Hawaiian Winters - it's not always sunny here

Two thousand and seven was a pretty dry year in Hawaii.  Ironic, because in 2006 we had the "40 days and nights" of rain in March and April.  

On December 4, 2007 we got another heavy dose of rain.  I woke up around 2 a.m. to the sound of wind and rain, pelting the south side of our home.  It was unusual because Hawaii normally experiences trade winds, which come from the northeast.  The rain was traveling in a near horizontal pattern, flying into our south-facing windows and covering the kitchen floor with water.

I looked outside to check on our two dogs.  Our kitchen porch is covered, but with this unusual strong wind and rain from the south the porch was soaked.  And so were our two dogs.  The dogs…

Jason Scott Lee in Honolulu

Last Friday night my girlfriend and I were eating dinner at a favorite restaurant in Kapahulu, a neighborhood near Diamond Head in Honolulu.

We were just about finished eating and my girlfriend noticed Jason Scott Lee was sitting down with friends.  We're both Bruce Lee fans and really enjoyed Jason's portrayal of him in the movie, Dragon.

Lucky for us, I had my camera in the car.  I walked to the car, came back and paid the bill and then we looked in Jason's direction.  My girlfriend was nervous about asking for a photo, I figured it wouldn't hurt to ask. 

I walked over to his table and asked if I could get a picture of Jason with my girlfriend.  He said yes, then his friend offered to take the photo and I could be in the…

Heavenly Hana is happening!

Why do I say that?  Because Hana is a favored area for people that want to be away from the crowds.  The most famous example is probably Oprah Winfrey.  Olivia Harrison (George Harrison's wife - George passed away in 2001) also has property in Hana.

I've been looking at properties with customers in Hana lately and it's interesting to see people that like this life of seclusion.  Okay, Kahului is a 2-hour (or less) drive and only about 20 minutes by airplane.  Being a Honolulu resident, I am more used to driving a couple of miles and getting what I need at the big box stores.  Also, work is plentiful in Honolulu.  In Hana... there probably aren't so many jobs.

Hana town has a population of about 1,000 and another 2,000 or so…

Makaha Valley recovers from a recent fire

A month ago Oahu was lacking rain and the leeward areas of the island were drying up.  At times like this brush fires are common events.

One month ago today a fire spread in Makaha Valley.  Residents of Makaha Valley Towers got a spectacular view of the fire.  I spoke with some residents yesterday and they said it caused some dust and odor but otherwise was not a scary situation.

Since the fire we've had some rain and oh, what a difference.  Here's a photo of the Makaha mountainside that was burned to a crisp last month.  Now it's lush and green again. 

Makaha is a great location for getting away from the big city (Honolulu) and you'll also find that homes and condos are more affordable.  It's a 35-mile…

Hawaii's real estate statistics for September 2007 were published last week and foreclosures have doubled compared to a year earlier.  Shocking?  It sounds bad but Hawaii still ranks as the state with the 10th lowest rate of foreclosures in the U.S.

In September there were 135 foreclosure filings in Hawaii, or one filing per 3,638 homes.  Nevada had the highest foreclosure rate with one filing per 185 households for a total of 5,504.  Total foreclosures in the nation for September were 223,538.

Okay, let's get back to Hawaii.  Prices are high here and they always have been, compared to the majority of mainland cities.  What can we do to find a good deal on a home?  Are foreclosures the way to go? 

Beware of foreclosure advertisements placed by real…

Hurricane Flossie updates in plain English

Flossie is gone!  Life gets back to normal.

11:00 A.M. August 15, 2007

Hurricane Flossie is downgraded to category 1.  Flossie brought rains to the south and eastern sides of the Big Island.  Currently south of Oahu, we have cloudy skies and windy weather.  It looks like everything will be okay.

11:00 A.M. August 14, 2007.

Flossie has been downgraded to Category 2.  Passing approxmately 200 miles south of the Big Island today, it will bring high waves and rain.  The Big Island is under a hurricane watch and a tropical storm warning.  Flash flood warnings are issued through Wednesday.

On its current course, Flossie is not expected to hit the other islands.  It may bring rain,…

The Garden House opened its doors in 1947 where the Honolulu Police Station is currently located.  Later it moved to Sheridan street and then settled in at the corner of Pi'ikoi and Beretania streets in 1955.  It's a local landmark that provided customers with plants, lawn and garden tools and supplies for 60 years.  The Garden house closed its doors on July 11, 2007.

I set foot in the store for the first time on July 7, 2007.  Having driven by Garden House countless times and using its parking lot (legally) in the evenings to eat at Quintero's across the street, I wanted to see this business while it was still operating and also look for last-minute deals.

Most of the company's inventory was sold but there were some bargains to be found.  I picked up an…

The Honolulu Board of Realtors just posted its sales statistics for June, 2007.  The results show that our housing market remains strong. 

After a tradtional lull at the beginning of the year from the holidays, homebuyers began making purchases again and Oahu's prices are on the rise.

Let's put it on paper (or computer screen).   

Oahu home prices 2007 through June   Homes prices # of sales Condo prices # of sales June 2007  685,000  338  334,000  547 2007 YTD  645,000  1,902  325,000  2,978 …