Ronnie's Blog

In this buyer's market with uncertaining lending conditions, it's really a good idea to get pre-approved. Standards for debt to income ratio's have gotten more stringent, and if you are at all leveraged, best to know what you can qualify for. Read this simple list below of eight benefits of pre-a...

I just read a pretty provocative article about the GMO efforts happening on Kauai's west side and how much of our food on island is chemically processed and imported. Did not make me feel too good although we buy most of our produce from locally held farmer's markets. Read this compelling  story ...

On April 8th, The Garden Island published an article about a new value allocation approach being applied to Kauai condo's. According to the article, "After conducting site visits to all condominium properties on the island, the real property assessment office determined that the allocation of val...

The Ko'a Kea Hotel & Resort officially resumed business yesterday as a boutique hotel, after years of renovation and permit processing, preceded by even more years of mouldering in place on Kauai's sunny South Shore. I've been hearing about this hotel for at least a year  as my friend, Paul Koulb...

Ken Stokes reports on his SuSHI  sustainability blog about the ag forum that happened on Kauai this weekend. Read all about  Kauai Ag Forum and SustainabilityBe sure to check all of the links in Ken's posts. They are each little pearls of wisdom unto themselves. I saw Ken for coffee last week and...

At our GMM (general membership meeting) this morning, we had an engaging discussion about the state of Transient Vacation Rentals on Kauai.You see, the County Council passed an ordinance that went into effect last March, 2008, defining the rules and regulations of operating a transient vacation r...

This week i took a video camera along to provide a visual update from a few of the seventeen properties that were on this week's caravan in Princeville. The caravan featured an assortment of condos and homes. From Puu Poa to Queen Emma's Bluff on the eastern edge of Princeville, there was plenty ...

According to report commissioned by First Hawaiian Bank, Hawaii's tourism is in crisis mode. As a small example, last night I met some friends from California at a wonderful chinese restaurant, the Hong Kong Cafe, and we were the only people in the restaurant for about two hours. The downturn eff...

Spring is here and our market is definitely picking up. Hooray. There were 49 transactions that either went into escrow or went into escrow and sold in the month of March. That's a pickup in activity for kauai real estate. That is far more volume than we've seen in January or February. Buyers are...

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that the 1993 Apology Resolution did not strip the state of its authority to sell or transfer 1.2 million acres of ceded lands. The court’s unanimous decision overturns a previous ruling by the Hawaii Supreme Court that blocked the sale of land conveyed to Haw...