Many of you call up and want to know how short the escrow has to be in a Short Sale! I forget sometimes, not everybody knows what a short sale is.So I will do a short version, of what a Short Sale is.Short Sale means - You are asking the bank to take a payoff for less than (Short)of what is owed. In most cases, the owner is usually close to foreclosure, and needs to sell the house immediately, the problem is - they owe more than the house is valued at in today's market. In the case I am talking about here - I had sold this house 2 years ago for $885,000, the buyers had 100% financing, and to top it off they chose an Adjustable Rate Mortgage, so not only do they owe more for the home than it is worth - their interest rate is now sky high. They are unable to refinance - who in there right... 04/09/2008

Things are looking up in the Condo Market - as of today 3/20/2008, we are at 14 condo sales for the month. That puts us on track for a total of 21 - compared to a total of 9 last month. That is over double the sales!I went ahead and just double checked the sales - just to make sure there wasn't some influx of a certain project - and the answer is no - they are all organic sales. I will post all the sales at the end of the month Aloha, and have a great day Lance Owens (RS)(808) 936-8383Lance@KonaHomeTeam.comhttp://www.konahometeam.com/Aloha Kona Realty Inc. 78-6740 Alii Drive 03/20/2008

Great Home - Great Location - center of town, minutes from the Beach, Shopping, Dining, yet located on a very quiet street. This would work great for Vacation Rentals, Corporate Getaway, or for a large family getaway!Located above Sunset on Marlin RD. This casually elegant, tropical home is ready to enjoy from the very first day you move in with virtually everything recently upgraded from roof to floors. Large lovely expanses of easy care tile with soft plush carpet in the bedrooms, new lighting and ceiling fans. The walls are the latest "smooth wall" designer finish professionally painted in coordinating tones. All baths redone with new fixtures, tile or granite, the master bath with large walk-in tiled shower. The kitchen is a gourmet delight with lacquer cabinets, granite counters, B... 03/20/2008

This is the short list on Kailua Kona Foreclosures, Short Sales, REO, Bank Owned Properties, If you are interested in a particular area, subdivision, or complex - please email me directly. It seems as though other agents were using the full list - So I will be just posting partial lists at this time and deal with clients on a one to one basis. Just email me below with your interest and I will get back to you. (The List is at the Bottom) Thank you for your support Aloha, and have a great day  Lance Owens (RS) (808) 936-8383 Lance@KonaHomeTeam.com www.KonaHomeTeam.com Copyright 8/6/2008 by Hawaii Information Service  MLS DATA   MLS # Tp St DOM    Taxkey Tnr Price Location Land area Details     202833 T A 285    3-6-8-3-25-49 FS  $319,900 Waikoloa Fairways #C219   1,277 #C219 2/2.5      21... 03/06/2008

Its tough taking the weekend off - especially 2 in row ! Lots of missed phone calls and emails, But you know what - its worth it ! Sometime you just need it - anyway I have a lot of clients that follow my real estate blogs, I just thought I would let them know - I like to have fun also , so here are a few photos from camping this weekend - Makalawena Beach - I will be following up after this with my - Kanalao at Keauhou - update, and Market updates. Aloha and enjoy your work week         Aloha, and have a great day   Lance Owens (RS) (808) 936-8383 Lance@KonaHomeTeam.com http://www.konahometeam.com/ Aloha Kona Realty Inc. 78-6740 Alii Drive             03/03/2008

Below is a chart that shows the number of Home Sales in the N Kona District of the Big Island of Hawaii.  The data are over the last 5 years, starting with December 2002 and ending with December 2007.(Source:  Big Island MLS) John Petrella, REALTOR®ABR®, GRI, Broker/OwnerDirect: 808.640.3953Local@LocalHawaiiRealEstate.comLocal Hawaii Real EstateHonesty • Integrity • Commitment159 Keawe St., Suite 1Hilo, HI  96720REALTOR® is a federally registered collective membership mark which identifies a real estate professional who is Member of the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® and subscribes to its strict Code of Ethics. 02/18/2008

I woke up last night to the sound of the pounding surf, now I live about 4 blocks away, so when it wakes me up - you know its good. I grabbed my camera, coffee, laptop, and headed off to work this morning, my office is about 2 miles from home, down Alii Drive, and I had to pass 3 different surf breaks, so I pulled over and snapped these photos (if I would have had my camera yesterday - there was a pod of humpback whales just about another 50 feet out past the surfers - spectacular view) I actually started writing this yesterday morning - but just after I got in - I got the phone call we all love - " Lance - this is Kurt - go ahead and write up that house you showed me last night " So the pictures had to wait a day . That made me think about the rest of this article, wait a minute I cant... 02/16/2008

MLS Sales Statistics Median Sales Price     1,573,116 1,890,303 317,187 20.16%   1,614,498 1,889,400 274,902 17.03%     Oct-Dec # %   YEAR # % Big   4th Quarter Increase / Increase /   TO DATE Increase / Increase / Island   2006 2007   2006 2007 ENTIRE Residential 389,625 375,000 <14,625> <3.75%>   421,000 395,000 <26,000> <6.18%> Vacant Land 52,500 37,500 <15,000> <28.57%>   58,000 45,000 <13,000> <22.41%> Commercial 651,270 817,500 166,230 25.52%   580,000 850,000 270,000 46.55% Condominium 367,221 410,303 43,082 11.73%   426,498 394,900 <31,598> <7.41%> Business 112,500 250,000 137,500 122.22%   129,000 204,500 75,500 58.53% PUNA Residential 259,000 251,000 <8,000> <3.09%>   269,000 259,500 <9,500> <3.53%> Vacant Land 45,750 30,000 <15,750... 02/11/2008

MLS Sales Statistics Sales Volume     381,877,034 322,141,961 <59,735,073> <15.64%>   2,084,978,611 1,727,097,942 <357,880,669> <17.16%>     Oct-Dec # %   YEAR # % Big   4th Quarter Increase / Increase /   TO DATE Increase / Increase / Island   2006 2007   2006 2007 ENTIRE Residential 243,020,732 159,708,570 <83,312,162> <34.28%>   1,133,249,353 966,219,523 <167,029,830> <14.74%> Vacant Land 61,096,546 93,425,202 32,328,656 52.91%   463,514,271 417,601,264 <45,913,007> <9.91%> Commercial 3,921,620 3,360,000 <561,620> <14.32%>   44,491,710 36,500,000 <7,991,710> <17.96%> Condominium 73,125,136 65,398,189 <7,726,947> <10.57%>   439,465,277 302,281,155 <137,184,122> <31.22%> Business 713,000 250,000 <463,000> <64.94%>   4,258,000 4,496,000 238,0... 02/11/2008

Below is a chart that shows the number of parcels that sold in the N Kona District on the Big Island of Hawaii.  The data are over the last 5 years, starting with December 2002 and ending with December 2007.(Source:  Big Island MLS) John Petrella, REALTOR®ABR®, GRI, Broker/OwnerDirect: 808.640.3953Local@LocalHawaiiRealEstate.comLocal Hawaii Real EstateHonesty • Integrity • Commitment159 Keawe St., Suite 1Hilo, HI  96720REALTOR® is a federally registered collective membership mark which identifies a real estate professional who is Member of the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® and subscribes to its strict Code of Ethics. 02/09/2008

I have legitimate REO properties, and I get flagged down within 15 minutes of posting - is it jealous Realtors, or is it Craigslist ??? This is the short list on Kailua Kona Foreclosures, Short Sales, REO, Bank Owned Properties, If you are interested in a particular area, subdivision, or complex - please email me directly. It seems as though other agents were using the full list - So I will be just posting partial lists at this time and deal with clients on a one to one basis. Just email me below with your interest and I will get back to you. (The List is at the Bottom) Thank you for your support Aloha, and have a great day  Lance Owens (RS) (808) 936-8383 Lance@KonaHomeTeam.com www.KonaHomeTeam.com Copyright 8/6/2008 by Hawaii Information Service  MLS DATA   MLS # Tp St DOM    Taxkey T... 02/02/2008

MLS Sales Statistics Number of Sales     374 286 <88> <23.53%>   5309 4138 <1171> <22.06%>     MONTH OF # %   YEAR # % Big   December Increase / Increase /   TO DATE Increase / Increase / Island   2006 2007   2006 2007 ENTIRE Residential 174 119 <55> <31.61%>   2084 1677 <407> <19.53%> Vacant Land 148 134 <14> <9.46%>   2402 1910 <492> <20.48%> Commercial 2 1 <1> <50.00%>   49 22 <27> <55.10%> Condominium 47 31 <16> <34.04%>   750 516 <234> <31.20%> Business 3 1 <2> <66.67%>   24 13 <11> <45.83%> PUNA Residential 59 30 <29> <49.15%>   653 542 <111> <17.00%> Vacant Land 100 98 <2> <2.00%>   1421 1269 <152> <10.70%> Commercial 0 0 0     7 2 <5> <71.43%> Condominium 0 0 0     1 0 <1> <100.00%> Business 0 1 1 0.00%   5 1 <4> <80.00%> SOUTH HILO R... 01/24/2008

Are you looking for a Realtor with experience in short sales? Tired of dealing with the banks ?  (kind of a stupid question - but I had to ask it ) Better yet - tired of outdated - misguided - information, from - RealtyTrac - Yahoo - and the yest of them (you ever wonder why someone that just isnt with it - is called a Yahoo????) Well I WAS, I tried them all and fired them all - if you want something done right - you do it your self! I have compiled current information - one by one (not forward you a report from one of those YAHOOS) and I try to visit all of them, and see if they realy are a bargain - amazing how many of them really are not. So if you are truly interested - please take the time to sign up on my website (no spam sent - only what you ask for) Use the word SHORTSALE in you... 01/11/2008

Not to waste to much of your time, just ran some quick figures for a client, and was a little surprised by the outcome!Currently we have 394 Condos for sale in North Kona (mostly Kailua Kona) - and for the month of December - as of today 12/31/07 - only 14 have sold!  With that I will leave you with a photo of Mauna Kea yesterday - what a treat living here, We left our 80 degree weather, took a 2 hour car ride, and played in the snow Aloha and have a great day   Lance Owens (RS)(808) 936-8383Lance@KonaHomeTeam.comhttp://www.konahometeam.com/Aloha Kona Realty Inc. 78-6740 Alii Drive 12/31/2007

Even in Hawaii it snows, its funny how many people don't realize that we have snow her on the Big Island, every year. Some years are better than others, but it always happens. I have even seen it snow low enough to cover 3 mountain tops here - what a beautiful scene that is, Mauna Kea, Mauna Loa, Hualalai, that happened my first year here - didn't realize how special that was, and didn't take the time to photograph it.But this is why I love the Big island so much, we have rain forest, deserts, Lava fields, and of course the snow - if you want it. I have watched my outside temp gauge on my truck, go from 85 degrees when I leave my house, until 2 hours later at the top of Mauna Kea, being down in the 20s, always nice to thaw out at the beach afterwards though.I didn't get a chance to go u... 11/06/2007

The 2007 Ford Ironman has come and gone, and according to most - Kona is the most prestigious race of the year, with its sometimes very hot weather, its sometimes rough seas, and the high winds of Waikoloa, it tends to take the best of the best to win at this race. In fact quite a few favorites were eliminated early in the race this year. (for more on the race follow this link)   http://www.konahometeam.com/bin/web/real_estate?acnt=AR153261&ZKEY=&action=ACTIVATE_FRAMES&button=+West+Hawaii+Today+-+%28Local+Newspaper+%29&linkout_sourcepage=LOCAL_INFO&tm=&linkout=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.westhawaiitoday.com%2F (let me know if this linkl does not work - I tried under my login - so you dont have to register)There is plenty of articles to read about that - but what about the real estate effects, the ... 10/15/2007

The Condo market Certainly taking a lot harder hit than housing market, but still not to bad. You figure we usually follow Oahu's trend, and looking at the newspaper reporting of Condo sales in Honolulu - Overall, O'ahu's median condo price is up 4.8 percent to $325,000. Ours is not as Rosy as that - but here are the numbers! These are just for the month of September.North Kona Condo's - Number of sales  2006 = 28,     2007 = 18   <-35.71%> North Kona Condo's - Sales Volume in Dollars 2006 = $10,673,522       2007 = $7,026,513  <-34.17%> North Kona Condo  - Median Sales Price 2006 = $355,472        2007 = $332,500    <-6.46%>So, even though we are not as low as Honolulu yet, we are pretty close. But believe me, if you see what you get here for $350,000 vs Honolulu, No comparison - Kona ... 10/05/2007

Its that time of year again, people from all over the world, Swimming, Biking, Running around Kona ! Its been a great boost for the economy every year - especially after 9-11, there was just a handful of people that didn't make it that year, mostly because they were called to duty. So THANK YOU Ironman. Enough said about that, the reality of living here, and having to deal with - basically shutting down Kona on race day - Well its just easier to get out of town - EARLY that day!So I just wanted to pass on a really cool thing to do that day - Hakalau Forest National Wildlife Refugeopen House. They only open the gates to the public once a year, and believe me - I went last year - I questioned my wife on her sanity - the last thing I wanted to do, was to drive up that mountain and spend th... 10/05/2007

Her we are in October already, another month under our belts! Well the Sept figures are in , and not bad at all, actually pretty good. Considering what the Newspapers try to portray??? Yesterday's front page newspaper - BIG ISLAND ECONOMY SLOWING - !!! You know, if I were a tourist here on vacation - I would think it is a lot worse than it really is. I mean - SLOWING - what exactly does that mean? Does it mean we are only flying in 200 people a day instead of 300  from Oahu to help fill positions. Does it mean that maybe we can open up Wendy's Keauhou - because their is finally someone to staff it, or maybe - well I could on and on - I will save that for another day. OK Number of North Kona Residential Sales = 2006 (36)  2007 (32) - <11.11%> Sales Volume North Kona Residential Sales = 2... 10/05/2007

Just a few interesting numbers I put together, when presenting an offer on a house, was priced at $525,000, and just had a price reduction down to $485,000, and my offer was for $440,000 + seller pays all closing costs. here are the numbers61 homes in Kailua Kona, under $500,000 , (north Kona) area currently listed as active13 new listings in the last 30 days9 sales reported in the last 30 days24 price reductions7%  drop on median Home prices from Jan - July (-$5,000. a month drop) When I presented this and a few more facts (just cant remember right now). The sellers had a change in heart and agreed to sell it at  $450,000 + seller pays $5,000 towards closing cost. Every-time I look at the Numbers, you see it in a different way, just depends what side your on. If your looking for a buye... 09/27/2007