Eleanor Nicolai, Honolulu, Hawaii

EXCEPTIONAL, that's exactly describes my Realtor, David E. Buck. There were four Realtors that I had considered. Eliminating two, it was narrowed down to two, one of whom was David Buck. I interviewed both and my decision came to the one I immediately felt will do an outstanding job. Mr. Buck's demeanor was professional. Soft spoken with a quiet smile put me at ease. He went through each step thoroughly. He spent hours during that first meeting. Oh, those fine prints. I was overwhelmed with the process. He was very patient with my repeated questions because I didn't get it the first few times. David Buck was always available to take or return my anxious calls. Yes, I bothered him with every detail. I survived the anxieties associated with being a seller, thanks to Mr.Buck. Congratulations! Waikele Condo Sold! I highly recommend him to all.

Sean Monahan, Honolulu, Hawaii

You will not find a nicer guy, or one with more integrity. David worked with us patiently for 2.5 years. We offered on over 10 houses until we found "the one" - a home on the marina in Hawaii Kai. He put up with my wife and I - that alone should be recognized.

Darren Wilson and Stacey Clayton, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

Our business dealings with Hawaii Life Real Estate was a pleasant experience. Their showings of the Diamond Head area were very informative and realistic to our price range. David Buck went above and beyond as far as returning our phone calls and relieving our confusions and concerns during the process of buying our Cabana at Waikiki condo. We highly recommend Hawaii Life Real Estate to any interested parties looking for their own foothold in paradise. They made our dreams a reality.

Last year, there was an Alfred Preis home in Alewa Heights I wrote about that sold within 2 weeks.

This Alewa Heights home (MLS# 1108850) is now remodeled, CPR’d, and back on market for $1,100,000

Since then, the owner has decided to CPR the property, remodel the existing home, and sell off a vacant land portion (MLS# 1108851) for $495,000. Like any developer, they are in for profit as they paid $915,000 for the whole property last year.

What they are doing, however, is providing an opportunity for 2 new homeowners. One that gets a classic remodeled home, and the other, a blank slate to build in one of Honolulu’s long established ridge communities with fantastic ocean views and close proximity to downtown.

Alfred Preis was one of the most renowned mid-century architects in Honolulu and this is one of two opportunities to own one of his masterpieces in Honolulu. The other is a cool estate in Portlock. In addition, feel free to enjoy my page of mid-century modern homes for sale on Oahu.

If you are looking to buy or sell a mid-century modern home on Oahu, feel free to contact me for more information.

Portlock is Hawaii Kai’s most prestigious upscale community. Why? This is where Henry J. Kaiser - the famed Word War II Industrialist (also known for Kaiser Health Care) who developed Hawaii Kai, chose to build his personal residence. Most of the homes along Portlock Road were built around the 1950s.

Today, many of those homes have since been torn down and rebuilt. If you haven’t been able to tell from some of my past blogs, I have a passion for mid-century modern architecture and architects such as Valdimir Ossipoff and Alfred Preis.

This Alfred Preis home (MLS# 1101376) is available for $2,800,000

So, you can imagine my excitement when the listing agent on this Portlock Road home told us all during a broker’s open that Alfred Preis was the architect of this home. Not only does this home have a modern and timeless feel, it is also a great deal!

As of today, there are 13 homes available in Portlock that range from $1,850,000 to $23,000,000. This home is one of the best values as it comes with its own tennis court and boasts a lot that is over 28,000 square feet (which is huge for Honolulu).

Seldom do you find a Honolulu home with a tennis court these days…let alone view of Koko Crater!

Personally, I love the home above. However, if you’re a mid-century modern junkie, have more money, and want an oceanfront (yes, Portlock is a beach community) home, here is another option:

This home (MLS# 1011666) for $3,995,000

Both are some great options if you’re looking for that type of architecture in Hawaii Kai. As I mentioned earlier, homes in Portlock were built first in the 50s, whereas the rest of Hawaii Kai was developed later (primarily 1970s), so these Portlock homes are in the ‘Primo’ locations.

If you have interest in Portlock homes or mid-century modern homes on Oahu, contact me for more information.

There are two new homes designed by Vladimir Ossipoff that hit the market this past week.

1. This Ossipoff home in Diamond Head (MLS# 1105746) is listed for $4,495,000

Although this is a “new” listing, the home was last previously listed for half a million more at $4,995,000. The home was extensively remodeled in 2009 and sits on one of Diamond Head’s premier streets of Kaikoo Place.

The current price is looking really attractive. With the location, architecture, ocean views, and ultimate privacy with no street parking allowed, what more could you ask for?

2. This Waialae Nui Ridge home (MLS# 1105584) is also available for $895,000

Waialae Nui Ridge is basically straight inland from Kahala. This home doesn’t have as many upgrades as the one above, however, most people that are fans of Ossipoff’s work prefer them to be in more “original” condition. This one also has ocean views, however, will be much further from the ocean, which could be a positive if you have a fear of tsunamis…

If you have a passion for Ossipoff’s homes, check out my mid-century modern home page which feature more of his homes and others with similar architecture.

Thus far, the majority of the mid-century modern articles I've written have been on Vladimir Ossipoff.

Here’s the kitchen of a recently listed George Hogan home (MLS# 1101926) in Makiki Heights

I’ve also recently written on some great Alfred Preis homes that were for sale in Alewa Heights and Nuuanu. Another mid-century modern architect worth pointing out here on Oahu is George Hogan. Like Ossipoff and Preis, Hogan had noteworthy commercial works such as Hamilton Library at the University of Hawaii at Manoa and the Pan AM Building on Kapiolani Blvd.

This George Hogan home in Kaneohe (MLS# 1009798) has an accepted offer on it

Today, two of his homes are on the market. One in Makiki Heights and another on Kaneohe Bay, which is under contract. It’s been apparent recently that these mid-century modern gems are selling fast. Two of the Ossipoff homes for sale in Diamond Head are in escrow and will be closing soon.

If you’re looking to purchase a mid-century modern home on Oahu, feel free to contact me for more information.

Norma and Art Isip, Renton, Washington

We have high regards for David's professionalism. As the Broker for Hawaii Life, we felt comfortable with his demeanor and his warm and encouraging attitude. He listens to us and pays close attention to our problems and needs. Our expectations were met and more.

He did the extra mile to advertise our Pomaikai condo in Waikiki on the web which took several hits a day and a lot of inquiries because of David's chosen power of words. With all his thorough explanations and exceptional service, he helped us so much with all our anxieties.

Timely and quick follow up per phone and email, so that we are current with the listing's activities. We were also notified immediately regarding reactions from the buyers and agents who toured our condo during an open house. He made sure we were updated at all times.

In summary, David helped us a lot during our first offer and he made it a point to use his good judgement to turn around when he sensed that the buyers were just buying time and were not ready to purchase the property.

The second buyer came in without any contingencies, only cash transaction. We had a timely closing, thanks to David's closing competency.

We highly recommend David to list and sell Real Estate for top dollars. We firmly believe that he deserves the People's Choice Award.

Jose and Carolina Enriquez, Kapolei, Hawaii

David Buck's professionalism was manifested from the start by demonstrating patience through our dealings. We were working mainly with short sales and even after constantly running against many competitive buyers he never gave up. After many offers and 10 months of looking around for houses we got our dream home thanks to David.

He went above and beyond our needs, paying attention to all of our petitions and meeting us for all of the open houses. He always gave us the information we requested to make better choices. David Buck was always there for us, more than a Realtor he was a real friend constantly looking after our best interests instead of his. Before we met David, other Realtors we saw tried to pressure us into buying the first house they showed us. We never felt pressured while working with David Buck.

Every new property we saw meant tons of new more questions from us and David was always prepared to answer or he would follow up with us as fast as he could,  usually within a couple of hours or the next day at the latest.

David Buck didn't keep any information from us. There was a property that it's neighbor had died not too long ago and he disclosed this information without us asking for it. While dealing with short sales, David always looked out for us by not letting us put an offer higher than its fair price. In the end we got the best house at the best price.

We are extremely grateful to David Buck because his expertise, patience and professionalism got us our dream home in Ko Olina.

Alfred Preis is one of my favorite mid-century modern architects from Hawaii.

This Alfred Preis Home at 17 Kepoloa Place (MLS# 1015545) was recently listed for $1,300,000

We recently completed a remodel of one of his homes in Diamond Head. Although not as famous as Vladimir Ossipoff, Alfred Preis was named one of Honolulu Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People, and is most famous for the Arizona Memorial. There are far less residential Preis homes than there are Ossipoff homes that come available for sale, and when they do, they typically sell fast.

The one I wrote about in Alewa Heights recently has already sold, and my guess is this one won’t be around for long. All of the sudden, there are a few cool mid-century modern homes available in Nuuanu (including a recent Ossipoff listing), which has traditionally been an area for older Hawaiiana homes.

If you have an interest in mid-century modern homes feel free to contact me for more information.