Hawaii Randy's Real Estate Opinions: January 2007

Mililani HS Wins OIA Softball Title

Mililani defeated Campbell to win their first O'ahu Interscholastic Association (OIA) softball title since 2002.  Pitcher Makani Duyaylonsod pitched a complete game and hit a solo home run in their 4-2 victory over Campbell High School.

During the regular season Campbell beat Mililani in both of their meetings and scored a total of 13 runs.  In the championship game pitcher Duyaylonsod threw 7 strike outs and gave up only 1 walk.  The Mililani Trojans have played errorless ball in their last two games and are looking sharp.

Mililani improved their record to 13-2 and earned a first round bye at the state tournament which begins January 31st at UH Rainbow Wahine Stadium.

  • MILILANI Trojans (13-2) 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 - 4 8 0
  • CAMPBELL Sabers (13-2) 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 - 2 6 1

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11 comments • Randy L. Prothero - Hawaii REALTOR® • January 27 2007 11:14PM

Mililani High School Cheerleaders Take Their First State Title

Congratulations to the Mililani High School Cheerleaders, coach  Renesha Kierstedt her staff and parents!

Mililani won their first state title in front of a crowd of 2500 at the University of Hawaii's Stan Sheriff Center. 

Mililani won the large school division with Kamehameha close behind in second place.  Mililani finished with 332.5 points followed by Kamehameha with 327 and Kealakehe with 285 points. Kamehameha had won state titles in the past 5 years and was the favorite to repeat this year.

It was reported in the newspaper that Mililani changed their routine just two days before the meet so they could get more points.  It obviously was a great decision.

The Rules of the Event:  Squads perform 2 1/2 minutes, and can't exceed 1 1/2 minutes of music. They must also perform a minimum of 35 seconds of cheering/chanting. Cheerleaders are judged from beginning to elite within the following categories: motions, jumps, stunts, pyramids, standing tumbling, running tumbling, baskets, and dance. Routine choreography, routine execution, and overall performance are also key factors of a squad's score.

The Championship Mililani Team:  Chelsie Abear, Marcy Chun, Annalise Ferreria, Taylor Kam, Mishon Kawaguchi, Allysen Kikumoto, Brandee Koyanagi, Tracy Martinez, Divine McMahon, Jaime Tenorio, Desiree Toribio, Chelsea Villamor

 

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4 comments • Randy L. Prothero - Hawaii REALTOR® • January 27 2007 10:53PM

Real Estate Sales Activity in Mililani

The Mililani real estate market has slowed some, but it is still vibrant.  Buyers are buying and sellers are selling.  We have seen record numbers of sales in recent years, but are still seeing a lot of good real estate activity in the Mililani area.  With low interest rates and a little more inventory, buyers are coming out to buy the home of their dreams. below are the numbers of properties sold in Mililani for the last few 6 month periods.

Here are number of single family homes sold in Mililani:

7/26/06 through 1/25/07:         161 homes sold

 

Previous periods:

  • 1/26/06 through 7/25/06          191 homes sold
  • 7/26/05 through 1/25/06          168 homes sold
  • 1/25/05 through 7/25/05          194 homes sold
  • 7/26/04 through 1/25/05          184 homes sold

 

Here are the number of condos and townhouses sold in Mililani:

7/26/06 through 1/25/07:         240 sold

 

Previous periods:

  • 1/26/06 through 7/25/06          287 sold
  • 7/26/05 through 1/25/06          338 sold
  • 1/25/05 through 7/25/05          318 sold
  • 7/26/04 through 1/25/05          352 sold

 

You can find out more about real estate in Hawaii at: http://www.hawaiirandy.com/

Or at: http://www.localism.com/

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1 comment • Randy L. Prothero - Hawaii REALTOR® • January 26 2007 07:46PM

Welcome to Mililani – Part 3 the Surrounding Communities

Just north of the planned community there are three valleys that also fall under the Mililani zip code.

Ridge at LaunaniJust above Mililani Mauka is Launani Valley.  To get there you take the Mililani Tech Park exit and turn right to drop into the valley.  Launani Valley is made up of several townhouse and condo complexes.  At the very bottom of the Valley is a single family home development.  Launani Valley is also across from Wheeler Army Air Field, which is now part of Schofield Barracks Army Base.

Just above Mililani Town there are two more valleys that have been developed and fall under the 96789 Mililani zip code.  They also not part of the planned community. 

The first is Waipio Acres, which was developed in the late 50's, early 60s.  The community is made up of mostly single family homes and two condo complexes.  You can tell you are out of the planned community by the boats in the driveways and the overhead power lines.

The next is Melemanu Valley which is made up of five concrete constructed condo complexes.  There is a community swimming pool, a park with a ball diamond and a gated community that single family homes on 1 acre lots.

PoolWaipio Acres and Melemanu Valley fall under the Mililani Schools, Launani Valley youngsters attend Wheeler and Wahiawa Schools.  None of the valleys fall under the planned community and as such are not subject to Mililani Town Association (MTA) rules and their residents con not join or have use of the MTA rec. centers.

Home prices in Melemanu and Waipio Acres tend to be less expensive making the properties there a good value for those breaking into the housing market. They are convenient to the planned community of Mililani Town for shopping, schools, etc. and just down the road from Wheeler Army Air Field and Schofield Barracks.

Home prices in Launani Valley are generally comparable to prices in the planned community of Mililani.  The one exception is Waikalani Woodlands which was built in the 1970s;   Waikalani Woodlands prices are comparable to Melemanu Valley pricing.  Most of the complexes have their own swimming pools and the Valley has its own home owners association that maintains a community park, a walking/ jogging path and the private road.  The one feature of the valley is a stream that runs down the side of the valley and along the jogging trail and park.  In general the valley is quite peaceful.  Many of my real estate client shave bought in Launani Valley and enjoy the quiet living.

Cathedral PointLaunani Valley is conveniently located across the Freeway from Wheeler AAF and Schofield Barracks.  The Valley is one freeway exit away from Mililani in one direction and one freeway exit away from historic Wahiawa in the other direction.

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10 comments • Randy L. Prothero - Hawaii REALTOR® • January 26 2007 10:21AM

Welcome to Mililani – Part 2 the Planned Community

Mililani is a unique planned community on Oahu. 

MililaniIt has the most privately owned recreation centers that are privately owned by the home owners.  There are six open and the 7th is awaiting dedication. now seven rec. centers now open, six with pools.  The rec. centers provide such activities as scouts, martial arts, chess, music, swimming, community meetings and crafts.  The City and County of Honolulu maintains several parks, including the District Park that has a skate arena.  Mililani has more soccer, football and baseball fields than anyone where else on Oahu.

Everyone who owns property in the planned community belongs to the MTA (Mililani Town Association.  MTA maintains the landscaping along our roads, operates the Rec. Centers, enforces town rules and tries to keep our community a nice place to live for all.

Some of the rules in Mililani include:

  • Not parking your boat in your driveway.
  • Painting your home approved colors only.
  • No repairing your car within line of site of your neighbor.
  • All exterior home improvements need to be approved by the MTA design committee.Town Center

The planned community of Mililani has 1 public high school, a public middle school, 4 public elementary schools and a private school that has pre-school through 12th grade.  Mililani has a few gated communities within the planned community including Olaloa which is a senior planned condominium community.

Mililani is known for its youth sports and activities.  Our High School boys and girls soccer teams have dominated statewide athletics for several years.  Our gym sports the banners of too many titles to count in several sports. Our Mililani High School football team has been winning their division and is usually expected to be one of the top teams in the state. The Mililani Chess Club has seen a few national titles and victories in recent times.

 

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4 comments • Randy L. Prothero - Hawaii REALTOR® • January 26 2007 04:18AM

Welcome to Mililani - Part 1 the Shopping Centers

The part of the Island of Oahu with the zip code of 96789 is known as Mililani.  It is in the center of the island over looking Pearl Harbor.

The main part of the Mililani area is a planned community developed by Castle and Cooke (formerly Dole).  It was named an All-American City.  Originally Mililani was pineapple fields.  In the early 1970's construction began and the town was born. The town should be finished the end of 2006. 

The planned community is split by the H-2 Freeway it is made up of the older side of Mililani Town which is on the west (leeward) side of the Freeway and Mililani Mauka which is on the east or Mauka (mountain) side of the freeway.

Mililani Town has three shopping centers:Mililani Shopping Center

  • The Town Center of Mililani which is the largest.  It has Walmart, a 14 plex theater, many restaurants and fast food places, City Mill (hardware), Times Supermarket, a video arcade, Curves, medical offices, 2 real estate companies, several banks and credit unions, a book store, a college, Radio Shack, a pet store, Longs Drugs and many small shops.
  • Mililani Shopping Center is the second largest and the oldest.  It has 24 Hour Fitness, Ross Dress for Less, a couple of real estate companies, including the home of your's truly Century 21 Liberty Homes, Showers of Blessings Christian Books, Foodland Supermarket, several food places a couple of banks and a credit union, Napa Auto Parts, the phone company, medical and dental offices, a pet store and several small shops.
  • Mililani Market Place is the smallest of the shopping centers.  It has two anchor stores, Safeway Supermarket and Longs Drugs.  There a few food places and a CPA.  It is set back on the far west (leeward) side of Mililani Town.
  • Mililani Mauka is the newest part of town.  There are no shopping centers in Mililani Mauka.  At the entrance to Mililani Mauka there is a gas station and a McDonalds on the left and several offices and a Recreation Center on the right.

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1 comment • Randy L. Prothero - Hawaii REALTOR® • January 26 2007 03:38AM

Realtors Should be Politically Involved

Most Realtor friends of mine have a philosophy of not being involved in politics and never even discussing them.  That is a good plan if you are a mushroom.  Not so good for anyone involved with their community.

I am not talking about partisan politics; I am speaking about helping to push for needed law changes to better your community.  You can get involved through your Board of Realtors or State Associations legislative committees.  The last two years I joined Realtors to lobby the legislature and City Council for needed law changes.  It didn't take much time.  It was time well spent.

I recognize not every one is up for doing that.  There are other ways you can contribute.  Send in written testimony and write letters to your area law makers.  Community support of needed laws changes is required for them to have a chance.Testimony

This year in Hawaii we are working to make a law requiring scrap metal dealers to register who they buy their metal from and serial numbers etc. wherever possible.  We want them to also make records available to the State Attorney General's office.

Currently in Hawaii we have a problem with criminals vandalizing buildings, bridges, etc. for the cooper or aluminum.  In the last couple of months two of the homes my office had for sale have the copper plumbing cut off under the home.  This caused extensive damage and a large expenses to the home owners.  We have seen them take copper wiring, causing street lights along the highway to be disabled and they have even stolen aluminum railing off bridges, creating huge safety issues.

State Rep. Marilyn has taken up our cause and introduced House Bill 365 to address this problem.  It will be heard tomorrow, January 25, 2007 at 2:00pm in the House CPC Committee.  Rep. Lee and I belong to different political parties.  That does not stop us from working on issues that will better our community.  This is a great example of how being politically active and helping your community does not need to be a partisan issue.

11 comments • Randy L. Prothero - Hawaii REALTOR® • January 24 2007 10:22PM

Oahu Had a Sales Surge in December, Will January be as Good?

December on Oahu had a sales surge.  We are all anxiously awaiting the results from January to see if it is a trend.  Experts have predicted the down turn in the market, but consumers may not be so convinced.  With low interest rates and a reasonable selection of inventory, buyers are still looking to jump in.  If the Fed keeps rates low through 2007, we may not see a record breaking year like 2005, but we may see a strong real estate market.

Listed below is the press release from the Honolulu Board of Realtors at the beginning of the month:

Honolulu Board of REALTORS®

OAHU HOME SALES SURGE DURING DECEMBER
**December 2006 Residential Resales Statistic Released**

Released: Wednesday, January 3, 2007

HONOLULU - Median prices for single-family and condominiums rose slightly in December according to resales figures released today by the Honolulu Board of REALTORS®. According to the analysis conducted by the Board, using data collected from its computerized Multiple Listing Service (MLS) system, the statistics are:

December 2006 Residential Resales Statistics for Oahu

Single Family Home Resales

 

 

Number of
Sales

This Month
Compared To

 

Median*
Sales Price

This Month
Compared To

 

 

December, 2006

346

 

 

$ 613,500

 

 

 

November, 2006

 

 

 

$ 610,000

up 0.6%

 

 

December, 2005

315

up 9.8%

 

$ 610,000

up 0.6%

 

 

Condominium Resales

 

 

Number of
Sales

This Month
Compared To

 

Median*
Sales Price

This Month
Compared To

 

 

December, 2006

458

 

 

$315,500

 

 

 

November, 2006

 

 

 

$310,000

up 1.8%

 

 

December, 2005

545

dn 16.0%

 

$305,000

up 3.4%

 

 

 

 

During December, sales of 346 single-family homes and 458 condominiums were reported through the Board's MLS, an increase in sales of 9.8 percent for single-family homes and a decrease in unit sales of 16 percent for condominiums, compared to the same month in 2005. The median price paid in December for a single-family home was $613,500 and $315,000 for a condominium. For the 2006 full year, sales volume is down by 12.5 percent for single-family homes and 20.2 percent for condominiums, while the median prices for the twelve months of 2006 were $630,000 and $310,000, respectively, increases of 6.8 percent and 15.2 percent over the same time period in 2005. Total dollar sales volume for the year was $5.466 billion, a decrease of 8.8 percent, or $527 million, compared to the $5.993 billion generated in the housing market in the same time period in 2005.

"We ended 2006 with a surge in single-family home sales in December, surpassing what we saw last year," said Berton Hamamoto, the newly elected president of the Honolulu Board of REALTORS®. "Our residential housing markets continue to stabilize with steady or slightly rising prices combined with an increasing number of days on market. We expect that the market will maintain this trend into 2007."

"Preliminary total sales figures for 2006 are 4,041 single-family homes and 6,380 condominiums, an overall decline of about 17 percent from the record number of sales in 2005," added Harvey Shapiro, research economist at the Honolulu Board of REALTORS®. "Annual median sales prices rose 6.8 percent to $630,000 for single-family dwellings and we had a 15.2 percent increase for condominiums to $310,000. While one big question mark for the housing market in 2007 is how the Federal Reserve will change interest rates, we still expect to see a healthy housing market in the coming year."

The public is encouraged to visit the Board's Internet web site at www.HiCentral.com to see what's happening in the housing market. The public has the ability to search through Oahu single-family home and condominium listings, available for sale and for rent, and to see a comprehensive guide of homes that will be open to visit this Sunday. All searches can be done by geographic location, price range or both. HiCentral.com provides useful information about buying and selling real estate in Hawaii.

Established in 1922, the Honolulu Board of REALTORS® is one of the largest of 1,600 boards of REALTORS® in the nation and, with over 6,000 members, the largest trade organization on Oahu. Membership is available to licensed real estate brokers, agents, property managers, appraisers, counselors and others engaged in all aspects of the real estate industry pledged to adhere to a strict Code of Ethics and Standards of Practice. For more information, call (808) 732-3000 or visit www.HiCentral.com.

(This report reflects information about resales of existing properties only and does not include new home sales. All of the MLS information is compiled from sales reported during the cited months; this data is known only after closing of escrow. The time delay between the signing of a sales contract and the closing of escrow is usually between one and three months.)

 

 

7 comments • Randy L. Prothero - Hawaii REALTOR® • January 23 2007 10:57PM

A Sunny Day of Chess and Real Estate in Hawaii

I am writing this post from the Gazebo at The Town Center of Mililani, while running a rated chess tournament today.  I am wearing the official Hawaii uniform of shorts slippers and my Century 21 golf shirt embroidered with my information on it.

A realtor friend of mine questioned why I take an entire day off to run these events?  "Aren't you too busy to be hanging out at the mall all day"?HCF Logo

What that agent doesn't seem to grasp is that:

  1. I really enjoy giving back to the community
  2. A fair percentage of my business comes from friends and neighbors who I know through these activities.
  3. I get a lot of work done while running the tournament. (once each round starts I have an hour and a half to kill)

Today was a classic day and it is not over yet.  I have about 3 more hours until the tournament ends.

While setting up the event, a regular client of mine called about a townhouse he wants to sell to another of my clients (who he hasn't met yet).  His other friend wants to buy an apartment house I have an open listing on.  And he wants to buy a house I sold to his friend a couple of years ago.  Did you follow all of that?

About an hour later the guy who owns the apartment house walked up to me at the shopping center.  I haven't seen him in a couple of months.  Is this a sign?

In the last two hours I have given directions and information on our chess club to 4 different families. I have given my real estate card to 5 people, including two of the chess families. All while the chess rounds played on.  Since arriving I have seen a few dozen friends, neighbors and clients.  Three loan officers, two Realtors, and a few of my old chess students.  This beats sitting in the office.

I have returned my e-mails, posted responses on AR, updated my website, made a series of phone calls, sent out a couple of comparative market reports and am now writing this blog.  The weather is beautiful, it is sunny in the low 80s with a nice tradewind breeze.  Not a bad day of work.

Just think that other agent who is probably home watching TV thinks I took the day off. 

When I get home I am installing my new big screen TV, just in time to watch:

Da Bears!Bears

   

  

Aloha from Sunny Hawaii,

Randy L. Prothero (R), CRS, GRI

pretty face

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6 comments • Randy L. Prothero - Hawaii REALTOR® • January 20 2007 08:01PM

Are You Really Meeting Your Clients Expectations?

While on floor duty yesterday I answered a call from an out of state home owner.  He currently has another local Realtor managing his property about a mile from my office.  He is considering selling the home.  Whether he decides to sell or keep it rented it will be with another Realtor.New Realtor

After gathering the basic information, I asked him why he was called us?  He told me that his existing agent collects the fees and that is all. 

  • He gets no follow up of any kind.
  • The tenant can not get a returned phone call forcing the owner to get involved.
  • The property has a tall coconut palm and the coconuts need picking.  They are falling and causing a huge danger.
  • At the peak of the market when we had severe housing shortages the Realtor took 5 months to fill a vacancy.
  • I drove by the home, took some pictures (without disturbing the tenants).  I pulled the comps and tax records and put a detailed report together and gave the owner a market price range.  I let him know that until I could go inside and properly inspect the property, I could not nail the market value any closer.  He was grateful for the response and I will know in the next couple of days whether we will manage or sell it.

We are talking about a home that is close to $700,000 in value. The commission and possible referrals can come out to a lot of money.

I hope that the only responses from my clients are that they were completed delighted and amazed and are telling all of their friends.  After all we only have one product to sell to clients.  It is service!

If you expect to charge top dollar for your services you better be giving top service.

Not Just Another Pretty Face

8 comments • Randy L. Prothero - Hawaii REALTOR® • January 19 2007 02:46PM