It's time for an update on the real estate market in Maliu Ridge, the desirable subdivision of homes on small acreages near Hawi in North Kohala.  Almost two months have passed since the lastest Maliu Ridge luxury foreclosure (REO) was listed for sale.   I thought the foreclosure was a best buy at the listing price of just under $800,000, considering that it sold in 2008 for $1,275,000.  However, neither it...nor any other home for sale in Maliu Ridge...has had an acceptable offer since then. So the bank just keeps inching down the price.  It doesn't help that their listing photos were taken on a dreary day and do nothing to show the charm of the landscaping.  Here's a better photo from the previous listing: The charm of this Maliu Ridge home is in its landscaping and potential for exte... 04/13/2011

Update March 11,2011: Guess it was a no-brainer, listing agent reports 6 cash offers in. Price reduced $119,000 yesteray, bank-owned 20-acre lot is now only $ 380,000 (MLS 230887) When the bank foreclosed on this 20-acre lot at Puuepa Ranch, a small gated community of 20-acre ocean view parcels near Hawi in North Kohala, they put it on the market at $642,900.  That was more than one year ago, January 2010! Since there had been no sales in Puuepa Ranch since 2007 (and that sale was for $1,150,000), I can only guess they were basing their price on the listing prices for the remaining developer lots.  I'd had buyers make offers on those developer parcels, so I could have told them they were priced too high. Yesterday they reduced the price to $380,000, which makes it competitive with the ... 03/03/2011

Maliu Ridge, Hawi, luxury foreclosure has this incredible view and horse-ready pasture (MLS 243003) In 2008, well past what most observers feel was the peak of the Hawaii (Big Island) real estate market, a lovely ocean view home at Maliu Ridge, the upscale subdivision above Hawi in North Kohala, sold for $1,275,000 setting a new record.  My jaw dropped when this property hit the MLS a few days ago. I'm not sure whether I was more surprised at the $798,600 price or the fact that it had been foreclosed! I hurried over and verified the property, unlike most foreclosures, is still in pristine condition.  It is a perfect layout for someone who wants a right-sized home for retirement as the main house is only around 2,000 sq ft, and the 3 bedrooms and guest house are well separated to provid... 02/22/2011

"The Case of the Dirty Deed" with Real Estate Investigator Forrest Arnold (RB) --- Case solved! see the video: http://www.youtube.com/user/lesforrest#p/u/1/BTn26UqqeKw (This fictional "investigator" helps clients navigate the mysteries of real estate transactions here in Hawaii... Enjoy!) 09/29/2010

During the listing discussions with a friend-becoming-a-client, the tone of the conversation had suddenly shifted from "Hey, help me sell my property!" to "I'm the Seller---you listen to me, I don't listen to you..." As my frustration grew, I finally burst out with "Listen, Mike, I'm your friend and I'm a professional---but I am not your 'boy' --- so let's start over." Everything shifted---we sold his home for the highest price ever in the neighborhood & he bought the 27-acre Hawaii dream property.  Looking back now, we laugh about the "boy" thing....but I found that speaking my truth changed everything. Best to you from Big Island    Forrest Arnold RB         check out:  http://youtube.com/user/lesforrest       09/26/2010

This is only a slightly re-touched photo of our daily life here on the Big Island of Hawaii. Is "paradise" a dream worth having?   Do you and your clients deserve to live somewhere that shows the spirit of Aloha shown in this photo? As relocation specialists, we help people find the right fit -- the right home in the right community  Forrest --Hawaii's Green Realtor     Check us out: Hawaii Real Estate Update. com 09/25/2010

Hey --- Here's part 2 of the home auction drama--- As I watched the on-line "auction action" with 7 minutes until bid-closing, my clients Peggy & Leo were right in there slugging with a bid of $430,000. Just to be safe, I gave Peggy a call in those last few moments to be sure she knew about the 10% "buyer's premium" that the auction house adds to the winning bid---- So if her $430,000 bid was the winner, she'd be on the hook for $430k + $43k = $473,000. Peggy said, "What?!? I never saw that on the auction site." Sure enough, in a little gray link at the bottom of the auction site "Terms & Conditions", there was the 10% hook. We both knew that $473,000 was more that she wanted to pay Peggy: "Wow, thanks, Forrest---I'm outa here." So---- did I lose a sale? Or save a client from an unexpec... 09/25/2010

Although much of the activity in North Kohala (Hawi - Kapaau) in the past month was in the lower end of the market, the two residential sales were at the upper end.  Interestingly enough, each of these properties sold for $50,000 above their last listed price!  The Puakea Bay Ranch property had a significant price reduction that prompted multiple offers, and sold for $1,650,000 to a family whose children will bring life and sparkle to what has primarily been a community for well-heeled retirees and part-time residents.  With the only active listing there being the oceanfront estate for $13,750,000, it is likely that lot listings will get more attention in coming months. The only Puakea Bay Ranch active listing is this oceanfront estate for $13,750,000 (MLS 232548 ) The Hawi Historic Hom... 09/01/2010

Short sales and foreclosure properties are still only a small part of the real estate market in Hawi and Kapaau, the place locals call just "Kohala".  And some of them are sitting on the market without offers, which seems a little strange given the level of current activity. All of the agents working our Kohala market seem to be looking a little ragged these days, but they have big smiles on their faces as property here is starting to move.  To date I have a sale of raw land already closed with two more properties in escrow in this area, which prompted me to look at our market statistics, and where the distress property bargains are! To add prospective...in the first quarter of 2009 there wre a total of five closings: one three-acre lot, one foreclosure, one for sale by owner (limited s... 03/05/2010

We're half way through the Twelve Days of Christmas!  Having grown up with a grandmother who was Ukrainian Orthodox, I know that the Christmas season actually begins with Christmas Day and leads up to the Feast of the Epiphany.  One of the great things about living in Hawaii, especially in areas with a lot of that old Hawaii flavor such as my home community of Hawi - Kapaau in North Kohala on the Big Island, is the fabulous mix of ethnicities keeping alive their cultural traditions within the American and Hawaiian contexts. On the radio from Thanksgiving to Christmas Day, we hear Christmas carols sung by Hawaiian artists in versions that include beautiful translations of lyrics into the Hawaiian language often with ukulele and slack key guitar accompaniment.  But my favorite local versi... 12/31/2009

This might be the biggest holiday of the year for residents of Kohala.  Each year on June 11th, Big Island residents and visitors converge on the birthplace of Kamehameha the Great to watch the placing of hundreds of lei on the statue in Kapa'au and the parade between Hawi and the statue that features pa'u riders in their traditional costumes. Arrive early as the road will close by 8 am.  From 10 am - 4pm following the parade, enjoy food, entertainment, educational demonstrations such saddle making and ancient Hawaiian games, and crafts at Kamehameha Park. North Kohala is a rural community with a total of around 6,000 residents per the last official census. Homes in Kohala range from charming "cane shacks" relocated and renovated after the sugar plantations shut down in the 1970s, to es... 06/08/2009

Earth Day has grown into Earth month here on the Big Island.  When you live on an island thousands of miles away from the nearest continent, the impact of human decisions on the environment is perhaps more obvious than someplace where land is plentiful. In the district of North Kohala on the thumb tip of Hawaii Island, we feel perhaps even more isolated and more conscious of the impacts.  Perhaps that is why the annual Trash Bash has grown over the past three years into a major community and tourist event. On Saturday last week, members of the Merchants Association (essentially all the businesses is Hawi and Kapaau) had special prices and events to draw residents and visitors to town, where they also could view the entries into the Trash Bash Art Show and pick up information from Sustai... 04/22/2009

We've been blessed to have a volunteer create and maintain an email list for the past few years so that notices of community events, volunteer opportunities, educational offerings, legislative updates and other news of interest to residents of North Kohala (Hawi area).  Now they've passed the baton and the new version of the Kohala News has a website and a link so that you too can subscribe to the e-newsletter. We also are fortunate to have a monthly newspaper with in-depth coverage of community events and issues, as well as features on Kohala history and personalities.  The Kohala Mountain News doesn't have a website, but you can subscribe to the paper edition. Contact kohalamountainnewsediotr@gmail.com or call 808-889-6909 for current rates.  A hui hou, Beth Beth Thoma Robinson R(S) S... 04/21/2009

Do you know what a locavore is?  Ever try making your meals only with products grown or raised within 100 miles of your home?  The Big Island may be the most ideal place on the planet for a locavore to live.  Here in North Kohala, I do most of my shopping at Takata Store, which is conveniently located between my real estate office in Hawi, and my residence in Kapa'au.  Last night on my way home from work, I stopped in to Takata Store where I purchased locally grown salad greens and cilantro, flour tortillas made in Hilo, and a Big Island fresh salsa (guess what we were having for dinner!). The parking lot was full and I had parked my car on the northern edge of the lot.  Imagine my surprise when I spied "pork on the hoof" boldly rooting for something good to eat on the grassy area adjac... 02/20/2009

The National Association of Realtors chose an interesting theme for their Rose Parade float: NAR's float celebrates the Dream of Homeownership for 100 Years, taking its inspiration from the Johann David Wyss novel Swiss Family Robinson. In the story, the family is shipwrecked on a deserted island. Together they build a unique home among the trees, which becomes their strength and solace. I took this as a great omen and theme for 2009!  I happen to be married to a Swiss (and by virtue of that, a naturalized Swiss citizen myself)...and although his name is the "Thoma" and mine the "Robinson", we jokingly refer to ourselves as the Swiss Family Robinson since we live on a beautiful, thankfully not deserted, island.  In the current economic and real estate climate, there is a blessing.  I'm ... 01/05/2009

Or maybe not! We've been advertising in local real estate magazines "come up to vog-free North Kohala" and so of course it had to happen.  Earlier this week the trade winds disappeared and for a few days we found our views masked with the dreaded "vog"...the volcanic smog generated by the ongoing eruption of Kileaua on the south side of our island. We sweated it for a couple of days.  And then yesterday, driving home after appointments with our doctors and veterinarian in Kailua-Kona, we were cheered to see the skies clear as we hit Kawaihae.  In fact, from Highway 270 we not only had our big Maui view, it was so clear we could see Lanai on the horizon! That is still quite different from how it has been to the south of us.  My mom, who used to enjoy a nightly sunset from her apartment l... 12/05/2008

Constant Contact email newsletter software has finally made BIG inroads on the BIG Island, and each day I receive multiple emails from other real estate agents, most of them about properties that aren’t in my geographical focus and aren’t in my the geographical focus of my prospects and clients either. However, they are often good for the entertainment value. I’ve kept one in my in-box for a couple of weeks just for the daily smile it provokes, and I thought on this beautiful, sunny, vog-free day in Hawi I would share it with my readers. The property description begins: “Ocean Views! Mountain Views! ” …..drumroll…..”Eruption Views!” (Click to more info on my website including a map of Big Island Lava Zones if you want to imagine where the property might be located.) The house has many d... 11/07/2008

It is an overcast day in Hawi, with temperatures a few degrees cooler than they have been lately. If tomorrow's weather is like today's, the competitors in the Ironman Triathlon should appreciate Mother Nature's assistance. For the past couple of weeks, looking out the window from my office I have seen lean, mean bicyclists passing, not the typical tourist bicycle tours. Today I arrived to find we have porta-luas lined up in our parking lot. Although most people think of Kailua-Kona when they think of the Ironman, the bicycle route takes competitors all the way up the Kohala Coast to turnaround in our little town. Here’s what our office parking lot looked like on race day a few years back:   We're proud to be part of the action!  What a great inspiration in these challenging times.  GOO... 10/10/2008

"Community" is more than just developer-speak for a subdivision or project when it comes to North Kohala. We actually do have a new...or revised...subdivision coming soon, but mostly we are a small town/rural area with only a few developer-sponsored "communities".  There are several annual events that bring out EVERYONE in our diverse community, and last Saturday we had a booth at the Kohala Country Fair. Maybe because we are Hawaii PALM properties, our booth was in between the Aikane Nursery and the Coqui Frog Coalition!  It was a prime location, under the Banyan tree in downtown Hawi.   The Fair's theme was Caring for the Earth and there was a very active "Green Zone" with a seed exchange and information about sustainable agriculture and new technologies.  Even the plates and utensil ... 10/08/2008

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