Hawaii homes

November was a pretty good month for surf on Oahu.  In the winter we get more waves on the famous North Shore (20 feet and higher) and the West and East shores.  In Honolulu (town) the surf is smaller during winter.

We had the chance to surf at a break located within Kaneohe Marine Corps Base on a Saturday in November.  You can't just drive in there, you gotta know someone with access if you're not military.

The surf break is called North Beach.  We took one look at the waves and were ready to go.  The sets had five to six foot faces and was a fun day!  Here's a photo of one of the smaller waves.  It was overcast and the photo came out dark.

Then, the tricky part.  Getting back to shore.  Sounds simple, right?  Not at North Beach.  There's lots of reef and rocks.  We paddled back in and I let the others go ahead of me.   I was concerned about a wave hitting us and we could bang into each other.  As the others reached shore I paddled in.  There's a narrow channel to paddle through.  Go too far one way or the other and there are problems.  This being my first time at North Beach, I went too far to one side.  Result: rip current.  I was paddling as fast as I could and nothing was happening.  The others stood on shore and pointed for me to paddle to one side.  I kept on paddling, looking up and not getting closer. 

Finally, my wife's (adult) son swam out, grabbed my surfboard and instructed me to swim to shore.  It was just 10-20 feet away, seemed like it would be okay.  He surfs all the time and managed to get the board back to shore quickly.  I'm a decent swimmer and started moving towards the shore.  Well, the current was still there and I started getting tired within a minute or two.  Next thing I know, I see a float land in the water by me and two lifeguards swam out to help me.  Those guys had swim fins, which helped a lot.

A few minutes later we were up on the sand and feeling better.  It was an eye opener.  I think if I had been alone without lifeguards I would have made it onto the beach, however I would have climbed over the rocks and gotten beaten up by the waves.

Here's a photo of me with one of the two lifeguards, his name is Chris. 

You can see the waves behind us, it was a nice day other than paddling in.  It was also a great reminder that the ocean is powerful and we should respect it always. 

Aloha, Mike

Most of us know that Barack Obama was born and raised in Hawaii. Turns out he was for the most part an everyday guy living in Honolulu when he was growing up.

Robert Kay is a public relations consultant in Honolulu. He made a website outlining Barack Obama's roots and his local hangouts. The site came to my attention because Mr. Kay contacted me about using some of my pictures on his website! I felt honored to have my pics on his site.

The site is called Obama's neighborhood. Click on the "Gallery" tab and look for photos of Rainbow Drive In, one of the President-Elect's favorite plate-lunch places.

Read my blog about Rainbow Drive In if you're in Honolulu and looking for authentic local food.

Aloha, Mike Bates

The City and County of Honolulu is encouraging homeowners to register for e-mail delivery of the annual tax assessment notices.

E-mail delivery has several advantages over traditional mailing:

- A copy can be stored on your compute without taking up any space on your desk or in your file cabinet.

- The notice is easily transmitted to others if needed.

- We save the City and County of Honolulu the cost of printing and mailing a letter. Remember, homeowners WE ARE the City and County of Honolulu, this means we're saving ourselves (the taxpayers) money too.

- E-mail is delivery is less destructive to our environment, particularly if we do not need to print the tax assessment notice.

Check out this website: www.realpropertyhonolulu.com and signup today. Look for the "Register to receive your assessment notice by e-mail" link on the lower right side of the home page. After signing up, check your e-mail for new messages. You will receive an e-mail and must click on the link to activate your account. After activation, login and opt-in to electronic notification.

The City and County of Honolulu is hoping to get as many homeowners as possible signed up prior to December 1, 2008 so that they can receive their next tax assessment via e-mail.

Aloha, Mike Bates

Honolulu realtor

I went to Costco yesterday around noon and was amazed at the traffic. Isn't there a recession going on? You wouldn't know it by hanging out here. I drove into the parking lot and found dozens of cars driving around looking for spots.

Eventually I gave up and went shopping for other items at Home Depot. After that, I walked over to Costco and found the lot just as jam packed. Since I needed just a few grocery items, I decided to go inside - after I had my favorite chocolate yogurt! If you haven't tried Costco frozen yogurt, it comes in a big cup and the cost at the Oahu stores is $1.41 including tax. That's a deal!

Entering the Costco parking lot from Dillingham Boulevard in Honolulu.	It seems like everybody was looking for a parking space.

By the way, gas was $2.37 at Costco yesterday. Imagine that, more than $2 per gallon less than when we were at our record high prices a couple of months ago.

Aloha, Mike

Honolulu realtor

Low priced listings get a lot of attention from buyers and for good reason. Hawaii real estate prices are higher than prices in other states and people rightfully try and find something they consider affordable. Here are some properties that people often find on the internet, along with explanations about why these properties not be what a buyer is hoping for.

Kalia, Inc. is located at 425 Ena Road in Waikiki. These one bedroom, one bath condos list as low as the $80,000 range.

The catch: Kalia listings are priced this low because the property is leasehold. The lease ends on 5/31/2018. Monthly maintenance fees and lease rent average around $550. Most (if not all) Kalia condos do not include parking stalls.

Kahala Beach, a condo located near the Kahala Hotel and Waialae Golf Course. This condo is on the beach. The two bedroom, two bath units have around 1,250 square feet of interior area, lanais and parking stalls. Units occasionally sell for less than $100,000.

The catch: Kahala Beach is a leasehold property with the lease ending in the year 2027. Monthly maintenance fees and lease rent run about $3,200 and up.

Makaha Surfside is the lowest priced beachfront condo on Oahu. Studios list as low as the $70,000's. There's no catch to a price like that.

The catch: some listings for $5,000 - $7,000 are for parking stalls. An owner cannot live in a parking stall.

Other properties listed for less than $100,000. These are usually leasehold properties. "Leasehold" means a prospective buyer (maybe you) would purchase the property as a "lessee" and have the right to use it for a set period. Besides the usual maintenance fees, there's lease rent, which can vary from $1 per month to any amount. Leasehold properties with short remaining lives must be purchased in cash. If there are only five years left on a lease, no bank will give a buyer a 30 or even a 15 year mortgage loan on it.

Sometimes the "lessor" offers the "fee" - which means they will offer for you to purchase the remaining interest in the property. Talk to your realtor and find out if the fee is available when looking at a leasehold property.

When we look for low priced Hawaii properties it's normal to expect reasonable monthly fees, a parking space etc. A few odd buildings such as Kahala Beach and Kalia are priced low - not because they are bad properties, but because they have short leases.

Aloha, Mike