In a recent article in Pacific Edge Magazine, “Who’s Idea Was Magic Island?” I was surprised to see a pre-1972 shoreline without Oahu’s most famous peninsula.  As someone who was not born and raised here, I had no idea that Magic Island was man-made.

I took this photo from Yacht Harbor Towers and it’s difficult to tell what is natural, and what is artificial.

View of Magic Island from Yacht Harbor Towers

According to the Pacific Business News Home sales on Oahu were up in January 2010, compared to January 2009. There were 162 single-family homes sold, compared to 122 homes sold last January… a 33 percent increase. Great news, but then again, everything is relative… according to a Star Bulletin article published a year ago, experts called January 2009 “very weak” for single-family home sales.

Here’s how the numbers stack up over a 3-year span:

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。

It’s been a while since I visited Waikiki Beach, I was a little surprised to see how crowded it was. There were thousands of people lounging on the sand, surfing, and taking the catamaran tours. If there’s a recession, there was no sign of it in Waikiki.

ワイキキビーチ訪問

久しぶりにワイキキビーチに寄って　少し驚いたのはたくさんの人であふれていた事。　何千の人がビーチでリラックス、サーフィング、ボートツアーなどを楽しんでいました。　ワイキキには不況の兆しがないようです。

February’s 160 condo sales are exactly 50% of the 320 sales of February last year. Median prices fell as well, the median price of a single family home dropped 8% to $555K compared to $599K a year ago. Condo sales dropped 11%  to $297K, compared to $335K a year ago. Hard to believe, but Hawaii median prices have remained steady compared to markets on the mainland.

Click here for the rest of the story.

オアフ島住宅価格$５５万５千に
２月のコンドミニアムの売れ行きが昨年２月の３２０件から１６０件の半減。中央価格も昨年の５９万９千ドル（一軒家）から５５万５千ドル、そして３３万５千ドル（コンドミニアム）から１１%減の２９万千ドルに。信じがたい事だが、アメリカ本土の不動産市場に比べハワイはまだまだ安定している。

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According to Honolulu Board of Realtors, the Oahu home prices in 2008 were fairly stable.  If you compare the median price for single-family homes in 2008 and 2007, the median price in 2008 ($624,000) dropped only by 3 percent from 2007 ($643,500).  When you do the same comparison by month, December’s median price in 2008 ($626,500) has actually risen by 3 percent from December 2007 ($610,000).
Read Pacific Business News article

２００８年オアフ島不動産価格平行線？!
ホノルル不動産協会の統計によると　２００８年オアフ島で実際に取引された不動産売買価格の大きな変動は見られず、そこそこ平行線だったことがわかった。２００７年と２００８年の一軒家中央価格を比べると、２００８年は（６２万４０００ドル）２００７年（６４万３５００ドル）に比べ３％下がっただけで　同じように月々で調べると、２００８年１２月は２００７年１２月と比べて３％上昇していた（２００８年６２万６５００ドル、２００７年６１万ドル）
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