Honolulu Hawaii Homes Real Estate

Hawaii Loa Ridge Homes – Honolulu

Here is a map of the Kuliouou / Hawaii Loa Ridge. As you can see, the Kuliouou Ridge Hike starts off of Kuliouou Road, whereas the Hawaii Loa Ridge hike starts on Puuikena Drive

Nearby communities are Wailupe, Waialai Iki, Kalana Iki, Aina Haina, Kahala, Kuliouou, Niu Valley, Paiko Lagoon, Waialae Nui Lower, Diamond Head and Kaimuki.

From Kalanianaole Hwy, turn onto Puuikena Drive (across from Kawaikui Beach Park). Tell the guard that you are a Hawaii resident and hiking the ridge. He will check your driver’s license (sometimes registration, and insurance) before letting you in. Proceed to the very end of the road and park at the trailhead.

In this area you will find “high end” Hawaii homes, located on, Ikena Circle, Kaialii Place, Kaulana Place, Kokololio Place, Lelekepue Place, Maono Loop, Maono Place, Moaniala Streeg, Puuikena Drive and Puuikena Place.

This community was named after Hawaii Loa, traditional discoverer of the land. It is also a form of Hawaiki, the traditional home of the Polynesians. A couple of theories exist on the origin of the name Hawaii. One theory has it that the name comes from a combination of the words “Hawa” and “ii” and means a small or new homeland; “Hawa” meaning a traditionl homeland and “ii” meaning small and raging. The other theory is that the name comes from the traditional discoverer of the islands, Hawaii Loa.

I am often asked “Where is the best place to stay in Hawaii?” In Honolulu, there are dozens of hotels; the vast majority of them are located in Waikiki. Your budget will determine your choices. Whether you are coming here for a long-term or short-term rental, will determine another set of Hawaii homes, hotels, or rooms to choose from.

If you are coming here for the first time, you’ll want to get a feel for the cost of living. Rentals for the Downtown area: 1 Bedrooms start at $1600, 2 BRs are $2000 and up. Near the University of Hawaii, they are about 1/4 less. Add utilities costs to those (roughly $200 for cable, internet, electricity). Parking varies considerably. Email me if you need a list of rentals. I don’t charge or make anything from them or handle any rentals. Tip: keep a rental application handy (send me a request and I will send you one). I would fill it out before you arrive.

6 months expenses. That can range from $1500/month (no car, living with roommates, not much going out), to as much as you want to spend. In your own apartment, with a car, and able to eat out 2-3x/week – $2500 minimum, $3500 would be a lot nicer (large one bedroom for $1500-$1700/month) + car than runs ($500/month) + food and other stuff. I would say $20,000 and you could not work for 4-5 months.

On a fixed budget? Most likely you will want a roommate, so they can also sign a lease with you. Be sure to keep your personal references handy from wherever you are now. You’ll need a deposit equal to one month’s rent, + 1 month’s rent in advance. You also want to have a good list of professional references from work. Your present supervisor and/or manager and the new one as well.

Also check Craigslist Hawaii. Be careful, there are some ding dongs on Craigslist. I can check them out if you like. Personally I would try rent a room in Kahala, Waialae Iki, Hawaii Loa, Wailupe or Aina Haina. They aren’t too hard to find, and your credit won’t be as big an issue as getting an entire apartment.

OK, now for the juicy stuff. Vacation rentals. VRBO is by far the best place to check if you are renting a place for 3 months or less. The best approach is to send emails out to a half dozen places and see what kind of replies you get. Prices are negotiable. Many of these are in hotels too, so look around.

Waikiki Beach Near Hotels

On a budget? Try the Queen Kapiolani Hotel, The Waikiki Parc, the Aqua Hotels or the Ohana Hotels. Keep in mind that these are small rooms. Almost all of these can be found on Expedia, Hotwire, Priceline, etc.

Silverman - Kalakaua - Waikiki Beach

Interested in really living it up? Here’s the A list:
Fairmont Orchid – the Big Island
Four Seasons Hualalai – Kona Coast – The Big Island
Halekulani – Waikiki. Their restaurants are top notch. Select from the elegant La Mer (Hawaii’s only Five-Diamond Restaurant), Orchids for casual elegance or House Without A Key for relaxed resort dining until sunset.
Hotel Hana Maui
The Four Seasons at Wailea – Maui (lava stone massage)
The Kahala – get the Kona coffee and coconut-vanilla slimming wrap
Mauni Lani Resort
Do your homework and look for specials and internet deals. Same for cars and tours.

Hawaii Homes for Sale

The Hawaii Home website is the best place to go for your search for homes, condos and land. Go to our contact page or Send an email to get a customized Hawaii real estate search at no charge.

We are proud to list and assist you in buying or selling Hawaii homes and condos in the State of Hawaii. If you are looking for for Hawaii real estate, you have found the right place.

Whether you are buying or selling, we are here to help. We will assist you in locating any and all Hawaii homes, condominiums, townhomes or land for sale available on Oahu, Maui, Kauai & Hawaii.

Additionally, our advanced internet marketing and search techniques offer buyers and sellers immediate and extensive exposure and up-to-date information along with the professional service you expect.

Use our services to send you a detailed and exact list of Hawaii homes for sale (also useful when selling). We have a complete index of all Hawaii real estate listings on the web to help you find the information you need. We will send you a comparable market analysis to get an accurate sense of Hawaii property values. Our listings include Hawaii houses for sale, condos, Hawaii new homes and foreclosures. We have access to all homes for sale on the Multiple Listings Services (MLS), the source real estate agents use to view real estate listings. We can make home buying and home selling simple and easy to understand, providing you access to the most current, complete list of Hawaii houses for sale.

We will help you find Hawaii real estate listings, houses for sale, new homes, townhouses, foreclosures and more. View Multiple Listing Service (MLS) information at your leisure. If there is anything you would like to know, don’t hesitate to ask.

Although the prices of many of the Hawaii homes for sale are above the national average, the price you pay is well worth the additional benefits and better lfestyle you get from living in Hawaii. Surrounded by thousands of trees and ocean tradewinds, Hawaii homes are available on several different islands. Real estate neighborhoods and subdivisions include Pupukea, Portlock, Hawaii Kai, Lanikai, Hawaii Loa Ridge, Kahala, Kailua and the Diamond Head area. A local agent can help you find more affordable Hawaii homes for sale in other neighborhoods as well, such as Salt Lake, Aiea, Waipahu, Makakilo, Kalama Valley, Ewa Beach and the Mililani areas. Hawaii residents can expect to have healthy lifestyles because of the numerous exercise and recreational opportunities available and the high standard of medical facilities and professionals. Although living in Hawaii may temporarily take you away from the mainland, many homeowners find these beautiful islands and natural beauty well-worth the trouble of moving here.

palm-trees-in-Hawaii

Happy New Year!

We have certainly had a lot of bad news lately.

Honolulu consistently ranks in the “Best” lists among major magazines, however.
Fortune Magazine rated Honolulu as the #67 best place to live in 2009.
It also rated it as the one of the Best places for a long life.
Business Week listed Honolulu at Number 1 in the US from a study done by Mercer Consulting.
No. 28: Honolulu – U.S.
Mercer score: 103.1
2007 rank: No. 27
GDP: $13.86 trillion (2007 est.)
Population: 303,824,646 (total country); 380,000 (total city)
Life expectancy: 78.14 years

A handy calculator shows you how to figure out the difference between where you live and Honolulu. For example, if you make $50,000 in Los Angeles, you will need to make $53,987 since the cost of living is 8% higher. Here’s the catch: employers in Honolulu typically pay 1.9% less than employers in Los Angeles. That explains a lot, doesn’t it? Anyone that has tried to get a job here knows that pay rates are typically lower. My guess is because of the sheer number of retail and tourism jobs, which tend to bring the median wage down. The closest similar income I found is DC – Washington. Even San Francisco costs less than Hawaii.

If you want to get a good comparison of Hawaii home costs (PDF) compared to the mainland, see Paul Brewbaker’s (Senior Vice President and Chief Economist with Bank of Hawaii), reports. They are excellent. He has data on domestic and Japanese arrivals, employment, tourism, inflation, growth (including Honolulu’s CPI or Consumer Price Index) and forecasts. Good stuff.

Unfortunately, the number of bankruptcies in Hawaii hit a 3-year high last week, according to the Star Bulletin. Foreclosures are up as well, with the majority apparently being held by Countrywide Home Loans, particularly on the Leeward and Ewa areas. It’s going to get worse before it gets better, it would seem.

Now is a great time to visit your local library, bookstores (don’t forget Jelly’s Honolulu or in Aiea!) and parks. Go camping! Start a blog! Get in shape. Stay positive, and Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff.

Aloha,
Frank