Kengo Ueno - Hawaii's Home Broker

Two Homes on One Lot with Portential to Build More

Kengo Ueno (R) eCertified, ABR (Prudential Locations LLC) — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 06:40:11 -0500

Calling All Investors

Two 3-bedroom 1-bath homes on one level lot by beach. R-5 zoned 15,000 square foot property has room to potentially build another home. Front home is currently rented out for $1,600 per month and back home is rented out for $1,650 per month.

Offered for $675,000

Please check out www.HawaiisHomeBroker.com for more information

Very Unique Real Estate Investment - Sitting Pretty on Appreciation

Kengo Ueno (R) eCertified, ABR (Prudential Locations LLC) — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 06:29:17 -0500

Sitting Pretty on Appreciation

Here is your chance to learn about a great investment opportunity which will allow you or anyone you know to purchase a unique real estate investment for less cash up front with the goal of obtaining a fee simple property in the end while taking advantage of any price appreciation that may happen throughout the years while also collecting rent and with minimal risk to the investor.

Hawaii is unique in the sense that we still have some leasehold properties here across the islands. This type of ownership is where the "lessor" owns the land and the "lessee" owns the improvement (house or condo unit) on the land and pays the"lessor" a lease rent for a fixed amount of years set by a lease agreement. At the end of the lease, the land owner "lessor" may take back the improvements on the land without any compensation to the "lessee".

Kamehameha Schools, who owns a majority of these leased fee interest here for many, many years is now making their leased fee interest available to the current lessees or interested investors to purchase. This is an opportunity for investors to become the new lessor (land owner).

As the new lessor, you simply collect the current lease rent with the possibility of renegotiating the lease rent in the future for a higher amount. You pay nomaintenance fees, property taxes or any upkeep with the property for that will remain the responsibility of the current lessee providing an investor minimal expense and risk. Finally, the biggest picture of this opportunity will be at the expiration of the lease when you will be able to take back the property in fee simple ownership of the property for the price that you paid at today's leased fee value.

Win Now and Win Later

This is a great investment vehicle for those who want to transfer real estate to children or grandchildren, diversify their real estate portfolio, have a long term investment horizon to realize returns or want to purchase multiple properties with less cash upfront.

Own a piece of paradise now and sit pretty on appreciation

Please contact me for more information and an inventory sheet with over 500 of these unique real estate investment.

Please visit me, Kengo Ueno (R) at:

www.HawaiisHomeBroker.com

2008 Built 2-Bedroom in Downtown Honolulu, Hawaii

Kengo Ueno (R) eCertified, ABR (Prudential Locations LLC) — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 04:04:06 -0500

CAPTIOL PLACE

2008 built building in Downtown Honolulu, Hawaii which boasts many amenites. 24 hour fitness center, heated pool, theater, music room, yoga room, dog park, BBQ, club room, automobile showroom on bottom and more!!! Walk to your downtown office, restaurants, art galleries, nightlife, Chinatown, parks and shows.

Immaculate 2-bedroom, 2-bath, 2-parking unit with many upgrades. Upgrades include removal of wall between living space and den giving living area more space and an open feel, hardwood flooring, ceramic tiles, an over the range Advantium high-speed oven and microwave unit, extra cabinets under kitchen island, closet organizers in bedroom closets and much, much more. A definite must see to appreciate.

Offered at $699,000 FS

For more information, contact Kengo Ueno (R) at:

www.HawaiisHomeBroker.com

Very Unique New Real Estate Investment Opportunity

Kengo Ueno (R) eCertified, ABR (Prudential Locations LLC) — Sun, 31 Aug 2008 05:57:35 -0500

Even with the majority of Hawaii properties being of Fee Simple ownership, there are still a lot of Leasehold properties in Hawaii. Through the years, these types of properties are slowly converting over to Fee Simple ownership through the sale of the Leased Fee interest from the Lessor to the Lessee.

My company, Prudential Locations LLC has been retained by Kamehameha Schools / Bishop Estates to assist in the sale of nearly 1,000 of their leased fee assets that remain in their Oahu residential real estate portfolio. They are now being offered to the lessees and to investors.

Interested investors would have the unique opportunity to become the new Lessor (owner of land) of the property. As the new Lessor, they may take advantage of the lease rent income and zero monthly expenses while the bigger picture for investors would remain at the end of the lease when the investor would have the opportunity to take back the unit in fee simple ownership and benefit from all the appreciation that has happened over all the years.

This is the the very first time that these unique assets have ever been available to investors to purchase and as part of the sales team, I am happy to be able to offer this exclusive opportunity to you.

This type of investment is ideal for many kinds of investors, including those who:

want to purchase property or multiple properties for less cash up front than in a traditional real estate purchase
have a longer time horizon to realize investment returns
desire a real estate vehicle to transfer assests to children or grandchildren
desire diversification of their real estate portfolio

If you are interested in learning more about this investment opportunity, please email me. At that time, I can provide you with an inventory sheet and keep you updated with any future releases.

1-Bedroom w/ Washer & Dryer, Secured Covered Parking for Under $250k

Kengo Ueno (R) eCertified, ABR (Prudential Locations LLC) — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 07:37:09 -0500

1040 Kinau - Honolulu, Hawaii

Here is your chance to own an excellent 1-Bedroom with a newer washer and dryer in the unit. Unit comes with 1 secured covered parking stall. The building is close to famous Ala Moana Shopping Center, Waikiki, beaches and parks. Maintenance fees are low at $310 per month which includes water, hot water, sewer and basic cable. It was upgraded in December 2007 with newer appliances, paint and carpet.

Offered at $245,000.00 FS

Aloha!!!

Oahu Real Estate Report - January 2008

Kengo Ueno (R) eCertified, ABR (Prudential Locations LLC) — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 04:38:45 -0500

2-Bedroom 2-Bath in the Waipuna at the beggining of Waikiki

Kengo Ueno (R) eCertified, ABR (Prudential Locations LLC) — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 06:28:48 -0500

THE WAIPUNA

Immaculate 2-bedroom 2-bath in the Waipuna. Upgraded with Limestone flooring, drywalled ceiling, elaborate crown molding with recessed lighting, Maple cabinets, granite counters / backsplash and newer appliances. Situated between famous Waikiki and the Ala Moana Shopping Center, you can still enjoy the Waikiki lifestyle without having to drive through Waikiki to get home. Close to buslines, shopping, parks and beaches. Listed for $615,000.

Please contact me for more information.

Kengo Ueno (R) eCertified, ABR

www.HawaiisHomeBroker.com

Sales start at new building at 1728 Kalakaua

Kengo Ueno (R) eCertified, ABR (Prudential Locations LLC) — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 07:16:54 -0500

Rising up at the gateway to famous Waikiki will be a new 16-story building with 120 units. If enough sales can be generated, construction should start late this summer with a completion date to be set sometime early 2010. Initial prices are from $292,500 for studios up to the low $500,000 for 2-bedrooms. Square footage range from 407 square feet to 703 square feet. Designs in the plan include a gym, pool and a restaurant. Centrally located by the Ala Moana Shopping Center, Hawaii Convention Center and beaches, Honolulu has a new building with an urban lifestyle.

909 Kapiolani

Kengo Ueno (R) eCertified, ABR (Prudential Locations LLC) — Wed, 02 May 2007 04:54:08 -0500

Everything at 909 Kapiolani looks to be on schedule to be completed by the end of this year. It's really starting to take shape and it's looking really nice.

Rising 36 stories upward at the corner of Kapiolani Boulevard and Ward Avenue in Honolulu, Hawaii sits an upscale, contemporary condo named 909 Kapiolani. Situated between downtown Honolulu and Waikiki, right across the street from the Neil Blaisdell Center, you are in the perfect loaction for work and play.

One and two bedrooms starting at $550,000 and $615,000 come with 600 to 850 square of interior living space. Bringing in natural lighting with floor to ceiling double pane exterior glass. Sleek contemporary design throughout with wood cabinetry and stainless steel appliances. Modernized with Broadband connectivity and climate controlled with individual split air systems.

Relax on the recreation deck in the Jaccuzzi and pool while enjoying the landscaping and BBQ area.

Please let me know if you would like more information. Aloha!!

Oahu, Hawaii Real Esate Report - March 2007 Sales Activity

Kengo Ueno (R) eCertified, ABR (Prudential Locations LLC) — Tue, 17 Apr 2007 05:08:58 -0500

The market here on Oahu, Hawaii has definitly picked up. True listings are getting more offers and the inventory is shrinking. There was listing the other day that got 30 offers. You can feel the activity just by being at the office.

The first report below reflect the number of resales and the median price over a 3-month period. While the total single family resale slowed down from 913 resales (Oct 06-Dec 06) to 841 resales (Jan 07-Mar 07) there was still a slight increase of .8% in the median price.

Condos went up in resale numbers from 1,291 resales (Oct 06-Dec 06) to 1,324 resales (Jan 07-Mar 07) while the median price also went up another 1.7%.

As you can see from the 2nd report below, the months of remaining inventory went down on both single family homes as well as for condominiums by almost a month. "Months of Remailing Inventory" (MRI) around the 6-moth mark indicate a balanced market between Buyer and Seller. Anything below this mark is more favorable towards a Seller's market while anything above indicate a Buyer's market.

Another market indicator is shown at the bottom reflecting the number of acitve listings on the market. The inventory has definitely gone down telling us that Buyer demand is growing again. Single family home inventory has been shrinking for the past 4 months while the condominium inventory shrank for the past 6 months.

With our busiest season being right around the corner, summer usually being real estate's busiest season, I feel very postive about our real estate market here. The economy here is still strong (Hawaii being the lowest in unemployment rate). There is a lot of constuction still going on with a lot more being planned. Interest rates are still very low. The biggest postive factor that we have here is that this is Hawaii we're talking about. It's a very unique market with a lot of international and domestic investors and second home buyers buying into a peice of paradise.

Please let me know if you would like my Hawaii Real Estate Market updates.

The Mayonnaise Jar and Coffee

Kengo Ueno (R) eCertified, ABR (Prudential Locations LLC) — Sun, 08 Apr 2007 06:58:01 -0500

In this ever demanding industry, time can be so precious. Just the everyday bustle of life can become frantically unmanageable. All this added stress is so unhealthy. In times like this we need to just find a little time to stop everything and concentrate on relaxation methods.

I've just re-read a story that I thought was clever and just wanted to share it with you. I believe the author is unknown.

When things in your life seem almost too much to handle, when 24 hours in a day are not enough, remember the mayonnaise jar and the two cups of coffee.

A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him. When the class began, wordlessly, he picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls. He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was.

The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls. He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was.

The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else. He asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with a unanimous "yes."

The professor then produced two cups of coffee from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar, effectively filling the empty space between the sand. The students laughed.

"Now," said the professor, as the laughter subsided, " I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life.

The golf balls are the important things in life. Your God, your family, your children, your health, your friends, and your favorite passions, things that if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full.

The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, your house, and your car.

The sand is everything else, the small stuff.

If you put the sand into the jar first," he continued, "there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls. The same goes for life.

If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff, you will never have room for the things that are important to you.

Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness.

Play with your children. Take time to get medical checkups. Take your partner out to dinner. Play another 18. There will always be time to clean the house and fix the disposal."

Take care of the golf balls first; the things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand.

One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the coffee represented. The professor smiled. "I'm glad you asked. It just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem, there's always room for a couple of cups of coffee with a friend."

Real Estate Market Data for Honolulu Neighborhoods on Oahu, Hawaii

Kengo Ueno (R) eCertified, ABR (Prudential Locations LLC) — Wed, 04 Apr 2007 18:06:24 -0500

The following graphs represent real estate data from high-end neighborhoods in the Metro Honolulu area of Oahu, Hawaii. These neighborhoods include Dowsett, Judd Hillside, Manoa Lower, Manoa Area, Tantalus and Makiki Heights. It's kind of blurry but the basline represents years by quarters starting from the 1st quarter of 2004 until the 4th quarter of 2006. The first green line under the baseline, represent price per square foot. The next line is Days on Market and the last green line represents the percentage it sold for from the list price. These are all strong indicators of how the market trend is going.

Real Estate Market Data for the Hawaii Kai Neighborhoods on Oahu, Hawaii

Kengo Ueno (R) eCertified, ABR (Prudential Locations LLC) — Wed, 04 Apr 2007 18:00:26 -0500

The following graphs represent real estate data from high-end neighborhoods in the Hawaii Kai area of Oahu, Hawaii. This data includes graphs for neighborhoods like Portlock, Na Pali Haweo, Anchorage, Queen's Gate, Luna Kai and Koko Kai. It's kind of blurry but the basline represents years by quarters starting from the 1st quarter of 2004 until the 4th quarter of 2006. The first green line under the baseline, represent price per square foot. The next line is Days on Market and the last green line represents the percentage it sold for from the list price. These are all strong indicators of how the market trend is going.

Real Estate Market Data for Windward Neighborhoods on Oahu, Hawaii

Kengo Ueno (R) eCertified, ABR (Prudential Locations LLC) — Wed, 04 Apr 2007 17:53:29 -0500

The following graphs represent real estate data from high-end neighborhoods in the Windward area of Oahu, Hawaii. This includes Lanikai, Kaimalino, beashside Kailua, Haiku Plantation, Country Club Knolls and the Kuulei Tract. It's kind of blurry but the basline represents years by quarters starting from the 1st quarter of 2004 until the 4th quarter of 2006. The first green line under the baseline, represent price per square foot. The next line is Days on Market and the last green line represents the percentage it sold for from the list price. These are all strong indicators of how the market trend is going.

Real Esate Market Data for Diamond Head Neighborhoods on Oahu, Hawaii

Kengo Ueno (R) eCertified, ABR (Prudential Locations LLC) — Wed, 04 Apr 2007 06:18:39 -0500

The following graphs represent real estate data from high-end neighborhoods in the Diamond Head / Kahala area of Oahu, Hawaii. These neighborhoods include Kahala, Balck Point, Diamond Head, Hawaii Loa Ridge, Waialae Golf Course and Niu Beach. It's kind of blurry but the basline represents years by quarters starting from the 1st quarter of 2004 until the 4th quarter of 2006. The first green line under the baseline, represent price per square foot. The next line is Days on Market and the last green line represents the percentage it sold for from the list price. These are all strong indicators of how the market trend is going.

Real Estate Market Data for North Shore Neighborhoods on Oahu, Hawaii

Kengo Ueno (R) eCertified, ABR (Prudential Locations LLC) — Wed, 04 Apr 2007 05:59:36 -0500

The following graphs represent real estate data from high-end neighborhoods on the North Shore of Oahu, Hawaii. These neighborhoods include Sunset area, Sunset Velzy, Pupukea, Haleiwa, Kawela Bay and Mokuleia. It's kind of blurry but the basline represents years by quarters starting from the 1st quarter of 2004 until the 4th quarter of 2006. The first green line under the baseline, represent price per square foot. The next line is Days on Market and the last green line represents the percentage it sold for from the list price. These are all strong indicators of how the market trend is going.

Hawaii's High End Market Report - 2007 Market Overview

Kengo Ueno (R) eCertified, ABR (Prudential Locations LLC) — Sat, 03 Mar 2007 05:01:31 -0600

Once again, the real estate research department at Prudential Locations, here in Honolulu, Hawaii has just come out with a new market report. Prudential Locations repeatedly sets the standards here in Hawaii with their market graphs and data.

This recent report is an overview of the median prices for the high end, single-family homes for 2006.

Overall, the whole island has seen an average increase of 6.8% in the high end market. All regions seen an increase except for one area that seen a 5% decrease because of neighborhood fluctuations within that area.

The third paragraph of the report talks about what our experts anticipate in the real estate market here in Hawaii for 2007 . While the rate of increase slows in 2007 they still forecast a single-digit price increase for the high end single-family home market. Knowing how some of the markets are coming down across our nation, our report talks about how stable our long term market is here because of our very unique market.

The second market report shows days on market data and months of remaining inventory data. In the first graph, it shows the days on market for 2005 and 2006 in different price ranges. On the left side of the graph, the numbers represent "days on market" and labeled on the bottom of the graph is the different price ranges. From left to right, it's labeled as "<$500k", "$500-$999k", "$1.0-$1.9M", $2.0-$2.9M", "$3.0-$3.9M", "$4.0-$4.9M", "$5.0-$5.9M" and "$10M+".

The two bottom graphs represent key market indicators like "Months of Remaining Inventory" which really shows supply and demand.

Our real estate market here on Oahu, Hawaii is changing like everywhere else. These types of market data is essential to see the big picture of what is going on in the real estate market and is key in helping someone make better real estate decisions. I hope that this information will be of some help to you and I look forward to updating you with updates as they come in. - Aloha

Calling all Hawaii real estate professionals

Kengo Ueno (R) eCertified, ABR (Prudential Locations LLC) — Fri, 02 Mar 2007 05:55:34 -0600

I'm trying to put together a group of Hawaii professionals in the real estate industry. Anyone real estate related in the Hawaiian islands. From realtors to appraisers to home inspectors to lenders to whomever. Bring in your local real estate knowledge to share with others. Bring in market reports, neighborhood updates, local rumors, anything real estate related in Hawaii. Mahalo!!!

2006 Oahu Real Estate Recap

Kengo Ueno (R) eCertified, ABR (Prudential Locations LLC) — Sat, 10 Feb 2007 19:31:59 -0600

Our company's research department just came out with a report, recapping the 2006 Oahu real estate market. It reflects data from both, the condominium market as well as from the single family home market.

The data compiled onto charts gives a wealth of information from median sales price, days on market, average months of remaining inventory, sold-to-list price ratios and more.

To highlight the report, we've seen an increase of median home prices in all areas of Oahu for both, condos and for single family homes except for one area in East Oahu which had a 5% median price reduction in the single family homes market.

Overall, the Oahu single family home market saw a 6.8% price increase in 2006 from the previous year making the median price $630,000. Condominiums saw a price increase of 14.8% from the previous year making the median price $310,000.

While prices still rose at a slower but steady rate, the number of resales fell in both the single family and condominium sectors while still remaining at historical high levels. The numbers of resales fluctuated at different price points.

The median days on market graphs show that real estate listings here have increased from a low of 15 days on market in the mid-2005 to 62 days on market.

Overall, Hawaii's market remains strong and though we are seeing cooling in some parts of the market, I believe that it will remain healthy for sometime to come. We have a very unique market here in Hawaii. Besides 2nd home buyers, investors and retirees, Hawaii has one of the lowest unemployment rates in the country. With the strength of the economy, low interest rates and unique buyers, Hawaii's real estate market should remain steady for a while.

Please look through the attached reports for more information and let me know if you have any quesetions.

If you would like a copy of this report please let me know and I can email it to you. -Aloha

Hawaii Real Estate Market Report December 2006

Kengo Ueno (R) eCertified, ABR (Prudential Locations LLC) — Thu, 18 Jan 2007 22:16:03 -0600

Here is some data that our research division just came out with about the real estate market here on Oahu.

The first report has the resales activity and the median price activity for the past three months prior to December 2006. This is so that you may see a better trend rather than any spikes in the market place on a month to month report.

The second report has a year to year snapshot of the real estate market here on Oahu for single family homes and for condominiums.

These reports may be really hard to read here so if you would like a copy of these graphs then please let me know and I can email them to you directly. - Aloha

Own a great vacation rental in Honolulu, Hawaii!!!

Kengo Ueno (R) eCertified, ABR (Prudential Locations LLC) — Thu, 18 Jan 2007 02:40:01 -0600

Great opportunity to own your very own piece of paradise at the Ala Moana Hotel Condo. Excellent building in an excellent location!!!

Centrally located in Honolulu, Hawaii. Bordering Waikiki and right next to Hawaii's largest outside mall, Ala Moana Shopping Center. Minutes walk to Ala Moana Beach Park, the Hawaii Convention Center, restaurants and night life.

The unit was recently updated and is fully furnished with contemporary decor. Maintenance fees includes central A/C, cable TV and even utilities. Wonderful amenities include a relaxing pool deck, spa, fitness center and fine dining restaurants.

This piece of paradise is offered at $215K.

Please come visit me at www.HawaiisHomeBroker.com for more information. - Mahalo & Aloha

Flip my own house

Kengo Ueno (R) eCertified, ABR (Prudential Locations LLC) — Mon, 11 Dec 2006 05:01:41 -0600

Just finished watching "Flip This House" on A&E and it just reminds me of my own flip earlier this year.

It was my first flip and it was a great learning experience managing everything from start to finish, from buying to selling. I learned to expect unforeseen problems and not to expect a smooth flip especially when the history of the home is not really known.

I was looking through the hot sheet one morning, looking at all the new invetory on the MLS that just came out on the market when I found a new listing that I thought was a really great deal. The listing was for a 739 square foot one-bedroom condo unit that was right across the street from my building. It's in an excellent 40 story building with tons of amenites like central AC, roof top BBQ area and pool, fitness room, sauna, on site security and more. The only negative thing to me was that this unit for sale was leasehold. All the terms on the lease were good enough with a low monthly lease rent of $44 and a lease that expired in 2049. That was long enough for a potential buyer to get a 30 year mortgage.

Other similar units in the building were selling for around $230,000 in an "above average" condition and they were asking $180,000 in "fair" condition. Well...I quickly called the listing agent and immediately took a look at the unit. One hour later, I put in a strong offer and got it accepted.

Come to find out, the story behind the owner was that he past away some time back (not in the unit) and left the condo to eight family members. No one lived there but used it as storage while fighting about who would pay for the monthly $450 maintenace fee. It was owned free and clear and they just wanted to get rid of it, split the proceeds and get on their way. That was the reason for the "priced to sale" listing price.

The one-bedroom unit had gold wallpaper that was probably there since 1974. The kitchen and bathroom were original with eight inch drawers in the cabinets. Everything was filthy and looked like it hadn't been cleaned in 10 years. A home flipper's ideal project.

Well...to try to keep cost low, I took down the wall paper myself which seemed to take forever. I helped demo the kitchen, bath and floors with friends which went ok. A day later, I realized that the floor condensated by the entrance of the unit. After doing some detective work, come to find out that the unit right below me was a commercial unit and that they had an A/C ducts bolted to the bottom side of my floor. They forgot to put in insulation and therefore, the reason why my floor looked like it sweat. After contacting the right people and going back and forth with thier engineers, they finally fixed the problem which took about a month.

Meanwhile, I hired some construction friends to do the labor intensive work. We opened up the kitchen to the living room by tearing down the wall in between and putting in new cabinets, appliances and granite counter tops. We put in new cabinets, granite counter tops and fixtures in the bathroom as well. We lay down 18-inch ceramic tiles from the kitchen to the bathroom and carpeted the living and bedroom. Put on a fresh coat of paint and gave everything else a thorough cleaning. Finally changed all the lighting and electrical outlets and switches. I ended up putting in around $17,000 in renovations.

After about a month and a half of renovating and taking care of unforeseen problems, I put it on the market and fianlly got it sold for $250,000. Not bad for a novice. It wasn't too hard and it was definitely fun and I learned that much more about renovations. It was an exciting project that I will enjoy doing again and again.

Learning more about your hometown from out of town clients

Kengo Ueno (R) eCertified, ABR (Prudential Locations LLC) — Tue, 05 Dec 2006 05:43:56 -0600

It's all a very humbling experience but every time these client's (very close friends now) come to Hawaii, I seem to learn and experience new things about the island I live on.

I've lived here on Oahu, Hawaii for the past 28 years, since I was 6 and have experienced and done a lot of different things but everytime they come here, they seem to have something new up their sleeves. My girlfriend and I have had the pleasures of showing them local places and foods but we've also had the pleasures of learning something new about our island every time they visit.

They're a wonderful couple from California that just loves Hawaii. I believe they listen to our radio stations and even get our newspapers. They buy season tickets to our college football games here and give us whatever games they can't make. Ever since I've met them about 4 years ago, they've been coming here about 4-6 times a year.

We've done so many different things here with them but some of the most memorable ones were:

Laugh Factory Comedy Show - a couple of comedy acts for around $30 with drinks.
Cirque Hawaii in Waikiki - Hawaii's version of Vegas's Cirque du Soleil for about $60.
Horseback riding at Turtle Bay on the North Shore of Oahu - This was a nice 45 minute ride along sandy beaches and tropical forests. Prices were around $50 dollars for adults and $30 for children 7-12 years old.
Parasailing off of Waikiki - It was a cool way to see the Waikiki coastline for about $40. We were out on the water for about an hour and a half and I got to see a turtle from the air.
Dolphin excursion and snorkeling off of the Ko Olina Resort on West Oahu - The boat took us out from the Ko Olina Resort Marina and took us to the very west tip of Oahu to Ka'ena Point where we got to snorkle for about an hour. Got to see a lot of small tropical fish, a moray eel and a couple of turtles. The water there was beautiful. About $100 for adults which includes lunch.
ATV riding at Kualoa Ranch which is on the north east side of Oahu - $94 for a half day activity tour. You get a to do a couple of different activities which included a buffet lunch. We rode a boat around Chinaman's Hat (a tiny island off of Kualoa which looks like a "chinaman's hat") for about an hour, had lunch then rode ATV's into Kualoa Valley where they filmed a bunch of movies like Jurassic Park, 50 First Dates, Mighty Joe Young, Pearl Harbor, Windtalkers, You Me and Dupree, etc.

We've also been to a bunch of great restaurants and bars to fill in any gaps between activities.

If it wasn't for these out of town friends of ours, we would have never experienced any of these things. Also, by playing host to them, it's like we took a little vacation ourselves and learned that much more about our own hometown.

We've become such wonderful friends and I always look forward to seeing them again. These types of friendships aren't made everyday and we will treasure the time well spent in the near future also. They are lifetime clients and friends.

I heard something about shark cages on their next visit.....

Hawaii goes smoke free

Kengo Ueno (R) eCertified, ABR (Prudential Locations LLC) — Mon, 20 Nov 2006 13:18:21 -0600

Smokers beware....Hawaii just became the 14th state to become a smoke free state on November 16th at virtually all public places and workplaces.

Smoking now will be prohibited anywhere they serve food and drinks including restaurants, bars, lu'au parties and hotel lobbies. Smoking is banned from anywhere there are two walls and a roof including bus stops and semi-enclosed places. Other public places involve outdoor stadiums and amphitheaters. Smoking is allowed 20 feet away from entrances and windows to enclosed areas and public places. Not even next to the lifeguard stand on the beach unless you are 20 feet away because that is considered a workplace and there is still further talk about a total ban from all public beaches and parks in the near future. Most prohibited areas shall have prominently posted no-smoking signs.

Businesses in violation will be fined:

$100 for the first offense
$200 for the second offense
$500 for every offense after

Individuals will be fined $50.

The state has set up a hotline for complaints and feedback. They don't want smokers to feel discriminated against and say that they want to educate smokers more on the negative effects that smoking has. They hope that this will set a course for more smokers to become aware and hope that more smokers will want to quit on their own. This is for an even healthier Hawaii. Is your state smoke free?

Did you guys see ABC News's Nightline last night?

Kengo Ueno (R) eCertified, ABR (Prudential Locations LLC) — Sat, 11 Nov 2006 05:34:54 -0600

Did anyone see ABC News's Nightline last night about the current real estate market? We all know what's going on in the real estate maket in our own backyard but when I saw the report last night on Nightline, it really woke me up and made me think twice about our market here.

I knew Hawaii's market slowed down but I guess I just didn't realize how much it really slowed down for other places until I seen it on TV last night. We're not as slow here compared to some of the places that they mentioned last night but it really opened my eyes and got me rethinking my business plan for next year.

I think that we have a really unique real estate market here in Hawaii and that it hasn't slowed down that much yet but if we're not ready for a slower market, it will be really hard to survive it when it comes. Prospecting and marketing will become more and more important as the market gets slower and slower while showings will become more and more plentiful before putting in any offers. We gotta start taking "slow market" preventatives and put together an emergency "real estate" kit. haha

Has anyone else see the episode? I didn't get to see the whole episode but if anyone else has more information from the show, please share. I'd say we're at about 90 to 120 days on market now before a listing goes into escorw here but there still seems to be a lot of buyer activity. How many days on market now in your town before a listing goes into escrow?