I just recently had a photographer come out to do some shoots of properties I manage at Kolea at Waikoloa on the Big Island of Hawaii. I knew what he could do as far as stills of the interiors go, but he also did videos. He shot a video of the pool and surrounding areas with his camera (not a video camera). To my surprise it turned out great! You can enjoy it below. Comment if you have had any success shooting videos really well and what type of camera you used. 02/09/2011

The Waikoloa Beach Villas developer townhouse-style unit for sale (MLS 241983) has a built-in grill like this With the developer of Waikoloa Beach Villas having moved most of their remaining inventory in 2010, and the short sales and foreclosures having been snapped up at attractive prices, the beginning of the 2011 high season finds prospective buyers with very little to choose from. Of the four condos currently listed for sale, three are developer.  One of these is a 3-bedroom on the golf course side offered for $569,900.  Of the eight (yes, 8!) condos with offers on them, four are 3-bedrooms, at prices ranging from $449,900 for an REO(bank-owned) property to $499,900 for another developer unit.  The REO was a great buy for someone.  It had lots of cool upgrades, with the only downsi... 02/09/2011

  View from Halii Kai 12H, now listed as a short sale at $999,000. In the past month since my most recent market update, two REO (foreclosure) listings and two new short sales have appeared at Halii Kai in the Waikoloa Beach Resort.  That means there are currently 18 Halii Kai condos for sale excluding developer listings: 6 short sales 2 REO (bank-owned) 10 non-distress listings. For reference, in 2010, what sold at Halii Kai was: 7 short sales 1 REO (the only one for sale) 1 non-distress oceanfront resale 13 developer sales. Foreclosures are the lowest priced condos for sale Last year the developer sold out its remaining smaller 2bed-2bath units that were going in the $400,000 price range.  Luckily, the two foreclosures may be an even better deal for the savvy buyer at this price point... 01/04/2011

Back in September I got a call from a couple who were renting at Waikoloa Colony Villas. They were loving it and wanted to see condos for sale there.  We spent a productive day viewing the ample attractively priced options, and they left for home armed with information about how to submit an offer long-distance. In the almost-four months since their visit, six Colony Villas condos have sold and seven more are under contract!  The sold prices range from a low of $237,900 for the smaller of the two 2-bedroom models, and a "high" of only $305,000 for the 3-bedroom floorplan.  At these prices, less than half what the sellers paid, there is strong demand for this project.  All of these are spacious townhomes. Amenities include two swimming pools, tennis courts, and a fitness room. The develo... 12/27/2010

   Where on the planet can you watch someone swim for 6.2 miles, bike for more than 241 miles and then run for 52 miles inside of 3 days?  On the Big Island in Hawaii you can -  aka "tri-island."   This is the destination spot for tri-athletes and Ultraman is the finale of all triathlons for the year.  With limited sponsorship and a reputation that few can even comprehend, this 27th annual event was none-the-less amazing to watch and attend. The energy amongst the teams is friendly and very supportive.  Overall, Ultraman is really just a bunch of nice people with some ultra mind-over-matter goals and they are not there for the money, media or attention. Read the entire article & photos here:  http://www.hawaiiluxurylistings.com/ultraman-aka-uberpeople/ 12/07/2010

As I am still getting emails and calls from my July 2009 blog post about the first sweet deal in an REO (foreclosure) at Halii Kai at the Waikoloa Beach Resort, it is clearly time for an update. With this view from oceanfront condos at Halii Kai, it is only a matter of time till they sell, with whale season upon us... Halii Kai has been "hot" in 2010, with 20 sales recorded to date (and at least two of my short sale listings are set to close this month--please join me in knocking on koa wood).  Of those 20 sales, there is a clear price-driven element.  Once the developer decided to be competitive with distress sales, despite the fact that they have almost no ocean-view inventory left, they have dominated this year's closed transactions: 13 developer sales 5 short sales 1 REO 1 non-distr... 12/01/2010

     Aloha All, My listing at Kolea #11D is facing imminent foreclosure. Please let me know if you or your client has any interest. We recently reduced the price from $689,000 to $460,000. This Garden Villa is ideal for a family who wants to be able to have their kids play on the grassy lawn in front of the unit. Ownership of Kolea 11D grants you all of the privileges of living at Kolea, one of the finest developments on the Kohala Coast. With its outdoor kitchen, 9′ retractable doors, African Mahogany trim, summer kitchen, and upscale appliances, this Villa has all of the best which Kolea offers. Nearby is world class shopping, dining, and golf. Within strolling distance are the azure waters of Anaeho'omalu Bay. Come live your dreams today! Features: Gourmet Kitchen, KitchenAid Applian... 11/20/2010

In general, the real estate market on the Big Island has shown a great deal of improvement in 2010 over 2009, which was a very challenging year. Overall, the number of property sales are up over 25% through the 3rd quarter on the Island.  The dollar volume has also increased dramatically, showing a 35% increase over the same period last year. Prices are also stabilizing, with the median sales price a negligible 1.05% lower than 2009. Click here to read this article in full. 11/19/2010

   One of the most common conversations I have with people who are considering an investment on the Big Island of Hawaii are about a rather mystifying phenomenon they refer to as "Island Fever." I have seen it so many times. These individuals are viewing beautiful properties in this awesome setting and becoming excited about the prospect of establishing a presence here. Then, all of a sudden, the dreamy look in their eyes changes to one of confusion and concern, and they ask me, "Don't you get Island Fever living here?" My stock answer is that I really do not have a clue as to what "Island Fever" is all about. But this conversation occurs so often that I have given the whole matter some thought, and I'd like to share a few of my observations on the subject. Click here to read this arti... 11/19/2010

Shortly after Twitter was released many felt that it truely offered the most up to date information that a web site could never keep up with.  I think this was proven in the Michael Jackson death when people had tweeted about it thousands of time before it even showed up in Googles results.  At that moment I think Google set itself on a mission to try to either get up to date information more quickly or to incorporate tweets in their results.  I think everyone invloved in search waited for that time to come. Now that time has come.  Over the course of September I have seen Tweets show up just above where Google typically has its Google Local.  See an example below of tweets showing up for one of my key terms, kolea. The problem with incorporating tweets into the Google results is now Go... 09/30/2010

Lance Owens | Aloha Kona Realty Inc | lance@konahometeam.com | (808) 936-8383 69-200 Pohakulana Pl, Waikoloa, HI Golf Course Frontage 2BR/2BA Condo offered at $259,900 Year Built 2002 Sq Footage 1,033 Bedrooms 2 Bathrooms 2 full, 0 partial Floors Unspecified Parking 1 Lot Size Unspecified HOA/Maint $570 per month DESCRIPTION Pre Foreclosure - this is your chance to put in an offer before it comes out on the MLS. Waikoloa Beach Resort, world class beaches, fine dining, shopping galore, and some of the best weather on the planet. This 2/2 sits on the golf course, ground floor, just walk off your lanai and "presto' your on the Waikoloa Beach golf course - walking meter rates this a 52 - are they on drugs? Take a look at this on Google Earth - your close to everything!! This is a Pre Forec... 09/16/2010

    Luxury shopping along the Kohala Coast is split between three great fashion centers.  When you visit both the Queens' MarketPlace & Kings' Shops you'll find some of the most fabulous brand names (located within the Waikoloa Beach Resort and an easy walk from Kolea and The Fairways Resorts). A family friendly environment where you'll enjoy shopping, dining and entertainment. Whether you are a vacationer or local resident you'll take pleasure in the abundance 36+ shops and eateries. Come by and stroll through some of my wife's (and mine) favorites!  The Shops at Mauna Lani Resort are a great place to cruise at Sunset, cooling off with at the richly decorated Tommy Bahama's afterwards.     Read the full story » 09/15/2010

Vista Waikoloa Condominium Complex. Here is unit B105 as documented on September 2, 2010 You should be able to click on the photos to blow them up - then just use your -back arrows- up top,  to get back here Living Room - wide open Living Room with Shutters Closed Living room from Open Lanai area - Dining area in background Dining Area  Kitchen Tile Oven - looks unused - common on vacation rentals Master Bedroom Master Bath Master Bath Master Bath Guest Bedroom Guest Bedroom Guest Bath (#2) 1/2 Bath off entrance (#3) A/C Handler A/C Handler In Front of unit - looking towards pool area Outside - Looking back at unit 09/03/2010

On Your Mark, Get Set, GO! This past weekend was the annual Great Waikoloa Canoe Race.  For those of us who live along the Kohala Coast, this fun family event brings together friends from all over the island.  Great beach day with friends, exciting long distance racing and food.  It's spectacular to see so many outrigger canoe enthusiasts make a "lamans" start ... boats on the shore on the sand, paddlers standing on the beach ready to JUMP into the canoe at the starting horn and push that 400 lb. outrigger canoe into the water and off we go - for a 7 mile round trip race up the Kohala coastline.  If I wasn't so busy paddling, I'd just stare at the beauty of the coastline, the dolphins swimming along side and the turtles (honu's) silently treading water to great us. Read the full article... 09/02/2010

Luxury at Sunset One of the things I like a lot about living right on the beach in Waikoloa is the incredible access to some of the best resources for enjoyment available on the Big Island.  Should my wife and I decide at the last minute to head out in the ocean for a beautiful sunset view of the magnificent Kohala Coastline, sipping champage, we have to only stroll to the sandy beach at A-Bay and hop on board the 65′ foot luxury caramaran operated by Ocean Sports and off we go.  Read full article view photos here! 09/02/2010

Kolea is the premier vacation rental complex at Waikoloa Beach Resort on the Big Island of Hawaii.  These two and three bedroom beachfront villas are well appointment and offer great access to all the amenities the Waikoloa Beach Resort has to offer.  Although higher end properties have shown to not get affected as much by the economic struggles as other, Kolea has still had some hard times.  This summer showed promise for the future.  July 2010 was a slightly better year than July 2009, but August 2010 was far better than August 2009.  We saw average occupancy, nightly rate, and average booking time all increase.       09/01/2010

Yesterday the developer sales team at Halii Kai announced that the sale was final on one of their remaining ocean view units in this year's most popular "Ho'oulu" larger 2BR/2BA sales plan (Halii Kai 6A for $605,000).  The real news here is that despite their previous assertion that after the big reduction the prices on ocean view condos were not negotiable, the asking price on this unit was $625,000.  The developer ocean view I would target to sell next is the groundfloor 3/2 7E listed at $770,000. They also put one of the smaller 2/2 floorplan in the garden view Coconut Grove area into escrow, asking price $405,000.  This means the developer is almost out of their inventory at the $400,000 price point, with two of these little guys in escrow.  UPDATE: no sooner did I write this than 2... 09/01/2010

Wind down your weekend with a Hawaiian Elegance Fashion Show & Brunch. Held Sunday September 5th, 2010 @ 11:00 am at Hilton Waikoloa Village in the Monarchy Ballroom. Featuring fashions by Nalani Kanakaole for Sig Zane Designs.  Come experience Hawaii's rich cultural heritage and enjoy a brunch, concert & fashion show. Call 886-1234 press 2 for reservations.     08/30/2010

Where: Waikoloa Stables in Waikoloa Village & Waikoloa Beach Marriott Date: August 20 -22, 2010Time: 10am - pm 808-887-2301 www.hawaiihorseexpo.com Come out to the Hawaii Horse Expo and support the Humane Society's Horse Rescue Fund. Tickets start as low as $18.00. A portion of each ticket purchase is tax deductible.   08/17/2010

Make and bake traditional Portuguese sweet bread in a forno (wood-fired oven). The person (volunteer) in charge of lighting the fire does so at 6:00 in the morning and it must burn for 4 hours before the coals are removed and the bread can go in. The bread is then cooked by the stored heat from the stones. Come to the H.N. Greenwell Store museum in Kealakekua on Thursdays from 10:00 am - 1:00 pm (free) and re-create this historical experience. http://www.konahistorical.org/index.php/tours/portuguese-stone-oven-baking/ Johnny McElree johnny@johnnymcelree.com www.hawaiiluxurylistings.com   08/12/2010