Aloha, I'm going to give a quick walking tour of some of the latest developments of Howard Hughes. We've got Anaha right behind me and Waiea, which were the first two towers. 

Walking Tour of Ward Village

As we cross the street here on Auahi, you've got Waiea here, but you can see all (the new construction) that's happening in the zone right now. On the left coming up here you've got Victoria Place, which just got topped off about a week ago or so. They're finishing all the interiors and you can see all the people working on the windows there. All the construction workers... and across the street you've got Koula, which was completed this past year. There's a number of resale units on the market. 

As we walk down the right, you've got all the retail here and Victoria Ward Cinemas. As you can see, it is a construction zone. There's lots of progress happening right now. You can see how Victoria Place buts right up against Waiea here. That's the amenity deck for Waiea up above there. What's exciting to see, what we're coming to right around the corner here is the great lawn, which is one of the amenities for living in this neighborhood. That's slowly coming to fruition as is ultimately a pedestrian bridge across Ala Moana Blvd.

As you can hear (in the video), there's lots of construction going on. Here, we can see the progress of Victoria Place, which is really coming together. We've talked about this in the past, however what's going to be really nice about this tower for the residents is it's literally the only one with no retail. It's very private and exclusive. 

As you can see, there's a lot of construction happening down here. New towers going up with Ulana there and in the background we've got Ke Kilohana, which is one of the affordable products. What's behind this tar paper on the right is the great lawn. I referenced this in another video I took awhile back. You've got Aalii out the back and Aeo around the corner.

This is going to be one major park here and speaking of which, The Park is going to be right here.  Then, you've got Kalae, which is going to be coming up on the corner here on the other side of the park. What they're doing here is some site work here because this is where the pedestrian bridge is going to be that's going to cross over Ala Moana Blvd. 

Beyond Kalae, there's ultimately going to be a tower called Launiu, which I'm getting a presentation on today. After that, where the old Bank of Hawaii was, you have Alia by Kobayashi (not part of Ward Village). That's the extent of the Howard Hughes properties on the other side of Ward. 

Howard Hughes also has the maintenance and contract to run the harbor at Kewalo Basin, which is right across the street. Victoria Ward Village is really coming into itself. You see the grass going in on the great lawn. Once again, you've got Koula here and that's a wrap...

Correction! That is not a wrap. I just got out of a presentation for Launiu. It's going to be really impressive. It's going to be on the corner of Ward Ave. and Ala Moana Blvd. It'll be a 40 story building. The podium is going to be on the 7th floor. There's not a lot of details I can share yet as it's very preliminary. They're going to launch sales in January, but if you have interest in another one of Howard Hughes new towers here in Ward Village or Launiu, feel free to give me a call. Mahalo!

Kapiolani Community College is an excellent choice for anyone considering attending college in Honolulu. Offering a wide variety of programs in the liberal arts and sciences, Kapiolani Community College (KCC) provides a quality educational experience at an affordable cost. KCC is a two-year campus of the University of Hawaii, and it's conveniently located on an attractive campus where Diamond Head, Kaimuki and Kapahulu intersect. From their diverse student population to their expansive course offerings, KCC offers many reasons for students to choose them for enrollment.

Kapiolani Community College offers an array of fields in which students may specialize, everything from studio art to allied health, business, computer science, engineering, and more. In addition to outstanding academic programs, KCC also provides support services to help students succeed in college, including student access services, counseling, federal and state financial aid, and scholarship resources. Kapiolani Community College also offers plentiful opportunities for student activities that encourage character building and friendship formation.

KCC's location in Honolulu also has many advantages. With access to the nearby beaches and beautiful lei of flowers, KCC students are able to enjoy the culture and charm of the islands right in their backyard. Whether it’s catching some waves or taking in some local Hawaiian cuisine, Honolulu offers its visitors many enjoyable activities. Thanks to its excellent academics, lower costs, diverse student population, and gorgeous location, Kapiolani Community College is an inviting option for students considering their college choices in Honolulu. With its broad array of degrees and student activities to choose from, KCC gives its students the chance to gain a quality education in a vibrant location.

Aloha! Here we are for another segment of We Need Inventory and today we're going to discuss the Gold Coast at Diamond Head. This strip in the backdrop behind me of oceanfront buildings consists of 17 condos and co-ops.

Gold Coast Oceanfront Condos and Co-ops at Diamond Head

Today, there's literally only 16 units on the market between all of those 17 buildings and 7 of those 16 have accepted offers on them. On top of that, nearly half of the buildings along the strip have literally nothing for sale today. There's lots of buyers believe it or not still in the market here that are looking for an oceanfront condo in Diamond Head.

8 Gold Coast Buildings Have Nothing for Sale

Of those 17 buildings, 8 of them have nothing for sale today. So, I'm going to fire them off at you right now and hear me out. If you know anyone that owns in any of these buildings, now could be a great time to sell because there's a lot buyers in the marketplace and we need inventory. Those (8) buildings are:

1. Colony Beach
2. Coral Strand
3. Diamond Head Beach Hotel
4. Sans Souci
5. Seabreeze
6. Tropic Seas
7. 3003 Kalakaua
8. 3056 Kalakaua

If you know anyone that owns in any of those buildings, have them give us a shout because now might be a great time to sell because WE NEED INVENTORY. Mahalo!

Here we are at a Koa Ridge model home and these places are gorgeous. Obviously, they're staged, however they've done a really nice job here. They've got over 500 homes sold since they debuted just before COVID. 

Upstairs

Entry Seen from Upstairs

i'm doing things a little counter intuitive starting upstairs. You've got these beautiful windows up here above the great room space with natural lighting. You've got a bonus space, like a 2nd living room here upstairs.

2nd Living Room Upstairs

Down the hall you've got a laundry room, which makes sense because most of the bedrooms are here. You've then got a beautiful bath and bedroom here. You've got to love the split air by Misubishi Mr. Slim. 

Laundry, Bathroom and Bedroom off Hallway

As you wrap around the corner, you've got another bedroom, with a linen closet off to the side. It's very nicely done.

Bedroom at Top of Stairs

Then you come into the primary suite, which has got a beautiful walk in closet. Check out the dual vanity sinks. You've got nice  high countertops, a walk in shower and everything is well appointed and thought out of. 

Primary Suite

Primary Bathroom

You're going to love the cabinets that are easy to clean and they're a nice slick surface for a bathroom when there's steaming up from the shower. It's also got a nice ventilation fan on top. We then come back out and hit the downstairs.

Downstairs

As we come back downstairs, you have another full bedroom and bath downstairs. Once again, you have nice high ceilings, a nice walk in closet here and another nice (full) bathroom.

Downstairs Full Bedroom and Bathroom

In all, we have 3 full bathrooms and there's a half bath and 4 bedrooms. You also have an outdoor patio.

Downstairs Living Area and Patio

There's lovely recessed lighting, an open kitchen concept.

Open Kitchen Concept w/ Recessed Lighting

Here we are at Koa Ridge and I'm glad you got to see this awesome product here. Sales are moving pretty briskly.

Recap in Room Near Entry

They've got 500 down and they're targeting 3,500-3,600 residences total. If you have any questions about Koa Ridge, feel free to give us a call. Aloha!

Aloha, this is David Buck with Harcourts Island Real Estate here to report on the local market update for August of 2023. I'm a little late to bring you up to speed as we're rounding out the tail end up September. However, there's some exciting news about some of the neighborhoods here on Oahu.

Local Update for Homes

Downtown to Nuuanu saw the largest increase in single family home sales year over year. That was going from 3 to 7 sales. However, across the board 12 of the 21 major neighborhoods here on Oahu saw a slump in sales. Downtown to Nuuanu definitely was an outlier.

Moanalua to Salt Lake saw the largest appreciation for single family homes and there we saw a 22% increase. That was going from $1,100,000 in August of 2022 to now $1,339,500.

Local Update for Condos

The North Shore of Oahu continued to show strength and year over year it took the cake for the highest increase in the number of sales. In August of 2022, we only saw 4 transactions take place and we saw 8 this past month. That's a 100% increase. However, similar to the single family homes, the rest of the neighborhoods, 13 of the 21 to be accurate saw a dip in the number of sales. That's over half of the major neighborhoods saw sales decrease year over year.

Waialae Kahala saw the largest appreciation year over year for condos here on Oahu. That was going from $337,500 a year ago to $659,000 this year. That's a 95% increase in median condo price here in Waialae Kahala. Most likely the reason why was we saw a lot of trades a year ago at Kahala Beach Apartments. Because, at under $400,000, you're not going to find a fee simple condo here in Kahala. I hope that helps. If you have any questions about your particular neighborhood or building, every one is different and they're all going through different scenarios now in this market. So, feel free to reach out to us to see how we can help. Mahalo!

If you're in the market for a Penthouse at the Ritz Carlton Waikiki, now could be a great time to be in the market as there's 7 to chose from. Prices range from just under $6 million to over $16 million. Two are resales in Tower 1, while the other 5 are developer units in Tower 2. Here's a breakdown starting from the highest to the lowest priced Penthouse available:

1. Penthouse #DE in Tower 1 Listed at $16,995,000

Penthouse #DE in the first tower and originally sold for $15,570,700 in February of 2017. This 4 bedroom, 5.5 bathroom unit features over 4,200 square feet of living area and over r1,600 square feet of lanai space. The 25' ceilings are something else when taking in the views of the ocean off Waikiki and Ft. DeRussy.

2. Penthouse E in Tower 2 Listed for $16,800,000

Penthouse #E is the priciest of the developer units available and is just slightly smaller at 4,157 square feet and the lanai is roughly the same size over 1,600 square feet. This one is a 3 bedroom, 4.5 bathroom layout and also boast high ceilings at 16' high.

3. Penthouse F in Tower 2 Listed for $11,300,000

This penthouse is also a 3 bedroom, 4.5 bathroom like penthouse #E, howewver it's almost 1,000 square feet smaller with 3,244 square feet and the lanai is almost half the size at 882 square feet. Perhaps it's worth it though to save $5 million?

4. Penthouse A in Tower 2 Listed for $10,300

For $1 million less than Penthouse #F, you can get penthouse #A, which is a 3 bedroom, 5 bathroom unit with over 3,000 square feet of living area. It also has a plunge pool and BBQ.

5. Penthouse D in Tower 2 is Listed for $6,400,000

Penthouse D is a bit more modest with 2,245 square feet of living area. Even though there's only 2 bedrooms, there's 4.5 bathrooms. It also has a private lanai and plunge pool.

6. Penthouse G in Tower 1 is listed for $6,200,000

This is the 2nd penthouse listed in Tower 1. It originally sold for $5,795,387 in 2017. They also initially tried to sell this for $9.2 million in 2021! With a $3 million discount, someone should step up to the plate soon. By the time this owner factors in the real estate commissions and taxes, they won't be making much money after a 6 year hold. This 3 bedroom, 3.5 bathoom unit features 2,386 square feet of living area and also features a plunge pool and hot tub.

7. Penthouse C in Tower 2 is Listed for $5,900,000

Penthouse C is the lowest priced penthouse on the market. This 2 bedroom, 4.5 bathroom unit (similar to PH D) can be that starting point for anyone that wants to jump in and claim their ownership on aa Ritz Carlton Waikiki Penthouse. You can also enjoy that private lanai with your own dipping pool and spa...

Now is Your Chance to Own at Ritz Carlton Waikiki

It's definitely a buyer's market today at Ritz Carlton Waikiki. Outside of the 7 penthouses, there are over 50 other active listings to chose from! If you're thinking about owning a high end luxury product you can rent out when you're not in town, perhaps the Ritz Carlton is the place for you? Contact our team for more information.

Wanted: Mauka Facing Condo at Honolulu Park Place

This week in "We Need inventory", we are going to talk about Honolulu Park Place. We're currently working with a buyer that's in dire need of a mauka (mountain) facing unit in the building. Although there are 8 current listings in Honolulu Park Place, there are none that are on the mauka side, which would be the '06, '08 and '10 stacks in the building. In general, you'd normally get people looking on the oceanfront side. However, the buyer we're working with wants a mauka facing unit. 

For those that aren't familiar with Honolulu Park Place, it's located at 1212 Nuuanu Ave. in Chinatown, adjacent to Downtown Honolulu. It's a great building. Once again, we have a buyer that's looking for a mauka facing unit, so if you know of anybody that owns one of these units at Honolulu Park Place, we need inventory.

Just to recap our last week's episode, we're still working with those 3 buyers looking for Ossipoff homes. So, if you know anyone looking to sell an Ossipoff home, feel free to reach out and give me a call at 808-371-3509. Mahalo!

As the summer sun begins to mellow and the crowds thin out, September is an ideal time to visit Waikiki. The vibrant neighborhood on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, offers a plethora of exciting activities and experiences. In this article, we'll explore some of the top things to do in Waikiki in September 2023, ensuring you make the most of your island getaway.

Surfing Lessons

Waikiki is renowned for its gentle waves, making it an ideal spot for beginners to catch their first wave. Several surf schools offer lessons, and September's smaller crowds provide the perfect opportunity to learn to ride the waves like a pro.

Explore Diamond Head

Hiking up Diamond Head Crater is a must-do activity in Waikiki. The cooler September weather makes this hike more comfortable, and you'll be rewarded with panoramic views of the island and Pacific Ocean.

Attend the Waikiki Hoolaulea

If you're visiting in September, don't miss the Waikiki Hoolaulea on September 23rd, Hawaii's largest block party. Enjoy live music, dance performances, local cuisine, and a vibrant atmosphere that celebrates Hawaiian culture.

Relax on Waikiki Beach

Waikiki Beach is famous for its golden sands and gentle waves. September provides the perfect conditions for sunbathing, swimming, and beachcombing without the summer crowds.

Explore the Honolulu Zoo

Located in Waikiki, the Honolulu Zoo is home to a diverse range of animals from around the world. It's a fantastic family-friendly activity, and September's weather ensures a pleasant visit.

Sunset Catamaran Cruise

Experience the magic of a Hawaiian sunset with a catamaran cruise. Relax on deck, sip a tropical drink, and watch the sun dip below the horizon, creating a mesmerizing palette of colors.

Attend a Luau

A trip to Hawaii wouldn't be complete without experiencing a traditional luau. Enjoy a feast of Hawaiian dishes, live music, hula dancing, and immerse yourself in the aloha spirit. 

Why September?

September is a fantastic time to explore Waikiki, Hawaii. With pleasant weather, fewer crowds, and a wide array of activities, you're sure to have an unforgettable experience. Whether you're into water sports, hiking, cultural events, or simply relaxing on the beach, Waikiki offers something for everyone. Start planning your trip to this tropical paradise now and make the most of your September getaway.

Waikiki House Hunting

From a real estate perspective, there's also less buyers in the marketplace, which equals less competition when searching for the right condo in Waikiki. If you're in the market for an investment property or 2nd home here, feel free to contact our team for more information. Aloha!

Pacific Business News just ran an article sharing how BlackSand Capital, along with American Savings and Central Pacific Bank have funded a loan for the HOA of Discovery Bay to own the beneficial interest in the trust that owns the land.

Discovery Bay Condos in Waikiki

This is HUGE for those that already own at Discovery Bay if/when this goes through. Currently, the owners of these leasehold condos are encumbered by a land lease that is going to expire in 2039.

The HOA has engaged Peter Savio to assist with offering the fee interest to the individual lessees that currently own at Discovery Bay. According to the article, an informational meeting will take place later this year. This is HUGE for those that already own at Discovery Bay. Most likely, these current owners of the improvements will be offered the fee first before it's offered to 3rd party investors. At least that's how the last major fee conversion took place in Waikiki with the Liliuokalani Trust. I covered this back in 2018, when the trust simultaneously offered the the fee interest to owners in Foster Tower, Waikiki Banyan and Waikiki Sunset.

If you're interested in getting in on the action of buying or selling at Discovery Bay prior to the conversion, feel free to contact me for more information.

We Need Inventory

Aloha and Happy Wednesday everyone. Today, we're going to be starting a segment called We Need Inventory, featured on Wednesdays. Although the market is slowing down here in Honolulu, there's always a segment of the market that is different, that has less inventory than others.

Ossipoff Homes Wanted

Right now, I personally have 3 separate buyers looking for a Vladimir Ossipoff home. There's 2 homes on the market currently, that don't check the boxes. One of those is up on Waialae Nui Ridge and there's another oceanfront home in Kahala. Of those 3 buyers I'm working with...

1. Is looking for one with a fireplace.

2. Is looking for one that can be placed on the Historic Register and meets that mid century modern standard in design.

3. Is looking for an Ossipoff home which is very unique, kind of similar to the Liljestrand House. Although, we know that's obviously not for sale. But, something on a ridge with killer views and killer mid century lines.

If you know someone out there with an Ossipoff home looking to sell, contact me at 808-371-3509. Mahalo!