Kauai Home Sales

*****Pacific Ocean Properties Named Christie’s International Affiliate!*****

I’m really excited to report that the company I’m with, Pacific Ocean Properties, was named the exclusive affiliate of Christie’s Great Estates, a wholly owned subsidiary of Christie’s International which is the worlds oldest fine art auction house.  With Real Estate becoming more global every year this is a valuable affiliation with a very prestigious company.

Being a part of this network entails Pacific Ocean Properties to reach a wider audience in marketing its selection of high-end properties in Po’ipu thus increasing their exposure globally for all their properties.  Christies Great Estates is the largest international luxury network of real estate brokers and it’s network includes more than 850 offices and approximately 35,000 sales associates in more the 40 countries. 

And now for the real estate news for this week!  For an excel spreadsheet on what was listed last week and what has sold CLICK HERE FOR SPREADSHEET

*****Lihue, Kauai makes National Geographic “Move To” List*****
Lihue, Kauai was the only city in the entire state to make National Geographic’s list of places to move to.  What’s even better is it placed #3 out of 50 outdoor-oriented places for you to move to and live a better life.  National Geographic lists places that were “smart places” to live rather then hot spots.  So state the magazine: “A change of address can
bring instant gratification.  But a move is a long-term investment.  Not only do the selected towns have the action they’ve also got a plan.”  Here is what they listed about the town:  
3. LIHUE, KAUAI, HAWAII
Visitors come for Lihue’s heavenly Kalapaki Beach—perpetually ranked as one
of the world’s finest stretches of white sand. But residents in this
commercial hub (there’s even a Costco) have ample time to explore the
3,000-foot-deep, jungle-fringed Waimea Canyon too.
Population: 5,674
Median home price: $485,000

So who was #1 and #2?  Seattle Washington and Coo’s Bay Oregon,
respectively.

*****California Builder Stopped From Building Home*****
After a protest last week at a Ha’ena home site, which resulted in no arrests after a calm day of demonstration, a California builder is stopped for the time being from building his dream home.  Some 15 members of Ohana O Naue rallied at the Mokihana Building on Tuesday for the state to not allow construction of a single family home which is located at the site where some 30 ancient Hawaiian Burials have been identified.  The protesters asked the 17 member panel to revisit the burial treatment plan approved by the Kaua’i Island Burial Council.  The commission unanimously voted to direct the county Planning Department to investigate the accuracy of the plans. However, on Thursday Judge Kathleen Watanabe affirmed that construction may continue because the base of the home has already been poured and more disturbance to the grounds was not to be expected.  Protesters left the court room dejected and some were in tears.*****Hawaii Celebrates Statehood*****
On August 21, 1959 Hawaii became the 50th state and plans are already underway to celebrate our 50th birthday next year.  A 25 member commission has been formed to over see the “birthday” celebrations.  

*****Kaui Real Estate And Local News Update*****

Good news on the oil price front!  Oil prices dropped to $115 a barrel on Friday driven lower by a huge jump in the US dollar, moderating oil usage across the world and the belief that commodities may have peaked.  Not so good news for Fannie Mae: they posted loses at $2.3 Billion which is 3 times higher then Wall Street expected.  Fannie Mae also slashed their dividends to 5 cents from 35 cents a share.  Borrowers with good credit but no proof of income or those who have little to no down payment are projected to feel the brunt of Fannie Mae’s troubles.

Are you in the market to buy or sell?  Give me a call or email for “no pressure, ever!” information.  For an excel spreadsheet on what was listed last week here on Kauai and what has sold CLICK HERE

 *****Hanalei Bay Resort Resort Management Sold*****

Hanalei Bay Resort is classified as a “condotel” which may or may not be a familiar term to you. Condotel’s are individually owned condos that are put into a management pool and rented out like hotel rooms. The name condotel comes from the fact that they are individual condos in a resort that has the amenities of a hotel. Such is the case with the Hanalei Bay Resort, a 134 unit complex in Princeville on Kauai’s north shore whose management company was recently sold. Effective immediately Celebrity Resorts, which is a Florida based company, will take over from the former management Quintus Resorts. Celebrity Resorts manages 17 resorts spanning over 6 states and the Caribbean. On site of the Hanalei Bay Resort is Happy Talk Lounge and Bali Hai Restaurant and Quintus is in the process of selling the business’s outright to a local restaurateur who has plans to invest 1.5 million into renovations.

*****Obama Thinks Nation Can Learn From Hawaii*****

Presidential hopeful Barack Obama is visiting Hawaii which is where he was born and raised. To a cheering crowd he said that the nation can learn from the way that people live here in Hawaii. The Aloha Spirit which entails helping those in need, treating people with respect and taking care of the elders is needed by the rest of the nation, he said, along with Hawaii’s long standing tradition of working with people of many different backgrounds. He held a rally outside of Keehi Lagoon Beach Park and when asked what else he’s going to do here he said that “Surfs up” and he’ll also spend time with his grandmother who cannot travel anymore and the rest of his family.

*****Candidates Oppose Superferry*****
19 City Council candidates and four Mayoral candidates convened in a round table discussion with the community in attendance. One of the questions posed was their position on the return of the Superferry and all stated that they are against it. All candidates said they want an environmental study done first. The group also agreed on expanded bus service, curbside recycling and banning pesticides in county parks.
Superferry also made the news in the fact that their attendance was up 40% in July. The new attendance figures are less then half of the capacity but it was enough to make the Superferry people feel positive. The comparative low cost to outer island travel and interest in riding the ferry were the two main reasons people gave for choosing the new mode of transportation in a survey that was done from June 20 to July 29.
 

*****Hawaiian Airlines Raises Mileage Rewards Rates and Baggage Fee*****

Hawaiian Airlines announced Wednesday that they will charge and additional $15.00 for the first checked in bag on their mainland flights, the second bag already has a fee of $25.00.  This is for tickets purchased after August 1, 2008.  There will be no charge for the first piece of luggage on the interisland flights.  They will also adjust their frequent flyer program so now more miles are needed to get an award ticket; this will take place after September 1, 2008.  The minimum miles needed for a free flight is 10,000 and it will be increased to 15,000.  Hawaiian Airlines said the last time they raised their mileage program was 14 years ago.

Also in the news for Hawaiian Air:  Mesa Airlines, the parent company of Go! Airlines settled with Hawaiian on a lawsuit for $52.5 million dollars.  This lawsuit settlement allowed the company to have earning of $54.3 million for the last quarter.  Compared to the quarter before which had the airline at a net loss of $3.9 million. Mark Dunkerley, Hawaiian Airlines President,  said “The net beneficial impact of our competitors collapse and our raising of air fares offset by the costs of more expensive jet fuel was to leave us at roughly break even.”  So why the baggage fee instead of a fair hike?  According to Dunkerley “If we add $15 to our fares, bookings would slow down dramatically because online shoppers pick their tickets based on the lowest price.” 

*****Hawaii Information Service Gives Kauai Market Update*****
Hawaii Information Service is where we Realtors put our listings and document our sales.  It’s also where we go when to do market analysis when representing Buyers as tracking past sales, price reductions, days on market and current inventory is a huge key to making an offer.  Hawaii Information Service is a non-biased information collecting tool.  Here is what their data says about our Kauai market “Sales activity for single family residences, vacant land and condominiums are down 39%.  The combined median price for single-family residences, vacant land and condominiums are exactly the same as they were last year.  For sales activity in July 2008, median prices for single-family residences on Kaua’i are $655,000.  Median sales price for condominiums are $569,000 and vacant land is $617,500″ We had another healthy week for closed transactions, for a full excel spreadsheet CLICK HERE

 *****Hawaii To Test 4 Day Workweek*****
In an effort to cut back on expenses of keeping government offices open Governor Linda Lingle is testing a 4 day workweek for the next 3 months.  Employees will now work four 10 hour days Monday through Thursday.  On October 31 the State will evaluate this change to see if this change has made a difference and if they will continue.  Additionally Oahu’s Mayor Mufi Hannemann is ordering all city departments to cut their budgets by 2 to 3 percent and the city will also suspend job fairs and will delay filling vacant positions.  This all comes as a result of a decline in tax revenues. *****What do people look for in a home?*****
Did you know there’s an internal clock that you have when looking at property to decide if you like the place or not?  It’s true!  According to the National Association Of Realtors (NAR)  when people are viewing photos of a piece of property online they will decide if they like it in 3 seconds and when they are looking at a piece of property in person they will know in 30 seconds.  So what are people looking for in homes these days?  Currently here are the top ten things:
-Central air-conditioning
-Garage (2 or more spaces)
-Walk-in closet in master bedroom
-Backyard play area
-Cable/satellite TV-ready
-High speed internet access
-Separate shower enclosure in master bedroom
-Patio
-Fencing
-Home less then 10 years old

*****Kauai Realty Update*****
Foreclosures are making the headlines these days and this weekend was
no different with the report of the Government bailout of Freddie Mac
and Fannie Mae http://www.realtor.org/rmodaily.nsf/pages/News2008072801 . So how does Hawaii rank? According to RealtyTrac; Honolulu had the lowest foreclosure rate among the top 100 metropolitan areas in the United States during the second quarter of
2008. Overall Honolulu ranked 100th out of the top 100 metropolitan areas for
foreclosure filings. Honolulu had a total of 250 foreclosures, or one
filing for every 1,331 households while Stockton, Calif., was No. 1 on the list,
with 9,066 filings, a rate of one filing for every 32 households.
California, Arizona and Nevada rounded out the top three states for foreclosure filings for this last quarter. Nationally, there were a total of 739,714 foreclosure filings during
the second quarter, a 14 percent increase over the previous quarter and a 121 percent increase over the same period last year.

Here on Kauai we had 3 times the amount of closings as we did last week. For an excel spread sheet on what was listed and what closed CLICK HERE

*****Drowning In Poipu*****
Surfers pulled to shore a 60 year old visitor who had died from an
apparent drowning fronting the Waiohi on Friday. The visitor was
taken to Wilcox Hospital where he was pronounced dead, the man’s
identity is not being released at this time. Surfers found him 50
yards offshore near the breakwater on the right side of the Waiohi hotel.

*****Thousands of Crabs Wash Up On Poipu Beach*****
On Tuesday morning lifeguards were astonished to find thousands of tiny
dead juvenile crabs washed up on Poipu Beach and all the way to the
Kiahuna/Sheraton Beach. Smaller amounts were found in front of the Beach
House Restaurant, none were reported at Shipwrecks. The crabs are tiny,
three or four could fit on a penny. States biologist Don Heacock is
trying to find out why this happened. The beaches remained open.

*****AARP Gives Honolulu 2 Thumbs Up*****
“The place you choose to live during retirement could have a big
impact on your health and longevity. AARP The Magazine lists five
great cities that could make all the difference during the golden
yeas” so says AARP as they ranked Honolulu #2 in places to retire.
Reason?? AARP summed up Honolulu’s high marks for health in a
single word: paradise. “With Honolulu’s warm weather and postcard-ready
scenery, residents spend more time exercising than do people in almost
any other city we surveyed and have one of the highest life
expectancy rates.” Here are the cities in the order ranked:
#1 Ann Arbor, Michigan
#2 Honolulu, Hawaii
#3 Madison, Wisconsin
#4 Santa Fe, New Mexico
#5 Fargo, North Dakota

*****Group Hug Anyone?*****
In an attempt to break the Guinness Book of World Records of the largest
Group Hug nearly 1,700 Hawaii National Guard are gathering at Aloha Stadium
along with 6,000 other people, the current record stands at 6,623 and was
set in Mexico. 11 year old Ashley Kakazu came up with the idea and is now
the events organizer. The event is in co-ordination with the troop’s
deployment ceremony to Kuwait. If you need a hug your welcome to fly over!

*****Kauai Real Estate Update*****
I just got back from my 3 week road trip on the mainland. While there I had been keeping up to date on Kauai Real Estate and getting a good look at what’s happening in Real Estate in Northern California, Oregon and Washington areas. It was interesting to compare what your dollar will get you depending on where you buy, I really appreciated getting a first hand look at some of their inventory and mentally comparing the asking price to what you could get on Kauai. Here is an excel spread sheet on Kauai’s last weeks new listings and closed transactions, if you have any questions give me a call. To download the sheet: CLICK HERE

*****Poipu Beach Block Party!*****

Koloa Plantation Days are in full swing here on the South Shore. Friday night was the annual block party at the Sheraton and the streets were blocked off and filled with food booths and live entertainment. People were literally dancing in the streets to our local live music! The evening was topped off with a fantastic performance by Willie K, a local favorite. Koloa started in the 1800’s as a plantation town and the county celebrates our heritage every year with parades and block parties. Plan your next trip around it if you can and join us!

*****Robbery At Kapa’a Middle School*****

Thousands of dollars of equipment was stolen from the Kapa’a Middle School
sometime over last weekend, the discovery was made last Monday morning.
Thieves broke into the school library and computer room causing $3,000 worth of damage to the building in doing so. They then stole $17,000 worth of equipment. Due to the large amount taken it is believed to be the work of several people. There have been letters everyday in our newspaper from residents asking the thieves to replace what they had taken showing clearly that locals are very upset that this was done to the students.

*****Bill “Kaipo” Asing Appointented Mayor”*****
A swearing in ceremony was held on Thursday for the newly appointed Mayor
Asing. Mayor Asing is filling in the seat of our former Mayor Bryan
Babtiste who died of a heart attack last month. The former councilman said
that everybody will keep their same jobs and that “Today is not about
turning the page”, Asing said. “That is not what is called for
now. Everything and everybody that is in place will remain in place and
together we will move forward.” Asing has 137 days from Thursday to be
Mayor. It is expected that Daryl Kaneshiro will return to fill Asings seat
as Councilman.

*****Kauai Unemployment Rate Up*****
Kauai unemployment rate is at 4.4% second to Honolulu’s 4.2% and behind the Big Island 6%. This is largely due to seasonal conditions said Darwin Ching, director of Labor and Industrial Relations. “It’s not a loss of jobs as much as an influx of people entering the labor force,” he said. “We’re still creating jobs, just not at the pace we were in the past.” Kauai’s fastest growing occupations include computer and mathematical professions, computer specialists, social and community managers and heavy equipment mechanics.

*****Fire in Anahola*****

40 acres of State land were burned on Saturday before being contained by Kauai firefighters. No structures were burned and nobody was hurt during the blaze. Dry conditions are the suspected cause and there has been no evidence of arson.

*****Kauai Real Estate*****

Did you know that we are heading into our slow season? It’s true.
Unlike most of the mainland our sales actually slow down during the
summertime as our visitor demographic changes. Kauai has high
occupancy rates pretty much all year but in the summer it changes to
families who are interested in our market but financially are years
away from buying and here’s why; Vacation rental condos and homes are
not cash flow vehicles and are usually the purchases people make who
want to use them as a part time home with the ability to offset some
of the costs with rental income when they are not using it. The
monthly rental income will cover some of your costs but if you have a
mortgage you’ll be running at a negative for sure. Our family
travelers tend to be years away from financially being able to do that.
If you feel this would be a good time for you to take advantage of this give me a call. What came on the market and what sold last week here on Kaua’i? For an excel spreadsheet of last week’s new listings and closed transactions: CLICK HERE

*****Tour Plane Disappears Over The Big Island*****

The last time the Cessna 172 tour plane was seen was flying over Kilauea volcano on Tuesday. The Island Hopper tour plane was carrying the pilot and 2 Japanese tourists. The Coast Guard has scoured over 2,500 square miles and at lease 12 aircraft have been scanning the island for the missing plane. The plane took off at 10:25 a.m. on Monday but failed to return on its scheduled time of 1:30 that afternoon. No distress signals or radio contact came from the plane before the disappearance. On Saturday the Coast Guard suspended it’s search indefinitely. Hawaii county crews will continued to search through Sunday but there were no new developments as of this writing.

*****Stand off in Wainiha*****

Kauai resident Ka’iulani Huff has been camping out for the last three
months on a Wainiha property that she claims should be turned over the
her since the land was given to her family by the Hawaiian Monarchy
prior to the American takeover of the Hawaiian Islands. Current land owner
Joseph Brescia has been trying to build a home on the land since
2001. He’s considering a 2,350 square foot 3 bedroom home and he
considers himself a “regular guy” in a very uncomfortable situation.
It was discovered that 30 ancient Hawaiian burial sites are on the
property and the Kauai Island Burial Council determined in April that
they are to be left in place.

Ground breaking on Mr. Brescia’s home was to begin earlier this month
but construction crews walked off the job after 40 residents showed up
to protest. This Tuesday is the new date for construction to begin
and Kauai Police have notified Ka’iulani Huff that they will be there
on Tuesday to protect her right to protest and the land owners right
to build.

*****Koke’e Cabins Incite A Impassioned Crowd*****

Over 100 people showed up at the Mokihana building in Lihue on Monday to support a bill that had been introduced to address the State owned 140 cabins whose lease will be up soon. The House Bill 2872 will allow all existing tenants to bid on the cabins first and then second will be Kauai residents, third will be Hawaii State residents and lastly it will be open to the general public. 29 of the impassioned crowd testified to keep the park the same as it is now by making this bill law. Bill 2872 is before Governor Linda Lingle who has until Monday to notify Legislature of any bills that she’s planning to veto and until July 8th to veto or approve the bill. Any bill not addressed by the Governor will automatically become law. At the end of the meeting held in Lihue it was approved to send a letter to the Governor asking her to approve the bill which is thought of as “not perfect” but should become law as it will go a long way to preserve the way Kokee is as we know it.

*****Kauai Real Estate Update and Local News Items*****

Join me for highlights of our Garden Islands news and a full update on last weeks new listings and closed transactions. You’ll see quite a few land sales in Koloa and that’s the Kukui’ula development. Also that great buy of a house here in Poipu sold for $1,000 below asking price of $299,000! For a full excel spreadsheet CLICK HERE

*****Boulders Crash on the Road To Hanalei*****

Around 4 pm on Monday (6/9/08) boulders and rocks broke loose and the debris was substantial enough to shut one lane down until 7 pm. One boulder was 5 feet in diameter. Fortunately nobody was hurt and there were no damages reported to any cars. The DOT spokeswoman said they are not sure what caused the landslide.

*****Don’t Sell That Land Quite Yet*****

29 States have joined Hawaii in asking the US Supreme Court to overturn a ruling that the Hawaii Supreme Court made disallowing the State to sell or transfer 1.2 million acres of former monarchy lands until Native Hawaiian claims have been resolved. The ruling had been based on former President Clintons 1993 Apology Resolution in which Congress acknowledged the wrongful overthrow of the Hawaiian Monarchy in 1887 (King Kalakaua was forced to sign the Bayonet Constitution in 1887, sharply curtailing his powers and diminishing the Native Hawaiians’ voice in government. Source: Hawai`i Visitors Bureau) The ruling was intended to protect the lands from private interests from buying the land but the appeal states the President Clintons Apology Resolution was meant to be symbolic only and shouldn’t be used to infringe on the State of Hawaii’s rights to their land. The Supreme Court will likely review this in October when they return from summer break.

*****Kiahuna Land Company Asked To Not Build*****

BG Kauai Holdings attorney urged the Kauai Planning Commission to not consider the permit for Kiahuna Land Company to build an adjacent shopping center to the existing Poipu Shopping Village. Current shop owners showed up on Tuesday at the Mokihana Building in Lihue to protest the new shopping center which will be 81,932 square feet and will include restaurants, retail and office space and off-street parking. The new shopping center is broken into 7 buildings of which 2 portions will be 2 stories high. The manager of the current Poipu Shopping Village stated that the former plans created a synergy between the two shopping centers but the proposed plans fall short of that. The Koloa Community Association, shop owners and community member expressed concerns over drainage, parking and access routes. The seven member commission will hear final arguments on July 8 thh. Public impute will not be taken after Tuesday.

*****Marriott Employees and Guests Help To Build Homes*****

The Kauai Marriott recruited employees and visitors to come help build a home for Habitat For Humanity in ‘Ele’Ele. Earlier in the year Marriott contributed $60,000 towards the project of which 11 out of the planned 125 homes have been completed. Five more home sites are in the works at this time. All homes are going to Kauai Residents. Way to go Marriott!

*****Matson Shipping Lines To Raise Their Rates*****

Citing rising fuel costs Matson Lines will raise their rates 38.25% the largest rate hike yet citing records oil prices. This impact will be felt by all companies island wide and business’s are needing to pass these rates on to customers and tighten their own belts says City Mill President Steven Ai. “With rising expenses, we just have to manage our business better and watch our expenses and be as lean as we can because we can’t pass everything on to our customers.”

*****Runaway Truck Slams Into Sueoka’s Grocery Store In Koloa Town!*****
On Wednesday early morning shoppers had the surprise of their life at Sueoka’s General Store in Old Koloa Town. Just after 7 a.m. a trash truck ran the stop sign and plowed through the three foot lava rock wall and into the mom and pop store which is right by Crazy Shirts and the historic banyan tree in old Koloa Town. The force of the impact moved the front window freezer some four feet and about a dozen people were taken to the hospital however no serious injuries have been reported. My husband and I were driving into Lihue and 7:40 and I took this photograph. The front part of the truck is totally imbedded in the store and I did notice that it had rained. Police are still investigating and at the time of this writing no updates were available.

******The Royal Hawaiian Hotel, Waikiki Beach, Oahu*****
It’s with special affection that I write about the renovation at the Royal Hawaiian Hotel. Living in Kauai it’s obvious that the big city is not for me and when I do need to go to Oahu we stay at the Royal Hawaiian (aka “Pink Palace”) where I feel transported to the 1920’s, the era that it was built. The last time this hotel was shut down was during WWll when the military had occupied the hotel and surrounded it with barbed wire. Before then it was the place to “see and be seen” and Hollywood celebrities, foreign dignitaries and heads of State all would stay at “The Royal”. The hotel will be a little less pink on the inside and the rooms, which now have furniture from the 1980’s and wallpaper that is less then appealing, will be completely updated but will still retain its 1920’s feel. Some shops will be eliminated in the lobby to open it up more and the line to check in will be eliminated. Guest will now sit in the garden area and sip guava juice while waiting to check in, afterwards they will be escorted to their rooms which will have soft Hawaiian music playing. This 110 million dollar renovation is currently being done and construction will last for 7 months. Will the room rate change? You bet. The current rate is $300 and it’s expected to go to $400.
Did you know: The Shirley Temple drink was invented at the Royal Hawaiian while the child star was visiting in the 1930’s? Also true: the hotel also popularized the Mai Tai and Dean Martin was once refused entry to the Monarch Room due to the hotels strict dress code. Dean went back to his room to change and showed back up in a coat and tie and-his briefs.

*****20 Acres of Beachfront Property To Be Preserved*****
The Kauai Public Land Trust received the remaining $700,000 it needed to purchase the 20 acre beachfront parcel in Kilauea that borders Kahili Beach. The LLCP (Legacy Land Conservation Program) is a new program within the state Department of Land and Natural Resources and it was this group that spearheaded the purchase. The Kilauea Coastal Preserve will now begin the process of finalizing the deal. This means that this gorgeous 20 acre pristine coastline will remain undeveloped for generations; open public access to the lands will remain the same. Improvements that are slated for the land are to reintroduce native Hawaiian plants and remove the invasive vegetation. Native birds will also be brought in. Its efforts like this that makes our Garden Island a truly special place.

*****Hawaiian Airlines To Add 4 Aircraft*****

In response to the ATA and Aloha Airlines shutdown Hawaiian Air is adding 4 aircraft to its interisland fleet. Two Boeing 717-200 jets will be added in September and 2 more later in the year. Mark Dunderley, who is Hawaiians CEO, says this purchase reaffirms the airlines commitment to servicing our islands.

*****Kauai Real Estate*****

The Honolulu Board of Realtors reported a 29.4 drop in home sales and a 29.7 drop in condominium sales but the median price from a year ago has stayed the same within a very small margin. The homes sales are within .01% of last year and the condo median sales price is up 3.8%. For an excel spreadsheet on this week’s new listings and closed transactions CLICK HERE FOR SPREADSHEET

Aloha From the Kiahuna Plantation in Poipu Beach! My husband and I have owned a vacation rental condo at the lovely Kiahuna for the last ten years and have not taken the time to stay in it since we moved here four years ago. We checked into our unit on Friday and will be leaving Tuesday. We have not taken time off our jobs and are doing some fun projects to improve our unit in between our work shifts. People have often asked me what it’s like to move here and the fact is there are still responsibilities that we both have and it’s easy to get caught up in the daily grind (yes even here in Kauai!) and miss all the reasons why we moved here. Staying at our beautiful vacation condo brings back memories of the times when we vacationed here and dreamed of the day when we could move here and how sad we used to be that we had to go back to our home in Orange County, CA. Even though we only live right down the street at the Poipu Kai Resort its different staying where none of your “stuff’ is! I took this photo on my barefoot walk to the Kiahuna beach on Sunday morning at 8:30 a.m., enjoy.

*****Kauai Real Esate News*****
Whether you’re looking to buy, sell or are in the information-gathering stage, I would like to be your Kauai Real Estate Connection. Accomplishing a successful real estate experience starts with building a positive working relationship with someone who knows Kauai real estate. I strive to provide the latest and most efficient ways of keeping you abreast of new laws, trends and events that will influence any transaction.

My “Monday Morning Coffee With Lynda” blog page has been a great way for people to stay connected no matter where they are in their buying or selling process. Every Monday morning be informed of Kauai’s latest news events, new real estate listings and closed sales. Even if buying or selling is years away, it’s not too early to start building our relationship. Please contact me for information on how to stay Kauai connected with “Monday Morning Coffee with Lynda”.

Here is an excel spread sheet on last weeks new listings and closed transactions: CLICK HERE

*****New Flights Between China and Honolulu*****
The Hawaii Tourism Authority has been aggressively pursuing the Chinese tourism marketplace for some time and their efforts have paid off. Three flights will start on July 28th of this year and three more in October. These flights will also go on to Las Vegas.

With the loss of two airlines travel to Hawaii has been off by 15.2%. Hawaii is not the only market to show a decline. The US to Japan travel is off 15.3% and the East Coast travelers were down 5%. Canada however is showing a 48.2% increase in vacation travelers.

Good news is Hawaiian Airlines is adding an Oakland flight this month and Alaska and Delta have announced plans to post new flights also. Marsha Wienert from the Hawaii Tourism Authority said that “This increased seat capacity will help offset the loss of Aloha and ATA seats”. Go! Airlines has increased their flights from 58 to 88 per day and they have seen a 50% increase in their number of seats sold. The Superferry is also reporting higher sales for their Maui the Oahu runs.

The HTA has been focusing on the local market and offering incentives to locals to take vacations interisland. This has been very well received and has helped to alleviate the loss from the mainland visitors.

As a side note: Aloha Airlines is going ahead with a lawsuit they had filed against Go! Airlines for trying to drive the now bankrupt airlines out of business by using market data that the airlines provided in a possible purchase situation when the airlines was facing financial trouble in 2006. The rights to the lawsuit will become one more asset to be sold off to pay off Alohas many legal claims.

*****First Hawaiian Bank Robber Nabbed*****

A Hanalei man is in custody after turning himself in to police on Tuesday night. The suspect hitch hiked a ride to the county jail from a local resident who remained nameless. The driver said the man told him that he had heroin and alcohol problem and had robbed a bank and wanted to turn himself in. The driver told him he was dong the right thing and dropped him off at the county jail where the officers treated the suspect in a very respectful manner as they cuffed him and took him into custody. The police had been using the bank surveillance cameras to look for clues for the robber and recently had been questioning bus drivers because it was believed, after seeing a bus in the film taken from the surveillance cameras, that the robber had taken the Kauai Bus to the bank. The suspect has had several robberies in his past record.

*****1.2 million dollars for Na Pali and Koke’e State Parks*****

Governor Linda Lingle released 1.2 million dollars for improvements on the Na Pali trail and Koke’e State Parks. The first two miles of the Napali coast trail are the most heavily used due to the fact that they do not require a permit to hike. One of the reasons this popular trail has not been touched is it’s an archaeologically rich area and studies needed to be done before trail maintenance could be addressed. The wilderness concept will be maintained says Diane Zachary who is the president and CEO of KPAA (Kauai’ Planning and Action Alliance). “We want the trail to look as
natural-looking as possible, but safe”.
The rest of the grant money will go to the CCC Camp in Koke’e State Park in Waimea Canyon. Renovations of camp are expected to be return of all electrical and plumbing services and completion of finish work in Barracks A and B, Mokihana Cabin, Wash House and the storage shed and fireplace. The CCC Camp was added to the National Register of Historical Places in
1996.

*****Kauai In The National Spotlight!*****

Outrigger Waipouli Beach Resort & Spa made Expedia’s top 25 resorts and is the only property in Hawaii to make it into the top 100!!! The resort was ranked #21 by Expedia Insiders for quality and overall value. I have two listings at this wonderful resort and you are welcome to contact me for more information.

Also Hanalei Beach came in second in the annual “Dr. Beach” survey who every year compiles a list of the best beaches. Caladesi Island in Florida beat out Hanalei for the number one position.

And finally Trip Advisor top 10 free attractions named Waimea Canyon as #3 on their list. The Bellagio Fountains in Vegas and Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia beat out Waimea respectively.

*****Good Times If You’re a Humpback Whale!*****

In 1966 there was an estimated 1,500 humpback whales and at that time the international hunting of humpbacks was banned. Now, some 42 years later, the humpback population has grown to 18,000 according to a study done by SPLASH which is an international organization of more than 400 whale watchers. Since humpbacks only give birth to one whale at a time the time it takes to build up the population can take a while, however these new numbers are very encouraging to the Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Martine Sanctuary. The whales that migrate from Hawaii to Alaska are showing the healthiest growth but the isolated group that migrates from Japan and the Philippines to Russia are taking longer to recover. Discussions are up on if they are to remain on the endangered species list.

*****Robber Escapes With Cash at First Hawaiian Bank*****

On Saturday the First Hawaiian Bank at the Kukui Grove Shopping Center was the scene of a bank robbery. This branch is one of the few to offer weekend service. A man wearing a tan shirt, dark shorts and a University Hawaii baseball cap entered the bank and got an undisclosed amount from a teller and left without incident, mall security showed up within 15 minutes of the incident. Police remain on the lookout and anybody with any information on the incident is encouraged to call Kauai Police Department.

*****Mauna Loa Macadamia Nut Company Fined $75,000*****

Citing cesspool violations the US Environmental Protection Agency placed a hefty fine against the Mauna Loa Company. Three large cesspools at the plant were not shut down until 2007 which was 2 years after the 2005 deadline; the company had been warned in the summer of 2004 of the 2005 deadline to comply with the EPA’s regulations. The facility now is connected to the state approved sewer system and there has been no evidence of any raw sewage leakage but the Hersey Company, which is the parent company to Mauna Loa, has accepted the fine without any complaint.

*****Kauai Real Estate News*****

What got listed last week and what was sold? For a complete list CLICK HERE . Would you like an update on when this list is posted? If so then you are welcome to join my Blog Update List by signing up on this form

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