottages to grand oceanfront estates. It is difficult to determine values since we really have to compare mangoes to bananas. Harder still for a seller to price to sell if he doesn’t understand how these differences affect their value in the marketplace of today. That is the job we agents have to do! But right now, my job is to educate you so you make the right choice as a buyer. Having all these choices now at this time of year makes it an awesome time for us to find your perfect Puako home.  Or if not Puako, we will find you one somewhere else on this beautiful Island!
Give me a call or shoot me an email and let’s jump on this opportunity now.
*Puako Kai is 2-CPR homes on one lot listed separately (2X) and together (1X). It has been on the market 18-months, listed with three different Brokerages. Now at 20% off the original list price of $2,350,000.
News like this is always great to hear.  Looking a little deeper we see that the home sale price average is up just about everywhere due to shrinking inventory and increasing demand.   Mauna Lani Resort and Puako had some very large sales in the month of August.  However, the diversity of the markets on the Big Island does not translate into an evenly distributed 8% increase.  Just as the nearly 11% slump in condo prices does not equate to  a decline in condo prices at Mauna Lani Resort, Waikoloa Beach Resort or Mauna Kea Resort.  There we are seeing prices creeping up, sometimes leaping, as inventory shrinks and prices naturally head north.  There are fewer distressed properties hitting the market and when they do, the rising of the market price floor brings these prices up as well.
MARKET HEATING UP
For the first time in years we are seeing very competitive markets.  Multiple are offers coming in and less discounting in all sectors of the market.  Kailua-Kona is the best example of this on the Big Island.  There FOR SALE inventory is almost half the amount of homes in escrow (pending sales).  We seem to be following the recent Statewide trend where homes that have been on the market as long as 18 months are now receiving multiple offers….bidding wars have returned.  The super low, and I mean SUPER LOW, interest rates may be the call to action!!  As the reality sinks in the the economy has been slowly recovering for years and is gaining momentum, fewer and fewer buyers are taking the wait and see approach.  They don’t want to be wishing next year that they bought this year.
Because statistics lump all of the Big Island together;  properties from Puna to Hualalai Resort, Kukio and all that lies in between, the rate of increase will be higher on the West Side and lower on the east side.  This being my second Big Island Real Estate Roller coaster ride, I feel pretty comfortable encouraging buyers to leap now on that property of their dreams.  Take advantage of these extraordinary low interest rates before the tide changes….rolling in with both higher prices  and higher rates.  Leap now while the water is warming up, before it’s hot enough to get burned!
Last week I had the opportunity to visit two beautiful Big Island resort homes, one at the Mauna Lani Bay Resort and the other at the Mauna Kea Beach Resort. Both resort settings along the ocean off the Kohala Coast are equally beautiful yet different enough to be preferred for their unique characteristics. Homeowners of each resort will share why they prefer their home resort; why each suits their preferences, but all agree that both are truly wonderful places to call home.  In fact, one especially besotted homeowner expressed the feeling that so many of us share; how fortunate we are to call the Big Island of Hawaii home!Read the rest of this entry »
Here on the most beautiful Island on earth, life is always exciting. Weekend before last the skies starting to thunder and rain fell in Kohala. Now greeness reigns again
Decided to run from the rain to Volcano, OK, not really the right direction to run from the rain. So run into ….on March 5th the Volcano decided to rumble at Kamoamoa instead of Pu’u O’o. After a whole lot of shaking, not felt by moi, even though I was merely a few miles away, new fissures open up sending fountains of lava shooting into the air. The night skies were aglow Read the rest of this entry »
Loving Living in Hawaii 