A massive 8.8 magnitude earthquake off the coast of Chile put the entire State on Tsunami alert. Some people were abruptly woken by the civil defense sirens at 6am. And some people made a mad rush to gas stations and super markets around the island to pick up last-minute supplies.

People evacuated tsunami inundation zones and police closed access to coastlines.  In this photo, you can see an normally busy Kalanianaole Highway eerily empty. All access to Hawaii Kai was rerouted due to the tsunami threat.

Traffic cam at the corner of Kalanialaole Hwy and Laukahi

Thankfully we can all breathe a sigh of relief, the tsunami alert was canceled as of 1:45pm. I’m glad we have this warning system, and I’m thankful that we all take tsunamis seriously (which is a way of life for residents here).

Hawaii grabbed the top spot in a poll of the happiest place to live in 2009, beating out former #1 Utah. 350,000 American adults were interviewed and scores were averaged over six sub-categories: life evaluation (self-evaluation about your present life situation and anticipated one in five years); emotional health; work environment (such as job satisfaction); physical health; healthy behavior; basic access (access to healthcare, a doctor, a safe place to exercise and walk, as well as community satisfaction). This is in contrast to another happiness poll where States were ranked by economic poll (Hawaii ranked 21st).

I think happiness is subjective and difficult to quantify, and it’s pretty silly when you think about actually ranking States by an emotional expression. I guess I’m happy that Hawaii came in #1, and got a little publicity, but I feel bad for the States that ranked low (especially when you consider how little the scores varied). The complete ranking can be found here.

“We Are the World” was just released on iTunes and YouTube today. All proceeds from iTunes go to the We Are the World Foundation.

This blog entry is not about Hawaii real estate, or about life in Hawaii, but I watched this video and it was so interesting that I wanted to share it. This is Evan Williams, the founder of Twitter speaking at the TED conference giving his insight to the 140-characters-or-less information-sharing site.

Very fascinating stuff.

Disney picked a name for their Ko Olina resort on Oahu: Aulani, a Disney Resort & Spa, Ko Olina, Hawaii. According to their new website, Aulani will be a world-class resort like no other. The resort is scheduled to open Fall 2011.

I wonder what impact this will have on real estate values in that area?

Just posted a virtual tour of 425 South Street, Makai 901… also known as One Waterfront Towers, two classic icons near the Kakaako waterfront.

This is a corner 2-bedroom, 2-bath unit on the ‘01′ stack with views from Diamond Head to the Leeward coast and great views of Honolulu Harbor.

４２５　サウス通り　マウカ　９０１号室のバーチャルツアーを載せました。　カカアコのウォーターフロントにあるツインタワーのひとつ。

２寝室２浴室タイプの０１号室は角部屋でダイヤモンドヘットよりリーワードの岸辺の辺りまで見渡せる。特にホノルルのハーバーは絶景。

Just posted a virtual tour of 616 Kumukahi Pl on Spinnaker Isle in Hawaii Kai.

This single level Spinnaker Isle home on the marina waterfront offers a large study room, living room and dining area. The house has a large open lanai, boat dock and boat ramp (under the wooden deck) for your boat.  We just hosted our first open house today, please contact me if you would like to schedule a showing.

For more virtual tours of this property, please visit my YouTube Channel.

バーチャルツアー　６１６クムカヒ　プレース　（スピナカー　アイル）
ハワイカイ　スピナカーアイル　（住所616 クムカヒ　プレース） のバーチャルツアーをたった今載せました。

このマリーナワーターフロントに建っている一階建の家は４寝室３浴室に加え大きな勉強部屋、リビングルームそしてダイニングエリアがあります。　この家には大きなオープンスペースのラナイ（屋根のある屋外スペース）、ボードドック（ボートを留めるところ）そして今は使用していないのでカバーしていますがボードランプ（ボードを引上げるところ）があります。今日は第一回のオープンハウスを行いました。　本当に多くの方が興味をもって訪問されました。　ショーイングのご予約は私に直接ご連絡ください。

For more virtual tours of this property, please visit my YouTube Channel.

Check out this virtual tour of 1994 Ala Mahamoe Street.

This property features 7 bedrooms and 3 baths in 2８３０ total square feet. More virtual tours of this property can be found on my YouTube Channel.

バーチャルツアー体験してみてください。 1994 アラ　マハモエ　通り
２８３０スクエアーフィートの広さにある７寝室３浴室の物件. もっと物件の事が詳しくわかるには私のYouTube へ.

I’ll be posting virtual tours of my listings here, so you can preview them before deciding whether you want to visit them in person.

My first virtual tour is “The Continental” at 933 Kaheka St. Come and take a look at this great condo. Located on Kaheka Street near Don Quijote. This condo is 750 sq ft with 2 bedrooms/1 bath/1 parking and includes a washer dryer in the unit! Great location close to Waikiki, downtown Honolulu, University of Hawaii, Hawaii Pacific University, parks and beaches. This home is spacious and very clean. MLS# 2905970

初めてのヴァーチャルツアーを私の売り出し物件で挑戦してみました。　これだと、お客様が本当に予約を取って見に行きたい物件かどうか先に判断できますね。

このツアーは　９３３カヘカ通りのコンティネンタルアパート。 ドンキーホーテーのすぐ近くにあるこの便利なロケーションにあるアパートを是非ご覧ください。　お部屋の中は７５０スクエアーフィートで２寝室、お手洗い・シャワールーム１室、そして駐車場付きです。お部屋の中には洗濯機と乾燥機がありますのでわざわざコミュニティーランドリーに行かなくてもいいのでとても便利です。アラモアナショッピングモールまで歩いていける距離で、そのほかワイキキ、ダウンタウン、ハワイ大学、ハワイパシフィック大学、公園やビーチに行くのにとても便利な場所です。MLS#2905970で詳細をご覧ください。

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.