Michael's Blog

Every month the Honolulu Board of Realtors publishes the Monthly Statistical Report for 19 Neighborhood groups on Oahu. And every month, I play a little game with myself, seeing how my "gut feeling" of what the market is doing compares with the raw data that the HBR supplies. Although I concentra...

It never ceases to amaze me. Recently I listed a townhouse that was simply put, a Realtor's dream. The Sellers had made wonderful improvements, and the detail and care of the work they had done was clearly evident throughout the unit. When I took the listing, I had gone over all the market data w...

This week a couple of agents in my office are going away on vacation, and I'll be handling their escrows while they are out of town. I consider this an honor, rather than a burden. I feel honored that these top producer agents put their trust in me to oversee their transactions, and that they fee...

That should be the headline. Mass Transit is a hot issue here on Oahu, as the population has topped one million and continues to swell, adding daily to the congestion and obsolescence of the city's traffic capacity. In the last thirty-six years, I have seen City Councils form exploratory committe...

Yesterday was the remembrance of the "Day That Will Live In Infamy", the 65th anniversary of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. I did not post any reports or testimonies regarding the account, as those blogs by Randy Prothero and others were extremely well done and complete. There is one story ...

Christmas will be here in just over two weeks, then a week later we will be starting a New Year. I know there is still a lot to be done before the Holidays, but it isn't too early to start reviewing this past year and preparing for the next.What is the basis by which you judge the quality of the ...

Not everyone believes they can become a homeowner. For some people, the dream of owning their own home appears to be out of reach. Consequently, many people give up before they even try. Just as Fannie Mae has stated in its' charter, that it has the express purpose of making funds available to pr...

Tomorrow is the end of the month, and I am anxiously awaiting the end of the month statistics for November, which the Honolulu Board of Realtors will issue by October 2. In the meantime, I thought I would post some of the numbers from October and a bit of interpretation as to how this relates to ...

About three years ago, Honolulu was inundated with an avalanche of "No Money Down" seminars. People like Robert A***n, Carlton Sh**ts and others made a killing on the hot market frenzy in full swing at the time, and filled up venues at the Hawaii Convention Center and the Blaisdell Arena. The evi...

Like just about any other professional, I take great pride in my work. And like most other people, I also like to enjoy an unrelated hobby. In my case, my form of relaxation is woodworking. I find that the process of molding sticks and boards into a piece of fine furniture, a carving, or even a s...