What was the state of Oahu real estate in 2012?  Here is a quick review.

The chart below shows how Oahu’s real estate market performed in 2012 compared to the previous year.

Unbelievably, the number of sales increased even as prices went up.  Our low inventory and historically low interest rates are a big contributor to this unusual equation. There are fewer homes available in the market (both number of new listings and active listings were down).  Look at the number of pending sales, up 57% for single family homes (SFH) and up 43% for Condos. Buyers are wiping out the available inventory, even at the higher prices. This is not a new trend, our market is continuing to improve in sales and price…just at much quicker pace.

Smart home buyers aren’t standing still. They are taking action now.

Smart home sellers should also take advantage of today’s high-demand market with less competition and much more interested buyers.

If this trend continues, 2013 will be a fantastic year for Hawaii real estate.

Are you considering buying or selling?  I’d love to give you a complementary consultation to discuss your specific needs.

2012年のオアフ島不動産はどうだったんでしょうか？　ぱっと見て分かるように表にしました。（上記太文字）
数字は前年度からの比べた物です。

値段が上がってきているにも関わらず、売却数が伸びてきています。在庫が少ないのと　歴史的に低い金利が大きな影響を及ぼしています。買える家が一方的に減っていている事（新しく市場に出る物件数減、現在市場に出ている物件数減）ご覧のように　売却契約中の物件が　一戸建てで57%、コンドミニアムで43%もアップ。　購入者は買える物件を　少々高くなった値段でもどんどん消化していっています。

実はこれは新しい動きではありません。オアフ島の不動産市場は取引数も、値段も上昇気流には乗っていたのですが、ただスピードが速くなてきたようです。

賢い購入者は　今とばかりに　目を光らせて真剣に住宅購入に取りかかっています。
売却をお考えの方は、競争相手が少なく、購入者の多い　この需要の高いマーケットを是非有効利用してください。

何れにしても、売却や購入、買い替えをお考えの方は　是非一度無料相談のご連絡ください。

This article in the July 14th issue of The Wall Street Journal reminded me of what makes smart people successful. My business allows me to see what happens when people are indecisive when it comes to money. This isn’t a case of the rich getting richer, it’s about how people making the most of what they have.

In my opinion, what makes people smart is the ability study their options and quickly make decisions and taking advantage of their opportunities. From my experience, most people who jump on the opportunities end up making the right choice. People who over-analyze and delay making decisions usually miss out on valuable opportunities and end up wasting time, money and sometime trusting relationships (because they also waste other people’s time).

What makes opportunities valuable is the fact that they don’t come around often. Once you miss them, they’re gone.

７月１４日のウォールストリートジャーナルの記事を読んで　ふとどうやって賢い人は成功できるかを考えてみた。職種柄、お金の事になると、一度決めた事を決めかねきれない人を何度も見てきてる。これはお金に余裕がある人がどんどん成功するという話ではなく、今自分が持っている範囲内で　どれだけ最大限に活用できているかということだ。

個人的意見ですが、賢い人というのは自分にどんな選択があるか調べ勉強し、そしてチャンスがくればさっと決断できる能力があると思います。私の経験からして、そんな人は結局は“正しい”選択ができている。一方、分析ばっかりで、決断を後回しにしてきている人は　貴重なチャンスを逃し、結局は時間とお金の無駄使いをし、あげくの果てには　人との信用まで失ってしまう結果になっている（他の人の時間や行為まで無駄にしてしまうからであろう）。

貴重なチャンスというものはそうそうくる物ではありません。だから貴重なのです。

Would you be surprised if I told you that Ewa Beach had the most residential home sales in the last month (June, 2012) compared with the rest of Oahu?  Some people still seem to be stuck with the old market impression for Ewa, which is slow, dragging and gloomy. Well that’s not the case.  I have personally experienced Ewa’s market and it’s very different from last year. Ewa is now a very fast and competitive market!  This PBN article covers a good snap shot of what’s going on the entire island.  Check it out.

先月エバが一番オアフ島の中で家が売れたって、ちょっとびっくりした人もいるのでは？まだエバの不動産市場は低迷化の真っ最中で、なんて一昔のイメージを今だにもたれている方も多いのでは？　実際のところ、去年より続いて、エバの急速なマーケットにお客様共に十分と実感させられました。

PBNの記事が上手にオアフ島全体の不動産市場をまとめています。

I had a chat with a very successful business person who is now retired and enjoying his life (and is enjoying spending his money). He said that everyone understands the concept of “buying low and selling high.” But what a lot of people end up doing is they buy real estate because they fear prices will rise beyond their price range, then they sell when prices begin to drop and they fear that the prices will continue drop lower. In the end, they’re buying high and selling low.

Don’t play the guessing game. Contact a realtor that you trust to give you the most up-to-date information and make an educated decision.

あるビジネスに大成功した人と少しお話できる機会があった。今はもう引退生活を十分に（そして十分以上に自由にお金を使って）楽しんでいる。

その人からのコメントは　結局、不動産はみんな値が低い時に買って、値が高い時に売るのが最高のシナリオだと分かっているのに、実際のところは全く逆をしている人が多い。　値段がこれ以上上がる前に買ってしまおうと買い、値段がこれ以上低くなる前に売ってしまいたいと、売るのが現実なところ。

なるほど、分かってはいるものの、そう言われてみれば　ほとんどの人は同感できるのではないでしょうか？

There’s more positive news and predictions about the housing recovery. Housing price predictions are getting stronger as they (the experts) are confident about what will happen next. According to Real Estate Magazine, these experts are already throwing out a number of the percentage price increase and what the timeline will be. How do they know this? Wow.

I can only rely on facts, or actual data after it already happened, as I don’t have a crystal ball. According to the Honolulu Board of Realtors, the latest stats on Oahu’s real estate market have already shown a 11% jump in the single family home median price in comparison to the same month (May) of last year. Wow! Condominium sales has risen by 12% in the same period.  Wow!

I’m hoping these facts are revealing trends that’s really happening and help guide our decisions in the near future.

The real estate market on the mainland may be seeing the light at the end of tunnel, but here on Oahu, the market is already out of tunnel and bathing under the sun.

Image credit: adamr / 123RF Stock Photo

The newest stats from the Honolulu Board of Realtors has confirmed that housing prices on Oahu are on the rise. If you recall the upside-down bell curve graph from high school math class, our home prices were already at the very bottom of the curve, and starting to move upward.

Lots of buyers who were on the fence waiting for Oahu’s housing prices to hit rock bottom are starting to realize that they just missed it–and they starting to jumping in.

Why is this happening?

1. There is not enough inventory. There simply aren’t a lot of houses on sale.

2. Interest rate are the lowest ever. In fact, just this week interest rates hit the lowest since the long term mortgage has been introduced in 1950.

3. High demand

This Pacific Business News article summarizes the report nicely.

Buyers: Your wait is over. Put an action plan together right way for your right new home.

Sellers: your wait is over. It’s clear buyer demand is there. It’s the time to put your property on the market!

Happy House Hunting!

Buying a new home can be a stressful time in your life, especially when finding the perfect home that fits your budget seems next to impossible. If you’re like most first time home buyers, you probably think you need to purchase a condominium because houses here are too expensive.

Well there’s a very charming single family house in Honolulu that’s available at a condo price. It’s not a CPR so there are no condo maintenance fees. In addition, the entire house has been recently renovated and includes a new kitchen and bathroom. All kitchen appliances and washer are brand new. And there’s also yard space for gardening.

If you’re interested in learning more about this little gem near downtown Honolulu, please contact me.

人生において家の購入は大きな事でストレスの元、特に予算内に完璧なものを見つけるのはほとんど不可能に近いものがある。同感している不動産購入初心者の多くは経済的理由で一戸建てをあきらめコンドミニアムに焦点を絞っている。

実は、ホノルルの中心でとてもチャーミングな一戸建ての家がコンドミニアムしか買えない値段で売りに出されている。　コンドミニアムのように共同使用区間がないので管理を毎月支払わなくていい。それに、真新しいキッチン、浴室を含め　この家は最近プロに手直しされている。台所家電や洗濯機も新品である。

ホノルルダウンタウン近郊にあるこの小さな宝石箱のような家、ご興味がある方はこちらまでお問い合わせください。

I just posted a virtual tour of One Archer Lane, Unit: 3403.

The unit has two bedrooms, two bathrooms and comes with two parking stalls. The unit faces South, with spectacular views of the ocean, sunsets, Diamond Head, from both bedrooms and the living room.

Here’s the QR code for the unit if you would like to open and save this profile in your mobile device (you will need to sign up for a free Trulia account to open the profile).

Back in 2006, people were lining up to purchase units at the Moana Vista condominium project. As the economy took a turn for the worse, people started backing out for fear that interest rates will climb before the project can be completed.

Today, the building stands half-finished as construction has been stalled since December. The developer is stuck without cash and reducing prices, but people are waiting for completion. And now, to make matters worse, the the contractor is suing the developer for $30 million.

Check out the KITV story here. Stay tuned for more on this development.

モアナ　ビスタ　プロジェクト危機
２００６年にはこのモアナ　ビスタ コンドミニアム　プロジェクトを購入するのに行列をつくって購入希望者が並んだ。　　経済が悪くなるにつれ、コンドミニアムが完成するまでにローンの利率が上がるのではという不安感からキャンセルが続いた。

今の時点で建設は１２月より中途半端にも半分の状態で足止めになっている。　開発会社は資金不足、売値の値下げ、その上完成するのを待っている購入者を抱えてしまっている状態だ。　それに加えて、コントラクターからの＄３０，０００，０００の賠償裁判を掛けられてしまった。

つづきは KITV でここをクリック.

Examining a nest of bees that moved into a foreclosed home

Interesting story on Nightline the other night about a realtor who is brutally honest when warning potential buyers about houses on the market, including his own listings.

“I don’t know if this is a flophouse, brothel, retirement home, prison, fraternity…” he announced on a recent visit to a bank-owned property in northern San Diego County, his home turf.

And this was a property he was trying to sell.

I’m not sure how focusing on the negative aspects of a property makes a person more “honest.” Perhaps because he appears to have nothing to hide?  But isn’t that what disclosure statements are for?

I think when you represent the seller, you need to focus on the positive aspects of the property and properly disclose the negative. Even if it’s a foreclosed property, you’re still selling it, you’re not giving it away.

Check out the Nightline story here and let me know what you think.

アメリカ最後の馬鹿正直不動産エージェント
先日　容赦なく何でも売り出し物件について意見している正直者(!?)のリアルター（不動産エージェント）の話がナイトライン で放送されていました。

”これはいったい簡易宿泊所、売春宿、老人ホーム、刑務所、それとも男子学生の社交クラブか何かとかわらないような…” とサンディエゴ郡の自分の売り出し物件（銀行の持ち物件）に対してのコメントを述べていた。

ネガティブ（マイナス点）のことばかりを集中してコメントする事がもっと”正直者”になるのでしょうか？多分隠し事がないように見えるから？という事でしょうか?　でも物件公開書がそのためにあるのでは？

売り主に雇われて売主を代表して売るのであれば、売り出し物件のポジティブ（プラス点）に集中して、的確かつ正確に公開情報を伝えるのが必要では？と思います。　それが例えフォークロージァー物件でも、物件を無料でさばいているのではなくあくまでも売っている立場なのに。

ナイトラインの続きは ここ それとご意見をお聞かせください。