The problem with getting up at oh-dark-thirty and going to the Sacramento airport is you're never quite alert during the day after that, no matter how much Diet Coke you finish off. When I arrived at my hotel in Hawaii yesterday, I was ready for a nap, but dealing with the 3-hour time change is best dealt with by staying awake and adhering to a normal schedule, whatever is normal for you.I picked up the keys at the front desk and began my long journey to my suite. It involved several sets of elevators, going down and then up again, and walking to the ass-end of nowhere, away from the pool, the noise and the scarcity of guests who seem to be staying at this particular resort. When I reached my suite, I came upon a set of double doors and no place to insert my room key.Touched everything.... 09/03/2015

HIBT Tournament is under way and I just feel a little more blessed than normal - I am lucky enough to stroll on down to the pier and check the weigh ins, just like I was going out for cup of Starbucks - how cool is that! Here is photo from the pier, and a follow up of a 404 pound Marlin that was one of several caught so far, and not the largest either, Just in case you are not familiar with Kona, the hills in the background...... you guessed it, that is where the best coffee in the world is grown "Kona Coffee"And for you "Periscopers" - I scoped some of the weigh ins yesterday, follow me @KonaHomeTeam - they should still be up for a couple more hours.  Kona, Hawaii (Tuesday, August 11, 2015) — With near perfect conditions, scoreboard action continued to heat up on this second day of the... 08/12/2015

 Stop Paying Your Landlord’s Mortgage!  July 24, 2015  First Time Home Buyers, For Buyers, USDA Loans, Renting VS Buying Aloha, Lance Owens (RS) , Kimi Nagatoshi (RS) , your KonaHomeTeam,  bringing you the latest in Real Estate News. There are some people that have not purchased a home because they are uncomfortable taking on the obligation of a mortgage. Everyone should realize that, unless you are living with your parents rent free, you are paying a mortgage - either your mortgage or your landlord’s.   As The Joint Center for Housing Studies at Harvard University explains: “Households must consume housing whether they own or rent. Not even accounting for more favorable tax treatment of owning, homeowners pay debt service to pay down their own principal while households that rent pay d... 07/24/2015

Ocean Views and Private Pool - Vacation Rental in Kona, HIThis luxury, private Hawaiian vacation home sits on over 1/2 acre of tropically landscaped land, overlooking the Kona Coast in the award winning Kahakai Estates, a gated subdivision less than a mile to downtown Kailua-Kona. Relax and enjoy the beautiful solar heated pool with ocean views. You can't beat this location, on the sunny Kona coast, close to ocean front restaurants and downtown Kailua Village, the hub of shopping and ocean activities. A perfect place to spend time with family and friends. This home has lovely furnishings including many antiques from throughout the Pacific and ocean views from almost every room. All of the modern comforts are available for your vacation, including cable channels, stereo, DVD player, high... 07/10/2015

  Sales Up In Almost Every Price Range  June 15, 2015  For Sellers, Pricing The National Association of Realtors’ most recent Existing Home Sales Report revealed that home sales were up rather dramatically over last year in five of the six price ranges they measure. Only those homes priced under $100,000 showed a decline (-10.1%). The decline in this price range points to the lower inventory of distressed properties available for sale and speaks to the strength of the market. Every other category showed a minimum increase of at least 9%, with sales in the $250,000- $500,000 range up 21.2%! Here is the breakdown:     Hawaii numbers, Single Family Homes:  Aloha, Lance Owens (RS) here with LUVA Real Estate,  bringing you the latest Real Estate News,  June 11, 2015  For Buyers, For Sellers,... 06/15/2015

Are you thinking about selling your home? Aloha, Lance Owens (RS) here with LUVA Real Estate and We have put together this guide to help you with your decision 5 Reasons to Sell Now:  Thinking About Selling Your Home - Spring 2015 from Lance Owens   06/11/2015

  Aloha Lance Owens (RS) and Kimi Nagatoshi (RS) here from LUVA Real Estate bringing you up to date with Current Matters, Real Estate News for April 22, 2015Though the real estate market has improved, we still have one item holding it back from a full recovery – a robust supply of homes for sale. Demand has increased dramatically. At the same time, housing inventory is decreasing especially at the lower price points.The National Association of Realtors (NAR) recently revealed that there is a pent-up seller demand caused by the uncertainty created by the housing crisis of the last decade.What does that mean to you?Houses listed today sell quickly. With prices still below peak values of 2007 in many parts of the country and mortgage interest rates at historic lows, this may be the perfect... 04/22/2015

 The most recent Pending Homes Sales Index from the National Association of Realtors revealed that homes going into contract in February increased to their highest level since June 2013.The Pending Home Sales Index is a leading indicator for the housing sector, based on pending sales of existing homes. A sale is listed as pending when the contract has been signed but the transaction has not closed, though the sale usually is finalized within one or two months of signing.The Index is now 12.0 percent above February 2014. The index is at its highest level since June 2013, has increased year-over-year for six consecutive months and is above what is considered “the average level of activity” – for the 10th consecutive month.Here is a graph showing the Pending Sales numbers:Here is Yesterday... 04/08/2015

Aloha, Lance Owens (RS) here from LUVA Real Estate and wanted to bring you up to date on the Market. Is the Housing Market Back?, Why would I compare it to a used truck? Here in Kailua Kona we have a lot of secondary homes, secondary homes seem to trend the car market very closely. The same people that put off buying a new car, put off  buying a second home.  I fit the category pretty good, business is rising, things are good, we just bought some land and we are getting ready to build. Our 10 year old truck has seen better days and we are out looking for a new F-Series Super Duty truck. None to be had, I checked all the dealers, I checked Craigslist, I checked the outer islands - nothing! They tell me construction is up and all the contractors are scrambling for trucks themselves. They ... 03/10/2015

Are you looking for an easier way to get up to the date MLS feed information, in the Kailua Kona area. Do you want a specific home, or condo, in a specific subdivision or complex? Look no further because it doesn't get any easier than this: Go over to our website, look for "MLS Hotsheet"  and fill out the form. Sound to easy to be true?  Here is my cell# 808-936-8383, if its not as easy as I say, or you are concerned about spam or endless emails, feel free to call me direct, we don't hide behind big corporate names or try to capture your information for other purposes - its a daily email with the information YOU requested! And, guess what, if there is no update for that day, there is no email that day either.  I am going to ask for one thing, on the honor system, if you find something y... 02/26/2015

If you  opened this Blog, because of the title "Tikis, Mai Tai, Don the Beachcomber" then you came to the right place. There wasn't enough room in the title for me to drop another name "Body Glove" , but let me tell you, I participated in an event with them a little over a year ago, and they still talk about it! The Mayor (Billy Kenoi) even showed up and proclaimed it National Body Glove Day. Tiki Shark Art and author S.P Grogan confirm dates for their Big Bash on the Big Island to celebrate new novel release:  Tiki Shark Art Inc., Big Island based, owned by Parker has confirmed that the book signing event will be held on March 6th from 6 PM to 9 PM at Kona Oceanfront Gallery on Ali Drive next to Bubba Gump - and on March 7 from 3:30 PM to 7:30 PM at The Royal Kona Resort - Don The Beac... 02/19/2015

  West Hawaii Real Estate News for February 15, 2015. We are now halfway through  February and the January numbers are all in.  First I want to share my sunset photo from Thursday night    North Kona Home prices, for Single Family Homes in Kona went up 4.85% over last January, and looking at what actually sold....... Homes under $500,000. 14 sold, and only 2 of those were for cash.  Homes from $501,000 - $999,999. had 13 sales with only 2 of those being cash.  Homes over a Million, 8 sold, and 6 of those were for cash, pretty big percentage of cash sales when you look at the other brackets.  If you want to see the number of homes sold compared to last January, take a look at this Market Report  Taking a look at the Case Shiller Price Index, we seem to be right inline with national numbe... 02/15/2015

  Aquarium fish collectors and local citizens trying to protect reef fish populations along the Kona Coast have been literally fighting it out over the past few years. Not too long ago there was an underwater altercation on one of Kona's reefs where a fish collector attacked an activist who was trying to hinder the collection of reef fish. The collector pulled the breathing regulator out of the activists mouth, depriving her of an air supply. Fortunately, she was able to recover and swim to safety.  Lawmakers have introduced a number of bills ranging from a complete ban on fish collecting to restrictions on the number of collectors and limits on their catches. The latest news is that bill HB873 in a highly modified form, is the only one to move forward for further review in the State S... 02/13/2015

Aloha, Lance Owens (RS) with LUVA Real Estate, bringing you the Kailua Kona Real Estate Report for 2015.  According to the Hawaii Information Service (MLS), North Kona home sales, January 2015, increased by 28% over 2014 If you were to read reports by Zillow, Trulia, Yahoo and others, you might think that 2015 numbers will make 2007 look like 2013. Did that make any sense? Probably not, because I am still scratching my head. (Dennis Hopper – Flashback)   I prefer to give you “black and white” numbers, let you form your own opinion. Better yet, look these numbers over, call me for an appointment and let’s sit down and discuss what these really mean to you. While you are looking these over, please note that January 2015, also beat out (besides January 2014), January 2013, 2012, 2011, 2010... 02/10/2015

If you have ever stayed in a hotel or condo anywhere in Hawaii that provided the packets of so called "Kona Coffee", I bet you still remember that bitter taste. This experience is repeated thousands of times every day from the hotels of Waikiki to the condos on Kona's Alii Drive and it has Kona Coffee growers feeling bitter about the damage it does to their 100% Kona coffee brand.    A  law passed back in 1991 allows coffee packagers to use as little as 10% Kona Coffee beans in their product and still label it Kona Coffee. The result is a bag full of cheap, bitter coffee beans with a sprinkling of Kona coffee that is completely undetectable in the actual cup of coffee. If you want to try Kona coffee, make sure the bag says"100% Kona coffee beans". The 300 strong Kona Coffee Farmers Asso... 02/06/2015

Aloha, Lance Owens (RS) here from LUVA llc, bringing you our first "Deal of the Day" for 2015. If I had a dollar for every time I told a client that Foreclosures are not always the best deals,  well, I would have a lot of dollars.  Take a look at this fixer, we actually received a call from HGTV right after it came out and they asked to use it in an upcoming episode - which my seller quickly agreed to, good news is just the hype of it being filmed brought in multiple offers, with a selling price close to the asking price.  The upside to this one, was the view and the location/neighborhood, the downside was, it needed a roof, appliances, remodeling, updating........... Congratulations to the seller for pricing it right, and the buyer for all the hard work ahead!  The View: The House:  Ar... 01/14/2015

Aloha, Lance Owens here with LUVA Real Estate,  as I drove to the office this morning I was compelled to pull over and take this photo: Magic's, Alii Drive, Kailua Kona, HI Dec 1, 2014, 8:00am , air temp 75, water temp 80 . (sorry Bodyglove - no wetsuits needed)  So - how harsh are the winters in Hawaii ?  Daytime temperatures will hover in the low 80s, night times will dip into the low 70s and water temp will drop down into the lower 70s also.  Don't forget, with these huge mountains on the Big Island, it can go from Sea level to 2,000 feet in under 5 miles. As a rule of thumb, a loose rule, it will drop about 1  degree every 200 feet of elevation, so roughly at that 2,000 foot elevation you could be 10 degrees cooler.  OK - lets look at a condo directly across the street from this Bea... 12/01/2014

AS you sit there, watching the snow out your front window, wondering, should I let my wife back in, no I am sorry, that is something else, if you are wondering what to do for the next 6 months, look no further.  Call up your surfing buddies, get some cash together and you could own this one by Christmas day!  In case you are interested in what Christmas in Hawaii is like - here is a photo, Christmas Day, a few years back. Location is Lyman's Bay, Kailua Kona, HI - about 2,000 feet from your front door.  I don't think I see a single wet suit out there (sorry bodyglove).    OK, here is the house, See details below !    Here is another beach - about 3 miles away.  76-667 Ahu St # 56B,Kailua Kona, HI 96740 2 beds2 baths1,001 sqft  FOR SALE $425,000   One of the largest 2 bedroom 2 bath home... 11/26/2014

  New Building Construction Boosts Economy In West Hawaii  by Julie Ziemelis on August 21, 2014 in Kona News Kokua Roofing replacing roofs at the Keauhou Resort Good news-the economy in West Hawaii is improving. New construction, a leading indicator of an economic recovery, is picking up and looking strong for the foreseeable future. With the opening of the new nine-acre Kaiser Permanente Kona Medical Office on Honokohau Street in July and the flurry of building going on right now at the new Kohanaiki resort and Palamanui Community College, the sound of new construction is music to the local building industry’s ears. Other new building projects going up in West Hawaii include the new radiology building in downtown Kona, All’i Heights in Kona and Sunset Ridge and the Kamakoa Nui project,... 08/21/2014

Aloha, Lance Owens (RS) here with LUVA Real Estate We all wonder " Whats my home Worth" ? Well lets start by taking a look at what just sold today. Listed at $699,999 - SOLD at $700,000. I wanted to thank all the team members on this one, it was a long, hard escrow and if it wasn't for all the parties involved, this one never would have closed.  Thank you Mr Seller, Thank you Mr Buyer, Thank you Mr Buyers agent and a big thank you to my partner on a lot of these sales - Joreen Knox, you guys did one heck of a job keeping this one together.  If you are looking for a good team to sell your house, and you want to know "Whats my home worth" do yourself some justice, come in, sit down, and meet our team.  Here are some photos from todays sale. (More specs at bottom)  Bedrooms: 5   Baths: 4 [... 05/30/2014