Ronnie Margolis, Kauai Realtor®, ABR, RA - On Top of the Aloha Beat

Yesterday the candidates running for our county council walked Phase 3 of our fabulous multi-use path. I can hardly wait til December 1st when we once again can walk our dog on Phase 2 of the path that runs from downtown Kapaa to the northern end of Kealia Beach. Read today's article regarding the path that appears in today's Garden Island Newspaper.

The next phase of the path will cross over the highway and that's a little more complicated and controversial than the components of the path that have been built so far. When completed, this will be something like 17 miles of bike, walk, along the ocean that is intended to protect beach access in perpetuity.

Please save the date and join us for a fun morning devoted to tree planting in the Park.

How can you help? Get involved! Contact the event planners—tell them you’ll serve as a team leader.

Well, the bailout passed this morning and hopefully that will put a little wind back in all of our sales. As I've heard so often the last week, it's the end of the beginning, meaning we are making a start in freeing up our credit markets and getting back to a more normal sense of business though it may hardly be normal for quite some time.

For those of you interested in using the physical wind, there's an upcoming workshop at Malama Kaua`i, one of Kaua`i's leading sustainability organization located on Kuawa Rd. in Kilauea. If you want to follow sustainability on Kauai, you might want to subscribe to Malama Kauai's newsletter. Here's the scoop:

HOW TO BUILD YOUR OWN SOLAR AND WIND POWER SYSTEM!
Learn how independent power works!

Join Doctor Steve Blake of Maui for this all day workshop on Sunday, October 12th, from 10-4 at the Mālama Kaua`i Community Center. Steve will be on-island for one day only to share his mana`o

· How to harness the WIND
· How much SOLAR power do you need?
· What about HYDRO power?
· Storing energy you generate
· The latest in Solar Thermal Energy
· Important CONSERVATION tips
· How does it ALL TIE TOGETHER?

CAN YOU BRING DOWN YOUR ELECTRIC BILL?
COME FIND OUT!

For details on what will be covered at the workshop, read this studentʻs account.

Workshop is by donation, but we would like to at least cover the costs of airfare and meals for Steve and his wife. There will be a potluck lunch break at noon. Locally grown food is appreciated! RSVP to andrea@malamakauai.org or 828-0685.

I went down to the Lihue Business Association meeting this past Thursday morning to "talk story" with the two mayoral candidates who are left standing after the prior week's primary. And different they surely are. Bernard Carvalho is a former football player, the head of our parks and recreation department, and has served the county for 23 years. Joanne Yukimura was mayor during Hurricane Iniki, and has served for fourteen years on the county council. Joanne is a Stanford graduate and a really, really intelligent woman.

Joanne clearly has a cogent understanding of the issues and the political experience yet Bernard had the support of the former mayor, Bryan Baptiste, who suddenly passed away not that long ago. Bernard constantly stated at this breakfast meeting that his style of leadership was inclusive and that he was an good listener to hear what the people wanted. Yet, like so many politicians, and even the presidential debate last night, when the people at the roundtable asked questions, it did not seem like they were heard. Now i admit, I'm an auditory guy, and thusly, very literal. However, when someone tells me he is a good listener, and demonstrates his inability to discern the information, I have cause for concern.

Each candidate sat around a table of business people for around 20 minutes, then switched to the other table. Someone asked Joanne Yukimura,

What are your thoughts on the role of county regarding decreasing cost of our energy.
She answered: We need to create a plan for the island. Create a roadmap for energy independence. Big Island has done their plan already. We must figured out what are the opportunities and what are the obstacles. Like Stephen Covey says, “What is our end in mind”. Everyone will have a kuleana. KIUC( our electric utility) will have a role. County will have a role and so will business. We could have a United Way type meter to show our progress. We need to place incentives in the right place and disincentives for bad behavior.

I'm not sure if Joanne can win as she is clearly the underdog. If she does not, I'm not sure the county of Kauai will be making any paradigm shifts any time soon.

Both candidates talked about "smart development". I hope they know what that means. A lot of islanders would probably agree that there has been a lot of "dump development" on Kauai. To maintain the rural quality, the development must be clearly managed. Right now, the entire economic system is taking care of that. In the future, once this mess is behind us, developers will one day come roaring back I am sure.

Although i do a lot of internet marketing, blogging, twittering, uttering and well... you name it, I have found since moving to Kauai that sitting OPEN HOUSE is also a very viable, active marketing technique that works in the Hawaiian Islands. Simply because the buyers are already physically here on the island. And tht's a super big plus. Anyway, when i do an open house i:

1. Advertise them in the Kauai real estate Weekly
2. Post them on Craigslist and Openhouse.com
3. E-mail blast the realtor community.

C21 is big on OPEN HOUSE. In fact, October is Century 21 Open House Month. This is a great opportunity for brokers and agents to promote current listings and expand their listings of potential buyers and sellers. Learn how you can use technology to promote your open houses. Attend this webinar on October 3rd at 1:00pm Pacific Time. I believe you must be a C21 agent to participate. The last few webinars have been great so I'd recommend checking it out Register now by clicking here <https://vovici.com/wsb.dll/s/d51g3745f> .

Don’t miss this information packed webinar in which you will learn:
Ø How to market your open houses online including: Myspace.com, Meetup.com, Blogging, YouTube, etc.

Ø Elements of a successful open house.

Ø Open house tips and tricks.


Holding an Open House is a great opportunity for:
Ø Brokers and Agents to promote current listings, meet potential buyers and sellers, and raise local awareness of their business.

Ø Consumers to get extra exposure for their property, and learn what’s available in their market.

Ø Open Houses to receive traffic, most that potentially will be buying or selling in the near future.

If you have a c21online account,
copy this link to your browser: http://www.21online.com/project.web/openhouse/openhouse.aspx to access and familiarize yourself with the materials for October Open House month.