One of the things about remodeling a house is realizing contractors are limited by their experiences. They don't know everything. Especially general contractors. Every single one of them has a different opinion. Usually, the goal seems to be to pay their workers as little as possible and get the job done as quickly as they can. GCs are unlike real estate agents because Realtors care if their clients come back to them. I suspect witih some contractors, it's a one job thing.We are installing quartz counters in our house in Hawaii. You will not believe the number of counter top installers I talked with to figure out how to handle the overhang on our counters. You can read more in my personal blog today at this link: Do Quartz Counter Overhangs Require Support? 12/12/2018

As a general rule for a person like me, I do not wholeheartedly endorse gluten-free foods because it annoys me. Sure, some people are most likely gluten intolerant but there are a whole bunch of people who just grab on to that thought to be cool, I dunno. And vendors put gluten-free on their packaging because it makes people buy the product, not because there was any gluten in it to start with. Of course bike tires are gluten free. So is lard.In addition to that, vegans and vegetarians can be a bit much, too. Picky, picky, picky, is all I've got to say, LOL. Reminds me of a girlfriend who back in the 1970s screamed at me because I grilled a steak in our oven broiler. Said she could not stand the odor of cooked meat and it was disgraceful. Floored me because she grew up eating meat. And ... 12/06/2018

As with most things in life, no matter how refined the details, sometimes you've gotta kiss a bunch of frogs to find a prince. Just the matter of odds. And pricing. One guy offered to be our Hawaii gardener for $40 a month, and he came only once a month, too. For 15 minutes. By picking up a ton more houses in our community, he was earning $160 an hour. So he paid his workers ten bucks an hour.They descended on our street like blowhard locusts. Now, most of them are gone. We blasted through a few more. However, now our last gardener, a guy who lives on my street, sent me a video, which I have posted in my blog today. You can read more in my personal blog today at this link: Settling on a Hawaii Gardener for our Second Home. 11/20/2018

This is unusual for me to see because I don't live in a neighborhood in Sacramento that is overrun by wild turkeys or black witch moths. In fact, I had never seen a black witch moth before in my life until I spotted this huge insect thing attached to our lanai. I am very cognizant, or at least I try to be cognizant, of critters that appear out of nowhere. High alert, I call it. Because you never know when a fat cockroach will run across the floor or a lizard will fall on your head or you might step on a humongous slug barefoot. Nobody really wears shoes if they don't have to, but there is a good reason, in many cases, to have shoes on your feet. Shoes give you the opportunity to quickly squash the baby geckos, which emerge without warning from under warm places. So, with that I bring yo... 11/10/2018

I got so busy this morning that I forgot to post my blog. Between dealing with properly instructing guys who were about to apply sealer to my lanai, visiting with several friends and attending an HOA meeting, it was an easy thing to space out. That's because I am a creature of habit. If I change one thing in my routine, it can throw me off for the day. Like I always write a blog on Active Rain in the early morning, but my early morning was absorbed with too many other activities.Well, better late than never. Yesterday, I visited with a remarkable artist who has been creating clay flowers that are so realistic it is very hard to tell the difference between a real cattleya orchid and a clay orchid. You can read more in my personal blog today and view a lot more photos at this link: Buy or... 11/05/2018

My friend Linda from Roseville who lives down the street from our house in Hawaii says she always runs into people she knows at Safeway. Including various relatives from distant towns in West Hawaii. Well, I never see anybody I know at the grocery store but that's probably because I'm on a mission to get in and get out. Yesterday I was in bit of a rush so I could finish my shopping, get home with enough time to put everything away before going to the public interfaith memorial service for the Pittsburgh Tree of Life synagogue victims, organized in part by Kona Beth Shalom. The message: stronger than hate. There were a couple of Hare Krishna priests, too, who passed around a lei for everyone to share Aloha. We read the Mourners Kaddish, even though many could not pronounce the syllables ... 11/02/2018

On Halloween night I called my husband at midnight, who happened to be in Chicago, because I needed to hear his voice. To talk more about the shooting at the synagogue in Pittsburgh. It has made me feel like it is 9/11 again. So horrific that fat tears pop out of my eyes at the slightest provocation.My way of coping with tragedies is to stay occupied and focus on day-to-day survival. Long drives seem to help. So does strolling along the beach. You can read more in my personal blog today at this link: A North Kona Beach for Boogie Boarding You Might Not Find. 11/01/2018

You've gotta admit, it is generally not the workers at the DMV who are the problem. It is the sysem established for handling the volume. I would think they would hire an efficiency expert or team to analzye the work-flow and to devise a system that better works.Up until the RealID situation in California, our Sacramento DMV accepted appointments, and you could be in and out in 15 minutes. People complained because it could take a couple of hours. Well, that is NOTHING as compared to the Kona DMV. When I heard how long the wait was I almost decided to drive to the Waimea DMV because at least that would be an hour there and an hour back in air conditioned comfort.You can read more in my personal blog today at this link: The Kona DMV is No Picnic but the State Workers are Great. 10/26/2018

OK, I raise my hand. When I had dogs a long, long time ago, in another life, dog parks did not exist. But, whoa, let me tell you what I discovered. Not that I'm in the market for a date because I am NOT, but if I were looking to pick up a guy, you can score no better than at a dog park. I mean, forget about drinking establishments.Dog parks are where it's at. There is an entire social community happening at dog parks. People with dogs already know that, I imagine. You can read more if you like in my personal blog today at this link: Photos of the Central Bark Dog Park in Kona. 10/25/2018

Aloha and good morning Kona.  (photo above from this morning) As I sit here putting together my (WHAR) Presidents report for the State board “Hawaii Association of Realtors” (HAR) I surprised myself with some of the numbers, so much so I thought I would share them with you. As Puna was taking the physical brunt of the damage from the worst lava flow in recent history, there was a silent devastation happening on the west side of the island, so silent most of us missed it as we helped our neighbors on the east side.I am going to point to 2 of the biggest reasons. 1: The media, if you were to listen to them, you would have thought that not only was the Big Island being evacuated and was uninhabitable, but Waikiki and Oahu were also being evacuated. When in fact, there was a 10 square mile... 10/22/2018

After buying the cabinets, ordering the quartz countertops was the next order of business. That was last June. But, because this bath remodel is happening at our second home in Hawaii, everything takes longer. There are the normal problems caused by rainstorms, hurricanes and volcano eruptions, that sort of stuff.And, then there is also the problem that people nowadays are just not vested in their jobs. They are not "paid" to think, I guess, I hear that a lot. Some of these guys simply cannot fathom that if they do X then Y might happen. However, I take part of the blame when I am not constantly on site to supervise. After all, I am the last person to catch an error.The part I enjoyed was the contractor claiming that the guys I hired from Lowes are basically incompetent. Then HIS guy ho... 10/21/2018

 Lance Owens (RS) | 808-936-8383 77-6311 Alii Dr 204, Kailua-Kona, HI 96740 MLS No: 621447Condo/Townhouse $430,000 Bedrooms: 2 Bathrooms: 2 full Year Built: 1980 Sq Footage: 1041 County: Hawaii CountyDESCRIPTIONAlmost Oceanfront with direct ocean views, let me clarify that statement....incredible ocean views looking into Lyman's Bay (great local surf area) 2nd floor living with the convenience of an elevator, 2 parking stalls under the building, and a storage area in the garage area. Swimming pool and bbq area.New solar water heater and plumbing updates. Furnishings have been removed.Park in stall 7 or 10 please CC&Rs allow vacation rentals in the complex, buyer to verify county codes.FEATURES Appliances: Range/Oven Baths: 2 Bedrooms: 2 County/Area: Hawaii County District: North Kona Ex... 10/12/2018

Lock Watch for the Week of 10/8/2018 Volatility-O-Meter:In the unlikely event of a water landing... Economicalendar (all times are Pacific):Mon, 10/8:       Market closed (Columbus Day).Tues, 10/9:      Quiet.Weds, 10/10:     PPI (5:30am), 3-Yr Note Auction (8:30am), 10-Yr Note Auction (10am).Thurs, 10/11:    CPI and Jobless Claims (5:30am), 30-Yr Bond Auction (11am).Fri, 10/12:        Import and Export Prices (5:30am), Consumer Sentiment (7am). 10-Year Treasury History3.23%     Friday's Close3.09%     One Week Ago2.94%     One Month Ago2.35%     One Year Ago Race Week in Kona, HawaiiSaturday, 10/13/18, will be the 40th edition of the Ironman Triathlon World Championship, which means that if you are "lucky" enough to be participating in the event you are on your way to Kailua Kona today... 10/08/2018

Yesterday, I made one phone call related to Sacramento real estate business. Which is slow for a weekday. A fellow with an investment property to sell seems to have read an article I wrote about tenants in common and desires to sell his rental in Sacramento. For some reason he picked up my contact information through Z although my name is sufficient to find me. Say what you guys want about Z, heh, heh. Although he did not answer his phone.Thursdays are often a good day to plan an activity when I won't be subject to a ton of calls and emails. Besides, I spent a good hour on the phone with the corporate office at Lowes. Explaining that the manager of the store here in Kona cannot do the job of his coordinator AND manage the store, and his coordinator is on "leave." When I asked if he has ... 08/31/2018

By mainland visitor, I mean a person. Well, two people. Not the ishy creepy thing I stepped on barefoot this morning. After a hard rain, the slugs come out. My fault. Wasn't watching where I was walking along our sidewalk when I stepped on something squishy. In fact, I squished it. Then part of it stuck to my foot and I tried to scape it off on the sliding door frame to our kitchen. Which was really stupid because now it will dry, stick to the frame and my door won't close.But our real human visitors arrived yesterday. You can read more in my personal blog today at this link: Exclusive Buyer's Agent Josh Amolsh Arrives in Kona! 08/30/2018

Like with Sacramento real estate agents, I think some people tend to think all boat charters are the same. There are big differences among real estate agents, like boat charters. Possessing a license means nothing. First, there is an ability to comprehend, followed by ability to communicate, topped with a healthy dash of ethics, integrity and compassion, coupled with years and years of experience. But no, sellers and buyer often pick the next door neighbor, some random smiling stranger, or a cousin.Same thing applies to choosing a fishing boat charter in Kona. You can do what I did with one year and spend a lot of money to go chasing marlin (with some guy who just moved to Kona from southern California), which you are pretty much guaranteed not to catch. Or, you can choose a guy who gre... 08/29/2018

Supporting local businesses is important to me regardless of where I may be in the world. If there is a way to buy a local product, that's what I will do. Just the way I am wired. So, even though I knew that Poi Dog Deli was opened earlier this spring, I could not manage to make it over there. Big mistake. Wish I had gone sooner.Yesterday, as I sat out on our lanai chatting with my husband and a friend, it dawned on me I was suddenly starving to death. Not to mention, I had not yet picked up a sandwich for my fishing trip today. I am publishing this at 6 AM but that's because I am required to be at Honokohau Harbor at the ungodly hour of 5 AM. Five o'clock on the morning is a time to be sitting half asleep on my lanai doing a blog and drinking coffee. Not climbing aboard a boat.You can ... 08/28/2018

Absolutely cannot believe how much money I spent at the grocery store in Kona last Saturday. More than $500. But then I don't go grocery shopping in Sacramento, so I'm not really aware of how much things cost. Like, I would be a lousy contestant on The Price is Right. I used to watch that show as a kid, and I always knew the price of a can of Green Giant green beans or a week-long vacation to Aruba. But not today.Not only that, but there were several phone calls to my husband while at Safeway. For example, in front of the milk section, which I don't drink, buying milk seemed like a good idea because I notice my husband drinks milk. But what kind of milk does he drink? Well, let's just say that I would also be a lousy contestant on the Newlywed Game, and would totally blow that question.... 08/27/2018

The photo above was shot at 10:30 AM, August 23rd, from Kona Haven Coffee as Laura pulled out into traffic on her Harley Davidson.Initial reports on the path and timing for Hurricane Lane in Hawaii had us expecting the hurricane ramifications at 2 AM Thursday morning. However, as of 5 PM Thursday night, there is very little going on in Kailua-Kona. A tad overcast, a drizzle now and then, but not much in the way of winds or rain.Until I looked at the National Hurricane Center map and dug into that website. I am posting this to drip on Thursday night, so when you read this, there won't be an update unless I have internet. Hurricane Lane is now expected to pass by Kona sometime between 8 PM Thursday night and 2 AM Friday morning.Other parts of the Big Island have experienced flooding and e... 08/24/2018

Guess I have got to run down to Lowes before Hurricane Lane hits to pick up extra propane and, while I'm there, supposedly my cabinet pulls have arrived. I tried to exchange propane tanks several days ago but Lowes was out of propane. Besides, I do not want to be physically inside the house, cringing, when the workers cut through my wall to finish installing the drain for the bath tub. We moved the toilet flange yesterday. They were not sure it could be done, I think. So much digging. So much dirt and lava rock piled up in my bath. Then, today, I hear my quartz from Honolulu is not shipping, and there will be no quartz install on Friday. Oh, well. Ya go with the flow.You can read more in my personal blog today and see more photographs at this link: Heaven and Hell of Moving a Toilet Fla... 08/22/2018