More on Kauai Lagoons & Poipu's Kukui'ula - 11/22/08 01:57 PM
This is to update yesterday's post on a report of work being stopped at Kauai Lagoons Resort.  Additional information has been provided in today's Garden Island Newspaper wherein Kauai Lagoons developers are putting a positive spin on what they call a temporary postponement.  Per a newspaper interview with the project director, the master plan always called for a multi-year project.  The change is that 87 units originally planned for completion in 2009 has been slipped to 2010.  And consistent with the Pacific Business News article referenced yesterday, it is reported that infrastructure work, including landscaping, will continue.  The first building and … (8 comments)

News Flash--Kauai Lagoons construction halted! - 11/21/08 11:06 AM
The lead paragraph in today's Pacific Business News (PBN) article on the Marriott Kauai Lagoons resort reads "Marriott has halted construction at its $1.4 billion Kauai Lagoons resort project..."  According to PBN, all vertical construction is on hold but infrastructure work will continue.  In the past, one might well have assumed that work stoppage was due to permitting problems.  But in today's world, the big gorilla in the room is the economy and that is reported to be the issue in this and other stoppages around the island and indeed the state.
Kauai Lagoons is planned to be a mix of several types of … (1 comments)

Home Pick of the Week--Maui - 11/14/08 06:51 PM
Home Pick of the Week
The home picks of the week is a property that I highlight as a special opportunity for buyers.  Picks may be based on features, location, value, or other criteria that I believe makes the property worthy of special consideration.  I do not accept fees for featuring a property.
This week's pick is a 5+ acre estate located on the island of Maui in what is called Upcountry because it's on the slopes of the dormant Haleakala volcano.


Contact Richard Dolbeare (RA), ABR, CRS, e-PRO, Century 21 All Islands,     (808) 651-4550     for information
[Information contained herein is supplied … (8 comments)

New commercial center planned for Lihue area - 11/13/08 06:21 PM
The Garden Island newspaper published a lengthy article today on a proposed commercial center in the Lihue area that will include a new Safeway store plus numerous other businesses and offices.  Currently, Kauai is served by multiple local grocery chains plus one Safeway located in Kapaa.  This would be the 2nd Safeway and it would be located near the islands center of commerce, Lihue. 
The planning Commission held a public hearing yesterday where residents had a chance to voice concerns over impact to the neighborhood.  The parcel to be developed is about 23 acres adjacent to large commercial outlets of Kukui Grove … (5 comments)

Limits on Kauai growth approved - 11/13/08 12:04 AM
By almost a 2:1 margin, Kauai voters approved a Counter Charter amendment that was placed on the ballot through a citizens' petition.  The new law which takes effect on December 4 puts limits on new transient accommodation units (hotels, timeshares, and vacation rentals).  The growth in these units are required to be in compliance with the General Plan which was completed in 2000.  According to the Garden Island newspaper, that plan recommends yearly increases not to exceed 1.5%. 
How it will be implemented is the big unknown.  Decisions must be made as to which permitting requests are approved and which are denied.  … (7 comments)

Maui Caravan - 11/12/08 10:52 PM
Maui held it's Central Caravan today with about 20 agents touring 9 new listings.  I always enjoy the opportunity to compare Maui & Kauai inventory (see earlier post for sales statistics) and today was a good one for that.  The Central Maui Caravan is unique in that it is operated in true caravan style with agents carpooling from one property to the next.  Other caravans I have attended are less structured and agents are free to tour properties in any order.  Having experienced both, it's the more structured approach is clearly superior.
Properties on today's caravan ranged from a $290,000 2 bedroom/2 bath condo … (2 comments)

Kauai has new leadership - 11/12/08 10:37 PM
Bernard Carvalho Jr. was elected as Kauai's new mayor in last week's elections.  Kauai is one of 4 counties comprising the state of Hawaii and each county is run by a mayor so this is a responsible position.  He defeated Joann Yukimura in the general election with 57% of the vote and will serve as mayor for the next 2 years.  That will complete the remainder of former Mayor Brian Baptiste's term which was interrupted by his sudden death on June 23 due to a heart attach. 
Mayor Carvalho has stated his #1 priority is assembling his team and the first … (4 comments)

October Sales on Kauai & Maui - 11/07/08 10:37 PM
.style2 { font-size: medium; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px; padding: 1px 4px; } .style3 { border-style: solid; border-width: 1px; } .style4 { border-style: solid; border-width: 1px; padding: 1px 4px; } .style6 { text-align: center; } .style7 { border-style: solid; border-width: 1px; text-align: center; } October sales statistics from the respective MLS systems have been released for Kauai & Maui and are presented in the tables below.  Median sales prices on the two islands continue to be similar except for vacant land which jumped substantially on Maui.  The number of sales on Maui are substantially higher (except for vacant land) and exceeds what … (3 comments)

Kauai Inventory Showing Improvement - 11/07/08 04:50 PM
Is Kauai inventory headed back down after climbing for 3 years and peaking in August?  I never take 1 month of data as a trend and am hesitant to call 2 months a trend as well.  But for now anyway, it does appear from our MLS data that inventory is on a downward track.  My own closings have increased substantially in this period which gives me encouragement.  The chart data for all of Kauai follows.
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Kauai Voters Restrict New Vacation Rentals - 11/05/08 11:35 AM
 A Kauai citizens petition to transfer approval of permits for construction of transient accommodation units from the Planning Department to the Kauai County Council was overwhelmingly approved by voters yesterday.  This issue was driven by a recent-years spike in such new units that exceeded what was envisioned in the General Plan causing concern about changing the character of Kauai.  Approval of new permits will now be restricted to a number consistent with the general plan. 
At first glance, this restriction would seem to benefit owners of existing vacation rentals by restricting future supply and therefore driving up occupancy rates.  The immediate impact on … (2 comments)

Hawaii Craters? - 11/04/08 12:44 PM
A report in the Garden Island newspaper today gave new meaning to the word "crater".  One of the headlines reads "Hotel occupancy rates crater in Hawai'i". 
I track multiple Hawaii statistics and one of these is the hotel occupancy rate.  This gives a little insight into our biggest industry which is tourism.   Adding the latest data point for Mauai (Kauai figures were not immediately available), the chart now looks like the figure below.  September statewide occupancy is reported at 63.2% compared to 74.2% a year ago. 
As I've said many times, now is the time for visitors to come to Hawaii … (4 comments)

Kauai Warm & Cold Sales Zones - 11/01/08 11:38 PM
With no blackberry pie in sight (see earlier post HERE), I had to settle for a pie chart for Kauai sales.  This shows which areas of the island are hot (well, warm anyway) and which aren't (the West Side).  Data reflects the number of sales in 2008 through October 31 and includes land, condos, and residential, both fee simple and leasehold.  Timeshare and fractionals/shared ownership are excluded.

Clearly there is not much going on over on the West Side (where I live).  That area includes Hanapepe, Waimea, and Kekaha.  The rest of the island is doing much better.  Although the central … (8 comments)

Kauai Sales Trends - 11/01/08 10:28 PM
Halloween is past and we're into November so it's time to update Kauai sales statistics. The first thing I've looked at is the sales count for condos, land, and residential properties.  I've excluded timeshare and fractionals/shared ownership.  Data in the chart below contains both fee simple and leasehold properties.

As I look at the data, I'm hard pressed to discern a trend.  Perhaps that is a good thing for Kauai given the downward trends that dominate so many markets.  I'll be posting other parameters soon.  My apologies to those who like my pie charts but it just didn't work for this kind … (0 comments)

 
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Richard T Dolbeare, R(B), ABR, CRS, RSPS BS/MS - Engineering Hawaii Dreams Today

Lihue, HI

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Keller Williams Realty

Address: Kauai & Maui homes & condos, 95 E. Lipoa St., Ste. A212, Kihei, HI, 96753

Office Phone: (808) 651-4550

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Real estate is the largest investment that many of us will ever make so it's critical that buyers & sellers have access to essential information. This blog provides key news and information about Hawaii real estate.


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