Well, it's a beautiful day here in Hawaii Kai and what we have directly behind me is what locals consider Portlock. I've now been in the real estate business for over 20 years. When I first got into the business, I myself and a lot of people I grew up with considered that entire area out there Portlock. Low and behold, I was practicing real estate for about a year and I was showing a client some homes. He had his appraiser's license and he's like "there's actually 3 neighborhoods there." This was back in like 2001(ish).

Portlock, Triangle and Koko Kai

What we're going to cover today are the 3 main neighborhoods out here, which are going to be Portlock, which is everything along the ocean behind me. Then, Triangle, which is above it to the left. Then, Koko Kai is going to be the 3rd MLS neighborhood. I'm going to walk you through all 3, talk about the ins and outs of them and why it's a great spot to live here in Hawaii Kai.

Before we get on the road, I wanted to give you a little bit of perspective. This jetty went in over the last 5 years or so and what would happen is all the sand would collect during storms and clog the channel for boats to get out. Now, it's preventing sand from coming in the channel and they don't have to dredge the private marina as much. It's creating a much larger beach there. That was the former Rosa Estate and there used to be a pier out in front of there. I've got a picture somewhere of myself there when I was a kid (toddler). However, starting at the Rosa property, all along the water here, that's all going to be considered Portlock, up until what was considered the old Kaiser Estate. The big green grass lawn, the miid century modern house on the ocean and then to the right where those pillars are, that's the old boat house of the Kaiser Estate.

I just want to give you some perspective, that's going to be Portlock, which we're going to cover. Then, there's Triangle, which is up above to the left. Then Koko Kai, which is above to the right. Portlock saw most of the homes being developed there in the early 1940's. Whereas Koko Kai and Triangle, they didn't start developing and building houses until the 60's. I did an article on this a few months back. If you want to take a look at that article, it talks about the history of this area. When Henry Kaiser (hence the "Kaiser Estate") teamed up with Bishop Estate at the time (now Kamehameha Schools), they owned all of this land out here in Hawaii Kai. Over the years, they've made the fee or land interest available, so pretty much everything you see out here right is going to be considered Fee Simple. 

Kaiser Estate Largest Residential Salle in Hawaii - 34 Years Later

A little bit of history, we're going to drive by it later, but the Kaiser Estate, still to this day, when it traded in 1990 was the highest residential real estate sale here in Hawaii. At that time, when Genshiro Kawamoto purchased the Kaiser Estate, it was still Leasehold. It just shows you some of the history here in Hawaii Kai and the value of properties here. Some of the bigger trades on the island have actually taken place out here in Portlock.

Portlock Road Tour

The first neighborhood we're going to hit is Portlock (of the 3). Portlock is going to be the oldest neighborhood in Hawaii Kai. Homes here were built in the early 40's, which is actually several decades before homes started getting built up in Koko Kai and Triangle. As you'll see, there's a lot of overhead utilities. As we go along, all throughout Portlock, you've got public beach/coastal accesses. It is a narrow road, it's probably one of the most narrow roads in Hawaii Kai. You have these overhead power lines. Like I talk about in a lot of my videos and when I'm showing property to my clients, I always say "a lot of the best properties were taken first". 

Here in Portlock, everything is zoned R-10, so you're going to have at least 10,000 sq. ft. min on the lots. There's been a lot of gentrification over the years. You have newer "McMansions" as well as traditional older Hawaiian style homes. It is a narrower street compared to Koko Kai and Triangle. 

Portlock Homes in MLS

As far as Portlock goes in our MLS, it's literally a one street neighborhood. All of the homes on the left or mauka side of the street are going to have even numbers. Then, everything along the ocean is going to have odd numbers. There's no parking on the ocean side of the street on Portlock Road. Over time, everyone kind of walls up their property for privacy. In the old days, everything was opened up. Similar things happened in Kahala. 

As I mentioned earlier, with R-10 zoning, you have 10,000 sq. ft. min. on the lots. However, some of these are triple or quadruple lots which stretch all the way through the ocean. Driving along, you have awesome views of Koko Head out the back, which is the backside of Hanauma Bay. The addresses on Portlock Road run between the 200 block when you come off Kalanianaole Hwy. (where we started) and they're going to round out at the 500 block near the top here. 

There's a really cool Alfred Preis Mid Century Home off to the left here. It has a tennis court. I've blogged about it over the years. As we get up here into the 500 block of Portlock Road, we start to get into what was part of the old Kaiser Estate. This was several acres on the ocean in Hawaii Kai. Still, to this day, it's the highest trade for a residential real estate transaction on Oahu. It's been chopped up since (into smaller lots). It's something that's very special. It was owned and developed by Henry Kaiser, who basically developed all of Hawaii Kai. He was an industrialist and he's also the same "Kaiser" like Kaiser healthcare. Then, you have some cool mid century homes on the other side of the street. 

We then come up to the old boat house of the Kaiser Estate at the very end. This gives you a perspective of how long I've been driving and how vast the Kaiser Estate is. The old boat house is under construction. We're going to hit a beach park  a little bit later around the corner. This is a walking path to take you through to the next cul de sac there off Hanapepe.

One thing I'd like to point out here, it's no longer the case, but this home on the right used to have a really cool sign on the front that said "In Dog We Trust". For those of you that were fans of Dog the Bounty Hunter, that's where he used to live. It's really sad. His wife Beth passed away a few years ago. We used to bump into them when I was a firefighter and doing our shopping at the grocery stores here in Hawaii Kai. 

Portlock and Lunalilo Home Road

Here we are now at the corner of Portlock and Lunalilo Home Road, which will run you into the main part of Hawaii Kai. This is basically where Portlock ends and as you head up Lunalilo Home Road, then Poipu Drive runs parallel to Portlock Road behind these houses and then everything back up this direction is going to be considered triangle. Next, we're going to give you a tour of the Triangle Neighborhood here adjacent to Portlock. 

Koko Head Neighborhood Park

As we pull up to Koko Head Neighborhood Park, you see this Tsunami Evacuation Area sign. It's saying you're entering a Tsunami Evacuation area. If you saw the flip side of it across the street it says you're leaving a Tsunami Evacuation area. These have been popping up all over Honolulu. I don't know if it's to freak people out, but I'm now 50 years old and we have yet to have a tsunami that's taken out this area. There was one around the corner near Sandy Beach at Alan Davis. There was a tsunami there in the mid 20th century. We haven't had something since then, however I guess you can never be too prepared. 

Koko Head Neighborhood Park

Although it's a summer day, we've had some trade showers and the clouds have come out. This will give you a great perspective of Koko Head Neighborhood Park. You've got a baseball diamond here and back in that direction is Koko Head Elementary, which is one of 3 elementary schools in Hawaii Kai.

Koko Head Elementary

Out the back is Mariners Ridge, which is a great neighborhood with awesome ocean views. You have a bathroom house and a play structure out the back. What's happened is you have a lot of public restrooms on Oahu have gotten design awards for their architecture and this is one of those examples here at Koko Head Park. Then, you've got basketball courts, jungle gyms, picnic benches and a nice green space. 

This is Poipu Drive, which runs you through Triangle. It starts down below and if you were to go left, it would take you back to Portlock. One monument you have in the distant view is Mount Terrace, which is a high rise condo building. 

Kokee Mini Beach Park at Hanapepe and Kokee

Kokee Mini Beach Park

We just walked past "The Ocean House". What's funny about this area is people do name their homes. This is at the corner of Hanapepe Loop and Kokee Place. As we walk up, we're approaching Kokee Mini Beach Park. If you'll notice, the grass is just a little bit brown because we are well into June and it's summer time. You've got to see these captivating views out the back of Maunalua Bay here in Hawaii Kai. 

If you can bare with me, I've got my slippers on and we're going to walk down towards this beach access at Kokee Mini Park. You'll see they've got a cable here on the ground because not everyone's got the best footing walking down here. They just want to ensure safety for people coming back up from the ocean. As you come down this walking path, you're once again going to be captivated by the views. You have "Pillars" surf break out there and if you look to the right, you'll see part of the old Kaiser Estate boat house. As we pan to the left, you'll get a view of Diamond Head there and then as we look back to the right, you'll see a little strip of sand by the Kaiser Estate. 

Poipu Drive and Kekaha

Kekaha and Poipu

Here we are at the corner of Poipu Drive and Kekaha. I actually lived up here on this corner when I was a kid. I don't quite remember it, but this is a wonderful neighborhood that I just wanted to point out. A lot of the streets here in Koko Kai, Triangle and Portlock all have names based on neighborhoods on the island of Kauai. 

Triangle to Koko Kai Transition

Triangle in MLS

What I want to do is point out this delineation in the road. We're here on Poipu Drive and this is literally the delineation mark between Triangle, which is the MLS neighborhood directly behind me. You can see Koko Crater out the back. It's a great hike by the way. The views from there are incredible.

Sunset View from Koko Crater

Here we are at Triangle, which is basically the neighborhood behind me. You'll see there's a sign up on the wall over there delineating Koko Kai, which is right around 273 Poipu on one side of the street and 274 on the other side of the street. Once you get to this delineation mark, everything in the other direction is Koko Kai, which is one of the 3 neighborhoods out here that we're talking about today.

Koko Kai Homes in MLS

China Walls

Koko Kai Mini Beach Park Entrance to China Walls

Now, here we are on the walking path down to China Walls. You can see some foil boarders are going to do their downhill run from here. What's awesome about this location is the view out the back towards Diamond Head, which you're going to get some incredible sunsets.

Sunset View Towards Diamond Head from China Walls

We diid have a south swell recently. There's a beautiful mural here that shows the location we're at, which is China Walls. This complete wraps around. Welcome to China Walls.

China Walls Mural

With my years in the fire department here, I've come to countless calls. What happens is people see the ocean here and they jump in the water because it's crystal clear and blue. There's not much surf today, but what can happen is if there is surf, they get a little bit into a panic mode when they're trying to come back up.

China Walls Rescue Board

That's really cool that they have some rescue boards here just in case someone gets in trouble and the fire department can't get here quick enough. Like I said, I've been to countless calls here when I was on duty. What happens is people jump in the water here. This is pretty much a calm and mellow day, but if you can imagine on a south swell with the waves cracking out here, people have trouble getting back up on the rocks. As you can see, you've got these guys going out on their stand up (foil) boards. They're going to hit a downhill run out there.

Once again, China Walls is one of the perks for living in Portlock, Koko Kai and Triangle here in Hawaii Kai. Remember earlier when I said homeowners in Hawaii Kai love to name their homes? This one is called Hale Awa and it's right around the corner from China Walls.

Spitting Cave

Danger Sign at Spitting Cave Trail Entrance

This next one we're going to show you is the ocean access to spitting cave. This is going to be the most dangerous of all the beach accesses here in Koko Kai and Portlock. I'm going to show you why it can be a dangerous point to jump in the ocean. There's a walking path down to the ocean. This is another place definitely for swimmers and jumpers to beware. It's a lot more severe than China Walls because the waves whack up against the cliffs more. There's beautiful scenery once you get down below here. I've got my slippers on, so I'm moving a little bit slower than normal. Looking up, it gives you a perspective on how killer the homes and real estate is out here. At this access point, you've got a mansion on one side and an empty lot on the other. 

If you hit a Google Street View of this location (the end of Lumahai St.) there's going to be some really cool trophy properties. Once again, I have my slippers on, so I'm taking my time down the trail. For those that are locals, these are called BVD's (inside joke). 

Earlier, we were at China Walls and we saw some paddle boarders launching on their stand up foil boards. There they are. They're hitting that downwind run to ride some open ocean swells. This to give you a perspective, this is a typical tradewind day out here. So, when you're looking at the ocean, it's blowing from left to right. It is mid June, so it's starting to get a little bit warmer. But, this is kind of like our natural AC during the summertime. Fortunately, the tradewinds are going to be the most consistent during the summer. 

Similar to China Walls, they now have some of these emergency rescue buoys, which are very helpful. This is because there have been countless drownings here. I've been to some of them. It's just really tragic because they could have been avoided if people knew what they were getting into. We're making our way down to spitting caves. It's kind of a mellow day. If you saw that spray right there, that's why they call it spitting caves. There's going to be a jump off here and then in general, people try to climb back up on the rocks down there. I do not recommend this if you're not a good swimmer. This can be highly dangerous. Like I said, there's been lots of people that have died out here. There's actually an even higher jump that's around the corner from here. I'm not even going to show that to you because I don't want to set anyone up for anything.

Here we are at spitting caves with a killer view down towards Diamond Head there to the west. Then, if you could look very close and right around the corner there, that's actually Molokai to the east. Once again, we're here at splitting cave to show you one of the perks about living here in Hawaii Kai. Once again, you have these incredible estates that are up above.

Driving Tour Back to Koko Head Park from Lumahai Place

Now, we're back in the car to give you a little driving tour heading out of Lumahai here in Koko Kai. As you can see, the tradewinds are blowing pretty good today. It is a summer day as I'd mentioned. What's nice about Koko Kai and Triangle for that matter, compared to Portlock is you have these nice open wide streets. You also have buried underground utilities. That's one of the perks about living in Hawaii Kai is you have these nice wider roads with sidewalks and underground utilities. Like we talked about earlier, a lot of the homes here in Koko Kai and Triangle were first developed in the 60's and into the 70's.

Example of 1960's-1970's Architecture

So, you have some that are relatively similar construction to what they were back then. That is less common because there is a lot of gentrification in the neighborhood with people that have upgraded their homes over the years. Now, as we head back down to the intersection of Lumahai and Poipu, that will give you a perspective of the (ocean) views you get from a lot of these homes here.

Deeded View Planes

Unobstructed View from Koko Kai

What's great about both of these neighborhoods is you have deeded view planes. So, the homes can only go up so high. So, that protects the views of your neighbors. It works in everyone's best benefit. That was something that was done by Kamehameha Schools and Kaiser back in the day when they were developing these lots. Once again, we're on Poipu and we're going to be coming up to that transition of Koko Kai going back into Triangle. Once again, you've got that gorgeous backdrop of Koko Crater out the back, which is that incredible hike. I know I've showed you a nice sunset view from the top of the crater earlier. 

Now, as we round this up, we're going to be coming back down Poipu and coming full circle to get to Koko Head park once we cross Nawiliwili. Once again, a lot of these streets have names similar if you're familiar with the island of Kauai. Nawiliwili, Poipu, etc. are all locations on the island of Kauai. As we come to the park, we're going to take a little break and then we're going to run across the highway. Another awesome thing about living in Portlock, Triangle and Koko Kai is you have Koko Marina Shopping Center directly across the street.

Koko Marina Shopping Center

Marina View from Koko Marina Shopping Center

What's really cool about living in Portlock, Triangle or Koko Kai is directly across Kalanianaole Hwy., you've got Koko Marina Shopping Center, which is where we're at now. It's a marinafront complex here on the water. Directly across the marina is Hawaii Kai Towne Center, where you've got a Costco. What's nice about being on the marina is you can have a boat dock out your back door and bring your boat over to hit up the restaurants, go to Costco or what have you. Now, let's give you a walking tour of Koko Marina, which is one of the perks of living directly across the street from Portlock, Triangle and Koko Kai neighborhoods.

Ok, here's some of the many vendors we've got here:

There's Fatboys, which is a plate lunch place. Then, there's a Subway. That's not named after Jared, the fatboy. Just kidding... Starbucks Coffee, they've been here for over a dozen years now. Local Motion has been a staple of Koko Marina Shopping Center forever. There is a Bank of Hawaii, as well as a First Hawaiian, which we'll get to in just a little bit. Then, there's Loco Moco, which is another plate lunch place. Then, Walgreens and Petco used to be one big space. There used to be a Foodland here in Koko Marina that we used to shop at when I was in the Fire Department. However when Foodland went away, they split it into 2 different retail establishments. Last, but not least, you have a Leonard's Bakery food truck here. 

One of the perks about Koko Marina Shopping Center WAS...."Was" as in past tense. There used to be a movie theater here. Unfortunately, it closed down this past year. Fortunately, I was able to take my daughter to a movie there this past summer. They did close down. We have yet to find out what's doing to be going in here.

This is an awesome outdoor mall here in Hawaii Kai. After hitting all the signs of establishments here, I'm starting to get a little bit hungry... I take that back. We'll cover a little bit more. We've got Zippy's, which has been here forever down at the end. All these establishments on this wing are going to have marinafront views. We've got a number of other places here and we've got Assagio's, Coconut's, which is kind of a famous shaved ice place. Then, we're going to round the corner to Teddy's Bigger Burgers, then the Greek Marina and Kona Brew.

After Teddy's Bigger Burgers, you've got Jamba Juice with some outdoor seating. Then, we've got Greek Marina, which is an awesome restaurant. Then, you've got Kona Brewery here. Then, you have 24 Hour Fitness, First Hawaiian Bank and a Texaco Station to fill up your cars and boats. Then, one of east Honolulu's only remaining drive through car washes. They're kind of a dying breed and it's awesome that you still have one here in Hawaii Kai at Koko Marina.

Water Sports in Hawaii Kai

Another cool thing about Koko Marina Shopping Center is you've got this Water Sports setup here where they take people out for paragliding, jet skiing, fishing, etc. From the view here, you can see Hawaii Kai Towne Center and Hawaii Kai Shopping Center. That valley in the back is Hahaione Valley. Then, up to the right is Mariners Ridge. 

Backside of Koko Marina Shopping Center

Just to do Koko Marina justice, I'm now on the backside of Koko Marina. That's the old movie theater sign here. A couple of vendors we forgot to mention are Taco Bell, which is right here and they have a drive through. Then, there's a Straub Clinic. So, this is the rooftop deck on the backside of Koko Marina in Hawaii Kai and you've got that view of that nice hike up to Koko Crater as well.

Summary

I hope you enjoyed my tour of Portlock, Triangle and Koko Kai and my hunger has finally caught up to me. I'm glad you got to see a little bit of what Koko Marina Shopping Center is all about. 

My decision today was to get a yummy Korean BBQ here, a Bi Bim Bap. For those of you that aren't familiar with that, it comes with an egg, beef, kim chee, vegetables and rice. I'm going to dive into this here, but if you need help with real estate here in Hawaii Kai, whether it be Koko Kai, Portlock, Triangle or any of Hawaii Kai's over a dozen neighborhoods, feel free to reach out and give us a shout @ 808-371-3509. Mahalo!

Can you believe we're already midway through June? This is David Buck with Harcourts Island Real Estate and today we're going to report on the local market update for May of 2024.

Local Update for Homes

As far as single family home sales go, Wahiawa saw the largest increase year over year, which was up 133%. That was going from 3 transactions in May of '23 to 7 transactions this past month. Meanwhile, across the board of the 21 major neighborhoods that the Honolulu Board of Realtors tracks, they were up in 8 neighborhoods, flat in 2 and down in 11 neighborhoods for transaction volume.

The median home price in Kapahulu - Diamond Head saw the largest increase here on Oahu year over year. That was up 31% from a year ago. A year ago, the median home price in Kapahulu to Diamond Head was $1,200,000 and this past month it was at $1,568,750.

Local Update for Condos

Condo sales in Kaneohe were up 82%. That was going from 11 sales in May of 2023 to 20 sales this past month. Regarding the overall market here on Oahu that the Honolulu Board of Realtors reports on (there's 21 major neighborhoods), of those major neighborhoods, we saw an increase in sales in 10 of those neighborhoods. They were flat in 3 and down in 8. So, the condo market is being a lot more healthy. As we reported on the overall market earlier this month, condos sales on Oahu were up over 9%.

The median condo price in Kailua-Waimanalo was up 45% year over year. That was going from $682,000 to $990,000 this past month.

That's a wrap for the local market update here on Oahu in May of 2024. As we talk about every month, every market is unique. Whether it be homes or condos, they're all dynamic and constantly changing. Feel free to reach out and give us a shout if there's something specific to you that we can help with. Mahalo!

Aloha! This is David Buck with Harcourts Island Real Estate. Today is another Wednesday and we're going to be covering another episode of We Need Inventory. The neighborhood we're going to be discussing today is Pualei Circle, which lies on the mauka (mountain) side of Kapiolani Park at Diamond Head.

Pualei Circle on the Diamond Head side of Kapiolani Park

It's an enclave in a "circle" at the intersection of Pualei Circle and Leah iAve.

Pualei Circle and Leahi Ave.

There's about a dozen condominium buildings and several hundred units of potential inventory within Pualei Circle. All of those buildings, but one have a Pualei Circle address, with the exception of Diamond Head Surf, which on the corner of Pualei Circle and Leahi Ave.

Diamond Head Surf on the Corner of Pualei Circle and Leahi Ave.

With that said, today there's only 1 unit for sale in Pualei Circle. That's a 1 bedroom at Diamond Head Alii going for $535,000. In addition to that, there's 2 others in Pualei Circle that have accepted offers on them. Over the past 6 months, there's only been 7 sales, with an average 23 days on market.

Diamond Head Alii Condos

So, inventory at Pualei Circle is very tight at the moment. If you know of anyone that owns a condo at Pualei Circle and are thinking about selling, timing wise, this could be a great opportunity. We're very tight on inventory and we need inventory. 

Contact us if you know of anyone looking to buy or sell at Pualei Circle. Mahalo!

Aloha! This is David Buck and we're reporting from the Harcourts Island Real Estate office in Kahala. Today, we're going to be covering the home and condo stats for May of 2024.

Oahu Home Stats

First off, we're going to dive into the single family homes and there we saw a 5% in single family home sales from May of 2023 to this past month. A year ago, we had 262 home sales on Oahu. This past month we saw 249. Once again, that's a 5% dip in the number of transactions. Regrading median sales price, we saw a 2.2% drop in that median price on the island, going from $1,109,000 to $1,085,000. 

Meanwhile, homes are selling quicker, 33.3% quicker to be exact. A year ago, it was taking 21 days on average to sell a home. This past month, they were selling in 14. That's a good sign for home sellers. Meanwhile, months of remaining inventory (which is a sing of absorption in the market) has been increasing. It went from 2.2 months of remaining inventory a year ago to 2.9 months this past month.That's a 31% increase. 

Oahu Condos Stats

Condo transaction volume painted a little bit different story than single family homes. Whereas, single family homes saw  a dip in the number of deals, condo deals were up 9.1% from a year ago. In May of 2023, we saw 438 transactions take place. This past month we saw 478. Condos did however follow single family homes regarding pricing. The pricing was down 2% from a year ago. We were at $505,000 in May of '23. This past month, it was down to $495,000. 

Meanwhile, the median days on market increased from 20 to 25 days. That's a 25% increase. It's still well under 60 days, which defines the pivoting point for a buyer's or seller's market. In the meantime, active inventory for condos increased 47% from a year ago. So, there's a lot more inventory out there for buyers to chose from.

As we wrap this up here, every market on Oahu is different, depending on the neighborhood or building. If there's something specific to you, feel free to reach out to our team and give us a shout. Mahalo!

Aloha! This is David Buck and today we're going to be talking about the pros and cons of living on Waialae Iki.

Waialae Iki Park at the Base of Waialae Iki

First, we're going to start off at Waialae Iki Park, which is a public park. It's got an incredible soccer field, which is used on the afternoons and weekends. There's also basketball courts, a jungle gym and more.

Waialae Iki Basketball Courts

Laukahi and Poola Streets

This is kind of like the base of Waialae Iki. To the west, you’re going to have the main artery up the hill. There’s a lot of traffic on Kalanianaole Hwy. The main artery to the west is Laukaih St., which will take you up to the top to Waialae Iki 5. Directly behind me is Poola St., which will run you up to the east side of Waialae Iki.

Waialae Iki History

When I first got into real estate in the early 2000’s (2001 to be exact), there were 5 different phases of Waialae Iki in MLS. It was called Waialae Iki I, II, III, IV and V (roman numerals then. Phase V is actually at the very top of the hill. It was a gated community. Gentry diid a number of homes in there. Then, there were a number of private owners that bought the lots and developed homes from there. I lived on Waialae Iki as a kid.

Buck Home Built in 1976

My Dad and Mom built a house in Waialae Iki in the 1970’s, probably what would be considered the 3rd phase of development. Some of the homes lower in the hill were more like in the 1960’s, then they went up through the 2000’s as you got to the top (of the hill). We’re going to cover both sides of the ridge today. Also, on the east side up at the top on Poola St., there’s another gated community called Kahala Kua. Now, Kahala Kua has its own MLS neighborhood (and was developed by Bill Mills), which is separate from Waialae Iki.

Poola Street Home Overlooking Aina Haina

Going up the majority of Poola, on that eastern side overlooking Aina Haina, that still falls under Waialae Iki from an MLS standpoint.

Was Street

As you come up Poola Street, there’s a sleeper little street called Waa Street. It’s a “horse shoe” loop that runs you up and you can get a little bit of views and hooks back down on Poola Street. I’ll give you a quick little tour of Waa Street. As we drive up Waa Street, it’s a horse shoe looped street and it curves up to the right. Most of the homes were built in the early 1960’s. You have a mixture of upslope properties on the mauka (mountain) side of the road, as well as downslope propertiies. The pros and cons about that is carrying the groceries upstairs as opposed to carrying groceries downstairs. You’ll notice a number of recycle bins on the street. It’s one of the pros of living in Honolulu is you get trash pickups. Today is recycle day and we also have green waste and grey can (pickup days).

Kahala Kua

Kahala Kua Entry Sign

Now we’re at the very top of Poola Street on the eastern side Waialae Iki. What’s behind me is the entrance to Kahala Kua, which is a gated community at the very top of Poola Street.

Gated Entry to Kahala Kua

There’s a lot of newer homes up there. Basically, if you continue up past that gate, you’d travel up and to the right. Waialae Iki is an older ridge and wraps around at the top of Kahala Kua. The 2 neighborhoods do not connect at the top. So, you have to get to Laukahi to get to those homes. Here on Poola Street, you have some nice homes with perimeter views facing the west toward Diamond Head.

Driving Down Poola Street

Now, as we head back down Poola Street, you can just imagine the types of views you’ll have with the ocean on the horizon. On the left side of the road, you have the homes facing east towards Hawaii Kai. Then, the homes on the right are facing west towards Diamond Head. Obviously, the ones on the east are going to get more of that morning sun and not the afternoon sunset. Whereas, the homes on the right side of the street are going to get more of the afternoon sun. On those, you’re probably going to want to have sun shades or window coverings in the afternoon. As we round the corner, you can imagine what it took to carve out this development. You can see a lot of the rock work here and there’s actually a “dead spot” for cell phone coverage here. One of the cons about the Poola side of Waialae Iki is it’s a lot more narrow of a road.vs. the main part of Waialae Ikii on Laukahi Street. First, we hit the eastern flank of Waialae Iki, which was going up Poola Street, which is a windy, curvy road. It’s a very narrow road, which is one of the cons, which some people can say. It might also control people speeding.

Analii Street

We’re going to run you up Laukahi Street next, which is the main artery that runs you up and down Waialae Iki. I just came back here on Analii Street and remember earlier I’d mentioned that kids do play soccer. So, they’re starting to set up. Analii Street connects both sides of Waialae Iki from the west side to the east side.

Driving up Laukahi Street

As you head up Laukah Street, we’re going to go through all 5 phases of Waialae Iki. As we get to the very top, we’re going to hit Waiallae Iki 5.

Waialae Iki 5

Waialae Iki 5

We’re now at the very top of Laukahi Street, which is the very top of Waialae Iki. Here we have the entry to Waialae Iki 5, which was the 5th phase of development we talked about earlier. It is a gated community. You have a lot of newer construction, newer design, a lot more contemporary and more steel framed builds vs. wood frame. At the very top of the ridge, there’s an ironwood forest and there’s a hike back there as well. You do have to be an owner to get into Waialae Iki 5. They also have tennis courts and a club house. Next, we’ll head back down the hill and see some of the views that you’ll get living here in Waiialae Iki.

Driving Down Laukahi Street

Now, as we head back down Laukahi, you’re going to get a similar feel of perspective ini Poola Street in that the homes on the left hand side are going to have more of the eastern sunrise and tradewinds blowing through. Then, on the right hand side of the street you’re going to get more of the sunsets facing west. As we talked about earlier, one of the pros about being on Laukahi or the main part of Waialae Iki is you’l notice how wide the streets are. If you recall driving down Poola and seeing how tight things were, if a car were coming, you’d have to pull over to the side. Here, in Waialae Iki on Laukahi Street, you have these nice wide streets, where you do not have to pull over. As we round the bend, we’re going to be heading back towards Black Point and Diamond Head. One of the perks about Waialae Iki is you have these beautiful community parks.

Waialae Iki Community Parks

Laukahi Slopes Park

One of the cool things about Waialae Iki is you have these community parks that are periodically spread throughout the hill. They are big open spaces to take advantage of the views. This one is a little bit gown in. It’s maintained by the city.

Community Park off Laukahi Street

There is some cactus, kuaiiwi, keawe and halekoa throughout. You do have some great views of Waialae Golf Course to give you a perspective. We’ll hit another park or two down the way. This one is right off of Laukahi Street by the way.

Continuing Down Laukahi

We’re back on Laukahi Street heading back down the road. Off to the right is where my old house was when I was a kid. To the left is Board of Water Supply tank. As you can imagine, there’s a pumping station to get water up the road because of gravity. Although the main part of Waialae Iki is not a gated community, there is security patrol that kind of monitors the homes throughout Waialae Iki. So, that’s another positive thing about Waialae Iki.

Kamole Mini Park

Sign for Kamole Mini Park

Here we are at another park off Laukahi Street. It’s Kamole Mini Park and this one actually stretches through to Kamole Street, which is down below on the makai (ocean) side of the park. You can access it up here. There are some park benches. As you’ll see down below, there’s ocean views, which is one of the awesome things about living on Waialae Iki.

Waialae Iki Demographics and Location

I didn’t talk about earlier, but Waiialae Iki falls in the zip code of 96821 and it is in East Honolulu. You’re straddled on one side by Aina Haina valley, which will be off to the east. Then, to the west you have Kalani Iki. That’s a little bit more from a macro level of where Waialae Iki is located. What not many people are aware of (this went on for many years), when they did the census, some of the most wealthy neighborhoods in Hawaii, some of the neighbors that do come to mind might be Diamond Head or Kahala. Believe it or not, Waialae ski has some of the more wealthy people here on Oahu. The reason why is you have a lot of doctors, attorneys and professionals that do live up here. Whereas, the demographic of Diamond Head and Kahala, you do get a lot of second home owners and then you get a lot of LLCs, corporations and trusts. So, you don’t really know who is living there and claiming it as their residence. That’s just one thing to keep n mind. You do have a lot of professionals up here.

Gentrification in Waialae Iki

We’re mid way on the ridge here and we’re going to wrap up here shortly. The construction across Kamole Mini Park gives you an idea of what was being built back ini the 1960’s and 1970’s. Over time, people are upgrading. There’s a home under construction there. There’s some gentrification in the neighborhood.

Contact a Waialae Iki Expert

If you have any questions about Waialae Iki or are thinking of buying or selling here, feel free to reach out and give us a shout at 808-371-3509. Mahalo!

Here we are at Makaha Valley Towers in Makaha. You can tell you're at Makaha Valley Towers when you hear peacocks. I wanted to give you a tour of a unit we closed on recently and put it right back on the market at Makaha Valley Towers. This is a studio, unit #524.

Unit #524 at Makaha Valley Towers

Here we are at unit #524 and we have storage just right outside the front door. You've got a great backdrop here of Makaha Valley. Let's go take a look. This is going to be a studio floor plan at Makaha Valley Towers. When you walk in, you immediately have ocean views.

View from the Lanai

We just had a bunch of rain over the past few days, however this will give you a perspective back in Makaha Valley with this panoramic 180 degree view, all the way out to the point there at Lahilahi. There, you see the Hawaiian Princess and the Makaha Beach Cabanas. You also have a spacious lanai here, overlooking tons of parking and desk parking. Down below, you're going to have the swimming pool and cabana area. What you hear there are peacocks. They're kind of like the resident birds here at Makaha Valley Towers. You have a picnic and BBQ area down there as well. 

Main Living Area

As we come back in this studio unit, it does have a nice remodeled kitchen, a butcher's block and a murphy bed (which is a great use of space). There's also a semi built-in entertainment center across the room. We then pull the murphy bed down to give you a sense of space. The bed is not made. This is an interesting listing. We just closed on it on Friday and immediately put it right back on the market. We've got it at a great price. We're listed under $200,000. We've had studios recently in the project sell north of $200,000. Here, we'll give you a perspective with the bed down here. We're going to come out of the living area and we've got a little storage locker here off the hallway.

Bathroom

As you come into the bathroom, you have one long closet on the left. This is all central air by the way, that's included in your maintenance fees. You've got a nice granite countertops, sink, newer cabinets, mirror, toilet and a glazed shower.

I just wanted to give you a perspective of what a studio looks like here at Makaha Valley Towers.

Full Disclosure - Peacocks 🦚

Full Disclosure - there are peacocks here at Makaha Valley Towers. They're kind of like the resident bird. As you can see, they are all throughout the property. Iif you're ok with peacocks and their sounds, feel free to contact us if you're interested in Makaha Valley Towers.

Aloha! Here I am at Makaha Surfside. I just wanted to show you what you get for a 1 bedroom in an oceanfront building in Makaha. It's not a bad view here, when you come off the parking structure to enter building B. Check out this view directly behind me. It's hard to beat living on the ocean.

Oceanfront Living at Makaha Surfside

This is unit B303  From a lot of the people I've been talking to, it's one of the preferred buildings. What's selling you right away are the views as it's direct oceanfront. We're in May and just got through some rain and the sun is finally out. This is the view off of the lanai here. We've got a window AC unit.

View from Makaha Surfside B303

The kitchen was recently remodeled with stainless steel appliances. There's a ceramic tile floor. The upgrades in the kitchen and bathroom include quartz countertops, new cabinets and a refinished bathtub. 

Remodeled Kitchen with Stainless Steel Appliances

Remodeled Bathroom with Quartz Countertops

There's a closet off the hallway, which could be covered or used as storage. In the back of the unit is the bedroom, which has jalousie windows for ventilation and a closet.

Bedroom with Jalousie Windows

I hope that helps give you a perspective of Makaha Surfside, on the ocean here. I just wanted to show you what you get for just under a quarter million dollars. You can be on the ocean. It is a 1 bedroom, 1 bathroom. It is fee simple and you can live directly on the water. If you're interested in something like this or another product in Makaha, or all of Oahu (we serve the entire island), feel free to reach out and give us a call @ 808-371-3509. Mahalo!

Aloha, this is David Buck with Harcourts Island Real Estate and today we're going to talk about 3 reasons why this Colony Surf studio is such a great buy. The first reason is going to be product, then price and the third is obviously going to be the location. Be sure to stick around to the end for a bonus 4th reason.

1. Product

This is a great product because this unit got completely remodeled in 2023. I recently showed this to a client of mine in town. From the moment you walk in the front door, you're captivated by the attention to detail on the remodel. You've got granite countertops and backsplash, stainless steel appliances and beautiful white cabinetry. 

Remodeled Kitchen w/ Granite Countertops, Stainless Steel Appliances and Gas Cooking

As you walk through the galley kitchen into the main living area, you can't help but notice the recessed lighting and the state of the art light switches on the wall to control the lighting in the room. 

Main Living Area w/ Recessed Lighting

Then, when you wrap around the corner into the bathroom, you're going to see the same style and quality of upgrades that you did in the kitchen. There's also additional storage in the closet and above the closet in the bathroom. On top of that, you have a stacked Bosch washer dryer in the bathroom.

Remodeled Bathroom w/ Ample Storage and Bosch Washer/Dryer

2. Price

The 2nd reason is going to be price. The subject unit here is #508. It's now currently priced at $899,000. There's another unit for sale in the same stack, unit #1008. That's nearly $100,000 higher at $975,000. When you look at the last 2 sales in the building, #306, which is on a lower floor sold for $998,000. #1103 was on a higher floor and those stacks are direct oceanfront, so they do go for more of a premium price. It went for $1,149,000. 

Colony Surf Studio Comparative Market Analysis

In a nutshell, you're looking north of $1 million on the last couple of trades in the building. This unit #508 is priced at $899,000.

3. Location

The Colony Surf is the Tallest Building on the Ocean at Diamond Head

Now, the 3rd reason is going to be the location. The Colony Surf is a direct oceanfront building on Honolulu's Gold Coast at Diamond Head. It's really hard to beat this location because you can right out the door and access the beach at Kaimana. You can also cross the street and be at Kapiolani Park. If you want to hook a left out of the property, you can go directly down the road into Waikiki. Or, if you hook a right out of the property, you can head around the corner to Diamond Head lookout.

Beach Fronting Colony Surf

Kapiolani Park Across the Street

You've got all kinds of great things in the neighborhood. You've got at the Kaimana Hotel and some great dining and restaurants nearby. In addition, you have world class Michel's restaurant here within the Colony Surf. So, the location sells itself.

Michel's Restaurant at the Colony Surf

View from Michel's Restaurant

4. Bonus Reason - Timing

Although we've talked about 3 reasons why this Colony Surf studio is a great buy, we've covered product, price and location. I'm going to give you a 4th bonus here. That 4th bonus is going to be timing. What's been happening here at the Colony Surf is we've seen a lot more sellers from overseas investors from Japan.

What was happening in the building back around 2016 or so (when the Yen was strong) Japanese Buyers were buying up the Colony Surf because there was a loophole in the tax code in Japan where these wealthy people could depreciate their investment here over the course of 7 years. Not only diid those that bought back then run their course on the depreciation, but back then the Yen was very strong. 

What's happened today is the Yen is a lot weaker. I covered this in a recent video/article on the Waikiki Shore. We started to see more Japanese investors that are selling there because the Yen has been a lot weaker. In our overall marketplace on Oahu, we're seeing a lot less foreign investment from Japan and we're starting to see a lot more selling. 

Timing wise, which is the 4th reason, it could be a great time to buy in an oceanfront building at Diamond Head. To learn more about the Colony Surf, Diamond Head condos or oceanfront condos here on Oahu, feel free to reach out and give me a shout at 808-371-3509. Mahalo!

Well, there's been a lot of talk recently in the real estate industry here on Oahu regarding retrofitting old high rise condominiums with fire protection for sprinklers. It all starred with the Marco Polo fire that took place in 2017. 

Burn Mark on the Marco Polo after 2017 Fire

I remember the fire at Marco Polo like it was yesterday. I remember I was coaching my daughter's canoe practice at the Diamond Head side of the Ala Wai Canal. We started seeing all this smoke coming down the canal. 

Canoe Practice at the Ala Wai Canal

Take a look at this picture below. Spoiler Alert: that was not the smoke from that day. Unfortunately, I did not get the smoke on camera. 

Funnel Cloud on the Ala Wai Canal

This is actually a funnel cloud, but it gives you a perspective of the view and direction of looking down the canal. The first thing that went through my head when I heard the fire was at Marco Polo was "oh no, this is not good." Because, knowing what I know when I was in the fire department is that the Marco Polo has an enclosed hallway. So, it had the ability to trap the fire and let it spread down the corridors.

Station 29 was the Closest Fire Station to Marco Polo

Station 29 (McCully Fire Station) was the first one on the scene there. The fire itself did spread quite rapidly.

High Rise Condos in Hawaii Kai w/ Open Walkways on the Back

In Hawaii Kai, most of the buildings that we would inspect had open walkways on the backside (or mauka side) of the buildings. That was great for ventilation and didn't allow the fire to spread within units. Another thing I learned later is the Marco Polo itself had louvered doors. So, that was another way for the fire to spread. 

Ordinance 19-4

Shortly thereafter (the Marco Polo fire), the City and County of Honolulu pushed forward to retrofit older buildings for fire protection. What they rolled out was Ordinance 19-4. You might ask yourself "what is 19-4?" Well, basically what it is a Fire Life and Safety Evaluation. This started with the Honolulu Fire Department doing an evaluation of all the high-rises over 75 feet here on Oahu. 

Alphabetical List of High Rises on Oahu

If you want to see a list to the over 300 high rises on Oahu that the Honolulu Fire Department has identified, here's a link to that list. First off, I'm going to say a disclaimer that I used to be a firefighter here in Honolulu.

David at Hawaii Kai Fire Station 34 in 2007

Ii was with HFD from 1999 through 2007. There were some great experiences I had during my career. I was stationed at Hawaii Kai for the bulk of my career at Station 34.

Hawaii Kai Fire Station on Lunalilo Home Road

I was not in fire prevention and I just want to get that out of the way. I've been out of the department now since 2007, so take what I say with a grain of salt. i am also not an attorney. I am a Realtor here on Oahu. However, us Realtors here on Oahu recently went through some training to cover what Ordinance 19-4 encompasses. Since then, the Honolulu Fire Department has come up with a list of over 300 high rises on Oahu that are 75 feet of more. 

With Ordnance 19-4, there are 2 options going forward:

1. Install a new fire sprinkler system by the year 2038

2. Make necessary repairs and/or upgrades to the existing fire alarm and safety of the building by the year 2030

How owners, boards need to decide on which direction they are going and also how they will fund this? Ie - through increasing reserves, increasing maintenance fees or having a special assessment? Associations hired a design professional to conduct the FLSE. They had to file a report by August of 2022. The challenge of most of these buildings coming up with the funds is they are already older buildings that are say 40-60 years old and are dealing with other capital improvements such as spalling, painting, railings, windows and plumbing.

Older Condos and Co-ops Along Diamond Head's Gold Coast

Let alone elevators as these are high rises. Based upon the FLSE results roughly 270 (80-90%) of the buildings failed the initial test. Part of the upgrades will include strobes, horns and audibles in every unit. Fire rated doors, no pikas in the pipes At this point in time, this is just an Oahu thing, not on the neighbor islands as its for counties larger than 500,000 and Honolulu is the only county with a population of that has a population of that amount.

What is Exempt from Ordinance 19-4?

Example of a Low Rise Condo Under 75' That is Exempt

Buildings under 75 feet do not apply. For instance, I am selling some properties right now that are every bit as old as those that have to retrofit. However, they are less than 75 feet. They are not going to be required to do this.

Over 300 Oahu Condo Projects Underinsured

In addition to there being over 300 buildings on Oahu that are over 75 feet on Oahu, it has come up recently in our industry that there are over 300 condo projects on Oahu that are underinsured. A lot of this started with the building collapse in Miami.

Miami Condo Collapse

Lahaina after 2023 Fire

Then, as we all know, we had the Maui fires that happened in August of last year. So, insurance premiums for condos and HOAs have gone up astronomically over the past year or two. With that said, once these buildings start implementing the FLSE requirements, going forward in theory their insurance rates should drop.

Where Do We Go from Here?

To be honest, there are going to be a lot of challenges and growing pains with high-rises on Oahu that need to comply with Ordinance 19-4. However, the silver lining is that the Marco Polo, that went through this awful tragedy back in 2017 has come out on the other side of this.

Marco Polo Now in 2024

They are now on the other side of the tunnel in the sense that they do have sprinklers there. I've been blogging about this after the fire because I predicted that sales there in the building would rebound after the fire, which they really because at one point you could not get financing on units there. We actually helped an owner sell their unit there through our auction platform because there were no buyers out there that could obtain financing. You were forced to sell to cash buyers. It was really sad and tragic for owners at the time, however here we are on the other side of that.

We're now in the year 2024 and in the year 2030, for those that opt for option #2 is going to be hitting us in 6 years. That's right around the corner. If HOA's opt for option #1, which is to retrofit for sprinklers by the year 2038, it's still 14 years out. There's a bit of a road ahead, but there is a silver lining at the end of the tunnel.

Have High Rise Questions on Oahu?

If you have questions about condos or high-rises on Oahu or if you're looking to buy or sell in a building that's going through this right now, or if you're looking to get into a building that already does have sprinklers, we can help you all across the board. Or, if condo living simply isn't for you, we help people buy and sell homes as well. We can be reached at 808-371-3509. Mahalo!

The Nihau Apartments is a sleeper of a building in Waikiki. Not many people know that it's a condominium that's been around basically since statehood. It's zoned in a resort district, so it allows for short term rentals. Behind me, you've got the Embassy Suites. Then, right here, we have the old Trump Tower Waikiki, which is now Kala'i. On the other side of the Niihau Apartments, you have Regency on Beachwalk. Once a again, this is a sleeper of a building and there aren't a lot of amenities. But, you can rent them short term, which is one of the awesome things.

Although There's No Amenities On Site, Niiahu Apts has Lahaina Shaved Ice Downstairs

It's a 10 story building with 1 and 2 bedroom units, with the 2 bedroom units on the wings. I've currently got one here under contract and I've participated in the last several sales that took place in the building.

Tour of Unit 305

Let me give you a quick tour of Niihau Apartments #305. This is a listing that we actually sold prior to coming to market. I wanted to give you a feel of this floor-plan. This is a 2 bedroom, 1 bath. The 2 bedrooms are a little more rare. They cap on the end units. This is (an '05) end unit and you have the '01s on the other side along Beachwalk.

Here we are at Niihau Apartments #305, which is a 2 bedroom, 1 bath. It's relatively original condition. The tenant just moved out. He was a great tenant and he was here for 16 years. What's nice about the end units is you have windows on the side here, unlike the interior 1 bedroom units. You have a 1 bedroom with a closet. Then, you have another 1 bedroom across the hall. You have jalousie windows for good cross ventilation. There's lots of storage. 

This unit is on the 3rd floor, so it's not going to have the best views. You then have the kitchen and then the living area. This should give you a good feel of the '05 stack here at Niihau Apartments. These don't come on the market that often. We do have it under contract as I mentioned. There's been a lot of interest in the building. This is going to be my 3rd sale that we've sold off market, because there is so much interest here. To learn more about the Niiahu Apartments in Waikiki, feel free to give me a shout at 808-371-3509. Mahalo!