Mikie Likes It! » The Coconut Wireless

To Get Really Agitated

Michelle "Mike" Kerr — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 20:35:36 +0000

All I have to do is read the morning paper to get really agitated. So I have decided to write a new blog. I still have my real estate blog, but I find myself more compelled these days to write about what’s happening in America with our liberties and values.

Too many things (change we better pay attention to) are being rammed down our throats. We’re all busy. Let’s face it with trying to pay the bills, feed the kids and keep our nostrils above the waterline and with so much coming down the pike, people feel powerless.

My contribution is make you more aware of these issues. I’ll provide links, videos and other ways you can quickly jump in and participate in what’s going on and give you a chance to voice your concerns. ** pay attention to underlined, highlighted or bolded words – these are action items **

As an example of things I will cover, did ya know CONGRESS HAS MADE THEMSELVES EXEMPT FROM ALL VERSIONS of the Health Care Reform currently before that body? Sort of begs the question – If it’s not good enough for Congress (and their federal employees and their families) why is it so great for the rest of us? THAT’S JUST WRONG! But here’s what you can do. Congressman John Fleming of Louisiana has proposed a bill, hr-615.pdf that gives members of Congress a chance to put their money where their mouths are if they vote for the bill, by agreeing to enroll themselves in the same plan they are pushing down our throats. Go the the link here to let your representatives know how you feel and see who has signed on to it so far.

That’s it for now!

Respectfully yours,
Mikie

Now Get Off Your Butts!
Bookmark this blog, use it to make your voice be heard & share it.

Heard a Rumor Today -

Michelle "Mike" Kerr — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 16:31:45 +0000

Yup, I wonder if it’s true, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it is. This was from an appraiser I was chatting with. She acknowledged it as a rumor and asked if I’d heard it too, (I guess “twice-heard” solidifies the truth of the rumor -or maybe not). Anyway, it was that the developer of Sunset Ridge in Waikoloa Village is finished building houses in that project. THEY’RE JUST GOING TO SELL OFF THE REMAINING LOTS AND CALL IT A DAY.

Of course at this point it’s just that, a rumor. There’s a lot of infrastructure already in place so they have a plenty invested in the project, but it never makes sense to create inventory that you cannot sell because the carrying costs are too dang high. Selling just the lots means they won’t make their projected profits, but sometimes it’s better to cut your losses before you bleed out!

Anyway, stay tuned and maybe I’ll have some more to add to the rumor and let you in.

Aloha, Mike
RE/MAX Pacific

On Island: 885-5557
Toll Free: 800-500-4895
My “Sell” Phone: 808-896-1943
MikeSells.com
WestHawaiiBlog.com
Mike@MikeSells.com

Talk Story & Other Lunar Happenings

Michelle "Mike" Kerr — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 03:32:51 +0000

We have friends here from the mainland and they lucked being here during a full moon, not only because a FULL MOON RISING OVER A SERENE TROPICAL SEA is one of the most beautiful sights one can ever experience, but also because of Mauna Lani Resort’s strong commitment to the perpetuation of the Hawaiian culture.

Every month on the Saturday closest to full moon, they put on a wonderfully enchanting evening of music, song and culture wrapped into one chicken-skin event (da kine goose bumps) right there on the Resort’s oceanfront lawn of the Eva Wood’s Cottage next to the ancient Hawaiian fish ponds. It’s free, everyone is invited and bringing food and drink is encouraged in the Hawaiian style of taste, pass, share. Bus-out the blankets, kick off the slippahs and sit back for some fabulous music and a great sunset and moonrise over the bay at Mauna Lani.

Every month they keep it a surprise as to who the special invited guest entertainer may be, but it’s always someone noteworthy and you never go away disappointed. Saturday’s guests were none other than Cecilio & Company of the old CECILIO & KAPONO!! -wow, what a treat! For a more information on these lunar happenings, and the dates of future events so you don’t miss your chance next time you’re on island, check it out here: Twilight at Kalahuipua’a -Evenings Under a Hula Moon.

That’s my Tip of the Day and I’m sticking to it!

Aloha, Mike
RE/MAX Pacific

On Island: 885-5557
Toll Free: 800-500-4895
My “Sell” Phone: 808-896-1943
MikeSells.com
WestHawaiiBlog.com
Mike@MikeSells.com

Buy a House -Win a New Truck!

Michelle "Mike" Kerr — Wed, 21 Nov 2007 02:45:23 +0000

You don’t even need to get A HOLE-IN-ONE TO WIN A NEW TRUCK, all you have to do is buy a house through one of the more creative incentive programs offered lately by these local developers in Waimea on the Big Island.

BTW, this blog post falls under the “Coconut Wireless” category because the tip came from our friend Carmine who heard it at his Thursday night poker game! No lie, but it was the first I’d heard of it. Sure enough the next day it was all over the radio, so I called the sales office and it’s true!

D.R. Horton, which is a massive home development company you may be familiar with through projects in other states, has joint ventured with Schuler Homes and Parker Ranch in the creation of Luala’i at Parker Ranch in Kamuela (Waimea) and has a fun sales incentive going on right now.

If you buy any home they have in their inventory (and you are not taking advantage of any of their other incentives) you will get a NEW TOYOTA TACOMA TRUCK at closing! I think the only other stipulation is you have to close in the normal 45 day time frame a typical escrow takes.

Now if the big shiny, new truck doesn’t turn you on, well there are other incentives to choose from, but I just think this is really clever and actually shows some motivation on the Seller’s part -something we need more of in this market!

So what other incentives is D.R. Horton at Luala’i offering? Try these:

5.625% financing through their in house lenders
100% financing with a buydown paid by D.R. Horton
free backyard landscaping

and . . . TO KEEP THE AGENTS HAPPY THEY ARE OFFERING A 5% SALES COMMISSION on a particular house each month. This month the agent bonus is being offered on the Waena Model, the beautiful 4-bedroom pictured here.

The sales team has really put their heads together and developed some great marketing to at least gets people considering buying one of their homes and I think that’s a good thing!

Aloha, Mike
RE/MAX Pacific

On Island: 885-5557
Toll Free: 800-500-4895
My “Sell” Phone: 808-896-1943
MikeSells.com
WestHawaiiBlog.com
Mike@MikeSells.com

Mauna Kea Gets First Snow of the Year!

Michelle "Mike" Kerr — Mon, 05 Nov 2007 06:34:36 +0000

That’s right, I said SNOW!! It does snow in Hawaii, at least on the Big Island and we just had a Kona storm that brought us our first this year! The same Kona storm rained us off the golf course this afternoon which doesn’t happen very often.

Now to educate you a little. A Kona storm means basically a storm from the south (Kona side of the island. Kona side also refers to the leeward side of the island). Since the tradewinds blow from the North East, most of our weather comes from that direction. But when we have a Kona storm, the wind and weather is coming from the South. And Kona storms can sometime bring heavy rain, hence snow at elevation on Mauna Loa (13,679 ft) and Mauna Kea (13,796 ft).

I’ve actually seen snow on Mauna Kea as early as October and as late at June. It’s always exciting to see the first snowfall. I remember when I used to live in Kohala and I’d be driving the Kohala Mountain Road (Hwy 250) on my way to the office in Waimea. You’re driving along this fairly curving road and all of a sudden you round a bend and “Wow, look at the snow!”. If it’s clear, it’a absolutely beautiful. The pastures in the valley below you are the most verdant green imaginable, with a gorgeous blue sky backdrop and then, BAM – Snow topped mountains so close and vivid you could almost reach out and touch them. Coming from Kohala you see Mauna Loa first, but not much further along Mauna Kea comes into view. If Mauna Loa has snow, Mauna Kea will too. I have actually pulled off the road just to gaze at this beautiful site more than once.

Then of course, you can go right down to the coast and go to the beach or be playing golf with snow capped mountains in your vista.

As they say, “Lucky we live Hawaii!”

Aloha, Mike
RE/MAX Pacific

On Island: 885-5557
Toll Free: 800-500-4895
My “Sell” Phone: 808-896-1943
MikeSells.com
WestHawaiiBlog.com
Mike@MikeSells.com

Ut Oh, Shipping Prices Just Went Up (again!)

Michelle "Mike" Kerr — Wed, 17 Oct 2007 20:49:00 +0000

For the first time ever in response, I suppose to the latest record breaking $88/barrel, the PUC is allowing Young Bros. Ltd. to add a fuel surcharge to its rates. It will be adjusted every 3 months as the price goes up or down (yeah right on the down part, just like a temporary tax increase!).

To add insult to injury, the Public Utilities Commission also granted another rate increase! The third in as many years. All I can say is, it’s a good reason to work at becoming a more sustainable island. Grow and consume what we need right here on the island. Take Young Bros., Matson and CSX Lines right out of the picture -at least to the degree possible.

Aloha, Mike
RE/MAX Pacific

On Island: 885-5557
Toll Free: 800-500-4895
My “Sell” Phone: 808-896-1943
MikeSells.com
WestHawaiiBlog.com
Mike@MikeSells.com

Mauna Kea Beach Hotel Dances with Insurers

Michelle "Mike" Kerr — Tue, 02 Oct 2007 19:17:05 +0000

I swear, I never met an insurance company I liked. I’ll bet you are the same. Why do you think The Rainmaker, by John Grisham was such a hit? He exposed what all of us know to be true -insurance companies basically have a license to steal! They’re a rip-off no matter how you look at it. Oh my gosh. By the time you pay the deductibles and find out all the exclusions you thought you were covered for and wade through the fine print -fagetaboutit, you’re screwed.

Did you ever have a fender bender and find that after paying and paying year after year, your premium suddenly skyrockets? Duh, that’s why we had the insurance in the first place isn’t it? To cover the unforeseen, both fender benders and life’s catastrophic events that may come our way.

Well now our very own Mauna Kea Beach Hotel is doing the dance with their insurance carrier. If the Big Island’s October 15th earthquate wasn’t a catastrophic event (a 6.7 rock-a-baby!) what was? And now we learn that Mauna Kea’s re-opening will be delayed as the hotel and their insurer haggle over what constitutes repair and what falls under the remodel or renovate umbrella. I’ve even heard that the insurance company claims the hotel could have remained partially open (is that like almost pregnant?), during repairs! Crazy is all I can say.

But never mind, what can you do? Don’t worry, be happy. At least that beautiful beach is still there and open for business!

Aloha, Mike
RE/MAX Pacific

On Island: 885-5557
Toll Free: 800-500-4895
My “Sell” Phone: 808-896-1943
MikeSells.com
WestHawaiiBlog.com
Mike@MikeSells.com

Huge Upset For Kohala Cowboys

Michelle "Mike" Kerr — Sun, 23 Sep 2007 22:58:18 +0000

I have always like the Kohala Cowboys -they’re scrappers. They’re not the biggest size-wise, whether you’re talking football or basketball the kids are generally smaller in stature than opposing teams, but THEY HAVE HEART AND THEY NEVER GIVE UP! I remember years ago watching the Cowboy basketball team run circles around bigger kids and win on speed and agility.

But today we’re talking gridiron and last night the Kohala Cowboys beat the Konawaena Wildcats for the FIRST TIME IN 35 YEARS! Not only that, they did it on Koanwaena’s turf, Julian R. Yates Field.

Kohala High School athletic teams don’t often win BIIF Championships, but they always make their opponents work hard and they sometimes come out on top. This says a lot for such a small school without the depth that say a Hilo High School or Konawaena always has just because their school population is so much bigger. The Kohala Cowboy athletes (and Cowgirls too!) are more than likely multi-sport paticipants with the coaches always striving to fill their roster.

Kohala quarterback Blaise Kise connected with Kohala senior, Zeke Perry midway through the 4th quarter for the winning Cowboy touchdown. First year coach, Billy Rodriques was ecstatic with this win saying,

“These guys worked so hard this week. Words can’t describe how happy I am with this win”.

Never mind size, stature or anything else, these guys will all be BMOC come Monday morning!

If you are moving to the Big Island or moving to Kohala, you’ll find without any professional sports and very limited access to college sports on the island, that we love our high school teams. You can’t imagine the fun you will have if you hook up to the local teams and become a fan.

Aloha, Mike

On Island: 885-5557
Toll Free: 800-500-4895
My “Sell” Phone: 808-896-1943
MikeSells.com
WestHawaiiBlog.com
Mike@MikeSells.com

Yoga Ed Project in Kohala Schools!

Michelle "Mike" Kerr — Thu, 23 Aug 2007 02:24:52 +0000

This is huge! This new program, YOGA ED, meets all of the Physical Education standards of the DOE (dept. of Education) for the State of Hawaii. The support from teachers, principals, students, directors and counselors has been terrific. Yoga Ed, has been made available in part through a grant written by school Principal, Ellie Laszlo and from funds donated by the North Kohala Community Resource Center and other sources, will be in Kohala Elementary School this year.

Led by certified yoga instructor Jacqui Pailing, the project is fully funded to provide yoga classes for every elementary school classroom this fall as well as the after school A+ program. Christine Richardson of NKCRC has been Jacqui’s mentor and both are proud of this accomplishment.

According to Dr. Dean Ornish, M.D., Founder & President of the Preventive Medicine Research Institute of SF, Calif.,

Yoga is a powerful system for helping children stay focused, centered, and peaceful which, in turn helps them concentrate better, learn more, and gain physical and mental health throughout their lives. Highly recommended.”

Jacqui has targeted the Middle School at Kohala next and her ultimate goal is to get Yoga Ed, in all the public schools. The project can receive donations through the North Kohala Community Resource Center by calling (808) 889-5523 or email, nkcrc@wave.bicv.net.
Aloha, Mike

RE/MAX Pacific
On Hawaii: 885-5557
Toll Free: 800-500-4895
My “Sell” Phone: 808-896-1943
http://www.MikeSells.com
http://www.NorthHawaiiBlog.com

Vulture Buyers on the Way!

Michelle "Mike" Kerr — Wed, 01 Aug 2007 01:27:14 +0000

I have been expecting it and now it’s happening. THE VULTURES ARE ARRIVING! These are the buyers who’ve been on the sidelines waiting for the pricing to come down to their acceptable level and when they preceive that to have happened they sweep down out of the sky and pluck up those bargains before anyone else has a chance.

Now don’t get me wrong, this is not meant to be derogatory at all. In fact, I see it as a good sign because it marks a turning point in the real estate market, a very critical paradigm shift. Meaning?? Well most of us agree we’ve been in a buyer’s market for quite some time, several months at least, but until the Sellers are on board as far as pricing goes, there really isn’t much market activity, and we have seen that. (”Ho-hum, I think I’ll go to Italy for a year or so” as a fellow Realtor expressed to me recently).

It is happening now -just starting, so you could be on the leading edge if you wanted, either as a buyer or a seller -although it’s going to be much more fun for buyers. Anyway, I believe we’ve reached that tipping point. One seller in a particular market decides it’s over, no more fooling around, it’s time to cut losses and move on. They demonstate this new attitude with a drastic price reduction. Most likely preceeded by smaller, incremental price drops, but this is the BIGGIE, they are through messing around.

The example I witnessed in our market this week was a NEW house- new construction, never lived in, that plummeted $145,000 from it’s previous price, and $185,000 from it’s original price. Now at $380,000 it’s a new low in the Waikoloa market.

Doing what any self-respecting Realtor would do, I made a few calls to see if I could drum up any interest.

This house is going to sell this week and don’t even think about less than FULL PRICE because very likely there will be multiple offers.

Well, one party was game but before I could get a return call from the listing agent to even show the house, they had 4 offers on it! Two she said, were cash offers, and at least one was over asking price!

So how do sellers take part in this paradigm shift? Well if they can see the writing on the wall, they will quickly follow suit, but ahead of the pack and do the BIG price adjustment, gulp down their lofty expectations (yes, even losses), and get it sold. Once our example house sells it becomes the newest, most recent comp for appraisers and buyers, and then guess what? Prices will have to fall to sellable levels.

Before things stablize, Buyers can jump in for the really good deals, but don’t expect to be successful if you are not prepared. Prepared with cash (or at least an impressive down payment) or darn good supporting documents to demonstrate that you can pull it off. As for sellers, who knows, maybe if you are one of those akamai sellers willing to jump in (or I should say jump “out”) ahead of the pack, and you have other assets you may even be able to turn around and scoop up a bargain yourself! It could ease the pain, you know, sort of like going out to buy a new puppy after losing your favorite pet. It could be therapeutic.

But like it or not, play or not as you choose, it is happening. The Vulture Buyers are here, ready willing and able to turn this market around! I am more than ready to see it happen.

Aloha, Mike

RE/MAX Pacific
On Hawaii: 885-5557
Toll Free: 800-500-4895
My “Sell” Phone: 808-896-1943
http://www.MikeSells.com
http://www.WestHawaiiBlog.com