Ewa Beach, HI

On a recent Friday, I loaded a new REO listing in MLS & by mid Saturday, we had 3 calls for showings! Since then, we've had multiple offers, several above asking price! REO or lender owned property can be a great source for purchasing a home. We at Hawaii Life represent lenders to help them sell their assets when they get them back from a foreclosure. In addition, we can help buyers looking for a great deal. Here's a gallery I've put together of some Oahu REO homes for sale. Stay tuned... we'll have more to come!

Realty Trac came out with their latest Hawaii foreclosure stats that were published this week in the Star Bulletin. Lihue on Kauai led the state with the highest rate, however this was skewed due to Kauai Beach Resorts foreclosure, which accounted for 145 units.

Although, Oahu accounts for the majority of the population in the Hawaii, 65% of the foreclosure activity was on the neighbor islands. Ewa Beach led Oahu with the most foreclosures on the island with 65 in the month of August. Honolulu ranked 150th in the nation out of 203 metro areas tracked, which isn't too bad.

If you're looking for a great buy, Ewa Beach could be the place. In general, the construction is newer, the infrastructure is newer & Ewa Beach hardly lacks any sunshine The catch is the commute to Honolulu. Ewa residents that "fight traffic" stare into the sun driving to work in the morning & stare in to the sun in traffic in the afternoon... If you don't work the typical 40 hour work week in Honolulu, Ewa Beach has some great housing options. You can get a nice single family home built in the last 5 years for the same price of a 2 bedroom condo in Honolulu built in the 1970's. The wave of foreclosures hitting Ewa Beach is creating some great opportunities for buyers entering the market place!

The Ocean Pointe neighborhood of Ewa Beach, Hawaii has 5 distinct town home neighborhoods, Ke Noho Kai, Ke Aina Kai, Mariners Place, Spinnaker Place, and Fairways Edge. The units are all 2-3 bedrooms and bathrooms, starting at 823 square feet and going up to 1470 with prices starting at $199,000 up to $578,990. The vast majority of the units have 3 bedrooms 2.5 baths, range in size from 1000 - just under 1200 square feet, with prices in the high $200,000 up to the mid $300,000 range (With the exception of Mariners Place which is priced in the low to mid $200,000's).

To review the activity in the last few months (7/15/2009 - 10/15/2009), there was a total of 16 sales, 8 contracts pending which will be closed in the near future, 16 contracts currently in escrow, and 26 properties actively on the market. This is great news and shows tremendous activity and movement in the market.

To Search all listings in Honolulu County go to www.SearchHawaiiProperties.com

Mahalo

Chris M.T. Bodden, RA, CDPE

www.BoddenRealEstate.com

They say that Hawaii is a year behind the ‘mainland' (continental U.S.) with the real estate market. With that in mind we are still have a high inventory for short sales especially in the Ewa Gentry and Ocean Pointe areas of Oahu (Honolulu County).

This is still the hot area to get a great deal on a ‘newer' single family home.

More bang for the buck!

Ewa Gentry Single Family Home Market Report September 2009: We had 44 Active Listings with 37 in contract and 12 sold. The Ewa Gentry activity has been one of the best neighborhoods for a deal as there are still many short sales to choose from. Now that the Hawaii Home Buyer is wanting to take advantage of that first time home buyer credit we are seeing multiple offers on properties. Average Sales Prices were $448,471 and the DAYS ON MARKET (actively on market before getting an accepted contract...and sold) about 69 days.

Ocean Pointe Single Family Home Market Report September 2009 We had 24 Active Listings with 19 in contract and 10 sold. Again, there are many short sale listings receiving multiple contracts and with these newer homes you just can't beat the prices. Sales Prices ranged from $422,000 for a 3 bdrm home to $665,00 for a 2,704 sq/ft 5 bdrm home with average days on market (actively on market before getting an accepted contract...and sold) about 63 days.

More Hawaii Market Reports for Honolulu County:

• Honolulu County Real Estate Market Report- September 2009
• Honolulu Real Estate Hawaii Homes Market Report August 2009
• Mililani Real Estate | Mililani Condo Market Report YTD2009
• Honolulu Real Estate | Hawaii Homes Market Report July 2009
• Waikele Real Estate Condos Homes for Sale | Hawaii Homes Market Report July 2009
• Honolulu Real Estate | Market Report for June 2009
• Honolulu County Real Estate | YTD Single Family Home Market Report for Period Ending June 30, 2009
• Honolulu County Real Estate | YTD Condo Market Report for Period Ending June 30, 2009
• Mililani Real Estate Condos Homes | Hawaii Homes Market Report for June 2009
• Ewa Gentry Ocean Pointe Real Estate | June 2009 Sales Numbers

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Celeste "Sally" Cheeseman is a Realtor-Associate with Century 21 Liberty Homes in Mililani, Hawaii. With a sharp understanding that a listening ear is the key to a client's needs, she serves the island of Oahu (Honolulu County) and all Hawaii Military Relocating to Hawaii, Hawaii Retirees, Hawaii Job Transfers and Hawaii Residents.

Website: www.hawaiihomesmarket.com

Supporting Hawaii Local Businesses!

This past Friday, the State Land Use Commission voted against DR Horton's proposal to build 12,000 new homes on the Ewa plain between Waipahu and Kapolei. The project, named Ho'opili would be the largest project since Mililani in central Oahu by Castle and Cooke, which just completed last year after 40 years of development. It's also said to be similar size in scale to Hawaii Kai in east Oahu. There are two arguments to the development:

1. Pros: It would be great for the island in that it would tie in to the Mayor's proposed rail project and spur the economy with job creation & keep or lower housing costs
2. Cons: The proposed area would displace one of Oahu's largest farming areas. This is a section that is zoned Agriculture and is vital to Oahu farmers. There has been a lot of buzz lately about "sustainability" building these 12,000 home would kill that idea, create more traffic & cause property values to plunge even more for current owners...

Both are valid arguments. There is obviously a need for more affordable housing, yet what price do we pay? This saga is not over in that DR Horton can petition again once they get their ducks lined up in how they will go about the development in phases. They argued that over the 20 year span of the development, the farmers will "gradually" be displaced. Only time will tell..