Aloha, As in the past 8 months, September just flew by with a total of 49 sales for the month, up from 40 in Sep 2009. Year to date we have a substantial increase with 346 sales as of this time last year compared to 519 at close of Sep 2010. October is off to a relatively slow start with just one new listing (which is good - we have plenty of listings - just need more sales) however, no units went into escrow and there was only one sale. Here is your update: Copyright 10/3/2010 by Hawaii Information Service NEW LISTINGS238953 CND AT CPR A 5 4-5-4-5-17-41 FS $350,000 Alii Kai Ii Hanalei #13A 1,032 #13A 2/2.00 BACK ON THE MARKET227584 CND AT CPR A 134 4-5-4-15-21-28 FS $270,000 Sandpiper Village I #128 1,042 #128 2/2.00236134 CND AT CPR A 103 4-5-4-6-1-54 FS $799,000 Villas Of Kamalii #54... 10/04/2010

  Here's my quarterly update on Princeville Condo Salesfor the first three quarters of the year.  In tomorrow's blog I will share the Princeville Home Sales and in the next blog I will show you the island-wide statistics. The 2010 Year-to-Date through September Median Sales Price for a Princeville condo droppped 25% below the same period in 2009 and almost 50% since its peak in 2007.  The median sales price has now dropped below the 2004 Median Sales Price for the same period (Year-to-Date through September).  The most expensive Princeville condo saleso far this year was Ka'iulani 17 that sold for $1,300,000.  Ka'iulani #17 has incredible Ocean, Valley, Golf Course and Mountain views.  It has  three bedrooms (two are master suites) and three and one half bathrooms. Soaring ceilings in t... 10/03/2010

Kauai REO, Kauai Foreclosures, Hawaii October 1, 2010 List. Kauai REO, Kauai Foreclosures, Hawaii REO, Hawaii Foreclosures. This blog is the October 1, 2010 Kauai REO (bank owned property) list. It is updated weekly or on the 1st of the month. Kauai REO Homes for Sale:   #1. 3835 Albert Road, Princeville. 3 bedroom plus office, 3 full baths 2 half baths large gorgeous home. MLS#239211. Owned by Wells Fargo.#2.  2271 Haku Hale St, Brydeswood Terrace, Kalaheo. 3 bedroom. MLS#237208 $278,900. Owned by One West Bank. (formally IndyMac Bank).#3.  3981 Aka Rd, Lawai. 2 homes on a large lot for $474,500. MLS#237801#4.  3934 Lawehana St #3, Hanamaulu. A 3 bedroom 2 bath CPR home located on the rim. $279,000 MLS#237714. Owned by Aurora Loan Services.#5. 5011 Haleilio Road, Wailua Houselots. 2 b... 09/30/2010

Aloha, Someone recently asked me about the rate of sales to amount of inventory, otherwise known as the absorption rate. For quite awhile now, the absorption rate for Princeville has been about 2 years. For example, right now in Princeville there are 123 condos listed for sale. This does not include fractional offerings. From 1/1/2010 to 6/30/2010 there have been 34 sales or 5.67 sales per month, which means it will take 22 months to deplete the current inventory. However, at present, there are 19 condos in escrow, all but five of which are a short sale, one of which is a foreclosure. It's easy to see where buyers are finding value these days. The one issue with short sales is that the bank must give approval for the sale to occur, which is a major contingency in the contract. Our MLS p... 09/26/2010

Aloha, If you were ever curious as to just how far away Africa is, let me tell you, it is far. 5.5 hours from Kauai to LA, 4.5 hours from LA to Atlanta and then there's always the 15.5 hour flight from Atlanta to Johannesberg. Was it worth it? Most definitely. But I'd better not get started or we'll never get to this weeks update: Copyright 9/20/2010 by Hawaii Information Service NEW LISTINGS238812 CND AT CPR A 4 4-5-3-11-1-26 FS $878,000 Villas On The Prince #26 6,000 sqft 1,765 #26 3/3.00238674 CND AT CPR A 3 4-5-3-6-22-43 FS $1,695,000 Kaiulani Of Princeville #43 2,443 #43 3/3.01238633 CND AT CPR A 6 4-5-4-12-2-8 FS $275,000 Hale Moi #108 1,033 #108 1/2.00238695 CND AT CPR A 6 4-5-4-12-10-21 FS $469,000 Emmalani Court #324 1,192 #324 2/2.00238771 CND AT CPR A 6 4-5-4-5-23-12 FS $547,... 09/20/2010

Queen Emma's Bluffs is a luxury, gated community in Princeville on Kauai's North Shore.  It's an island oasis of 94 homes & homesites completely surrounded by the Prince Golf Course.  The golf course views plus a gorgeous backdrop of mountain peaks with cascading waterfalls make this community truly unique.    Contact me if you would like additional information on Queen Emma's Bluffs or other area communities. Aloha, Richard   09/11/2010

Aloha, This will be my last weekly update until Sep 20th as I'm going on a vacation where I am unable to take a computer due to the fact that I have to use soft side luggage plus there are weight restrictions, not to mention that I don't think I have connectivity or coverage in Africa. But that's another story. Here's your update for the week just past: (Please keep in mind that the information which follows is accurate as of this date and will change daily.) Copyright 8/29/2010 by Hawaii Information Service NEW LISTINGS237569 CND AT CPR A 6 4-5-3-11-1-12 FS $885,000 Villas On The Prince #12 1,732 #12 3/3.00236149 CND AT CPR A 6 4-5-4-12-10-29 FS $490,000 Emmalani Court #422 1,192 #422 2/2.00238116 CND AT CPR A 6 4-5-4-5-39-191 FS $549,000 Cliffs At Princeville #9201 963 #9201 1/2.00238... 08/29/2010

Aloha, It was a relatively quiet week with minimal activity as you'll see from the update. Overall, we're slightly behind where we were this time last year, with 44 properties sold in Aug 09 compared to 39 sold so far this month. Do you think we'll meet or exceed that number? Island wide there are currently 180 listings in escrow, 36 of which show as either short sales or foreclosures, so I'd say the outlook is good. Condos are on track with 15 sold as of today's date which is the same number that sold for all of Aug 09. Houses are lagging slightly behind with only 18 sold compared to 23 last August. Year to date we are ahead of the game with 445 sales as of today's date compared to 309 for YTD Aug 09. Looking at these numbers it's hard to fathom that back in 03 we had 1127 sales as of ... 08/22/2010

Aloha, So far this month we've had 15 sales Island wide, 4 of which were in Princeville. We're already equaled the number of condo sales for Aug 09, which had a total of 15 for the month. For Jul 10, there were 18 sales so we're well on our way to surpassing both numbers. Here's what has sold so far: Copyright 8/15/2010 by Hawaii Information Service MLS DataLocation Sold Date Price Sold Price Kauai Beach Resort #3108 8/4/2010 $56,300 $52,000Kauai Beach Resort #3202 8/9/2010 $85,000 $70,000Halelani Village At Puhi Ph Ic #W104 8/6/2010 $179,000 $150,000Kiahuna Plantation #427 8/13/2010 $160,000 $150,000Puamana #14B 8/6/2010 $300,000 $290,000Princeville Mauna Kai #2A 8/10/2010 $299,000 $290,000Villas At Puali #102 8/13/2010 $358,000 $322,000Makahuena #I203 8/13/2010 $349,900 $325,000Prince... 08/15/2010

Aloha, Another week has flown by with a minimum of activity, although we did have one short sale finally go into escrow and two lower end units close. Take a look for yourself: Copyright 8/8/2010 by Hawaii Information Service NEW LISTINGS237578 CND AT CPR A 23 4-5-3-6-22-5 FS $575,000 Kaiulani Of Princeville #5 2,843 #5 3/3.01229652 CND AT CPR A 4 4-5-3-6-22-18 FS $1,950,000 Kaiulani Of Princeville #18 2,864 #18 3/3.01228165 CND AT CPR A 4 4-5-4-12-10-27 FS $479,000 Emmalani Court #415 1,456 #415 2/2.00237611 CND AT CPR A 2 4-5-4-5-24-21 FS $499,000 Nihilani At Princeville Resort #7C 1,972 #7C 3/3.00226784 CND AT CPR A 4 4-5-4-6-1-12 FS $599,000 Villas Of Kamalii #12 1,825 #12 3/3.00210873 CND AT CPR W 4 4-5-4-5-16-52 FS $409,000 Alii Kai At Hanalei #7101 886 #7101 2/2.00 CONTINGENT SAL... 08/08/2010

Aloha, This was a busy weekend, if not in real estate then in regards to all the wonderful activities which were available. Here's just a sampling: Fourth annual Hanalei open water swim on Saturday Limahuli Garden work / hike Saturday in Haena Ninth annual Iaorana Tahiti workshop in Kapaa Beach Park Saturday and Sunday Bon Dance is at the Kapaa Hongwanji Mission on Saturday Hanalei's First Sandcastle Contest on Saturday "The Cove" a free movie at the Princeville Community Center on Saturday "Loveland" a one woman show at Church of the Pacific, Princeville, Saturday...... You could also volunteer to repair the Kalalau trail or see a dance competition at the Convention Center in Lihue or even take a Yoga class in Kalaheo. You can rest assured that if you've had enough (for the moment) of ... 08/02/2010

Aloha, The weather has been stellar, the winds warm with beautiful blue skies and white puffy clouds, but the real estate - not quite so good. Here were are almost into August and it's pretty quiet in most parts of town. Now, don't get me wrong - the buys out there are nothing short of phenomenal and interest rates are spectacular (however actually qualifying for one of those loans is another matter entirely) so I'm not quite sure why buyers are still sitting on the sidelines. The quality of life here is certainly something to write home about but perhaps the general economy, the Gulf oil spill and just about everything else is keeping people's money in their pockets. There were four sales this week, three of which were bank owned properties. Take a look at this week's update: Copyright... 07/25/2010

Aloha, I don't know how many of you were on Island and saw that the space station was readily visible over the weekend - I managed to see it precisely at 8:27 PM on Friday as was predicted. It's supposed to be visible again Sunday night at 7:44PM in a N to NW direction. It's alternating between sun and rain today so it's a still questionable as to if I'll be able to see it tonight. Although short sales continue to be a large part of the market, only one went into escrow this week and of the units that came onto the market, only one was in pre-foreclosure status. Here is your update for this past week: Copyright 7/18/2010 by Hawaii Information Service NEW LISTINGS234084 CND AT CPR A 2 4-5-3-6-22-5 FS $1,795,000 Kaiulani Of Princeville #5 2,843 #5 3/3.01236890 CND AT CPR A 5 4-5-4-5-13-3 ... 07/18/2010

Aloha, It's been another somewhat quiet week - although a very beautiful sunny one. Short sales and REO's continue to dominate the market with two new condo short sales coming on the market and two going into escrow this week. Here is your update: Copyright 7/10/2010 by Hawaii Information Service NEW LISTINGS236584 CND AT CPR A 4 4-5-4-5-23-21 FS $377,000 Plantation At Princeville #611 1,153 #611 2/2.00236696 CND AT CPR A 3 4-5-4-5-24-15 FS $649,000 Nihilani At Princeville Resort #5C 1,986 #5C 3/3.00236681 CND AT CPR A 3 4-5-4-5-39-175 FS $995,000 Cliffs At Princeville #8201 963 #8201 1/2.00 BACK ON THE MARKET231629 CND AT CPR A 162 4-5-4-5-4-12 FS $350,000 Princeville Mauna Kai #2B 2,100 #2B 3/3.03 CONTINGENT SALES224335 CND AT CPR C 406 4-5-4-15-21-11 FS $220,000 Sandpiper Village I #... 07/11/2010

Hanalei District - North Shore- Kauai -Condo Sales Statistics In my last blog post, I showed the sales statistics for single family residence sales.  Now let's  look at the condo sales statistics on the North Shore. The number of sales is picking up as the median sales price continues to decrease. Hanalei District includes Kilauea, Anini, Princeville, Hanalei,Wainiha and Haena. The vast majority of condos are located in Princeville. The condo sales statistics shw that there were 36 condos sold in the first half of 2010. Two of those sales were fractional sales at Plantaion at Princeville. The median sales price dropped to $410,00 well below the the prices in the past 6 years. The least expensive condo sold was a Sandpiper REO (#115) for $214,900.  There were two Ka'iulani of Princeville... 07/08/2010

Hanalei District - North Shore- Kauai -Home Sales Statistics Here are the Home Sales Statistics on the North Shore of Kauai for the First Half 2010. There were 39 homes sold in the First Half of 2010 on the North Shore of Kauai with a median sales price of $725,000.  The number of sales was up over the First Half of 2009. The median sales price continued to decline and is below First Half 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, & 2009. The least expensive home sold for $341,600 in Kilauea.  There were 7 homes that sold for under $400,000 - all located in Kilauea. The most expensive home sold for $2,662,500 in Wainiha.  9 home sold for over $1 million.   Here are the First Half Hanalei Home Sales Statistics:   07/06/2010

Aloha, Happy Fourth of July! I hope all of you are enjoying the same magnificent weather as we are here on Kauai. We enjoyed the fireworks at PMRF last night and tonight you can see even more at the Vidinha Stadium where the Kauai Hospice presents their annual fundraiser, "Concert in the Sky." It's a fun filled day with live music, crafts, games, food and of course, culminating in a fantastic fireworks display. There are no new listings this past week but we did have 5 properties come back on the market for one reason or another while 4 others went into escrow. Take a look at your update: Copyright 7/4/2010 by Hawaii Information Service BACK ON THE MARKET224335 RES CD CF A 400 4-5-4-15-21-11 $220,000 Sandpiper Village I #111 1,042 #111 2/2.00227584 RES LR CF A 133 4-5-4-15-21-28 $290,00... 07/04/2010

Aloha, Ok, so it's not a sizzling hot summer - but that's not due to lack of good inventory. A large part of it may be difficulty in obtaining a loan. Whatever normal roadblocks there used to be, you can now multiply that by 5 or 10 and plan on extending your closing while you're at it. Getting a loan these days - especially for a condo in a resort area, can be quite challenging due to the guidelines set forth by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, and if you go for a portfolio loan, be ready to pay higher points with a higher interest rate. As a result, I've been seeing more and more cash sales which pretty much ensures that the buyer will close (once you get past the inspections) and certainly gives them even more negotiating power with the seller. After all, with cash, there's no worry as to... 06/27/2010

Aloha, I love to read headlines and then to interpret what is actually being said. For example, in the June 7th Honolulu edition of the Pacific Business News the headline read "Kauai home, condo sales soar in May, prices aren't following suit." Wow, I said to myself, did I miss something? Since I report on the stats each month, I thought I'd better go back and take a second look and here is what I found: Yes, I guess sales did "soar" if you consider a 46% increase in total sales, going from 37 properties sold in May 09 to 54 sold in May 10 as "soaring." Of these May 10 sales, 27 were single family homes and 18 were condos, up from 15 homes and 13 condos sold in May 09 which represents an 80% increase in home sales over 09 and a 38% increase in condos. Granted, the numbers are up but the... 06/20/2010

Aloha, Seems the bank REO's and short sales are finally finding buyers both in condos and homes. Take a look at this week's update: NEW LISTINGS235814 MTF,RES SA CF A 1 4-5-3-6-22-1 $1,495,000 Kaiulani Of Princeville #1 18.00 ac 2,843 #1 3/3.01235875 RES SA CF A 1 4-5-3-6-22-56 $1,395,000 Kaiulani Of Princeville #56 18.00 ac 2,443 #56 3/3.01235459 RES LR CF A 6 4-5-4-12-11-55 $1,488,000 Puu Poa #413 1,765 #413 2/2.00 CONTINGENT SALES232789 RES LR CF C 9 4-5-4-5-18-68 $229,999 Puamana #19B 1,532 #19B 2/2.00231562 RES LR CF C 122 4-5-4-5-4-2 $299,000 Princeville Mauna Kai #2A 1,503 #2A 2/2.00234345 RES OT,SA CF C 47 4-5-4-5-18-50 $300,000 Puamana #14B 1,532 #14B 2/2.00233255 RES CD CF C 81 4-5-4-5-23-24 $415,000 Plantation At Princeville #622 1,366 #622 3/3.00225391 RES SA CF C 349 4-5-4-... 06/14/2010