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Hawaii triathlon shop celebrates its first year in business Momentum celebrated its first year in business during the month of August, 2008. Despite slow economic times, Momentum has succeeded in bringing quality triathlon products to Hawaii at affordable prices. Knowledgeable sales staff and bike mechanics make this a great store to shop. The shop recently had a barbecue as part of its anniversary celebration. Shop employees, customers and athletes stopped by for some good food, talking stor... Read Full Post

In Hawaii we encourage our buyers to use local lending institutions. Buyers wonder why and sometimes think we're trying to help a relative or somebody else make some money. Here's a great example of things going wrong with a mainland lender doing loans in Hawaii. A customer decided to make an offer on a townhome at Makaha Valley Plantation listed for $150,000. We had previously made an offer on another listing in the same complex and obtained a loan prequalification letter. The offer on that ... Read Full Post

The Fat Greek The Fat Greek has been at 3040 Waialae Avenue since December 2007. We'd heard good things about their food. One customer who lives nearby in St. Louis Heights told me he eats lunch at the Fat Greek nearly every day! There must be something to this place. We visited the Fat Greek and checked it out. At this restaurant, customers order and pay for their food at the cash register. They're given a small fob and take a seat. When the fob lights up customers pickup their food. The Fat... Read Full Post

Cute old house near downtown and UH Campus This house was built in 1935 and has seen some renovations along the way. I really like houses such as this one, with its older doors, single wall construction and classic architecture. Located on Bingham Street in Moiliili, the home is situated on a 4,652 square foot lot and has 1,056 square feet of interior area. Three bedrooms, one bath, a large living room and 10 foot ceilings. There's lots of parking. The driveway curves around the back of the h... Read Full Post

Hawaii Superferry gains popularity The Hawaii Superferry sails past Diamond Head at 6:30 a.m. The Hawaii Superferry was introduced to our state in 2007. Oahu residents were generally excited about the new mode of transportation for the islands. Residents of the outer islands (Kauai, Maui and the Big Island) were not all so enthusiastic. It's not that every outer island resident disliked the Superferry, but when a new cause came around and gave residents an opportunity to band together, they w... Read Full Post

Panya Bistro This restaurant is on the second floor at Ala Moana Shopping Center. Panya Bistro is a trendy restaurant with fancy, modern decor and great food. Walk into Panya and the first thing you'll see is their bakery. Many Ala Moana customers and employees stop by Panya for a pastry, bread or cake. Just beyond the bakery is the restaurant seating area and the bar. A waiter will seat you, then take a look at their interesting menu. On ths particular evening we started off with a spinach s... Read Full Post

Buying a vacation rental in Hawaii Vacation rentals are a popular topic for mainland investors buying in Hawaii. Buyers often think about owning a property here, renting it out like a hotel room for a tidy sum and living in it when they vacation in the islands. It's a great idea! There are some considerations that buyers should be aware of. The difference between a vacation rental and a normal rental In Hawaii, a transient rental is defined as being for a period up to 180 days. Residential (n... Read Full Post

Nico's Restaurant Nico's is a casual style restaurant near Honolulu Harbor at Pier 38. I ate at Nico's today for the first time. My friends (who are also buying a house) invited me to meet them for lunch and sign their purchase agreement. I asked what they were having. The husband was ordering a barbecue chicken plate and the wife was having Garlic Opah (Opah is a mild tasting fish, good stuff!). I decided to try the Garlic Opah. The Garlic Opah plate was great! I'll be going back to Nico's i... Read Full Post

Oahu housing market - June 2008 Statistics for June 2008 are published and Oahu home prices continue with their resilience. While the number of units sold is down 31% from a year ago, median home prices have decreased just 8.8% compared with June 2007, a relatively small amount compared to markets in other places, such as California, Nevada and Florida. Oahu's condo and townhome unit sales are down 35% with just a 1.9% decrease in sales prices versus a year earlier. Why is our market so resil... Read Full Post

Honolulu Police Department gets tough on speeding Some Hawaii Police use personal cars with small lights on top. Speeders often don't realize it's a cop until he turns on the sirens and lights to pull them over! Hawaii has relatively low speed limits, the highest limit in the State is 65 mph. Most of Oahu's highways are subject to heavy traffic and have limits of 50-55 mph. When the road opens up, it's hard to obey the speed limit. If you stick with 55 mph, everybody will be passing you. The ... Read Full Post